Philosophy: aesthetics Books

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Beautifully illustrated. . . . [Pastoureau] unpicks the meanings of the colour by delving into a broad range of cultural references, from history, clothing and myth to art and etymology, and shows the different roles each colour has played in society and how they have changed."---Michael Prodger, The Times"Yellow is in part the story of gold, but that was just the beginning, Michel Pastoureau points out in the fifth of his lively, informative, brightly illustrated series about individual colours."---Rachel Campbell-Johnston, The Times"Pastoureau’s main aim is not simply to record how hues have been used, but to seek out the various values they have expressed and embodied in different times. . . . Yellow is worth buying as much for its sumptuous images as its scholarship."---Kevin Jackson, Literary Review"The French scholar Michel Pastoureau investigates how individual colours have been viewed and used in the past. Yellow: The History of a Colour is the successor to similar volumes on blue, green, black and red. But it turns out that yellow has had an intriguing, though chequered, time."---Martin Gayford, The Spectator Australia"Yellow: The History of a Color is the fifth such volume that Pastoureau has produced. Like its predecessors, which recount the visual and cultural histories of blue (2001), black (2009), green (2013), and red (2017), this one is elegant and engaging — as alluring to gaze at as it is compelling to read. Yellow may be an unsettling color, but this is a lovely and striking book."---Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe"Like Pastoureau’s earlier volumes, this is a beautifully produced book and an impressive work of scholarship . . . it is a fascinating and sensual celebration of our complex love-hate relationship with what Goethe called this 'joyous colour'."---Peter D. Smith, The Guardian"If you are contemplating going to a museum, or purchasing a painting for millions for your private collection, this book is going to involve less gas or less investment, and the outcome might be more nourishing."---Anna Faktorovich, Pennsylvania Literary Review"[Yellow: The History of a Color] tells the fascinating story of yellow’s evolving place in art, religion, literature and science from its sacred and symbolic status in antiquity, through its demonic associations with lawlessness when tinged with green, but in its pure state, still engendering feelings of pleasure and abundance, to its positive position in Asian societies and its lasting status as the colour of Buddhism."---Wendy and Ian Lipke, Queensland Reviewers Collection"Richly illustrated and impressively wide-ranging." * The Week *"Michel Pastoureau continues his study of colors, following up on similar works about blue, black, green and red. Pastoureau’s book, a measured and scholarly approach, is filled with images of art and artifacts as well as the color’s interesting role in world history."---Diane Cowen, Houston Chronicle"Yellow: The History of a Color takes readers on a Eurocentric tour of the color."---Alicia Eler, Minneapolis Star Tribune"Yellow is perhaps the most difficult of the colors Pastoureau has undertaken so far. Nonetheless, he handles it with the same sure hand and informed historical perspective he did its predecessors (Blue, Green, Red, and Black). . . . Visuals are handsome and accompanied by text that is both scholarly and easily readable, and that addresses subjects ranging from perception, philology, etymology, and dyes and pigments, to the artistic and symbolic use of color from antiquity onward."---R.M. Davis, Choice

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the art of the Greeks to that of Renoir and Moore, this work surveys the ever-changing fashions in what has constituted the ideal nude as a basis of humanist form.Trade Review"Probably no one else alive today writes about art with Sir Kenneth Clark’s precise combination of intelligence, urbanity, and erudition, and certainly his talent has nowhere been better applied than in this volume. . . . This is an important book and a fascinating one." * The New Yorker *"A book which is as much a pleasure to read as it is informative and provocative. . . . [Clark's] command of the English language is rivaled only by the breadth of his curiosity and the sharpness of his visual memory." * New York Times *"[The Nude] is delightfully written." * Times Literary Supplement *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTheodor Adorno (1903-69) was undoubtedly the foremost thinker of the Frankfurt School, the influential group of German thinkers that fled to the US in the 1930s, including such thinkers as Herbert Marcuse and Max Horkheimer. His work has proved enormously influential in sociology, philosophy and cultural theory. Aesthetic Theory is Adorno's posthumous magnum opus and the culmination of a lifetime's investigation. Analysing the sublime, the ugly and the beautiful, Adorno shows how such concepts frame and distil human experience and that it is human experience that ultimately underlies aesthetics. In Adorno's formulation ‘art is the sedimented history of human misery'.Trade Review"...the fact that they [Continuum] are putting low price tags on works once published in expensive academic editions is something of which we can all be glad.." -Modern Painters, 2/05Table of ContentsTranslator's Acknowledgement \ Translator's Introduction \ 1. Art, Society, Aesthetics \ 2. Situation \ 3. On the Categories of the Ugly, the Beautiful, and Technique \ 4. Natural Beauty \ 5. Art Beauty: Apparition, Spiritualization, Intuitability \ 6. Semblance and Expression \ 7. Enigmaticalness, Truth Content, Metaphysics \ 8. Coherence and Meaning \ 9. Subject-Object \ 10. Toward a Theory of the Artwork \ 11. Universal and Particular \ 12. Society \ 13. Paralimpomena \ 14. Theories On the Origin of Art \ 15. Draft Introduction \ Editor's Afterword.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"A miracle of poetry in the midst of academic rigidity." * Télérama *". . . a rich volume, intelligently illustrated. . . . With sure-footed scholarship, trenchant opinions, Michel Pastoureau goes beyond a perfunctory visit: he makes us realize the importance of this material and avoids the errors of a number of other historians." * Le Monde *". . . a delicious mix of erudition and lighthearted fun." * Livres *"Pastoureau's text moves us through one fascinating area of activity after another. . . . The jacket, cover and end-papers of this luscious book are appropriately blue; its double-columned text breathes easily in the space of its pages; it is so well sewn it opens flat at any place; and fascinating, aptly chosen color plates, not confined to the title color, will please even those eyes denied the good luck of being blue."---William Gass, Los Angeles Times Book Review"Blue is both prettily produced and whimsically enjoyable."---Julian Bell, Times Literary Supplement"Michel Pastoureau takes us into territory that could be made to feel impossibly dense and absurdly specialized. To his credit, the tour is brisk and challenging."---John Loughery, Washington Post Book World"A generous, gorgeous book full of nearly 100 historical and artistic plates, all illustrating the meaning and role of the color blue in Western history. . . . Pastoureau has created something rare: a coffee table book that is also a good read. And not just a good read, but a compelling read."---Brian Bouldrey, Chicago Tribune"Blue . . . is confident, stylish, well-turned out. . . . The book's sapphire glow will grace the most discriminating coffee tables."---Jane Gardam, Spectator"This beautifully illustrated book is well written and informative, and makes an important contribution to the social history of art." * Choice *"In this beguiling and beautiful mixture of art book and social history, the distinguished French scholar shows how the rarest of all colors became the commonest."---Emma Hagestadt and Boyd Tonkin, The Independent Magazine"The material history of a certain section of the spectrum, from the costly tones of the Virgin's cloak to uniforms, Picasso and jeans. History can make you blind, but some historians can make you see again."---James Davidson, Daily Telegraph"Taken together, the earlier volumes on blue (2001), black (2009), green (2013) and red (2017), plus the new book, [Yellow,] represent ‘an edifice’ that [Michel Pastoureau] has been working to build for half a century: a history of colours in (for the most part) Europe from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the 18th century and beyond. . . . [The books] amount to an ambitious project deserving not merely respect but even a touch of awe. There are very few comparable enterprises."---Kevin Jackson, Literary Review

Read more less

Book Synopsis* Engages design students with the philosophical and ethical underpinnings of their discipline * Written in a clear accessible way suitable for the non-specialist * Builds a strong case for the reassessment of Modernist design ethics * Suitable for students of design, philosophy, ethics, modernism and related subjects.Trade Review"This very readable and illuminating book is a must-have for designers and the students of design."Oxford JournalTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction 1 What is Design? 1.1 Defining ‘Design’ 1.2 Ontological Issues 1.3 Activity, Profession and Practice 1.4 The Rise of the Designer 2 The Design Process 2.1 The Challenges of Design 2.2 A Crisis of Confidence 2.3 The Epistemological Problem 2.4 Are Design Problems Ill-Defined? 2.5 Some Responses 2.6 Prestructures and Principles 3 Modernism 3.1 The Origins of Modernism 3.2 Reinterpretations and Linkages 3.3 The Failure of Modernism 4 Expression 4.1 The Meanings of Design 4.2 Expression and Eros 4.3 The Better Realization Argument 4.4 Illusion and Reality 4.5 An Objection 5 The Concept of Function 5.1 The Indeterminacy of Function 5.2 Intentionalist Theories of Artefact Function 5.3 Evolutionary Theories of Artefact Function 5.4 Objections to the Evolutionary Theory 5.5 Novelty, Design and the Epistemolocial Problem 6 Function, Form and Aesthetics 6.1 Can Form Follow Function? 6.2 Squaring Function and Aesthetic Value 6.3 Dependent Beauty 6.4 Functional Beauty 6.5 Good Taste in Design 6.6 Bad Taste 7 Ethics 7.1 Applied Ethics and Design 7.2 Consumerism, Needs and Wants 7.3 Is Need an Empty Concept? 7.4 Does Design Alter the Moral Landscape? 7.5 The Designer Stands Alone? Epilogue: The Meaning of Modernism Suggestions for Further Reading Notes References

