The Invention of Taste: A Cultural Account of Desire, Delight and Disgust in Fashion, Food and Art (Sensory Studies)

"The Invention of Taste provides a detailed overview of the development of taste, from ancient times to the present. At the heart of the book is an intriguing question: why did the sensory attribute of human taste become a social metaphor and aesthetic value for judging cultural qualities of art, fashion, cuisine and other social constructions? Unique amongst the senses, taste is at once a biologically derived sense, private, personal and individual, yet also a sensibility which can be acquired, shared, and communicated. Exploring the many factors that defined the evolution of taste -- from medieval morals and medicine to social and cultural philosophy, the rise of aesthetics, birth of fashion, branding trends, and luxury worship in the age of mass consumption -- Luca Vercelloni's ambitious text provides readers with an outstanding introduction to the subject, making it the cultural history of taste. Now available for the first time in English, Taste features a new final chapter and a preface by series editor David Howes. Rich in detail and examples, this interdisciplinary work is an important read for students and researchers in sensory studies, philosophy, sociology and cultural studies, as well as gastronomy, fashion, design, and branding."--Bloomsbury Publishing Cover page 1 Halftitle page 2 series page 3 Title page 4 Copyright page 5 CONTENTS 6 Preface: Accounting for Taste 8 Notes 14 References 14 Acknowledgments 16 Introduction 18 1 The Success of a Metaphor 22 The Sense of Discernment 22 Changing Meaning of an Adage 29 2 Pleasures and Morals 32 Notes on the Archeology of Taste 32 The Development of a Lay Morality 39 Refining Appetites and Mouthing Euphemisms 45 3 The Birth of Aesthetics and the Bifurcation of Tastes 56 Enlightenment Tastes: Perceptions, Contradictions and Aversions 57 Kantian Ascetics 70 The Pleasures of the Senses Spurned 78 4 The Arts of Happiness: A Journey Through Impure Tastes 90 Gasterea: The Ventriloquist Muse 91 Ephemeral Frenzies: The Feminine Aesthetic 101 5 The Economy of Taste in Consumer Society 112 Bewitching Commodities 112 Ease and Progress 120 The Gallery of Iconoclasms 133 Tattooed Man 148 The Odyssey of Appetites 157 The Triumph of Pleasure 171 NOTES 176 BIBLIOGRAPHIES 194 INDEX 208 Luca Vercelloni ; Translated By Kate Singleton. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Translated From The Italian.