A Cultural History Of The Emotions In Antiquity

'A Cultural history of the Emotions' explores how emotions have changed over the course of human history, as well as how emotions have themselves created and changed history. Emotions underpin our everyday lives and shape our mental, physical and social well-being.

This volume provides an overview of some of the salient aspects of emotions and their role in life and thought of the Greco-Roman world, from the beginnings of Greek literature and history to the height of the Roman Empire. This is a wide remit, dealing with a wide range of sources in two ancient languages, and in the full range of contexts that are covered by the format of this series. The volume's chapters survey the emotional worlds of the ancient Greeks and Romans from multiple perspectives – philosophical, scientific, medical, literary, musical, theatrical, religious, domestic, political, art-historical and historical. All chapters consider both Greek and Roman evidence, ranging from the Homeric poems to the Roman Imperial period and making extensive use of both elite and non-elite texts and documents, including those preserved on stone, papyrus and similar media, and in other forms of material culture. The volume is thus fully reflective of the latest research in the emerging discipline of ancient emotion history.

During the period of the Baroque and Enlightenment the word “emotion”, denoting passions and feelings, came into usage, albeit in an irregular fashion. “Emotion” ultimately emerged as a term in its own right, and evolved in English from meaning physical agitation to describe mental feeling. However, the older terminology of “passions” and “affections” continued as the dominant discourse structuring thinking about feeling and its wider religious, political, social, economic, and moral imperatives. The emotional cultures described in these essays enable some comparative discussion about the history of emotions, and particularly the causes and consequences of emotional change in the larger cultural contexts of the Baroque and Enlightenment. Emotions research has enabled a rethinking of dominant narratives of the period-of histories of revolution, state-building, the rise of the public sphere, religious and scientific transformation, and more. As a new and dynamic field, the essays here are just the beginning of a much bigger history of emotions.

A comprehensive, thematic reference work covering the cultural history of the emotions from antiquity to the 21st century.

The 20th century, with revolutionary and rapid developments in travel, communications and computerised technologies, offered new and seemingly limitless horizons which accompanied and amplified distinctive experiences of emotions. The birth of psychology and psychiatry revealed the importance of emotional life and that individuals could have control over their behaviour. Traditional religion was challenged and alternative forms of spiritualism emerged. Creative and performing arts continued to shape understandings and experiences of emotions, from realism to detachment, holistic to fragmented notions of self and society. The role of emotions in family life focused on how to deal with modern day freedom and anxiety. In the public sphere, people used emotion to oppress as well as liberate. Countering threats to national security, personal and cultural identity, a range of political motivated activities emerged embracing peace, humanitarian and environmental causes. This volume surveys the means by which modern experience shaped how, why and where emotions were expressed, monitored and controlled.

"Disgust is an essential human emotion, relatively neglected even in recent scholarship taking the "emotional turn." Fifteen essays by historians and literary scholars examine disgust in theory and practice. Topics range from medicine, drama, oratory, historiography, fiction, biography, to the status of witches, eunuch priests, and theatrical professionals."--