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Place in garden, lawn, to beautify landscape.'When Don Featherstone's plastic pink flamingos were first advertised in the 1957 Sears catalogue, these were the instructions. The flamingos are placed on the cover of this book for another reason: to start us asking questions. That's where philosophy always begins.Introducing Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art is written to introduce students to a broad array of questions that have occupied philosophers since antiquity, and which continue to bother us todayquestions like: - Is there something special about something's being art? Can a mass-produced plastic bird have that special something? - If someone likes plastic pink flamingos, does that mean they have bad taste? Is bad taste a bad thing? - Do Featherstone's pink flamingos mean anything? If so, does that depend on what Featherstone meant in designing them?Each chapter opens using a real world example such as Marcel Duchamp's signed urinal, The ExorcistTrade ReviewIntroducing Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art explores the classic questions in the philosophy of art through provocative artworks. Written in a clear and fresh style, this comprehensive textbook provides an accessible and engaging entry point for students to the central philosophical issues in the arts. An excellent resource for students and academics alike. -- Sondra Bacharach, Senior Lecturer of Philosophy, Victoria University of Wellington, New ZealandThis is one of the best introductions to Philosophy of Art around. Hudson Hick judges the current vibe among students exceptionally well. Recent and contemporary examples of art, literature, music and film, prompt the kind of questions that lead naturally to the key concepts and theories presented in this book. Drawing mostly from analytic aesthetics, as well as continental philosophy on interpretation, the book provides a genuine opportunity to develop understanding of art and its reception. And while the level at which the text is pitched is appropriate for beginners, the dialectic occasions the kind of critical debate that will also engage the more advanced student. A timely new feature of this edition is the chapter on diversity which flags the burgeoning material on perspectivism. The final chapter completes the promise of the title, raising questions pertinent to the aesthetics of nature. -- Jennifer A. McMahon, Professor of Philosophy, The University of Adelaide, AustraliaDarren Hudson Hick’s Introduction to Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art offers a fresh, engaging take on both central and historically neglected topics in aesthetics. Hick presents complex debates in an accessible way and brings thinkers from different traditions and historical moments seamlessly into conversation. Examples from a wide variety of art forms keep the discussion lively while drawing out the implications of the theories on offer. * Sherri Irvin, Presidential Research Professor of Philosophy and Women’s and Gender Studies and Co-Director of the Center for Social Justice, University of Oklahoma, USA *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction: Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art: an Extremely Brief History 1. Defining Art 2. The Ontology of Art 3. Interpretation and Intention 4. Aesthetic Properties and Evaluation 5. Emotions and the Arts 6. Art and Morality 7. Aesthetics Without Art Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this landmark text by one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century, Gilles Deleuze takes the paintings of Francis Bacon as his object of his study. The book presents a deep engagement with Bacon''s work and the nature of art. Deleuze analyzes the distinctive innovations that came to mark Bacon''s style: the isolation of the figure, the violation and deformations of the flesh, the complex use of color, the method of chance, and the use of the triptych form. Here Deleuze creates a number of his well-known concepts, such as the ''body without organs'' and contrasts his own approach to painting with that of both the phenomenological and the art historical traditions. Deleuze links Bacon''s work to Cezanne''s notion of a ''logic'' of sensation and, investigating this logic, explores Bacon''s crucial relation to past painters such as Cezanne, Velasquez, and Soutine.Trade ReviewA lively and systematic study of Bacon's work. The book is clearly organised, helping to make complicated arguments easier to follow. * Modern Painters *A path-breaking work on the aesthetics of sensation, the philosophy of colour, on form, and on painting in general, Francis Bacon is one of the most important, if not the most crucial, of all of Deleuze's writings. * Tom Conley, Harvard University, USA *One of Deleuze’s most beautifully crafted studies, and an essential component of his aesthetic philosophy. * Southern Humanities Review *Art historians as well as scholars of 20th century intellectual history will find this a rich mine of original thought. * Library Journal *Long-awaited. This book is invaluable for an understanding of the trajectory of Deleuze’s own thought. Offers an entry point into Deleuze’s more explicitly theoretical work that simultaneously grounds and orients that theory in terms of a specific instance. * Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism *Table of ContentsTranslator's Preface, by Daniel W. Smith Preface to the French Edition, by Alain Badiou and Barbara Cassin Author's Foreword Author's Preface to the English Edition 1. The Round Area, the Ring The round area and its analogues - Distinction between the Figure and the figurative - The fact - The question of "matters of fact" - The three elements of painting: structure, Figure, and contour - Role of the fields 2. Note on Figuration in Past Painting Painting, religion, and photography - On two misconceptions 3. Athleticism First movement: from the structure to the Figure - Isolation - Athleticism - Second movement: from the Figure to the structure - The body escapes from itself: abjection - Contraction, dissipation: washbasins, umbrellas, and mirrors 4. Body, Meat, and Spirit, Becoming-Animal Man and animal - The zone of indiscernibility - Flesh and bone: the meat descends from the bone - Pity - Head, face, and meat 5. Recapitulative Note: Bacon's Periods and Aspects From the scream to the smile: dissipation - Bacon's three successive periods - The coexistence of all the movements - The functions of the contour 6. Painting and Sensation Cezanne and sensation — The levels of sensation — Figuration and violence - The movement of translation, the stroll - The phenomenological unity of the senses: sensation and rhythm 7. Hysteria The body without organs: Artaud - Worringer's Gothic line - What the "difference of level" in sensation means - Vibration - Hysteria and presence - Bacon's doubt — Hysteria, painting, and the eye 8. Painting Forces Rendering the invisible: the problem of painting - Deformation: neither transformation nor decomposition - The scream - Bacon's love of life - Enumeration of forces 9. Couples and Triptychs Coupled Figures — The battle and the coupling of sensation - Resonance - Rhythmic Figures - Amplitude and the three rhythms - Two types of "matters of fact" 10. Note: What Is a Triptych? The attendant - The active and the passive - The fall: the active reality of the difference in level - Light, union and separation 11. The Painting before Painting .. . Cezanne and the fight against the cliche - Bacon and photographs - Bacon and probabilities - Theory of chance: accidental marks - The visual and the manual - The status of the figurative 12. The Diagram The diagram in Bacon (traits and color-patches) - Its manual character - Painting and the experience of catastrophe - Abstract painting, code, and optical space - Action Painting, diagram, and manual space - What Bacon dislikes about both these ways 13. Analogy Cezanne: the motif as diagram - The analogical and the digital - Painting and analogy - The paradoxical status of abstract painting - The analogical language of Cezanne and of Bacon: plane, color, and mass - Modulation - Resemblance recovered 14. Every Painter Recapitulates the History of Painting in His or Her Own Way .. . Egypt and haptic presentation - Essence and accident - Organic representation and the tactileoptical world - Byzantine art: a pure optical world? - Gothic art and the manual - Light and color, the optic and the haptic 15. Bacon's Path The haptic world and its avatars - Colorism - A new modulation - From Van Gogh and Gauguin to Bacon - The two aspects of color: bright tone and broken tone, field and Figure, shores and flows .. . 16. Note on Color Color and the three elements of painting - Color-structure: the fields and their divisions - The role of black Color-force: Figures, flows, and broken tones Heads and shadows - Color-contour - Painting and taste: good and bad taste 17. The Eye and the Hand Digital, tactile, manual, and haptic - The practice of the diagram - On "completely different" relations - Michelangelo: the pictorial fact Index of Paintings Notes Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat is beauty, and what is truth? These are some of the questions which aesthetics tries to answer. In our everyday life, we talk about the 'aesthetics' of an artwork or a piece of design. But aesthetics goes beyond the simple experience of art. It is also a branch of philosophy concerned with the whole nature of experience itself, explored through our perceptions, feelings and emotions.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat is art? Why do we find some things beautiful but not others? Is it wrong to share MP3s? These are just some of the questions explored by aesthetics, the philosophy of art. In this sweeping introduction, Charles Taliaferro skilfully guides us through different theories of art and beauty, tackling issues such as who owns art and what happens when art and morality collide. From Plato on poetry to Ringo Starr on the drums, this is a perfect introductory text for anyone interested in the fascinating questions art can raise.Trade Review“The best book on aesthetics of its kind. Engaging, comprehensive in scope, and rich with examples.” -- David Vessey – Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Grand Valley State University, US“Beginners who read this excellent introduction will encounter a wide range of sources, dealing with the major questions in aesthetics and illustrated by many and varied artistic examples.” -- Gary Iseminger – Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Carleton College, USA, and author of The Aesthetic Function of Art“Accessible and assured. This brief account of a vast subject is entirely successful.” -- Professor Daniel N. Robinson – University of Oxford'Providing a balanced view of many controversial concepts and traditions – from Plato to Mozart to Tolkien – Taliaferro gives a sound tour of the essential questions… Highly recommended as an introduction guide.' * Transpositions *

Read more less

Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics.The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.'When Basil Hallward paints the portrait of young, handsome Dorian Gray, he falls prey to his dazzling beauty. Afraid that his youth and looks will waste away, Dorian expresses a wish that his portrait, and not he, will age and fade over time. His wish is granted, and over the ensuing years, Dorian indulges in every kind of vice and pleasure, never ageing nor disfiguring. Only his portrait, hidden to the world, bears the marks of his actions, and as his soul grows ever more wasted and corrupted, devastatingconsequences lie in wait.The Picture of Dorian Gray is an exploration of the purpose of art, the superficial nature of youth and beauty, and the conflict between morality and intemperance. First published in its complete, uncensored form in 1891, it is Oscar Wilde's only novel.

Read more less

Book SynopsisChristopher Bartel is Professor of Philosophy at Appalachian State University, USA.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this new study, Cristina Chimisso explores the work of the French philospher of science, Gaston Bachelard by situating it within French cultural life of the first half of the twentieth century.Trade Review'This is a fascinating work, which makes a good case for the continued relevance of some of Bachelard's ideas.' - British Journal for the History of ScienceTable of ContentsIntroduction: The formation of Gaston Bachelard's philosophy 1. Painting an icon: Gaston Bachelard and the philosophical beard2. Culture generale and the new scientific spirit3. Bachelard's pedagogical rationalism4. Philosophy between the Sorbonne and the College de France5. Philosophy, history and the history of the sciences6. The study of man 7. The study of the psyche8. Bachelard as a reader

