Suspensions of Perception: Attention, Spectacle, and Modern Culture (October Books)

Book Description

Suspensions of Perception is a major historical study of human attention and its volatile role in modern Western culture. It argues that the ways in which we intently look at or listen to anything result from crucial changes in the nature of perception that can be traced back to the second half of the nineteenth century.

Focusing on the period from about 1880 to 1905, Jonathan Crary examines the connections between the modernization of subjectivity and the dramatic expansion and industrialization of visual/auditory culture. At the core of his project is the paradoxical nature of modern attention, which was both a fundamental condition of individual freedom, creativity, and experience and a central element in the efficient functioning of economic and disciplinary institutions as well as the emerging spaces of mass consumption and spectacle.

Crary approaches these issues through multiple analyses of single works by three key modernist painters--Manet, Seurat, and Cézanne--who each engaged in a singular confrontation with the disruptions, vacancies, and rifts within a perceptual field. Each in his own way discovered that sustained attentiveness, rather than fixing or securing the world, led to perceptual disintegration and loss of presence, and each used this discovery as the basis for a reinvention of representational practices. Suspensions of Perception decisively relocates the problem of aesthetic contemplation within a broader collective encounter with the unstable nature of perception--in psychology, philosophy, neurology, early cinema, and photography. In doing so, it provides a historical framework for understanding the current social crisis of attention amid the accelerating metamorphoses of our contemporary technological culture.

Customer Reviews:

Perceptive suspense.......2006-11-10

This book provides persuasively and exhaustively argued discussions on perception and artworks and instruments from the dawn of the modernist era that aid and, as Crary shows, change perception. The book can be very productively be read alongside "Burning with Desire: The Conception of Photography" and other texts by Geoffrey Batchen, and "The Engine of Visualization: Thinking Through Photography" by Patrick Maynard. The camera, they reveal in various ways, is not merely a device, but a construct made with the expectation that it will result in images that are analogous with human vision. The anticipation still exists that the camera obscura, and by implication its modern manifestation in the photographic camera, will replicate and verify what we see. The camera obscura entails a projection of light from real surfaces in ratios of proportion and intensity, on to a flat plane. In the pre-modern reading, the projection, ratio and reduction are evidently mathematical, and commensurable with the reality they conduct. However this point of view is at odds with the modernist view that the apparent geometry of the camera image is coincidental. That is, it does more to bring us closer to the human subjective (where are we?), rather than the abstract objective (where is everything?), in relationships with, and experiences of, space. Jonathon Crary and Geoffrey Batchen debate in various writings the transition between these points of view. Batchen (Batchen, G. (1991) `Enslaved sovereign, observed spectator: on Jonathon Crary, techniques of the observer', Continuum:The
Australian Journal of Media and Culture, Vol. 6, No. 2.) critically responds to Crary (Crary, J. (1989) October, 97-107., Crary, J. (1990) Techniques of the Observer: On Vision and Modernity in the Nineteenth Century, MIT Press, Cambridge., Crary, J. (1994) October, 21-44.) but both agree that around 1800 came a `vast systematic rupture' in the history of theories of vision in which certainties about the nature of vision with the camera obscura as its paradigm, are displaced by what becomes the problem of vision, represented by the steresoscope and, as Crary details, in the work of Paul Cezanne. Jonathon Crary takes the position that the stereoscope replaces the camera obscura as the instrument that encapsulates the spirit of its period, in contrast with (Renaissance and Enlightenment thinkers) Descartes' and Diderot's use of the camera obscura as a model for the eye (in Crary, 1998). The stereoscope accepted that vision is a function as much of the mind as outside stimuli. Patrick Maynard refers to these devices as `engines of visualisation', industrialising vision and commodifying it (Maynard 1997). This is useful sociologically and philosophically, and prompts a re-evaluation of these instruments for their characteristics in aesthetic uses. However Batchen's emphasis is on the evidence of a desire for photography, from which follows the invention of photographic instruments, and their cultural acceptance, producing actual historical discontinuities in perception.

