A Cultural History of the Senses in the Modern Age (The Cultural Histories Series, 6)

In the 20th century, many aspects of life became 'a matter of perception' in the wake of the multiplication of media, stylistic experimentation, and the rise of multiculturalism. Life sped up as a result of new modes of transportation – automobiles and airplanes – and communication – telephones and personal computers – which emphasized the rapid movement of people and ideas. The proliferation of synthetic products and simulated experiences, from artificial flavors to video games, in turn, created heady virtual worlds of sensation. This progressive mediation and acceleration of sensation, along with the sensory and environmental pollution it often spawned, also sparked various countertrends, such as the 'back to nature' movement, the craft movement, slow food and alternative medicine. This volume shows how attending to the sensory dynamics of the modern age yields many fresh insights into the intertwined processes which gave the 20th century its particular feel of technological prowess and gaudy artificiality. A Cultural History of the Senses in the Modern Age presents essays on the following topics: the social life of the senses; urban sensations; the senses in the marketplace; the senses in religion; the senses in philosophy and science; medicine and the senses; the senses in literature; art and the senses; and sensory media. ma - 0001 1 ma - 0002 2 ma - 0003 3 ma - 0004 4 ma - 0005 5 ma - 0006 6 ma - 0007 7 ma - 0008 8 ma - 0009 9 ma - 0010 10 ma - 0011 11 ma - 0012 12 ma - 0013 13 ma - 0014 14 ma - 0015 15 ma - 0016 16 ma - 0017 17 ma - 0018 18 ma - 0019 19 ma - 0020 20 ma - 0021 21 ma - 0022 22 ma - 0023 23 ma - 0024 24 ma - 0025 25 ma - 0026 26 ma - 0027 27 ma - 0028 28 ma - 0029 29 ma - 0030 30 ma - 0031 31 ma - 0032 32 ma - 0033 33 ma - 0034 34 ma - 0035 35 ma - 0036 36 ma - 0037 37 ma - 0038 38 ma - 0039 39 ma - 0040 40 ma - 0041 41 ma - 0042 42 ma - 0043 43 ma - 0044 44 ma - 0045 45 ma - 0046 46 ma - 0047 47 ma - 0048 48 ma - 0049 49 ma - 0050 50 ma - 0051 51 ma - 0052 52 ma - 0053 53 ma - 0054 54 ma - 0055 55 ma - 0056 56 ma - 0057 57 ma - 0058 58 ma - 0059 59 ma - 0060 60 ma - 0061 61 ma - 0062 62 ma - 0063 63 ma - 0064 64 ma - 0065 65 ma - 0066 66 ma - 0067 67 ma - 0068 68 ma - 0069 69 ma - 0070 70 ma - 0071 71 ma - 0072 72 ma - 0073 73 ma - 0074 74 ma - 0075 75 ma - 0076 76 ma - 0077 77 ma - 0078 78 ma - 0079 79 ma - 0080 80 ma - 0081 81 ma - 0082 82 ma - 0083 83 ma - 0084 84 ma - 0085 85 ma - 0086 86 ma - 0087 87 ma - 0088 88 ma - 0089 89 ma - 0090 90 ma - 0091 91 ma - 0092 92 ma - 0093 93 ma - 0094 94 ma - 0095 95 ma - 0096 96 ma - 0097 97 ma - 0098 98 ma - 0099 99 ma - 0100 100 ma - 0101 101 ma - 0102 102 ma - 0103 103 ma - 0104 104 ma - 0105 105 ma - 0106 106 ma - 0107 107 ma - 0108 108 ma - 0109 109 ma - 0110 110 ma - 0111 111 ma - 0112 112 ma - 0113 113 ma - 0114 114 ma - 0115 115 ma - 0116 116 ma - 0117 117 ma - 0118 118 ma - 0119 119 ma - 0120 120 ma - 0121 121 ma - 0122 122 ma - 0123 123 ma - 0124 124 ma - 0125 125 ma - 0126 126 ma - 0127 127 ma - 0128 128 ma - 0129 129 ma - 0130 130 ma - 0131 131 ma - 0132 132 ma - 0133 133 ma - 0134 134 ma - 0135 135 ma - 0136 136 ma - 0137 137 ma - 0138 138 ma - 0139 139 ma - 0140 140 ma - 0141 141 ma - 0142 142 ma - 0143 143 ma - 0144 144 ma - 0145 145 ma - 0146 146 ma - 0147 147 ma - 0148 148 ma - 0149 149 ma - 0150 150 ma - 0151 151 ma - 0152 152 ma - 0153 153 ma - 0154 154 ma - 0155 155 ma - 0156 156 ma - 0157 157 ma - 0158 158 ma - 0159 159 ma - 0160 160 ma - 0161 161 ma - 0162 162 ma - 0163 163 ma - 0164 164 ma - 0165 165 ma - 0166 166 ma - 0167 167 ma - 0168 168 ma - 0169 169 ma - 0170 170 ma - 0171 171 ma - 0172 172 ma - 0173 173 ma - 0174 174 ma - 0175 175 ma - 0176 176 ma - 0177 177 ma - 0178 178 ma - 0179 179 ma - 0180 180 ma - 0181 181 ma - 0182 182 ma - 0183 183 ma - 0184 184 ma - 0185 185 ma - 0186 186 ma - 0187 187 ma - 0188 188 ma - 0189 189 ma - 0190 190 ma - 0191 191 ma - 0192 192 ma - 0193 193 ma - 0194 194 ma - 0195 195 ma - 0196 196 ma - 0197 197 ma - 0198 198 ma - 0199 199 ma - 0200 200 ma - 0201 201 ma - 0202 202 ma - 0203 203 ma - 0204 204 ma - 0205 205 ma - 