On Flinching explores the cultural history of flinches, winces, cringes and starts in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Taking the flinches of scientific observers as its starting point, it likens scientific experiments to the emotional interactions between audiences and actors in the theatre of this period. In its careful, wide-ranging, imaginative argument, On Flinching makes a powerful contribution to our understanding of science and theatre during the age of Darwin and melodrama, Ferrier and Zola.