In the Eye of the Beholder.......2000-05-24

A remarkable book that takes the reader on a chronological excursion into the changing ideas of perception during a crucial period in history -- 1870 through the early 1900s. Using three paintings to organize this tour de force examination of prevailing modes of scientific, sociological and psychological thinking of the time -- a Manet, a Seurat, a Cezanne -- he makes convincing arguments as to the inspiration these various discourses may have had on these artists. The larger context he explores, the evolution of the modernist, high-industrial conception of attention and perception, as driven by new technologies and modes of social thinking, has particular relevance today in light of the Internet. Crary is clearly writing for an academic audience here -- his prose style can often be difficult, but there is much here for general reader with an interest in media, perception, history, and in learning how we got to where we are now.

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Milton Rogovin: The Forgotten Ones
Dave Isay , David Miller , Harvey Wang , and Milton Rogovin
Manufacturer: Quantuck Lane Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Portraits | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Portraits in Steel

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ASIN: 097145485X

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Milton Rogovin: The Forgotten Ones.
Milton Rogovin
Manufacturer: Publisher Unknown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UYFQ1E

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The Forgotten Ones
Milton; Brutvan, Cheryl A, interviewer; Doherty, Robert and Licht, Fred, essayists Rogovin
Manufacturer: Univ of Washington Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS0QLG

Book Description

Rejuvenation, or, "My Birthday Suit Doesn't Fit Me Any More!": A Guide to Nutrition, Exercise, and Attitude, by Your Personal "Coach" and Trainer, Ken Counts, Ph.D. DOES YOUR BIRTHDAY-SUIT FIT AS WELL AS IT USED TO? This guide to Rejuvenation is a step-by-step process that focuses on the essentials of what we eat, how we take care of our bodies, and what we think. First, Dr. Counts gets us to look honestly at our body. What's been happening to it over the years, and how do we really feel about it? For example, do we want to lose weight - to be really healthy? Do we have the will to change - to make the right choices? As a clinical psychologist, Dr. Counts encounters the whole human being. How we feel psychologically is intimately connected to how we feel physically. He has spent a lifetime researching sound nutrition and a balanced diet, and provides practical information, including menu suggestions and exercises illustrated with photographs. Combined with guides for proper aerobic exercise and cardiovascular training, he offers sound advice on how to manage stress and the daily pressures of life. How we look at life - and the choices we make - is most important. The rejuvenation lifestyle is about enjoying life to the fullest. Looking and feeling young is a by-product of our main goal - to enjoy our youthful physical bodies for as much of our life as possible. We can do it, he says, if we start where we are, and start now! ISBN: 978-1-57733-157-5 Endorsements "This is not another diet book filled with false promises. What you will read is the latest nutritional information from medical science translated by a professional who has spent years helping people cope with personal challenges. Dr. Counts offers some very helpful advice that may well turn frustration into success." Robert Lambert, M.D., FACC, Cardiologist "Dr. Counts has put into one book all the savory ingredients necessary for a healthy and long life. The old adage, 'a healthy mind in a healthy body' is the key, and Rejuvenation describes all the sensible and right ways to eat, to think, and to feel fit for LIFE...." Albert O. Cerny "My Birthday-Suit Doesn't Fit is a great book. I particularly enjoyed Ken Counts' 'Stress and Its Management' because this is the key to controlling our body and dealing with life relationships. And (at age 80), I'd love to own his biceps!' Richard Heinrich, author, Starch Madness and The Orthomolecular Diet "Ken's sound advise on diet and exercise certainly has the capacity to be "rejuvenating". I think it is particularly important that he addresses the 'psychology of fitness' factors that lay the foundation for success in this endeavor." John Daughtery, M.D., Family Practice

Customer Reviews:

Great, informative and very helpful.......2007-09-24

Thanks, Dr. Counts. You have given all of us inspiration for better health, life and love. Bless you!

A self-help guide to improved quality of physical and emotional health.......2007-07-08

Written by practicing psychologist Ken Counts, Ph.D., Rejuvenation or, "My Birthday-Suit Doesn't Fit Me Any More!" is a self-help guide to improved quality of physical and emotional health through good nutrition, exercise, and a positive attitude. Chapters address how to modify your grocery list and eating behavior for healthier living, balancing cardiovascular, resistance, and flexibility training, the basics of stress management and keeping a healthy attitude, and much more. "I have a very simple truth for you. Forgiveness is a good thing. Grudges are a bad thing. No question about it. I have witnessed this truth many times. When you hold a grudge, and you are angry with someone, you basically end up punishing yourself. Why would you want to do that?" Black-and-white photographs illustrating descriptions of specific exercises and day-by-day meal plans and recipes round out this holistic guide to feeling young again.