0206 206 ma - 0207 207 ma - 0208 208 ma - 0209 209 ma - 0210 210 ma - 0211 211 ma - 0212 212 ma - 0213 213 ma - 0214 214 ma - 0215 215 ma - 0216 216 ma - 0217 217 ma - 0218 218 ma - 0219 219 ma - 0220 220 ma - 0221 221 ma - 0222 222 ma - 0223 223 ma - 0224 224 ma - 0225 225 ma - 0226 226 ma - 0227 227 ma - 0228 228 ma - 0229 229 ma - 0230 230 ma - 0231 231 ma - 0232 232 ma - 0233 233 ma - 0234 234 ma - 0235 235 ma - 0236 236 ma - 0237 237 ma - 0238 238 ma - 0239 239 ma - 0240 240 ma - 0241 241 ma - 0242 242 ma - 0243 243 ma - 0244 244 ma - 0245 245 ma - 0246 246 ma - 0247 247 ma - 0248 248 ma - 0249 249 ma - 0250 250 ma - 0251 251 ma - 0252 252 ma - 0253 253 ma - 0254 254 ma - 0255 255 ma - 0256 256 ma - 0257 257 ma - 0258 258 ma - 0259 259 ma - 0260 260 ma - 0261 261 ma - 0262 262 ma - 0263 263 ma - 0264 264 ma - 0265 265 ma - 0266 266 ma - 0267 267 ma - 0268 268 ma - 0269 269 ma - 0270 270 ma - 0271 271 ma - 0272 272 ma - 0273 273 ma - 0274 274 ma - 0275 275 ma - 0276 276 ma - 0277 277 ma - 0278 278 ma - 0279 279 ma - 0280 280 ma - 0281 281 ma - 0282 282 ma - 0283 283 ma - 0284 284 ma - 0285 285 ma - 0286 286 ma - 0287 287 ma - 0288 288 ma - 0289 289 What did the past sound like, taste like, smell like? How did it look and feel? How did people make sense of the world through their senses? These are questions which are increasingly capturing the interest of historians. A Cultural History of the Sense s delves into the sensory foundations of Western civilization, taking a comprehensive period-by-period approach, which provides a broad understanding of the life of the senses from antiquity to the modern day. The volumes treat such topics as the sensory markers of gender and class, the aesthetic dimensions of material culture, religious sensibilities, the medical uses of the senses and their representation in art and literature. These investigations bring out the sensations and values which defined experience in a particular era and shaped the world view of the time. With contributions from such prominent scholars as Peter Burke, Alain Corbin, Andrew Wallace-Hadrill and Chris Woolgar, A Cultural History of the Senses sets the stage for a vital new way of understanding the past. A Cultural History of the Senses presents an authoritative survey from ancient times to the present. This set of six volumes explores the cultural life of the senses in the West over a span of 2500 1. A Cultural History of the Senses in Antiquity , 500 BCE-500 CE edited by Jerry Toner (University of Cambridge, UK) 2. A Cultural History of the Senses in the Middle Ages , 500-1450 edited by Richard Newhauser (Arizone State University, USA) 3. A Cultural History of the Senses in the Renaissance , 1450-1650 edited by Herman Roodenburg (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands) 4. A Cultural History of the Senses in the Age of Enlightenment , 1650-1800 edited by Anne Vila (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA) 5. A Cultural History of the Senses in the Age of Empire , 1800-1920 edited by Constance Classen (McGill University, Canada) 6. A Cultural History of the Senses in the Modern Age , 1920-2000 edited by David Howes (Concordia University, Canada) Each volume discusses the same themes in its The Social Life of the Senses; Urban Sensations; The Senses in the Marketplace; The Senses in Religion; The Senses in Philosophy and Science; Medicine and the Senses; The Senses in Literature; Art and the Senses; and Sensory Media. This structure means that readers can either have a broad overview of a period or follow a theme through history by reading the relevant chapter in each volume. Superbly illustrated, the full six volume set combines to present the most authoritative and comprehensive survey available on the senses in history. What did the past sound like, taste like, smell like? How did it look and feel? How did people make sense of the world through their senses? These are questions which are increasingly capturing the interest of historians. A Cultural History of the Senses delves into the sensory foundations of Western civilization, taking a comprehensive period-by-period approach, which provides a broad understanding of the