Japan (Gendai Shicho Shinsha)
Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Italy (Aesthetica)What is the secret of beauty? What is its power, its perception, its premise, its promise? The power of beauty comes from the lure of a promise embedded in its perception. But a promise is not yet the redeem of what it has announced.
In his study, Menninghaus does not only fathom the »promise of happiness«, as Stendhal would call beauty, but also unveils the reverse of it: all other aspects which are as well inherent to the promise: the costs, the backsides, the possible failures of the promise we associate with beauty: why is it that the protagonists of ancient beauty myths are often doomed to a premature death? Is beauty really a crucial advantage from the evolutionary-biologic point of view? Why does the spectacular flashy feathers´ firework, which makes the peacock a paradigmatic emblem of Darwin´s evolutionary aesthetics, simultaneously puts him at risk of exposure to vultures, through this very same enhancement of beauty, of increased visibility? Why is the contemporary cult of the look so hysterical about styling and shaping? What are the fundamental elements and regulations of the condition of beauty, and how can we explain our strong determination about it? Menninghaus combines a reading of myths and mythologies with a comprehensive acknowledgement of evolutionary theories and historical perspectives on the effects of beauty, for a renewed view on the difference of aesthetics, and a new positioning.
English world rights (Academic Studies Press), Japan (Hosei UP)
Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Italy (Grafiche Fiorini)Disgust (Ekel, dégoût) is a state of high alert. It acutely says »no« to a variety of phenomena that seemingly threaten the integrity of the self, if not its very...
English world rights (SUNY Press), Japan (Hosei UP), Poland (Universitas)
Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Italy (Mimesis)
English world rights (Stanford UP)