A Cultural History of the Senses in the Modern Age Volume 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 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 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. "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 multiculturalisUnderstanding the senses is indispensable for comprehending the Middle Ages because both a theoretical and a practical involvement with the senses played a central role in the development of ideology and cultural practice in this period. For the long medieval millennium, the senses were not limited to the five we think of: speech, for example, was categorized among the senses of the mouth. And sight and hearing were not always the dominant senses: for the medical profession, taste was more decisive. Nor were the senses only passive receptors: they were understood to play an active role in the process of perception and were also a vital element in the formation of each individual's moral identity. From the development of specifically urban or commercial sensations to the sensory regimes of holiness, from the senses as indicators of social status revealed in food to the Scholastic analysis of perception, this volume demonstrates the importance of sensory experience and its manifold interpretations in the Middle Ages. A Cultural History of the Senses in the Middle Ages 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 mediam. 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 Coverpage Halftitle page Title page Copyright page CONTENTS List of Illustrations Series preface Editor’s acknowledgments Introduction:“Make it New!”—Reforming the SensoryWorld THE AUTOMOBILE AND THE AIRPLANE THE SKYSCRAPER AND THE BUNGALOW THE CAMERA AND THE SCREEN PLASTIC AND POLLUTION THE COUNTER CULTURE AND ROCK MUSIC THE HISTORY OF THE HISTORY OF THE SENSES 1 The Social Life of the Senses: Ordering and Disordering the Modern Sensorium SENSORY REGULATION AND THE QUEST FOR SENSORY ALTERITY ILLUMINATION—ORDERING THE SENSES AFTER DARK SEEKING SENSORY FAMILIARITY AND ALTERITY THROUGH TOURISM SEEKING SENSATIONS IN THE RURAL CONCLUSION 2 Urban Sensations: A Retrospective of Multisensory Drift VERTICALITY SENSATIONAL MACHINES STREET SOUND SHIFTING WINDS MECHANIZED ENCHANTMENT NOCTURNAL SENSATIONS CONCLUSION 3 The Senses in the Marketplace: Commercial Aesthetics for a Suburban Age DECENTRALIZATION AND DEPRESSION THE POSTWAR SUBURBAN MARKETPLACE THE MARKETPLACE IN THE TWILIGHT OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY CONCLUSION 4 The Senses in Religion: Pluralism, Technology, and Change RELIGION MODERN AND UNMODERN MID-CENTURY CONSENSUS AND ITS LIMITS THE FRAGMENTATION OF THE 1960s AND BEYOND CONCLUSION 5 The Senses in Philosophyand Science: From Sensation to Computation SENSORY PHYSIOLOGY SENSORY PSYCHOLOGY PHILOSOPHY OF PERCEPTION FURTHER WORK IN PHYSIOLOGY COMPUTERS AND COMPUTER VISION FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN PHILOSOPHY CONCLUSION 6 Medicine and the Senses: Bodies, Technologies, and the Empowerment of the Patient THE TECHNOLOGIZATION OF MEDICAL PERCEPTION SHOOTING THE BODY’S INTERIORS: ULTRASOUND AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING THE SENSORY CODING OF HEALTH THE SUPPRESSION OF SENSATION MOVEMENT, TOUCH, AROMA, TASTE: COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES CONCLUSION: THE SHIFTING AND BLURRING OF BOUNDARIES 7 The Senses in Literature:From the Modernist Shock of Sensationto Postcolonial and Virtual Voices THE SHOCK OF SENSATION: MODERNIST EXPERIMENTS (1920–45) OUT OF THEIR SENSES: POSTWAR PAIN (1945–70s) COMING TO THEIR SENSES: CONTEMPORARY VOICES(1980s TO THE PRESENT) 8 Art and the Senses: The Avant-Garde Challenge to the Visual Arts INTRODUCTION TO ART AND LIFE MEDIA IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY ART THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL DADA FAIR (1920) THE FUTURIST BANQUETS (1930s) THE CAGE CLASS (1958) RELATIONAL ART (1996) THE AFTERLIFE OF THE AVANT-GARDE—INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY 9 Sensory Media: Virtual Worlds and the Training of Perception MEDIATED MULTI-SENSORALITY I: LOOKING AND LISTENING MEDIATED MULTI-SENSORIALITY II: LISTENING AND LOOKING MILITARIZING THE SENSES: VISION, SOUND, AND TOUCH CONCLUSION: EXPERIENCING 9/11 Notes Bibliography Notes on contributors Index "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 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. 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.