A History of Silence: From the Renaissance to the Present Day - Hardcover

Corbin, Alain

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1509517359 ISBN 13: 9781509517350

Publisher: Polity, 2018

Synopsis

Silence is not simply the absence of noise. It is within us, in the inner citadel that great writers, thinkers, scholars and people of faith have cultivated over the centuries.

It characterizes our most intimate and sacred spaces, from private bedrooms to grand cathedrals – those vast reservoirs of silence. Philosophers and novelists have long sought solitude and inspiration in mountains and forests. Yet despite the centrality of silence to some of our most intense experiences, the transformations of the twentieth century have gradually diminished its value. Today, raucous urban spaces and a continual bombardment from different media pressure us into constant activity. We are losing a sense of our inner selves, a process that is changing the very nature of the individual.

This book rediscovers the wonder of silence and, with this, a richer experience of life. With his predilection for the elusive, Corbin calls us to listen to another history.

About this title

About the Author

Alain Corbin is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Paris I, Sorbonne.

Edition details

• Publisher: Polity
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1509517359
• ISBN 13: 9781509517350
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160