life of the senses from antiquity to the modern day. The volumes treat such topics as the sensory markers of gender and class, the aesthetic dimensions of material culture, religious sensibilities, the medical uses of the senses and their representation in art and literature. These investigations bring out the sensations and values which defined experience in a particular era and shaped the world view of the time. With contributions from such prominent scholars as Peter Burke, Alain Corbin, Anthony Wallace-Hadrill and Chris Woolgar, A Cultural History of the Senses sets the stage for a vital new way of understanding the past. A Cultural History of the Senses presents an authoritative survey from ancient times to the present. This set of six volumes explores the cultural life of the senses in the West over a span of 2500 1. A Cultural History of the Senses in Antiquity , 500 BCE-500 CE 2. A Cultural History of the Senses in the Middle Ages , 500-1450 3. A Cultural History of the Senses in the Renaissance , 1450-1650 4. A Cultural History of the Senses in the Age of Enlightenment , 1650-1800 5. A Cultural History of the Senses in the Age of Empire , 1800-1920 6. A Cultural History of the Senses in the Modern Age , 1920-2000 Each volume discusses the same themes in its The Social Life of the Senses; Urban Sensations; The Senses in the Marketplace; The Senses in Religion; The Senses in Philosophy and Science; Medicine and the Senses; The Senses in Literature; Art and the Senses; and Sensory Media. This structure means that readers can either have a broad overview of a period or follow a theme through history by reading the relevant chapter in each volume. Superbly illustrated, the full six volume set combines to present the most authoritative and comprehensive survey available on the senses in history. "In the twentieth century, many aspects of life became 'a matter of perception' in the wake of the multiplication of media, stylistic experimentation, and the rise of multiculturalism. Life sped up as a result of new modes of transportation - automobiles and airplanes - and communication - telephones and personal computers - which emphasized the rapid movement of people and ideas. The proliferation of synthetic products and simulated experiences, from artificial flavours to video games, in turn, created heady virtual worlds of sensation. This progressive mediation and acceleration of sensation, along with the sensory and environmental pollution it often spawned, also sparked various countertrends, such as the 'back to nature' movement, the craft movement, slow food and alternative medicine. This volume shows how attending to the sensory dynamics of the modern age yields many fresh insights into the intertwined processes which gave the twentieth century its particular feel of technological prowess and gaudy artificiality. The Cultural History of the Senses set delves into the sensory foundations of Western civilization, taking a comprehensive period-by-period approach which provides a broad understanding of the life of the senses from antiquity to the modern day. Each of the volumes explores the following topics: The Social Life of the Senses; Urban Sensations; The Senses in the Marketplace; The Senses in Religion; The Senses in Philosophy and Science; Medicine and the Senses; The Senses in Literature; The Senses in Art; and Sensory Media. Superbly illustrated, this six-volume set is the most authoritative and comprehensive historical survey of the senses available"-- Provided by publisher "The ancient world used the senses to express an enormous range of cultural meanings. Indeed the senses were functionally significant in all aspects of ancient life, often in a way that was complex and interconnected. Antiquity was also a period where the senses were experienced vividly: cities stank, statues were brightly painted, and literature made full use of sensory imagery to create its effects. In a steeply hierarchical world, with vast differences between the landed wealthy, the poor and the slaves, the senses played a key role in establishing and maintaining boundaries between social groups; but the use of the senses in the ancient world was