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It's My Birthday Suit

Manufacturer: Fawcett Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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It's My Birthday Suit!
Bil Keane
Manufacturer: Fawcett Gold Medal
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000REU9QY

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Delightful!

Dat Boudreaux Ain't Me, It's Ma Cousin
Larry Boudreaux
Manufacturer: Boudreaux Cajun General Store
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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Aham Gonna Tell You Again, Dat Boudraux Ain't Me, It's Ma Cousin.

Cajun French-English English-Cajun French: Dictionary & Phrasebook (Hippocrene Dictionary and Phrasebooks)

ASIN: 0967600200

Book Description

This book is an accumulation of light-hearted Cajun tales. It includes a glossary of important Cajun words and terms, some basic Cajun Recipes, and a bit of information on the Cajun culture and history.

Dat Boudreaux Ain't me, It's Ma Cousin, was originally published targeting the regional market around Louisiana. Even though the book in written using a Cajun dialect, it's clean Cajun humor has found a national appeal.

It is a great gift for you, a friend, or a family member. It can be a fun challenge trying to be a Cajun storyteller using this book as a reference source.

Customer Reviews:

Delightful!.......2000-12-01

The flavor this book brings is so much fun! If you love good ole slapstick humor, this is the book for you. The stories are original and keep you guessing with each turn. The best thing about this book is knowing Cajuns and being familiar with their dialect- it is a very difficult task to try to mimick a Cajun. This book is written EXACTLY how a Cajun would say the words. This is wonderful for all of those people who try so hard to talk Cajun but don't know how! It grabs you and pulls you into Boudreaux and Thibodeaux's worlds until you can't stand it!

Mr. Boudreaux has written a sequel and the second book has just come out. It has the same amount of stories with just as much flavor if not more than the first! The ONLY thing I can see uplifting this book is having graphics inside the book to create some kind of visual for the reader. Great job, Boudreaux!

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Go Baton Rouge! :)

Aham Gonna Tell You Again, Dat Boudraux Ain't Me, It's Ma Cousin.
Larry Boudreaux
Manufacturer: Boudreaux Cajun General Store
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Essays | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Dat Boudreaux Ain't Me, It's Ma Cousin

ASIN: 0967600219

Book Description

This work is a sequel of Larry Boudraux's first book, "Dat Boudreaux Ain't Me, It's Ma Cousin". It is a very funny family orientated Cajun humor book with 150 stories told in a Cajun dialect. It also contains a Cajun dictionary and some good basic Cajun recipes.

Customer Reviews:

Go Baton Rouge! :).......2002-12-15

I am also from Louisiana and have been to Baton Rouge many times, and I think it's wonderful that someone from Louisiana has written two books full of Boudreaux jokes and stories. Everyone should read these, because you just have to love the Cajun culture in them! Some of my favorites from the first (Dat Boudreaux Ain't Me, It's Ma Cousin) are when Boudreaux meets the devil ("Eet is STILL not as hot here as South Louisiana on a good July day!") and when Boudreaux decides to change his name (His name is Poo Poo Boudreaux and he wants the judge to change it to Poo Poo Fontenot!). I just got an autographed copy of this book from Hammond and can't wait to read it! I hope that Larry keeps making Boudreaux books!

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The Clash: The Complete Guide To Their Music (Complete Guide to the Music of...) (Complete Guide to the Music of...) (Complete Guide to the Music of...)
Tony Fletcher
Manufacturer: Omnibus Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The Clash

Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer

A Riot of Our Own: Night and Day with the Clash

The Singles (CD version)

Let's Rock Again

ASIN: 184449506X
Release Date: 2005-08-01

Product Description

The indispensable consumers guide to the music of The Clash. An album by album, track by track, examination of every song released by The Clash, from their first single, White Riot to their album Combat Rock and beyond. Includes sections on compilations, live recordings, films and post Clash work by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. Includes the newly released London Calling Vanilla tapes and an overview of the group s impact and influence.

