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.