Read more less

Book SynopsisFeatures a 48-page 'Afterword - 1980'.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Beyond the Sovereign Self Grant H. Kester continues the critique of aesthetic autonomy begun in The Sovereign Self, showing how socially engaged art provides an alternative aesthetic with greater possibilities for critical practice. Instead of grounding art in its distance from the social, Kester shows how socially engaged art, developed in conjunction with forms of social or political resistance, encourages the creative capacity required for collective political transformation. Among others, Kester analyzes the work of conceptual artist Adrian Piper, experimental practices associated with the escrache tradition in Argentina, and indigenous Canadian artists such as Nadia Myre and Michèle Taïna Audette, showing how socially engaged art catalyzes forms of resistance that operate beyond the institutional art world. From the Americas and Europe to Iran and South Africa, Kester presents a historical genealogy of recent engaged art practices rooted in a deep histTrade Review“In a superlative demonstration of a hypothesis in action, Grant H. Kester’s definitive study Beyond the Sovereign Self effectively melts down, then reimagines our stagnated concepts of aesthetic autonomy and avant-gardism in a dauntless bid to retheorize the increasingly entangled, if not indistinguishable, realms of twenty-first-century social activism and art.” -- Gregory Sholette, author of * The Art of Activism and the Activism of Art *“With characteristic thoroughness, Grant H. Kester articulates the radical potential in challenging the cherished notion of art’s autonomy. Centering dialogic and activist art practices, he insightfully argues that the social labor of cultural resistance necessarily operates in generative forms of collectivity and dissensus.” -- Jennifer A. González, coeditor of * Chicano and Chicana Art: A Critical Anthology *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 I. Within and Beyond the Canon 1. The Incommensurablity of Socially Engaged Art 33 2. Escrache and Autonomy 54 II. From Object to Event 3. Dematerialization and Aesthetics in Real Time 85 4. The Aesthetic of Answerability 105 III. A Dialogical Aesthetic 5. Social Labor and Communicative Action 137 6. Our Pernicious Temporality 171 7. Being Human as Praxis 202 Conclusion. Beyond the White Wall 229 Notes 235 Works Cited 255 Index 271

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume gathers together some of the most brilliant and influential essays ever written in English.The Spirit of Controversy uses versions of the essays as they first appeared in the magazines of his day.Trade ReviewThe ambitious attention to contextual situations, and the generous help afforded through introduction and annotations, make this the best selection yet for undergraduates, and the most affordable genuinely good edition for any Hazlitt reader. * Koenraad Claes, Hazlitt Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography A Chronology of William Hazlitt 1: Reply to Malthus 2: Fragments on Art 3: Mr Kean's Shylock 4: On Imitation 5: On Gusto 6: On the Elgin Marbles 7: Mrs Siddons 8: Mr Kemble's King John 9: Coriolanus 10: Macbeth 11: Hamlet 12: Character of Mr Burke 13: On Court Influence 14: On Fashion 15: Minor Theatres 16: On the Pleasure of Painting 17: Character of Cobbett 18: The Indian Jugglers 19: On a Landscape by Nicholas Poussin 20: The Fight 21: On Familiar Style 22: On the Spirit of Monarchy 23: My First Acquaintance with Poets 24: On Londoners and Country People 25: Jeremy Bentham 26: Lord Byron 27: William Godwin 28: Mr Wordsworth 29: On the Pleasure of Hating 30: Our National Theatres 31: The Spirit of Controversy 32: The Free Admission 33: The Letter-Bell Explanatory Notes

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisBlack, favorite color of priests and penitents, artists and ascetics, fashion designers and fascists, has always stood for powerfully opposed ideas: authority and humility and sin and holiness. This book discusses the social history of the color black in Europe. It is suitable for those interested in the history of fashion, art, media, or design.Trade ReviewWinner of the 2009 Bronze Medal in Fine Art, Independent Publisher Book Awards One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2009 "Who would have thought the history of a single color could be so fascinating? Black: The History of a Color, by Michel Pastoureau, (Princeton University Press, $35) proceeds chronologically from cave painting to modern fashion and focuses on mythology, heraldry, religion, science and painting along the way. The author, a historian at the Sorbonne, narrates developments in the material, aesthetic and sociological dimensions of the color black with infectious, wide-ranging curiosity and easy-going erudition. After this you'll want to read his previous book, from the same publisher, Blue: The History of a Color."--Ken Johnson, New York Times Praise for Michel Pastoureau's Blue: "Pastoureau's text moves us through one fascinating area of activity after another... The jacket, cover and end-papers of this luscious book are appropriately blue; its double-columned text breathes easily in the space of its pages; it is so well sewn it opens flat at any place; and fascinating, aptly chosen color plates, not confined to the title color, will please even those eyes denied the good luck of being blue."--William H. Gass, author of Blue: A Philosophical Inquiry, writing in the Los Angeles Times Book Review "This handsome, strikingly designed, richly illustrated book traces the history of the color black in Europe... Like his earlier Blue, this book is well researched, skillfully written, and a pleasure to read."--R. M. Davis, Choice "Michael Pastoureau, in Black: The History of a Color, sees the rise of puritanism and Protestantism as the war of the colours--a war against vivid colour that black usually won... He has a terrific story to tell, and a multitude of gorgeous images to help tell it."--Robert Fulford, The National Post "Black is a penetrating, erudite, thoughtfully illustrated cultural history of a color, by Michel Pastoureau, an author whose earlier work has included--surprise, surprise--Blue."--Nicholas A. Basbanes, The Worcester Telegram & Gazette "French popular art historian Pastoureau here tackles one of the most complex and interesting colours, the favourite of 'priests and penitents, artists and ascetics, fashion designers and fascists.' This social history is lavishly illustrated with paintings, movie stills, photo portraits and fashion shoots."--The Globe & Mail "Until I came upon Michel Pastoureau's 2000 book Blue: The History of a Color it had never occurred to me colors had a history. Turns out they do, and tracking the significance first of blue, now black, provides a satisfyingly fresh angle of approach to the past."--Frtiz Lanham, The Houston Chronicle "What is interesting in sociological histories like Pastoureau's is their revelations about how cultural attitudes change. Black's connection with death began as early as ancient Egypt, when people left black stones on funeral pyres, not in a ghoulish way but as a symbol of rebirth (the Egyptian death divinity, Anubis, was painted black)... But this book will have you seeing black in more shades than you imagined."--Victor Swoboda, The Montreal Gazette "The author of more than a dozen art history books, Pastoureau's work is accessible, generous and witty. What's more, like all good illustrated books, this one is has more than 150 pictures in support of its superb text."--Marc Horton, The Edmonton Journal "Now Princeton University Press has published a social history of this most allusive of hues, Black: The History of a Color, by Michel Pastoureau, a French scholar and author of a similarly titled history of the color blue. Both are lavishly illustrated coffee table books that follow their colors down the time line of European history."--John Zeaman, Design NJ Magazine "This erudite and elegantly written exploration of the history of black charts its changing symbolism and shades of meaning as a colour of death and rebirth, of religious authority and evil, of luxury and poverty."--Fiona Capp, The Age (Australia) "Pastoureau combines a charming, conversational tone with a haughtiness I found entirely endearing. A director of studies at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes at the Sorbonne in Paris, he writes from a position of professorial confidence. He has conducted extensive research into the history of colour for a quarter century and his aim is to correct misapprehensions and banish ignorance. His style is not to inquire, explore or interrogate, in the fashion of academic studies today. It is to impart knowledge."--Sebastian Smee, The Australian "As the handsomely produced book demonstrates, black is the colour of the pigment used to draw the great bull of Lascaux, of evil, the devil, funerals, the fecundity of the Earth, bears, crows, hell, half the pieces on a chess board, Satan, heretics and priests alike, mysterious cats and, in the 12th century, the mantle of Mary, the mother of Jesus."--Sydney Morning Herald "[T]his book ... reads quite naturally as English ... and it has something worthwhile to say in a style that is informative rather than aimed mostly at enhancing the reputation of the writer among his academic peers... There is much valuable information about the history of dying in different periods and the fashionability of the color black among the nobility and upper classes (later the wealthy merchant class) of Europe."--Colin Blogs Praise for Michel Pastoureau's Blue: "A generous, gorgeous book full of nearly 100 historical and artistic plates, all illustrating the meaning and role of the color blue in Western history... Pastoureau has created something rare: a coffee table book that is also a good read. And not just a good read, but a compelling read."--Brian Bouldrey, Chicago TribuneTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION

Read more less

Book SynopsisTranslation of: Rouge: histoire d'une couleur.Trade Review"Love, oh love, oh bloody love! So intense, so beautiful, so treacherous--so red... The new book Red: The History of a Color by Michel Pastoureau ... considers red in all its manifold guises. A richly and imaginatively illustrated survey filled with history, lore, religion, science, cosmetics, archaeology, medicine, alchemy, superstition, magic, linguistics, and even recipes for pigments, the book ambitiously traverses the centuries from prehistoric times to the present."--Barbara A. MacAdam, ARTnews "Pastoureau is the world's most distinguished and influential historian of colour, and ... his life's work on the symbolism of the spectrum is one of the great humane projects of our day."--Kevin Jackson, Literary Review "Pastoureau ... deftly weaves a tapestry that takes in not just the history of Western art, but also etymology, fairy tales and even the origins of modern road signage in heraldry. There can be no doubting his passion."--Stephen Patience, World of Interiors "Red is the color of lovers, blood, and anguish, and often signifies intensity. It is no doubt one of the most important colors in our history. Michel Pastoureau examines its significance through a slew of analytical essays and photographs that reveal the complex and, at times, controversial nature of the color and its relation to other hues."--Metropolis "Gorgeous... [A] splendid book, beautiful to look at and fascinating to read."--Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe "Does the warning red of our stop signs burble up from the color's association with medieval morality? Does the emergence of red as an ideological identity in right-wing American politics have some echo of the color's use as a symbol of power, such as the red cloak of Charlemagne and the Phrygian cap of the French Revolution? Michel Pastoureau's Red: The History of a Color, recently released by Princeton University Press, is a concise biography of the complex symbolism and perception of this hue of blood and fire."--Allison Meier, Hyperallergic "Beautifully and imaginatively illustrated ... Red is less a theory than a very readable compendium of fascinating facts... Red contains more than enough engrossing diversions that act like a traffic light and bring you to a stop."--Michael Prodger, The Times "Superb."--Vanity Fair "A wonderful book."--Le Figaro Magazine "A heady story of colors."--Telerama "An exciting cultural journey through the color red."--La vie "A rich and exciting story, a transversal approach, accessible to all."--Le Journal des Arts "A captivating human, sociological and spiritual history."--Connaissance des ArtsTable of ContentsIntroduction 7 The First Color (From Earliest Times To The End Of Antiquity) 12 The First Palettes 16 Fire and Blood 22 With Pliny among the Painters 30 Dyeing in Red 37 Roman Purple 40 Red in Everyday Life 44 Evidence from the Lexicon 50 The Favorite Color (Sixth To Fourteenth Centuries) 54 The Four Reds of the Church Fathers 58 The Blood of Christ 64 The Red of Power 69 The First Color of Heraldry 74 Love, Glory, and Beauty 80 Blue versus Red 86 The Wardrobes of Beautiful Florentine Ladies 90 A Controversial Color(Fourteenth To Seventeenth Centuries) 94 In the Flames of Hell 98 Judas, the Redhead 102 Hatred of Red 108 The Red of Painters 116 A Primary Color 126 Fabric and Clothing 130 Little Red Riding Hood 135 A Dangerous Color? (Eighteenth To Twenty-First Centuries) 140 On the Margins of Red: Pink 144 Makeup and Society Life 152 Red Caps and Flags: In the Midst of the Revolution 163 A Political Color 167 Emblems and Signals 176 Red for the Present Day 181 Notes 195 Bibliography 209 Photography Credits214 Acknowledgments 216

Read more less

Book SynopsisOriginally written for an exhibition Nancy curated at the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon in 2007, the text addresses the medium of drawing in light of form in its formation, of form as a formative force, opening drawing to questions of pleasure and desire.Trade Review"What is it about drawing that might attract a philosopher's eye? Many things no doubt but not least, there is the (literally) unthinkable movement by which something begins to take shape. Jean-Luc Nancy's approach in The Pleasure in Drawing moves beyond art-historical categories and conceptual schemas to touch on precisely that: he considers the 'formative force' of drawing, not in terms of its formal achievement but in terms of the pleasures afforded by its constant beginning-pleasures of attraction, sense, permanent interruption, tension and intensity. A book full of dazzling insights, imaginative curves and provocative renewals." -- -Sarah Clift University of King's CollegeTable of ContentsTranslator's Note Preface to the English-Language Edition Form Sketchbook 1 Idea Sketchbook 2 Formative Force Sketchbook 3 The Pleasure of Drawing Sketchbook 4 Forma Formans Sketchbook 5 From Self Toward Self Sketchbook 6 Consenting to Self Sketchbook 7 Gestural Pleasure Sketchbook 8 The Form-Pleasure Sketchbook 9 The Designing/Drawing of the Arts Sketchbook 10 Mimesis Sketchbook 11 Pleasure of Relation Sketchbook 12 Death, Sex, Love of the Invisible Sketchbook 13 Ambiguous Pleasure Sketchbook 14 Purposiveness Without Purpose Sketchbook 15 Desire of the Line Sketchbook 16 Notes

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisIntroduces the concept of the intensive-image to develop a deeper understanding of the part played by intensity in the history of the cinematic imageTrade Review"Gilles Deleuze's monumental cinema books privileged properties of movement and time, differentiating the classical from the modern. Crist bal Escobar respectfully re-opens Deleuze's books in order to emphasize a term that cuts across and unifies all these categories: intensity. His contribution is brilliant and radical, leading us to experience films anew." -Adrian Martin, Film Critic, Monash University

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the latest of his books exploring a lifetime's passion for music, bestselling author and philosopher Roger Scruton brings his immense critical faculties to bear on a panoply of different musical genres, both contemporary and classical.Music as an Art begins by examining music through a philosophical lens, engaging in discussions about tonality, music and the moral life, music and cognitive science and German idealism, as well as recalling the author's struggle to encourage his students to distinguish the qualities of good music. Scruton then explains via erudite chapters on Schubert, Britten, Rameau, opera and film how we can develop greater judgement in music, recognising both good taste and bad, establishing musical values, as well as musical pleasures.As Scruton argues in this book, in earlier times, our musical culture had secure foundations in the church, the concert hall and the home; in the ceremonies and celebrations of ordinary life, religion and manners. Yet we no longer live in that world. Fewer people now play instruments and music is, for many, a form of largely solitary enjoyment. As he shows in Music as an Art, we live at a critical time for classical music, and this book is an important contribution to the debate, of which we stand in need, concerning the place of music in Western civilization.Trade ReviewScruton fastidiously argues for tonality and expression as significant components of musical compositions in this enlightening academic work. * Publishers Weekly *This is as clear an argument for the value of Western classical music as one will find. Highly recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction PART I: PHILOSOPHICAL INVESTIGATIONS 1 When is a Tune? 2 Music and Cognitive Science 3 Music and the Moral Life 4 Music and the Transcendental 5 Tonality 6 German Idealism PART II: CRITICAL EXPLORATIONS 7 Franz Schubert and the Quartettsatz 8 Rameua the Musician 9 Britten's Dirge 10 David Matthews 11 Reflections on Deaths in Venice 12 Pierre Boulez 13 Film Music 14 The Assault on Opera 15 Nietzsche on Wagner 16 The Music of the Future 17 The Culture of Pop Bibliography Acknowledgements Index A Note on the Author

Read more less

Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Once upon a time, the news was only 15 minutes long and middle-class families huddled around a tiny black-and-white screen, TV dinners on their laps, awaiting weekly sitcoms that depicted an all-white world in which mom wore pearls and heels as she baked endless pies. If this seems a distant past, that's a measure of just how much TV has changedand changed us. Weaving together personal memoir, social and political history, and reflecting on key moments in the history of news broadcasting and prime time entertainment, Susan Bordo opens up the 75-year-old time-capsule that is TV and illustrates what a constant companion and dominant cultural force television has been, for good and for bad, in carrying us from the McCarthy hearings and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet to Mad Men, Killing Eve, and the emergence of our first reality TV president.Object Lessons iTrade ReviewSusan Bordo is old enough to remember when television was a thing—a set, a box, an electric window on a made-up world—and she pays wise, charming, and personal tribute to its meaning for a generation and a culture raised in its blue light. And that's the way it was. * Jeff Jarvis, TV critic for People and TV Guide and founding editor of Entertainment Weekly *In this lively and engaging analysis of what television has done for us and to us, the feminist cultural critic Susan Bordo takes us from Father Knows Best and Walter Cronkite to OJ, MadMen, Fox News, and much more. She shows how TV has shaped our politics and our purchases, our minds and our bodies, our definition of truth and our concept of reality. "We live in an empire of images," Bordo writes—one could not wish for a more knowledgeable and entertaining guide. * Katha Pollitt, poet, essayist, and The Nation columnist. Her most recent book is Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights. *Entertaining… A thought provoking and interesting read. * Irish Tech News *Table of ContentsPreface 1. Waiting for Joseph Welch 2. We Have Six Televisions 3. Growing Up with TV in the Fifties and Sixties 4. The Erosion of the Fact-Based Universe 5. If George Orwell Could Critique Broadcast News 6. Intersections of TV, “Reality,” and Reality 7. TV Deconstructs Gender 8. Epilogue: July 4, 2020 Acknowledgments Notes

Read more less

Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.Alarms are alarming. They wake us up, demand our attention and force us to attend to things we've preferred to ignore. But alarms also allow us to feel secure, to sleep and to retreat from alertness. Theytake over vigilance on our behalf. From the alarm clock and the air-raid siren to the doorbell and the phone alert, the history of alarms is also the history of work, security, technology and emotion. Alarm responds to culture's most urgent calls to attention by examining all kinds of alarms, from the restless presence of the alarm clock in modernist art to the siren the sound of the police in classic hip hop. More than just bells and whistles, alarms are objects that have defined sleeping and waking, safety and danger, and they have fundamentally shaped our understanding of the mind and its capacity for attention.Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay seTrade ReviewBy revealing the uncanny ubiquity of alarms in our daily life, by making us smile about their profound ambivalence, Alice Bennett has written a pleasurable and soothing book. From burglary to belatedness, from house fires to climate change, this exemplary collaboration between literary studies and the social sciences sheds a reflexive, nuanced and joyful light on our darker anxieties. A most accessible, elegant and important lesson in attention ecology. * Yves Citton, Professor in Literature and Media, University Paris 8, France, and author of The Ecology of Attention *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Introduction 1. Clock 2. Fire 3. Security 4. Siren 5. Failure, False, Fatigue 6. Future Image Credits Notes Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe title of this book, Derivative Lives, alludes to the challenge of finding one's way within the contemporary market of virtually limitless information and claims to veracity. Amid this profusion of options, it is easy to feel lost in spaces of uncertainty where biographical truth teeters between the real and the imaginative. The title thus also points to the prolific market of biographical novels that openly and intentionally play in the speculative space between the real and the fictional. Drawing on theories of risk and uncertainty, Derivative Lives considers the surge in biofiction in Spain and globally, relating literary expression to concepts such as circumstantiality, derivatives, speculation, and game studies.Trade ReviewA brilliant analysis of the Spanish biofictional novel within the wider context of contemporary thought. Virginia Rademacher examines research from both within and beyond the field of literary criticism to show how biofiction as a genre challenges the notion of history as an abstraction or an irretrievable reality by depicting how real people deal with specific historical situations. Rademacher's command of modern history, intellectual currents, and the Spanish bio-novel is indeed impressive. * Bárbara Mujica, author of Frida, Sister Teresa, I Am Venus and Miss del Río *With case studies drawn from some of contemporary Spain’s most exciting writers, this is an original and compellingly theorized exploration of how biofiction works to understand, vex, exploit, or otherwise experiment with questions of uncertainty, identity, and risk in the supermodern present. Rademacher engages playfully and productively with disciplinary discourses emerging from fields such as law, finance and economics—which similarly contend with competing claims to truth and value—and dives deep into the circumstantial and speculative games that authors play when they write fiction about reality. * Samuel Amago, Professor of Spanish, University of Virginia, USA *Considering the rich field of Spanish biofiction in relation to concepts of uncertainty, speculation, and risk in a post-truth age, Rademacher’s Derivative Lives establishes an exciting interdisciplinary nexus. In the course of this study, Rademacher expands the scope and ambition of biofiction studies. * Bethany Layne, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, De Montfort University, UK *Derivative Lives nos ofrece una profunda, amena, necesaria y muy interesante indagación de las borrosas fronteras entre lo real y lo ficticio, en un mundo cada vez más impreciso en donde ni siquiera la propia identidad resulta fiable. Derivative Lives offers us a deep, entertaining, necessary, and very interesting investigation of the blurred borders between reality and fiction, in an increasingly imprecise world where even one’s own identity is not reliable. * Rosa Montero, writer, author of El peligro de estar cuerda (2022) *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction SECTION I The Circumstantial Case: Chasing Criminals/Tracing Traumatic Histories 1. Making the Circumstantial Case: Reasonable Doubt and Moral Certainty in Javier Cercas’ Soldiers of Salamis 2. Fugitive Biofictions: Antonio Muñoz Molina’s Like a Fading Shadow and Gabriela Ybarra’s The Dinner Guest SECTION II Speculative Truths and Derivative Fictions 3. Entertaining the What-Ifs in Rosa Montero’s The Madwoman of the House and the Ridiculous Idea of Never Seeing You Again 4. Fraudulent Pasts and Fictional Futures in Javier Cercas’ The Impostor and Adolfo García Ortega’s The Birthday Buyer SECTION III Critical Play in Biofictional Games 5. Playing for Real: Simulated Games of Identity in Lucía Etxebarria’s Courtney and I and Truth is Nothing but a Moment of Falsehood Appendices to Chapter 5 6. Literary Afterlives and Paratextual Play: Elvira Navarro’s The Last Days of Adelaida García Morales and Antonio Orejudos’s The Famous Five and Me Coda: Biofiction’s Antidotes to Post-Truth Endnotes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this book, the founder of object-oriented ontology develops his view that aesthetics is the central discipline of philosophy. Whereas science must attempt to grasp an object in terms of its observable qualities, philosophy and art cannot proceed in this way because they don't have direct access to their objects. Hence philosophy shares the same fate as art in being compelled to communicate indirectly, allusively, or elliptically, rather than in the clear propositional terms that are often taken – wrongly – to be the sole stuff of genuine philosophy. Conceiving of philosophy and art in this way allows us to reread key debates in aesthetic theory and to view art history in a different way. The formalist criticism of Greenberg and Fried is rejected for its refusal to embrace the innate theatricality and deep multiplicity of every artwork. This has consequences for art criticism, making pictorial content more important than formalism thinks but less entwined with the social sphere than anti-formalism holds. It has consequences for art history too, as the surrealists, David, and Poussin, among others, gain in importance. The close link between aesthetics and ontology also invites a new periodization of modern philosophy as a whole, and the habitual turn away from Kant’s thing-in-itself towards an increase in philosophical "immanence" is shown to be a false dawn. This major work will be of great interest to students and scholars of philosophy, aesthetics, art history and cultural theory.Trade Review“An essential guide by the foremost philosopher of our age. This book will educate and delight both aficionados and those unfamiliar with the first major philosophical movement of the twenty-first century.”Timothy Morton, Rice University “Harman presents a clear overview of the development of Speculative Realism’s core debates. He not only reconstructs its genealogy but offers a remarkably concise introduction to his own ontology by putting it in its larger context.”Markus Gabriel, University of Bonn". . . Harman is a wonderful writer. He’s accessible and lively, a real joy to read."The University BookmanTable of ContentsAbbreviations for Frequently Cited Works Preliminary Note Introduction: Formalism and the Lessons of Dante 1. OOO and Art: A First Summary 2. Formalism and its Flaws 3. Theatrical, Not Literal 4. The Canvas is the Message 5. After High Modernism 6. Dada, Surrealism, and Literalism 7. Weird Formalism Notes Works Cited

Read more less

Book SynopsisGilles Deleuze, the person and philosopher, was both singular and multifaceted. Frida Beckman traces Deleuze's remarkable intellectual journey, mapping the encounters from which his life and work emerged. She considers how his life and philosophical developments resonate with historical, political and philosophical events, from the Second World War to the student uprisings in the 1960s, the opening of the experimental University of Paris VIII and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although less of a public figure than many of his contemporaries, Deleuze's life and philosophy are bound up with his numerous friendships, collaborations and disputes with several of the period's most influential thinkers, as well as his connections with writers, artists and film scholars. Beckman considers the events, moods and intensities that were generated by this multiplicity of encounters throughout his life. The book follows Deleuze from the salons to which he was invited as a young student through his popularity as a young teacher to the development of the rich phases of his philosophical work.While resisting the idea of 'Deleuzians', the book also reviews a post-Deleuzian legacy and the influence of this extraordinary thinker on contemporary philosophy.Trade Review'Beckman draws from a stunning array of primary and secondary texts, interviews, and letters to offer a skillful and faithful study.' - Charles W. Stivale, Distinguished Professor of French at Wayne State University 'Beckman skillfully weaves together a narrative that moves between Deleuze's life and what he called "a life". Along the way, many of Deleuze's most important concepts are clarified and critically analyzed in a way that will make this Critical Life both a valuable resource for scholars and an excellent introduction to his life and work.' - Alan D. Schrift, F. Wendell Miller Professor of Philosophy, Grinnell College

Read more less

Book SynopsisEnchantment is a profound human experience. When we encounter wonder, awe or amazement, that is enchantment. Enchantment can reveal profound truths, lead to deep values and become central to a life well-lived. This unique book explores how enchantment plays out in a wide range of contexts -- in love, art, religion and learning, in food and drink, and perhaps most significantly in our relationship with the natural world. Patrick Curry argues that modernist attempts to undermine or dismiss enchantment as a delusion are not only misguided but dangerous, potentially leading to a disengagement with our world that could have disastrous consequences for our future on this planet.Trade Review'Patrick Curry's study is insightful about uncovenanted blessings that bring delight. It also resonates with current ecological concerns and critiques of technology and economic "rationality" as the measure of human value.'-- Bernice Martin, The Times Literary Supplement'Enchantment. A word that conjures up feelings, images, memories. But they are fleeting. The mind tries to find a box to put it in, to give ita meaning and a history. Yet it retreats from reason behind a veil ofcolours and impressions. It is Blake’s joy which can be kissed in its passing and lives in eternity’s sunrise but cannot be bound or you will destroy its life. So, to find myself with a finite, concrete book which claims to be full of words relating to Enchantment, and its twin Wonder, seems a pure contradiction. Yet, Patrick Curry has succeeded in writing a book which in itself reads like a poem in progress. In trying to define without imprisoning this evanescent theme the door is left open for us to feel and sense our way into this illusive occurrence. For that is what it is. An event, an experience which takes place at a specific moment in time and place between two or more subjects and is gone before you know it; its after effect and its depth of penetration can however last for ever and change a life profoundly.'-- Anna Phillips, Perspectives'This is a delightful, not to say enchanting book about enchantment and the possibilities for wonder in modern life in an era increasingly characterised by disenchantment... The text is beautifully woven, with many magical excerpts and episodes from the author's wide reading and extensive experience... A crucial reminder of what represents real quality of life.'-- David Lorimer, Scientific and Medical Network'I found the book thought-provoking while at the same time relishing its clarity and accessibility -- it can be so hard to talk about this subject without delving in to all kinds of abstract or arcane language -- and in the end, uplifting, for I felt it opened a way in for people who might be suspicious of the philosophical and religious sides of this experience.'-- Professor John Burnside, St. Andrews University'Patrick Curry suggests that the opposite of enchantment is not disenchantment but glamour. Like Jung when he stated that the opposite of love is not hatred but power, Curry shows how glamour is a fabricated, false, fake version of enchantment. His demonstration is extremely convincing. Reading him, one feels like opening one's eyes wider.'-- Ginette Paris, author of The Wisdom of the Psyche'Curry's Enchantment is simply an enchanting book, built on the wonder of our relationship with existence. It is lyrically written for all who have been enchanted, and draws on his own experiences. It encourages each of us to consider the wonder and love we are gifted -- and can return.'-- Haydn Washington, author of A Sense of Wonder Towards Nature'As Patrick Curry argues eloquently in his thoughtful examination of the human condition in these challenging modern times, "enchantment is an experience of wonder". This is no mere academic exercise, although he is surprisingly erudite in his choice of texts, writers and cultural icons to illustrate his thoughts on this vital feature of being fully human. Nor is this a fluffy 'New Age' extended essay on how much better this world would be if we were all nice to each other. Much of the material is philosophical or poetic in nature, drawn from inspirational writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Max Weber, and W.H. Auden. Although mainly positive in tone, Curry does not hold back from stating things as they are. He is passionately scathing in denunciation of elements in the present world that seek to enslave the human race as little more than robots.'-- Magonia Review'What could be more confounding than trying to understand 'enchantment', an uncanny power that by its very nature frustrates all comprehension? Yet in this small volume Patrick Curry accomplishes much. If we join him as he tracks several of the numberless styles of enchantment, if we pay heed to his insights and sometimes argue with him, we'll find ourselves slowly becoming more layered within ourselves, wiser, and maybe even wonder-struck.' -- David Abram, author of The Spell of the Sensuous and Becoming Animal'Understanding begins -- and ends -- in wonder. This book articulates simply, and in a personal and unpretentious manner, an urgently needed defence of wonder as indispensable to a true perception and just appreciation of the world. We neglect its message at our peril.'-- Iain McGilchrist, author of The Master and his Emissary'An impressive erudition and literary sensibility animate the pages of this thoughtful book. With a light poetic touch Curry traces the many ways in which enchantment lies at the core of human experience, even in a world that does its best to disabuse and disillusion us. Detaching it from ideology, Curry sees enchantment as an irrepressible mode of our being present to things, and vice versa. The enchanted moments cannot be sustained yet they lay their claim on us time and time again by virtue of the fact that we are alive and capable of wonder.'-- Robert Pogue Harrison, author of Forests: the Shadow of Civilization'After reading any of [Patrick Curry's] pieces life seems more worth living, and for that I am especially grateful.'-- Zygmunt Bauman, author of Liquid Modernity'Curry is a poet and philosopher and both come through so clearly in his writing which is rich, precise, and full of complex ideas expressed with a remarkable ease... I can't recommend [this book] enough, especially for those who experience enchantment but for whom words for expressing it have always been difficult. At long last, we have our poet philosopher whose respect for enchantment has allowed us to understand its extraordinary qualities at the deepest levels and by gently keeping himself from being at the center of the story (as other writers on enchantment and wonder have not been able to resist) allows us very much to hear his words and yet to be in our own songs. A wonder indeed.'-- Goodreads ReviewerTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. The Dynamics of Enchantment 3. Love 4. Art 5. Religion 6. Food and Drink 7. Learning 8. Nature 9. Disenchantment 10. Technoscience 11. Enchantment as a Way of Life Endnotes A Bibliographical Note Acknowledgements Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisWe dream in darkness. Yet light is everywhere, blazing its way through our lives and thoughts. We urgently need new ways to think of futures to save the planet, other species, and ourselves. What might happen when the lights go down?

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Poetics of Aristotle by Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, is a seminal work in the realm of literary theory and aesthetics. Written around 335 BCE, this treatise offers profound insights into the nature and principles of poetry and drama. Aristotle explores the concept of mimesis, asserting that art imitates life. He delves into the cathartic effect of tragedy, suggesting that it purges emotions like pity and fear from the audience. He dissects the essential elements of a compelling narrative, emphasizing plot structure with a well-defined beginning, middle, and end. Aristotle's discussion of character is central to The Poetics. He introduces the notion of a tragic flaw, or hamartia, which leads to a character's downfall. His analysis of language, diction, rhythm, and melody underscores their significance in poetic works. The Poetics is particularly renowned for its examination of tragedy. Aristotle outlines key elements, including peripeteia (a reversal of fortune) and anagnorisis (a moment of recognition), which are fundamental to tragic storytelling. This work's enduring impact on literature, theater, and aesthetics is undeniable. It has served as a foundational text for generations of writers, playwrights, and scholars, providing invaluable guidance in the craft of storytelling and dramatic performance.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this synthetic introduction to the history of the philosophy of art, Noël Carroll elucidates and analyzes selected writings on art by Plato, Aristotle, Hutcheson, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Tolstoy, and Bell. Carroll’s narrative tracks developments between major positions in philosophy of art, ranging from the idea that art is unavoidably embedded in society to the evolution of the notion that art is autonomous ("art for art’s sake"), thereby setting the stage for continuing debates in the philosophy of art.Presupposing no prior background, and useful on its own or accompanying the reading of primary works, Classics in Western Philosophy of Art is ideal as a text for introductory undergraduate and graduate courses in philosophy of art and aesthetics, or for anyone interested in learning about the origin of some of our most fundamental conceptions of art in the Western tradition.Trade Review"Indispensable turn-by-turn directions for those navigating the ideas of nine philosophers who set the stage for thinking about art and society. Clear and comprehensive, Noël Carroll is the perfect guide to the history of aesthetics."—Dominic McIver Lopes, University of British Columbia"Carroll’s Classics in Western Philosophy of Art is a masterful series of commentaries on nine classical writings on art by philosophers in the Western tradition—learned and penetrating in exegesis, equally penetrating in critique. It’s not just one philosopher after another. Carroll takes note of what later writers say, explicitly or implicitly, about earlier writers, and imagines what those earlier writers might have said in response. He is host to a conversation. How I wish these commentaries had been available when I was still teaching philosophy of art! I would have been spared my own exegetical labors over these often-difficult texts, and my teaching would have been immeasurably improved."—Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology, Yale University

Read more less

Book SynopsisRepresentation—in visual arts and fiction—play an important part in our lives and culture. Walton presents a theory of representation which illuminates its many varieties and goes a long way toward explaining its importance. Walton’s theory also provides solutions to thorny philosophical problems concerning the existence of fictitious beings.Trade ReviewRigor, ingenuity and arresting subtlety are evident in the detailed working out of Walton’s ideas. -- Sebastian Gardner * Times Literary Supplement *This is philosophy at its best; combining the breadth of concern of the best continental philosophy (but shorn of its often wilful cloudiness) and the precision of the best analytical philosophy… A work of very great importance that will set the agenda for discussions in aesthetics for a long time to come. * Philosophy *Walton’s aim…is to explore and explain the foundations of the representational arts. His theory is one that he has stated and restated with increasing detail and sophistication over the last seventeen years, and in this book it bears all the refinement and subtlety of argument that analytic philosophy can muster. This is an engaging, insightful, and persuasive volume. * Philosophy and Literature *Kendall Walton’s book is one of the few genuinely distinguished contributions to aesthetic theory published in the last decade or two. It will be essential reading for anyone in the field and contains much that will be of great interest to scholars and critics of the arts. -- Marshall Cohen, University of Southern CaliforniaTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction PART 1: REPRESENTATIONS 1. Representation and Make-Believe 1. Imagining 2. Prompters 3. Objects of Imaginings 4. Imagining about Oneself 5. Props and Fictional Truths 6. Fictionality without Props: Dreams and Daydreams 7. Representations 8. Nonfigurative Art 9. Fictional Worlds 10. The Magic of Make-Believe 2. Fiction and Nonfiction 1. Nonfiction 2. Fiction versus Reality 3. Linguistic Strategies 4. Fiction and Assertion 5. Pretended and Represented Illocutionary Actions 6. Fiction Making as an Illocutionary Action? 7. Mixtures, Intermediates, Ambiguity, Indeterminacy 8. Legends and Myths 9. A Note on Truth and Reality 10. Two Kinds of Symbols? 3. Objects of Representation 1. What Objects Are 2. Representation and Matching 3. Determinants 4. Representing and Referring 5. Uses of Objects 6. Reflexive Representation 7. The Inessentiality of Objects 8. Nonactual Objects? 4. The Mechanics of Generation 1. Principles of Generation 2. Direct and Indirect Generation 3. Principles of Implication 4. The Mechanics of Direct Generation 5. Silly Questions 6. Consequences PART 2: APPRECIATING REPRESENTATIONS 5. Puzzles and Problems 1. Rescuing Heroines 2. Fearing Fictions 3. Fictionality and Other Intentional Properties 6. Participation 1. Participation in Children's Games 2. Appreciators as Participants 3. Verbal Participation 4. Restrictions on Participation 5. Asides to the Audience 6. Seeing the Unseen 7. Psychological Participation 1. Fearing Fictionally 2. Participating Psychologically 3. Paradoxes of Tragedy 4. Suspense and Surprise 5. The Point of Participation 6. Appreciation without Participation PART 3: MODES AND MANNERS 8. Depictive Representation 1. Depiction Defined 2. Looking at Pictures and Looking at Things 3. Styles of Depiction 4. Realism 5. Cross-Modal Depiction 6. Musical Depictions 7. Points of View (in Depictions) 8. Conclusion 9. Verbal Representations 1. Verbal Depiction 2. Narration 3. Two Kinds of Reliability 4. Nonverbal Narration 5. Absent and Effaced Narrators 6. Storytelling Narrators 7. Mediation 8. Points of View in Narrated Representations PART 4: SEMANTICS AND ONTOLOGY 10. Doing without Fictitious Entities 1. The Problem 2. Speaking within and about Fictional Worlds 3. Ordinary Statements 4. Unofficial Games 5. Variations 6. Logical Form 11. Existence 1. Betrayal and Disavowal 2. Claims of Existence and Nonexistence Works Cited Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisHave we become beauty-blind? This title not only defends beauty from the political arguments against it but also argues that beauty does indeed press us toward a greater concern for justice. It offers a manifesto for the revival of beauty in our intellectual work as well as our homes, museums, and classrooms.Trade Review"Ms. Scarry's writing is evocative and lively... Her book is a bracing antidote to the glum puritanism of many opponents of beauty, and it makes some insightful observations about how beauty figures in our perceptual, emotional and moral lives."--Colin McGinn, The Wall Street Journal "She begins her defense of aesthetic pleasure with musings on the nature of beauty. Beauty begets, she argues. It constantly provokes copies of itself. That replication is not only in art, for example, but also in perception, as in the desire to continue beholding as long as possible. Beauty's link with truth requires no belief in an immortal realm. 'The beautiful, almost without any effort of our own, acquaints us with the mental event of conviction,' she says. That mental state is so pleasurable 'that ever afterwards one is willing to labor, struggle, wrestle with the world to locate enduring sources of conviction-to locate what is true.' The heightened perception that comes with beauty's life-affirming capacity to awaken us to our world is part of what alerts us to injustice, she writes."--Nina Ayoub, Chronicle of Higher Education Scarry persuades that there is an analogy between the recognition of beautyand the recognition of just or fair social arrangements ... [She]...does not preach and ... her short book [is] light and allusive and gentle and unpolemical [in] style... "--Stuart Hampshire, The New York Review of Books "This short book could change your life... Beauty makes us better, more honest, more judicious, more humble, nicer people. And dare I say, this little book, taken to heart, will do the same."--Tom D'Evelyn, The Providence Sunday Journal "Scarry makes a fascinating case that seeing beauty reminds us of our own marginality, and therefore our equalness to other people. And she very skillfully defies traditional political criticisms of beauty."--Meredith Petrin, Boston Review "Full of striking observations about beauty in and beyond the arts."--Kenneth Baker, San Francisco Chronicle "In the tradition of 19th-century aesthetics, On Beauty and Being Just describes, evokes and manifests the loving attention that beautiful objects provoke... [It] is fresh, eccentric and uncompromising."--Alexander Nehamas, London Review of Books "Any sophisticated reader not mummified beneath protective layers of irony will find this book not only pleasant to hold in the hand, but valuable to hold in the mind."--Paul J. Johnson, Religious Studies ReviewTable of ContentsPART ONE On Beauty and Being Wrong 1 PART TWO On Beauty and Being Fair 55 NOTES 125 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 133

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"José Ortega y Gasset is certainly the greatest philosophical essayist of the first half of the 20th century, and very likely one of its few genuinely seminal minds. . . . The Dehumanization of Art is still among the best efforts to define and interpret the radical break in continuity between modern art and the whole Renaissance tradition of representation which ended in the 19th century."—Joseph Frank, New Republic"An erudite and magnanimous capitulation of the old to the young . . . both wise and noble."—Mark Helprin, New Criterion

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"[Creative Intuition in Art and Poetry] contains a wealth of concrete perception on the most varied aesthetic problems. It is impossible to do more than mention M. Maritain’s beautifully balanced chapter on abstract art, his discussion of the difference between classical and modern poetic imagery, and the gentle irony with which he chides the over-zealousness of modern critics who use Dante to denigrate modern poetry. . . . It is a rare pleasure to read a work characterized by this habit of mind and this sensibility . . . the best attempt yet made to write a poetics of modern art."---Joseph Frank, New Republic