Customer Reviews:

More stories behind every name........2004-06-18

This concise, well-researched and entertaining reference is an engaging and informative way to meet the people behind the origins of some of today's most common words and familiar names.
Written in a clear, conversational and often amusing style, it introduces the reader to more than 500 of the lighthearted, silly, fascinating, tragic or unbelievable stories of those who immortalized the names of Jergen's soap, Yale locks, Count Dracula, Fort Lauderdale, MGM pictures, Dell computers, Bose sound systems, Entenmann's cakes, LaCoste apparel, Listerine mouthwash, the Bermuda Triangle and Peter Pan, among others. The sources of some well-known eponyms (words derived from people's names) like algebra, hooligan, mesmerize, bogus, pamphlet and marmalade, as well as famous songs like "Barbara Ann" and "My Sharona," are also explained.
All the entries are presented in alphabetical order, a perfect tool for either browsing or consulting.
This book also improves upon its predecessor by expanding on some of the stories that were just briefly noted in that volume, and by adding a much-needed and deeply appreciated index.
To add to your knowledge of name origins, I would recommend also buying the author's first volume in the series, "The Name's Familiar." Both are excellent, interesting and fun resources you will keep referring to again and again.
--Reviewed by Maritza Volmar

Book Description

What they are saying about Don't Mess with the Press: "Tony Seton's Don't Mess with the Press is instructive and delightful. Both the beginner who is already on her way and the veteran broadcaster who thinks he has all the answers should read it. It is a must for any journalist interested in more than wardrobe, hairspray and salary. The glossary is worth the price of the book." -- Doug White, WJAR Anchor "Superb!" -- Tim O'Brien, ABC/CNN Correspondent "At some point--often in despair or a heavy sweat--every journalist exclaims: Why didn't someone tell me that? Tony Seton's years of experience provide a collection of such moments of enlightenment for aspiring and perspiring broadcasters. -- Charles Bierbauer, ABC/CNN Correspondent "Anyone who wants to know what the increasingly disreputable TV news business could be ought to read this book, because it's written by a guy who helped make it what it once was." -- Greg Dobbs, ABC Producer/Correspondent Don't Mess with the Press "provides a great understanding of both the philosophical underpinning of news as well as the nuts and bolts of producing a newscast. I also think that this would be a wonderful book for young people entering the field of broadcast journalism." -- J-school professor "This is an extraordinarily entertaining book, riddled with anecdotes to tickle the funny-bones of those who have devoted their careers to the fascinating, often thrilling, world of television news. [It's greater value, however, may be for those who haven't but are interested in giving broadcast journalism a try.] This book is essential reading for the would-be television journalist, told by one who has done it all. Like so much of Tony's work that we so valued at ABC News, this is a tour de force." -- Tim O'Brien, ABC/CNN Correspondent

Product Description

Squadron has done it again--all the details a modeler needs to accurately detail the Supermarine Spitfire. A Squadron Products book.

Customer Reviews:

Good "In Action" title........2006-11-05

Typical Squad/Sig profile on this famous aircraft. Lots of pictures with minimal text at a reasonable price. Not alot of detail here but a good starting point. Highly recommended!

Spitfire! (Tales of the RAF - Book 3) (Tales of the Raf)

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SPITFIRE
Great book
Spitfire! - Action adventure filled with surprises

Spitfire! (Tales of the RAF - Book 3) (Tales of the Raf)
Dan Patterson
Manufacturer: Hindsight Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

War | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1929031181

Customer Reviews:

SPITFIRE.......2003-11-12

I am doing a review on a book called Spitfire. It is written by Don Patterson. There are a series of these book's. The story takes place in Britan. A boy named Harry Winslow lives near an Raf base. Which is a type of airbase. The leader of the base orders a couple planes called Spitfires. Later a group of German planes attack the base, so they get the spitfires to fight them and they win. My opinion of this book is that if you like books about war you will like this. It is good because you never know what will happen or what the pilots will do next. I am 10 years old and I am in fifth grade. I have read and liked the whole series.

Great book.......2001-03-03

My 9 year old son, who is into war history writes this: I really liked the book because my favorite war history books are about WWII. The RAF gets 3 brand new spitfires and they have to scrammble into them, because German bombers are attacking. The characters were good, my favorite was Capt. Simms. There wasn't much fighting action, but it was still a good book.

Spitfire! - Action adventure filled with surprises.......2000-03-27

This was a wonderfully written adventure with many great illustrations. Filled with action, adventure, surprises and a new lesson for 12 year old Harry Winslow...our everyday hero!