not static. New religions, such as Christianity, developed their own way of using the senses, acquiring unique forms of sensory-related symbolism in processes which were slow and often contested. The aim of this volume is to provide an overview of these structures and developments, and to show how their study can yield a more nuanced understanding of the ancient world. The Cultural History of the Senses set delves into the sensory foundations of Western civilization, taking a comprehensive period-by-period approach which provides a broad understanding of the life of the senses from antiquity to the modern day. Each of the volumes explores the following topics: The Social Life of the Senses; Urban Sensations; The Senses in the Marketplace; The Senses in Religion; The Senses in Philosophy and Science; Medicine and the Senses; The Senses in Literature; The Senses in Art; and Sensory Media. Superbly illustrated, this six-volume set is the most authoritative and comprehensive historical survey of the senses available"-- Provided by publisher In the 20th century, many aspects of life became 'a matter of perception' in the wake of the multiplication of media, stylistic experimentation, and the rise of multiculturalism. Life sped up as a result of new modes of transportation automobiles and airplanes and communication telephones and personal computers which emphasized the rapid movement of people and ideas. The proliferation of synthetic products and simulated experiences, from artificial flavours to video games, in turn, created heady virtual worlds of sensation. This progressive mediation and acceleration of sensation, along with the sensory and environmental pollution it often spawned, also sparked various countertrends, such as the 'back to nature' movement, the craft movement, slow food and alternative medicine. This volume shows how attending to the sensory dynamics of the modern age yields many fresh insights into the intertwined processes which gave the 20th century its particular feel of technological prowess and gaudy artificiality. The Cultural History of the Senses set delves into the sensory foundations of Western civilization, taking a comprehensive period-by-period approach which provides a broad understanding of the life of the senses from antiquity to the modern day. Each of the volumes explores the following The Social Life of the Senses; Urban Sensations; The Senses in the Marketplace; The Senses in Religion; The Senses in Philosophy and Science; Medicine and the Senses; The Senses in Literature; The Senses in Art; and Sensory Media. Superbly illustrated, this six-volume set is the most authoritative and comprehensive historical survey of the senses available. The Cultural History Of The Senses Set Delves Into The Sensory Foundations Of Western Civilization, Taking A Comprehensive Period-by-period Approach Which Provides A Broad Understanding Of The Life Of The Senses From Antiquity To The Modern Day. Each Of The Volumes Explores The Following Topics: The Social Life Of The Senses; Urban Sensations; The Senses In The Marketplace; The Senses In Religion; The Senses In Philosophy And Science; Medicine And The Senses; The Senses In Literature; Art And The Senses; And Sensory Media. Superbly Illustrated, This Six-volume Set Is The Most Authoritative And Comprehensive Historical Survey Of The Senses Available.--page 4 Of Cover. Volume 1. In Antiquity / Edited By Jerry Toner -- Volume 2. In The Middle Ages / Edited By Richard G. Newhauser -- Volume 3. In The Renaissance / Edited By Herman Roodenburg -- Volume 4. In The Age Of Enlightenment / Edited By Anne C. Vila -- Volume 5. In The Age Of Empire / Edited By Constance Classen -- Volume 6. In The Modern Age / Edited By David Howes. General Editor, Constance Classen. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. Machine generated contents note: IllustrationsGeneral Editor's PrefaceIntroduction1. The Social Life of the Senses2. Urban & Rural Sensations3. Consumption and the Senses4. The Senses in Religion5. The Senses in Philosophy and Science6. Medicine and the Senses7. The Senses in Literature8. Art and the Senses9. Sensory MediaNotesBibliographyContributorsIndex.