Matters of the Heart

History, Medicine, and Emotion

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Medical, Reference, History
Cover of the book Matters of the Heart by Fay Bound Alberti, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Fay Bound Alberti ISBN: 9780191609176
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: January 14, 2010
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: Fay Bound Alberti
ISBN: 9780191609176
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: January 14, 2010
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

The heart is the most symbolic organ of the human body. Across cultures it is seen as the site of emotions, as well as the origin of life. We feel emotions in the heart, from the heart-stopping sensation of romantic love to the crushing sensation of despair. And yet since the nineteenth century the heart has been redefined in medical terms as a pump, an organ responsible for the circulation of the blood. Emotions have been removed from the heart as an active site of influence and towards the brain. It is the brain that is the organ most commonly associated with emotion in the modern West. So why, then, do the emotional meanings of the heart linger? Why do many transplantation patients believe that the heart, for instance, can transmit memories and emotions and why do we still refer to emotions as 'heartfelt'? We cannot answer these questions without reference to the history of the heart as both physical organ and emotional symbol. Matters of the Heart traces the ways emotions have been understood between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries as both physical entities and spiritual experiences. With reference to historical interpretations of such key concepts as gender, emotion, subjectivity and the self, it also addresses the shifting relationship from heart to brain as competing centres of emotion in the West..

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The heart is the most symbolic organ of the human body. Across cultures it is seen as the site of emotions, as well as the origin of life. We feel emotions in the heart, from the heart-stopping sensation of romantic love to the crushing sensation of despair. And yet since the nineteenth century the heart has been redefined in medical terms as a pump, an organ responsible for the circulation of the blood. Emotions have been removed from the heart as an active site of influence and towards the brain. It is the brain that is the organ most commonly associated with emotion in the modern West. So why, then, do the emotional meanings of the heart linger? Why do many transplantation patients believe that the heart, for instance, can transmit memories and emotions and why do we still refer to emotions as 'heartfelt'? We cannot answer these questions without reference to the history of the heart as both physical organ and emotional symbol. Matters of the Heart traces the ways emotions have been understood between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries as both physical entities and spiritual experiences. With reference to historical interpretations of such key concepts as gender, emotion, subjectivity and the self, it also addresses the shifting relationship from heart to brain as competing centres of emotion in the West..

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Plate Tectonics: A Very Short Introduction by Fay Bound Alberti
Cover of the book Advanced Ferroelectricity by Fay Bound Alberti
Cover of the book The New Oxford Book of Eighteenth-Century Verse by Fay Bound Alberti
Cover of the book The Emotional Power of Music by Fay Bound Alberti
Cover of the book Impact of Addictive Substances and Behaviours on Individual and Societal Well-being by Fay Bound Alberti
Cover of the book The American by Fay Bound Alberti
Cover of the book Backgazing: Reverse Time in Modernist Culture by Fay Bound Alberti
Cover of the book Comparative Literature: A Very Short Introduction by Fay Bound Alberti
Cover of the book The Price of Indifference: Refugees and Humanitarian Action in the New Century by Fay Bound Alberti
Cover of the book Sacred Signs in Reformation Scotland by Fay Bound Alberti
Cover of the book The Charter of the United Nations by Fay Bound Alberti
Cover of the book The Law of EU External Relations by Fay Bound Alberti
Cover of the book Teeth: A Very Short Introduction by Fay Bound Alberti
Cover of the book Antipsychotic Long-acting Injections by Fay Bound Alberti
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of International Human Rights Law by Fay Bound Alberti
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy