eBook - ePub
Carnal Reading
About this book
The question of an erotic readership has always vexed scholars. With little evidence of anyone's actually reading erotic material, scholars have had to make do with variations of an "ideal reader" approach. Insofar as it presupposes authorial intention and a stable meaning, this theoretical model proves unsatisfactory. Using an interdisciplinary approach, Carnal Reading: Early Modern Language and Bodies proposes a new theory of erotic reading that refigures bodily responses as constitutive of cognitive understanding. In its content and style, erotic writing was perceived to interact physically with the reader's body-or more specifically, the sensitive soul via the imagination. "Lively" descriptions infused desires that could permanently affect not only the entire "animal economy," or constitution, but also a person's reasoning faculties. All good writing was meant to move the passions, but there was no way to determine whether the "warmth" derived from reading was erotic or otherwise.
Chapter 1, "'Thoughts Swelled with Carnosity': Imagination, Enthusiasm, and Love," briefly rehearses Adrian John's account of how religious reading can inspire enthusiasm in readers. This understanding of how religious reading inflames the imagination applies equally well to amorous discourses. "The Passions: Music, 'Infusion,' and Teen-Age Reading Habits" (chapter 2) examines early modern conduct books and discourses about music to illustrate the notion of the early modern body as "permeable" and, as such, impressionable to all forms of stimulating media. The chapter offers a close reading of Manley's New Atalantis to demonstrate how reading habits could transform a young person's constitution. Chapter 3, "The Physiological Aesthetics of Erotic Response: Intention, Style, Association," focuses on contemporary literary critiques that privilege "lively" depictions and the consequences that style has on authorial intention. The final chapter, "Sexy Rhetoric: Nice Figures, or Books that Do It 'the old Grammar rule
Chapter 1, "'Thoughts Swelled with Carnosity': Imagination, Enthusiasm, and Love," briefly rehearses Adrian John's account of how religious reading can inspire enthusiasm in readers. This understanding of how religious reading inflames the imagination applies equally well to amorous discourses. "The Passions: Music, 'Infusion,' and Teen-Age Reading Habits" (chapter 2) examines early modern conduct books and discourses about music to illustrate the notion of the early modern body as "permeable" and, as such, impressionable to all forms of stimulating media. The chapter offers a close reading of Manley's New Atalantis to demonstrate how reading habits could transform a young person's constitution. Chapter 3, "The Physiological Aesthetics of Erotic Response: Intention, Style, Association," focuses on contemporary literary critiques that privilege "lively" depictions and the consequences that style has on authorial intention. The final chapter, "Sexy Rhetoric: Nice Figures, or Books that Do It 'the old Grammar rule
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Carnal Reading by Joseph Pappa in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Medicine & Gothic, Romance, & Horror Literary Criticism. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Introduction
- 1 “Thoughts Swelled with Carnosity”: Imagination, Enthusiasm, and Love
- 2 The Passions: Music, “Infusion,” and Teenage Reading Habits
- 3 The Physiological Aesthetics of Erotic Response: Intention, Style, Association
- 4 Sexy Rhetoric: Nice Figures, or Books that Do It “the old Grammar Rule Way”
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Acknowledgments