KIWI SPITFIRE ACE: A Gripping World War II Story of Action, Captivity and Freedom

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KIWI SPITFIRE ACE: A Gripping World War II Story of Action, Captivity and Freedom
Jack Rae
Manufacturer: Grub Street
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

New Zealand | Australia & Oceania | History | Subjects | Books

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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Prisoners of War | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Jack Rae gained his wings in New Zealand in 1940 and was posted to Britain as a Sergeant Pilot. He converted to Spitfires in early 1941, becoming an 'ace' and completing more than 50 operational sorties with 485 (NZ) Squadron. He was subsequently posted to Malta as part of a group of fighter pilots reinforcing the island's defenders.

In Malta Rae served with the famous 'Screwball' Beurling, Buck McNair, Ray Hesslyn, 'Laddie' Lucas and 'Jumbo' Gracey among others. At the height of the Luftwaffe's all-out onslaught designed to neutralise the island in preparation for invasion, more than 90% of the Squadron were lost to the Luftwaffe. Rae was shot down and wounded, although he recovered to fly once more. Having completed his tour of duty on the island, he was posted back to Britain joining his Squadron at the renowned Biggin Hill air base.

The same day as he was promoted to Flight Commander he was forced to crash-land his aircraft in France due to engine failure. He was captured and spent the next 20 months in prisoner-of-war camps. Most of this time was spent in Stalag Luft III, famous for the "great escape" in which 50 RAF officers were shot by the Gestapo after they were recaptured. Perhaps fortunately, he lost his chance to take part in this escape as he was in solitary confinement for a previous failed solo attempt.

During the bitterly cold winter of 1944-45, Rae was forced to march across Germany, fleeing from advancing Russian troops, an ordeal that killed many prisoners and guards. He managed to escape from one temporary camp but became so hungry that after a week he broke back into the camp again. He was finally freed from a camp near Bremen by advancing British troops. He ended his war service as a Flight Lieutenant awarded the DFC and Bar.

Jack Rae's account of his fighter pilot days makes compelling reading. Air war adventures have seldom been told with such conviction. ?

The Silver Spitfire (Ulverscroft Large Print Series)

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The Silver Spitfire (Ulverscroft Large Print Series)
Roger Harvey
Manufacturer: Ulverscroft Large Print
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Couldn't Put It Down

Spitfire Blues: A Tom Greer Mystery
Mark D. Bernhard
Manufacturer: iUniverse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0595293700

Book Description

Tom Greer is a man with a past. A former Orlando police detective, Tom lost his partner and best friend to a drug dealerÂ's bullet, his wife to another man, and his job to a bottle of whiskey. But rather than end his life, he decided to remake it.

Now, living his life as a simple Buddhist in the mountains of Colorado, Tom has found love, happiness, and peace of mind. But a moment of compassion drags him back into the dark works of evil men. People are dying, and in order to save himself and those he loves, Tom must give up his idyllic life and return to the world of violence he once called home.

Set in the mountain towns of Colorado, Spitfire Blues is a mystery with energy and intelligence that will have you hooked and leave you dying for more.

Customer Reviews:

Couldn't Put It Down.......2003-12-31

From the moment I began to read, I was unable to put it down. I finished this in one sitting. Bernhard's writing reminds me of the Spenser series that I so enjoyed years ago..short but sweet. Can't wait for the next installment in the series!

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Spitfire with Toy (Tales of the RAF)
Don Patterson
Manufacturer: Hindsight Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1929031211

Book Description

Part philosophical meditation, part cultural critique, The Body in Pain is a profoundly original study that has already stirred excitement in a wide range of intellectual circles. The book is an analysis of physical suffering and its relation to the numerous vocabularies and cultural forces--literary, political, philosophical, medical, religious--that confront it. Elaine Scarry bases her study on a wide range of sources: literature and art, medical case histories, documents on torture compiled by Amnesty International, legal transcripts of personal injury trials, and military and strategic writings by such figures as Clausewitz, Churchill, Liddell Hart, and Kissinger, She weaves these into her discussion with an eloquence, humanity, and insight that recall the writings of Hannah Arendt and Jean-Paul Sartre. Scarry begins with the fact of pain's inexpressibility. Not only is physical pain enormously difficult to describe in words--confronted with it, Virginia Woolf once noted, "language runs dry"--it also actively destroys language, reducing sufferers in the most extreme instances to an inarticulate state of cries and moans. Scarry analyzes the political ramifications of deliberately inflicted pain, specifically in the cases of torture and warfare, and shows how to be fictive. From these actions of "unmaking" Scarry turns finally to the actions of "making"--the examples of artistic and cultural creation that work against pain and the debased uses that are made of it. Challenging and inventive, The Body in Pain is landmark work that promises to spark widespread debate.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating and Flawed.......2001-05-07

