The Sensational Past
How the Enlightenment Changed the Way We Use Our Senses
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
August 1, 2017 -
Formats
-
OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781501969232
- File size: 218468 KB
- Duration: 07:35:08
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
Publisher's Weekly
Starred review from December 19, 2016
Purnell, visiting assistant professor of history at the Illinois Institute of Technology, thoroughly yet lightheartedly explores the sensory theories of Europe’s 18th-century intelligentsia and how these ideas influenced culture, lived experience, and scientific endeavors of the time. Purnell finds an emblematic
juxtaposition of concern and cruelty in the ways in which Enlightenment philosophes analyzed the senses, noting such examples as the Marquis de Sade’s fascination with intense pain, the founding of the first schools for the blind, and the use of a “cat piano” to help relieve depression. She also delves into the ways the physical senses could lead to increased social differences, as with gastronomes advocating both a “love of food” and a “form of elitism.” The use of color in clothing and furnishings accentuated class distinction, and smells—as from perfumed soaps or their lack—could help reinforce social status. Purnell shows that many modern attitudes were formed during the Enlightenment, including theories of “physical perfectibility” and a much-theorized reliance on visual communication and metaphor. As Purnell enlightens readers on the origin of the word “restaurant” or the medical reasons to “blow smoke up one’s ass,” she reveals the many subtle ways we make sense of our world.
-
Formats
- OverDrive Listen audiobook
subjects
Languages
- English
Loading
Why is availability limited?
×Availability can change throughout the month based on the library's budget. You can still place a hold on the title, and your hold will be automatically filled as soon as the title is available again.
The Kindle Book format for this title is not supported on:
×Read-along ebook
×The OverDrive Read format of this ebook has professional narration that plays while you read in your browser. Learn more here.