A History Of Feelings

Description

What does it mean to feel something? What stimulates our desires, aspirations, and dreams? Did our ancestors feel in the same way as we do? In a wave of new research over the past decade, historians have tried to answer these questions, seeking to make sense of our feelings, passions, moods, emotions, and sentiments. For the first time, however, Rob Boddice brings together the latest findings to trace the complex history of feelings from antiquity to the present. A History of Feelings is a compelling account of the unsaid—the gestural, affective, and experiential. Arguing that how we feel is the dynamic product of the existence of our minds and bodies in moments of time and space, Boddice uses a progressive approach that integrates biological, anthropological, and social and cultural factors, describing the transformation of emotional encounters and individual experiences across the globe. The work of one of the world's leading scholars of the history of emotions, this epic exploration of our affective life will fascinate, enthrall, and move all of us interested in our own well-being—anyone with feeling. Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 4 Imprint Page......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Introduction: Feeling for History......Page 8 One: Archaic and Classical Passions......Page 21 Two: Rhetorical and Bodily Feelings......Page 50 Three: Motions and Machinations......Page 78 Four: The Age of Unreason......Page 107 Five: Senselessness and Insensibility......Page 132 Six: The Ministry of Happiness......Page 165 Conclusion: The Value of Experience......Page 189 References......Page 194 Select Bibliography......Page 221 Acknowledgements......Page 225 Photo Acknowledgements......Page 227 Index......Page 228