Read more less

Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.Air conditioning aspires to be unnoticed. Yet, by manipulating the air around us, it quietly conditions the baseline conditions of our physical, mental, and emotional experience. From offices and libraries to contemporary art museums and shopping malls, climate control systems shore up the fantasy of a comfortable, self-contained body that does not have to reckon with temperature. At the same time that air conditioning makes temperature a non-issue in (some) people's daily lives, thermoceptionor the sensory perception of temperatureis being carefully studied and exploited as a tool of marketing, social control, and labor management. Yet air conditioning isn't for everybody: its reliance on carbon fuels divides the world into habitable, climate-controlled bubbles and increasingly uninhabitable environments where AC is unavailable. Hsuan Hsu''s Air Conditioning<Trade ReviewA cool blast of discomforting brilliance, Air Conditioning examines the conditioning of our indoor and interior climates of work, domesticity, and consumption. It is not inward looking to the sealed boxes and bubbles of air-conditioned detachment, but focused on the complex exchanges and inequalities involved in sustaining comfortable places, cooled bodies and technologies by making other places, and other (often poor and racialised) lives, uncomfortable and unliveable. Hsu’s book hums, ventilating ideas in an insistent, vital tone to show how this ordinary object, submerged within walls and behind vents, has mattered so much to us. * Peter Adey, Royal Holloway University of London, and author of Air (2014) *Hsuan L. Hsu demonstrates how air conditioning has radically transformed how we think, feel, and relate to others. After reading this book, you'll never be as comfortable in an air-conditioned room again – and that's exactly the point. * Bharat Venkat, Associate Professor of Society & Genetics, History, and Anthropology, Director of the UCLA Heat Lab, and author of At the Limits of Cure (2021) *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Why Air Conditioning? 1. Thermal Comfort 2. Bubbles: A Partial Typology 3. Weathermaking; Vicious Cycles 4. Cold Storage 5. The Racialization of Cooling 6. Global AC and the Great Uncooled Conclusion: Bursting Our Bubbles Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"What does it mean to say a painting thinks? The central claim of this invigorating book is not that a painting can show thought happening, as in depictions of melancholics musing, head on hand; nor that it can illustrate philosophical concepts. Nor does Hanneke Grootenboer want to argue that a painting is a way of working out a philosophical conundrum; nor even that it can prompt theorisation about the nature of reality, artifice and representation. She argues, instead, for something weirder–and more suggestive. . . . she asks: 'Do we, as viewers, find ourselves pondering these things, or is the painting as such pensive?' Grootenboer wants to affirm the latter." -- Kathryn Murphy * Apollo *"Ideas in Grootenboer’s sense are arresting, Benjaminian, and, therefore, fit for the still medium of painting, where, in her beautiful examples, they crystallize into dangling ribbons, inverted flowers, sliding dewdrops, and teetering gooseberries. . . . Though this book is full of beauty and pleasure, the adjective “pensive” is not, finally, the happiest to attach to the thinking subject—a person or work of art. In Grootenboer’s own words, the pensive image gives rise to an 'uneasy and indeterminate state of openness that allows for the unthought to surface.' As such, the pensive image extends an invitation to take a hard look at things." -- Amy Knight Powell * CAA Reviews *"This deeply thoughtful and compact book, like a self-aware image, also stimulates in its own right, prompting a reader toward unpredictable, wide-ranging pathways during engagement with it. Every sentence, every reference, gives pause, leading to other thoughts or thinkers about art, including contemporary art." -- Larry Silver * Sixteenth Century Journal *"Grootenboer opens up innumerable possible directions in which the reader’s mind could fruitfully err, juxtaposing different viewpoints and insights whose encounters incessantly ignite exciting intellectual sparks . . . one is then mesmerized by the exquisite profundity of some paintings, by the beauty of thinking crystallized into images and then 'melting' once again into a stream of contemplation, and by the lofty level of thinking attained through the collaboration, over centuries and continents, between a few brilliant artists and an attentive, insightful viewer who chose to work as an art historian, transforming visual thought into fine discursive language." -- Itay Sapir * Inquiries into Art, Art History, and the Visual *“Grootenboer’s book provides an accessible, clear, and innovating means of thinking about being by revealing a new philosophical subject: artworks.” * Phenomenological Reviews *“Is there a kind of thinking that painting, or photography, can do, which ‘thinking in words’ cannot? What kind of realm do viewers enter when they go somewhere with an image? Are there pictures that are especially good to think with? These are the questions of Grootenboer’s unflinching, generous book, and her conclusion is pungent: ‘Philosophy . . . needs art to say what it cannot say.’” -- T. J. Clark, author of Heaven on Earth: Painting and the Life to Come“Thinking with Grootenboer is an unequivocal delight. The Pensive Image recuperates the vibrant invitations to contemplate and reflect that lurk in the quiet corners of Dutch art. Grootenboer’s philosophical insight and deft eye for the unexamined detail meld in a book that is refreshingly original and truly engaging at every turn.” -- Marisa Bass, author of Insect Artifice: Nature and Art in the Dutch Revolt“It’s wonderful to finally have this book. For nearly a century now, the history and philosophy of art have been gathering ideas about how pictures seem to embody thought, rather than simply announce narratives or messages. The literature on this subject is bewilderingly diverse, and this is the first book to bring together compatible insights from writers as diverse as Diderot, Winckelmann, Merleau-Ponty, Heidegger, Damisch, Deleuze, Clark, Rancière, Marin, Mitchell, and Barthes. The result is a coherent account of the thought that sounds in ‘stilled images’ of all kinds.” -- James Elkins, coauthor of Visual Worlds: Looking, Images, Visual DisciplinesTable of ContentsArt as a Form of Thinking Part I | Defining the Pensive Image Chapter 1 | Theorizing Stillness Chapter 2 | Tracing the Denkbild Part II | Painting as Philosophical Reflection Chapter 3 | Room for Reflection: Interior and Interiority Chapter 4 | The Profundity of Still Life Chapter 5 |Painting as a Space for Thought Painting’s Wonder Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe zany, the cute, and the interesting saturate postmodern culture, dominating the look of its art and commodities as well as our ways of speaking about the ambivalent feelings these objects often inspire. In this study Ngai offers an aesthetic theory for the hypercommodified, mass-mediated, performance-driven world of late capitalism.Trade ReviewSianne Ngai has written an important book which harks back to the heyday of the leftist literary theory of the 1980s, and is none the worse for that. Dense and demanding, occasionally meandering, [it is] equally at home with I Love Lucy and conceptual art, Theodor Adorno and Jim Carrey… Laudable and ambitious… In order for art to fulfill its role and for criticism to survive, ‘aesthetic theory’ needs to develop new and powerful concepts which reflect both art’s changing nature and its ubiquity. This challenging and important book takes the first steps in this task. -- Robert Eaglestone * Times Literary Supplement *It’s the type of book that contains ideas that are broadly provocative, even for the ‘merely interested.’ It is one of the most useful guides to the present I’ve read in a while, almost despite itself. It offers a way of thinking about so many forms of present-day self-expression, from the prevalence of first-person writing on the Internet to the ‘Like/Share’-this cheer of social networks. It helps explain a certain style of art (Tao Lin, for example) that advances on muted, subdued, contingent feelings. -- Hua Hsu * Slate *[Ngai’s] wide-ranging, synthetic approach is exactly the kind of criticism our ever-accreting culture deserves, and maybe even the criticism we need. By indexing the kinds of feeling-based judgments we make in our daily lives, Ngai opens up questions about how emotions can act in social contexts more generally, how our private experiences might shape our political and economic discourses. -- Rebecca Ariel Porte * Los Angeles Review of Books *Ngai argues that traditional aesthetic concepts of the beautiful and the sublime are inadequate in our post modern hyper-commodifed culture. She’s really on to something. -- David Collard * Times Literary Supplement *A book of immense interest. -- Benjamin Lytal * Daily Beast *Ngai argues that three aesthetic categories usually considered of minor importance are crucial to understanding contemporary culture. The categories in question, the zany, the cute, and the interesting, ‘are best suited for grasping how aesthetic experience has been transformed by the hypercommodified, information-saturated, performance-driven conditions of late capitalism.’ In defense of this thesis, Ngai deploys a formidable grasp of the aesthetic theories of Schlegel, Nietzsche, Adorno, and Cavell, among many others. Her knowledge of more recent pop culture is equally wide ranging: readers will especially find illuminating her discussion of the zany Lucille Ball. Ngai aims to show how production, circulation, and consumption in contemporary capitalism are mirrored in the cultural world. She argues that the importance of the three marginal categories requires a revision of classical aesthetics. We need not abandon the beautiful and the sublime, but we need to give attention as well to what best enables us to understand today’s culture, thus lessening the gap between aesthetic theory and practice… Highly recommended for an academic audience interested in cultural and aesthetic theory. -- David Gordon * Library Journal *Sianne Ngai gives us once again a radiantly idiosyncratic study of that which we never thought to examine and that which we now understand to be crucial to our daily experience as social beings. Under Ngai’s quick eye and deft hand, the zany, the cute, and the merely interesting reveal their pertinence for the history and historicity of aesthetic development, the intimacy between quotidian materiality and philosophic inquiry, and the collisions among modernity, art, labor, and performing bodies. -- Anne A. Cheng, author of Second SkinSianne Ngai’s new book is a major work of aesthetic theory: challenging a beauty-based aesthetics, closing the gap between aesthetic theory and artistic practice, and offering irreverent categories that work across disciplines and periods to make better sense of our cultural experience. Our Aesthetic Categories takes up the mantle of Adorno’s Aesthetic Theory, and here Ngai becomes the leading cultural critic of our day. -- Jonathan Culler, Cornell UniversityThis wonderfully original book (I hesitate to call it ‘cute, zany, and interesting,’ but that wouldn’t be wrong) invents fresh and incisive new categories for that tired old study called aesthetics. Maybe such categories could even transform the field itself, but they certainly transform the way we look at contemporary literature and culture (which Sianne Ngai knows with startling extensiveness), and maybe they will also end up transforming our outlook on the art of the past as well. Our Aesthetic Categories is in any case one of the most exciting new theoretical books to come along in some time. -- Fredric Jameson, Duke UniversityWith unparalleled originality, ambition, and insight, Sianne Ngai reimagines aesthetic theory for our time. Building on her work in Ugly Feelings, Ngai insists on the significance of minor, ordinary aesthetic experience. Our Aesthetic Categories displaces the centrality of beauty in aesthetics and illuminates the social processes at work in ubiquitous and taken-for-granted acts of judgment. This book will make you feel the present differently. -- Heather Love, University of Pennsylvania

