Necrophilia stands as one of the most abject sexual deviancies in the catalogue of paraphilias. It has been present throughout history but only recently has there been a concerted effort to study and categorise the varieties of necrophiliac behaviour.

In this lecture Madeleine LeDespencer will discuss Necrophilia in art, literature, and the criminal record. We will explore notable case studies of necrophilia throughout history and how modern forensic criminologists classify the various manifestations of this behaviour to better understand what drives the living to see intimacy with the dead. From the tender sentimentality of Mary Shelley keeping her husband’s heart in a tin box to the brutal necrosadism of François Bertrand, the full spectrum of necrophilia will be uncovered and exposed.

Tickets £12.50 including a Victorian punch and a 20% donation to a host of restoration projects at Kensal Green Cemetery. Please click here to purchase.

Madeleine LeDespencer
Madeleine LeDespencer is a visual artist and author with a particular interest in the French Decadents, Catholic Mysticism, Diabolism, and Spiritualism. Madeleine has been published by Three Hands Press, Hadean Press, Black Moon and others. She has lectured around the world on Necrophilia, Decadence, literary Satanism, the history of Absinthe, and other topics on the fringes of culture. She identifies as a demimondiane, absintheuse, and adoratrice de Satan.