ABSTRACT
Meat works as a means of demarcation in part because its physical substance requires of those who prepare and eat it multiple acts of separation and differentiation. At the same time, it is a cultural construct, its significance both deriving from and extending far beyond the material. Meat eating is a contested site in early modern English literature, the subject of religious and social stricture in genres as diverse as drama and social critique, civic directives, and books of cookery. Creating, and thinking, meat begins with cutting apart. At each stage in the preparation, multiple cuts are required to render a living animal into pieces of meat. Regulating the problematical questions of whether to eat meat, what meat to eat, when, and how much becomes a means to address broader issues of national identity, religion, economic status, gender and sexuality, and the animal/human boundary.