Read more less

Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Though we try to imagine otherwise, waste is every object, plus time. Whatever else an object is, it’s also waste—or was, or will be. All that is needed is time or a change of sentiment or circumstance. Waste is not merely the field of discarded objects, but the name we give to our troubled relationship with the decaying world outside ourselves. Waste focuses on those waste objects that most fundamentally shape our lives and also attempts to understand our complicated emotional and intellectual relationships to our own refuse: nuclear waste, climate debris, pop-culture rubbish, digital detritus, and more. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.Trade ReviewFascinating, thought-provoking, and necessary, Brian Thill’s Waste is about not just our present but our future. You can’t read it and come out of the experience unchanged. * Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times-Bestselling Author of The Southern Reach trilogy *If 'waste,' as Brian Thill points out, is any object plus time, then Waste is waste plus spirited curiosity and tremendous intelligence. With a gaze full of vigor and heart, Thill looks at the fate of what we discard—from space junk to horse corpses to bird bellies split open from plastic—and illuminates invisible margins we’d often rather forget. I read the whole book in one sitting, spellbound. * Leslie Jamison, New York Times-Bestselling Author of The Empathy Exams *Waste is the finest filth around—or really the finest mediation of it I can think of: Thill looks deeply into how what we waste controls us at the level of the personal and the public—our discards become our fate and home both—and finds treasure. * Alexander Chee, author of Edinburgh and The Queen of the Night *Waste pluralizes, names a condition into which objects fall, takes us beachcombing, dumpster diving. ‘Waste is every object, plus time’… The true aim of Brian Thill’s book, however, is… that non-place to which waste is sent. We cannot afford… to believe in such a zone any longer. Of course, we never really could or did — out of sight was simply out of mind. Waste always kept coming back. -- Julian Yates * Los Angeles Review of Books *Table of ContentsThe beach that speaks Trash familiars/Tabflab Pigs in space Million-year panic Ruinism Splinter, shard, and stone Where the hoard is Lake Carbamazepine Acknowledgements Illustrations Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. The veil can be an instrument of feminist empowerment, and veiled anonymity can confer power to women. Starting from her own marriage ceremony at which she first wore a full veil, Rafia Zakaria examines how veils do more than they get credit for. Part memoir and part philosophical investigation, Veil questions that what is seen is always good and free, and that what is veiled can only signal servility and subterfuge. From personal encounters with the veil in France (where it is banned) to Iran (where it is compulsory), Zakaria shows how the garment's reputation as a pre-modern relic is fraught and up for grabs. The veil is an object in constant transformation, whose myriad meanings challenge the absolute truths of patriarchy. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.Trade ReviewRafia Zakaria, journalist and author, unravels the complex nexus of attitudes, policies, and histories revolving around this object in her fascinating new book, Veil. She demonstrates how the object can serve as a moral delineator, a disciplinary measure, a signifier of goodness, or as a means to subvert or rebel social norms. Through personal narratives and detailed analysis of various social and political conditions Zakaria offers an engaging and nuanced assessment of the veil in the contemporary context. * New Books Network *An intellectually bracing, beautifully written exploration of an item of clothing all too freighted with meaning. * Molly Crabapple, artist, journalist, and author of Drawing Blood (2015) *Rafia Zakaria’s Veil shifts the balance away from white secular Europe toward the experience of Muslim women, mapping the stereotypical representations of the veil in Western culture and then reflecting, in an intensely personal way, on the many meanings that the veil can have for the people who wear it … Zakaria’s more personal, philosophical approach is intended to contest the singular meaning that the veil has acquired in much of the West. By exploring the subjective experiences of the veil, we begin to see how both wearing it and not wearing it have profound psychic resonances for those who make these choices, as well as for those who regard it with hostility or even just curiosity … [Veil is] useful and important, providing needed insight and detail to deepen our understanding of how we got here—a necessary step for thinking about whether and how we might be able to move to a better place. * Joan W. Scott, The Nation *I admired Rafia Zakaria’s Veil months even before I read it … Her engaging prose is just what I hoped to find inside this little book, which is composed of short vignettes on the veil rather than a sustained philosophical treaty. * Reading Religion *Slim but formidable. * London Review of Books *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Submission 2. Purity, Necessity Unity 3. Rebellion 4. Feminism 5. Submissive or Submersive Epilogue Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisRobert Pfaller advances a general theory of interpassivity as the wish for delegated consumption and enjoyment in both art and in everyday life, tackling a vast range of phenomena: culture, art, sports and religion.Trade Review'New concepts are rare in social thinking and interpassivity is arguably the only true concept to have emerged in the last two decades... So let's not beat around the bush, Interpassivity is simply one of the great founding texts of social thought, on a par with classic works by Max Weber - Slavoj Zizek

Read more less

Book SynopsisTwo representative and important works in one volume by one of the greatest German philosophers.The Birth of Tragedy (1872) was Nietzsche''s first book. Its youthful faults were exposed by Nietzsche in the brilliant Attempt at a Self-Criticism which he added to the new edition of 1886. But the book, whatever its excesses, remains one of the most relevant statements on tragedy ever penned. It exploded the conception of Greek culture that was prevalent down through the Victorian era, and it sounded themes developed in the twentieth century by classicists, existentialists, psychoanalysts, and others.The Case of Wagner (1888) was one Nietzsche''s last books, and his wittiest. In attitude and style it is diametrically opposed to The Birth of Tragedy. Both works transcend their ostensible subjects and deal with art and culture, as well as the problems of the modern age generally.Each book in itself gives us an inadequate idea of its author; together, they furnish a striking image of Nietzsche''s thought. The distinguished translations by Walter Kaufmann superbly reflect in English Nietzsche''s idiom and the vitality of his style. Professor Kaufmann has also furnished running footnote commentaries, relevant passages from Nietzsche''s correspondence, a bibliography, and, for the first time in any edition, an extensive index to each book.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA passionate and moving tribute to the captivating power of dance, not just as an art form but as a language that transcends barriersTrade Review“[A] smart, bracing book of reflection, analysis, memoir and history. . . . Even people with some experience of dance and lifetimes of attending performances will be impressed by the author’s range and expertise. Obscure anecdotes and facts are scattered throughout, little gifts to the reader.”—Willard Spiegelman, Wall Street Journal“Mindy Aloff mines her decades of expertise as a dance critic, writer, and teacher to answer the question of why—and how—dance functions in our world. Why Dance Matters is a compelling, multi-faceted guide that elucidates dance’s integral connection to human experience.”—Marjorie Folkman, associate professor of professional practice, Barnard College“If dance is a language, then Aloff has decoded its nuances in a book for the ages. She could not be more on pointe. I loved it.”—Allegra Kent, author of Once a Dancer . . .“Animated by her acute intelligence, Mindy Aloff’s way of looking at the dance reminds me of that of Edwin Denby, our greatest dance critic, whose ‘imagination was huge.’”—David Lehman, author of The Mysterious Romance of Murder: Crime, Detection, and the Spirit of Noir“When it comes to blending the poetry and history of dance, there’s no better writer than Mindy Aloff. With Why Dance Matters, Aloff’s writing pours forth with a finesse comparable to that of a Fred Astaire dance variation.”—Justin Peck, resident choreographer, New York City Ballet“Mindy Aloff has written a marvelously wide-ranging yet warmly personal book, rich with experience and insight. Her knowledge is deep; her enthusiasm is irresistible. The effect is of a tour of the dance world with a wise and witty friend.”—Claudia Roth Pierpont, staff writer, New Yorker

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe world’s most renowned critical theorist—who defined the field of postcolonial studies—has radically reoriented her thinking. Finding the neat polarities of tradition and modernity, colonial and postcolonial, no longer sufficient, she argues that aesthetic education is the last available instrument for implementing global justice and democracy.Trade ReviewGayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s latest collection of essays offers a timely reminder of what the real and powerful ends of education might be… [The essays] cover the breadth of an extraordinary intellectual career… The essays, for all their diversity, have the quality of a cumulative, long retrospection, a slow-burning consideration of what it means to teach, how faultily we do it and how we might do better by those who most want to learn and have least opportunity… It is, though, Spivak’s assertion, after Schiller, that an aesthetic education remains the strongest resource available for the cause of global justice and democracy. The homogenizing and pacifying effects of globalization, which Spivak so routinely lambasts, here, she argues, can never extend ‘to the sensory equipment of the experiencing being.’ And here she has never sounded more persuasive, identifying in arts education the evocation of a phenomenology at feeling and the engendering of critical thinking that are posited beyond the logic of capital. -- Shahidha Bari * Times Higher Education *Spivak is one of the most creative and influential scholars of the humanities of the past four decades; this volume shows the range and variety of her interests in topics ranging from Jacques Derrida, postcolonial studies, women in the Global South, migration in a global (arguably ‘planetary’) era, translation, and aesthetic education… She brings a profound knowledge of literary and cultural theory to her studies of ‘culture on the run, the vanishing present.’ Some of the essays here are classics, others will become so. -- K. Tölölyan * Choice *[A] rewarding series of meditations on the possibility of reading, learning, and teaching that would encourage the full flowering of cultural, sexual, and linguistic diversity and resist the homogenizing force of globalization… The gathered texts are a testament to a fundamental faith in the power of literature that is never less than inspiring. * Publishers Weekly *This captivating collection of lectures delivered over the course of a quarter century asks us to attend to the profoundly democratic possibilities of the imagination. Aesthetic education empowers us to apprehend and negotiate what Spivak calls the ‘double bind at the heart of democracy.’ At a time when the humanities are expected to genuflect before the sciences and privatization and professionalization displace knowledge, Spivak urges us not only to stand tall but to insist that ethical solidarities are only possible through the rigorous training of the imagination. -- Angela Y. Davis, University of California, Santa CruzSpivak remains an indispensable leader and guide in the exhilarating conceptual adventure—the trip—which, since the late sixties, we’ve called theory. Aesthetic Education presents us with lessons that she has learnt on the way—difficult, defiant, sober lessons for these unpromising times. They demand our attention. -- Simon During, University of Queensland

Read more less