The Body in Pain includes many interesting ideas and theories that could be made into engrossing analyses, yet Elaine Scarry manages to even make torture boring. Her frankly very intelligent observations would be much better suited to a 20 page scholarly essay than a 300 plus page repetitive rant that seems to care more about displaying her verbal acuity than proving a point, let alone attracting readers. I have counted the number of times she uses the word "sentient" and "sentience": some pages include these terms more than 8 times. One would think that an author so obviously bent on proving her intelligence would deign to consult a thesaurus. Perhaps "feeling" is too plebeian a term for her....

Helpful in Working With Torture Victims.......2001-03-05

I have worked with several individuals who suffered extreme physical torture sometime during their lives. Scarry's work helped me to understand the internal world of the sufferer in ways I would never have even begun to approach. Each one of these individuals lacked the language to discuss their experiences. What they were left with was inarticulatable images, physical sensations, emotions, profound helplessness and alienation. Scarry's book helped me find language to give to my patients -- language that helped to normalize their reaction to, and experience of inexplicable events. Her exploration of the abyss of human destruction is accomplished such original, humane, and thoughtful detail. Her book is an ingenius work of art.

Densely written but rewarding treatise.......2000-07-11

Elaine Scarry's "The Body in Pain", an influential study on the relationship between pain, torture, warfare and creativity is a stunning achievement, from the standpoint of Marxism. I confess that I have not read the sections on the structure of warfare, but I was extremely impressed with the passages on torture. Scarry's central premise is that pain, a radically subjective, hence inexpressible and incommunicable experience, results, during the process of torture, in destroying, or deconstructing the victim's voice (his or her power of articulation) and by extension, the victim's world. It is the prisoner's pain, incommunicable because unsharable, which is denied by the torturer as pain but translated as the wholly illusory phenomenon of power, that of the torturer and the regime he represents. These parts of the book are expounded with considerable insight and sophistication, in dense and convoluted prose. The second part, dealing with how pain is converted to creativity, explains how the radical subjectivity and inexpressibility of the sufferer's pain is mitigated into the objective (hence sharable and communicable) activity of work, which is a self-imposed, milder and socially more profitable form of pain. This treatise is absolutely vital reading for any one who aspires to seriously dabble in literature, psychology or philosophy. A tour de force.

Good but limited insights.......1999-12-20

What an odd and wonderful book! It attempts to address three topics -- pain/torture, warfare, and creativity. On the subject of pain/torture it is remarkably acute. The description of what pain is and what it does to consciousness and life's enjoyment is terrific and, in my experience, unprecedented. Similarly, its description of torture and what torture means is stunning in its immediacy. However, when it goes from torture to warfare, the book goes off the rails. It is clear that Ms Scarry has a limited knowledge of warfare and a very limited understanding of what it means and how it is carried out. Warfare is usually a last resort and often involves activity by those who are free against those who are trying to create and perpetuate some form of slavery. (see the work of Victor Davis Hanson, e.g., The Soul of Battle.) This applies whether the war is conventional or nuclear. Her idea that taking the process of war to the civilian population is somehow a function of nuclear war is simply wrong. This approach to war is thousands of years old and, as Hanson points out, important and -- in some contexts -- virtuous. War is a horror, but it is better than slavery, torture, or conquest plus annihilation. Scarry doesn't address this. This book makes the experience of pain clear, but offers a wooly and uncertain explanation of war. Its Marxist approach to creativity is shallow and forgettable.

Profoundly intriguing!.......1999-11-10

This book will change the way you see the world. A must for all art professionals and material culture theorists!

The Body in Pain: The Making and Unmaking of the World

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The Body in Pain: The Making and Unmaking of the World
Elaine Scarry
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OK80VW

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The Body in Pain: The Making and Unmaking of the World
Elaine Scarry
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OK25LS

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