"The nineteenth century was a time of new sensory experiences and modes of perception. The raucous mechanical intensity of the train and the factory vied for attention with the dazzling splendour of department stores and world fairs. Colonization and trade carried European sensations and sensibilities to the world and, in turn, flooded the West with exotic sights and savours. Urban stench became a matter of urgent public concern. Photography created a compelling alternate reality accessible only to the eye. At the turn of the twentieth century, the telephone and the radio isolated and extended the sense of hearing, and electrical networks spread their webs throughout cities. These novel experiences were reflected in contemporary art and literature, whichstrove for new ways to express modern sensibilities. A Cultural History of the Senses in the Age of Empire brings together a group of eminent historians to explore the aesthetic, cultural and political formation of the senses during a period of momentouschange.The Cultural History of the Senses set delves into the sensory foundations of Western civilization, taking a comprehensive period-by-period approach which provides a broad understanding of the life of the senses from antiquity to the modern day. Each of the volumes explores the following topics: The Social Life of the Senses; Urban Sensations; The Senses in the Marketplace; The Senses in Religion; The Senses in Philosophy and Science; Medicine and the Senses; The Senses in Literature; The Senses in Art; and Sensory Media. Superbly illustrated, this six-volume set is the most authoritative and comprehensive historical survey of the senses available"--
The nineteenth century was a time of new sensory experiences and modes of perception. The raucous mechanical intensity of the train and the factory vied for attention with the dazzling splendour of department stores and world fairs. Colonization and trade carried European sensations and sensibilities to the world and, in turn, flooded the West with exotic sights and savours. Urban stench became a matter of urgent public concern. Photography created a compelling alternate reality accessible only to the eye. At the turn of the twentieth century, the telephone and the radio isolated and extended the sense of hearing, and electrical networks spread their webs throughout cities. These novel experiences were reflected in contemporary art and literature, which strove for new ways to express modern sensibilities. A Cultural History of the Senses in the Age of Empire brings together a group of eminent historians to explore the aesthetic, cultural and political formation of the senses during a period of momentous change.
The Cultural History of the Senses set delves into the sensory foundations of Western civilization, taking a comprehensive period-by-period approach which provides a broad understanding of the life of the senses from antiquity to the modern day. Each of the volumes explores the following topics: The Social Life of the Senses; Urban Sensations; The Senses in the Marketplace; The Senses in Religion; The Senses in Philosophy and Science; Medicine and the Senses; The Senses in Literature; The Senses in Art; and Sensory Media. Superbly illustrated, this six-volume set is the most authoritative and comprehensive historical survey of the senses available.
Recenzijos
[ A] diverse and stimulating collection of essays on the senses in the age of empire ... [ that] offers an extraordinarily rich and compelling exploration of the senses ... This book succeeds as a history that offers illuminating analysis and discussion necessary to sketch out the wider social and cultural debates. Yet the chapters will undoubtedly offer fresh perspectives and insights to readers with expertise in the subject matter of individual essays ... [ W]hichever of its chapters you turn to, or if you read the book from cover to cover in one sitting, you will find yourself wanting to go back for a second helping to immerse yourself in this rich sensory exploration of nineteenth- and early twentieth- century history and culture. * Victorian Network *
Daugiau informacijos
The definitive overview of the role of the senses in the Age of Empire, covering themes such as religion, philosophy, science, medicine, literature, art and media.
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vii | |
Series Preface |
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x | |
Editor's Acknowledgments |
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xi | |
Introduction: The Transformation of Perception |
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1 | (24) |
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1 The Social Life of the Senses: The Assaults and Seductions of Modernity |
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25 | (22) |
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2 Urban Sensations: The Shifting Sensescape of the City |
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47 | (22) |
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3 The Senses in the Marketplace: Stimulation and Distraction, Gratification and Control |
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69 | (20) |
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4 The Senses in Religion: Migrations of Sacred and Sensory Values |
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89 | (24) |
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5 The Senses in Philosophy and Science: From the Senses to Sensations |
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113 | (24) |
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6 The Senses in Medicine: Seeing, Hearing and Smelling Disease |
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137 | (24) |
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7 The Senses in Literature: Industry and Empire |
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161 | (24) |
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8 Art and the Senses: From the Romantics to the Futurists |
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185 | (26) |
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9 Sensory Media: The World Without and the World Within |
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211 | (24) |
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Notes |
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235 | (4) |
Bibliography |
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239 | (24) |
Notes on Contributors |
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263 | (4) |
Index |
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267 | |
Constance Classen is Visiting Scholar at McGill University, Canada and director of an interdisciplinary project on art, museums and the senses. She is the editor of The Book of Touch (2005), and the author of, among other works, Worlds of Sense: Exploring the Senses in History and Across Cultures (1993), The Color of Angels: Cosmology, Gender and the Aesthetic Imagination (1998) and The Deepest Sense: A Cultural History of Touch (2012).