Reconstructing Pain and Joy: Linguistic, Literary and Cultural Perspectives

How are pain and joy constructed, articulated, represented, manipulated, and, ultimately, socially determined? This is the first collection of essays that investigates how such multi-faceted and subjective domains of human experience as pain and joy-which combine physical, psychological, private, public, conceptual, and cultural dimensions-are represented and reconstructed in language, literature, and culture. Adopting a genuinely interdisciplinary approach, the book is organized around themes and divided into four parts which blend literary, cultural, and linguistic examinations of theoretical angles, socio-cultural appropriations, stage and screen constructions, and the body. Contributors include eminent scholars from a variety of fields-Catherine Belsey, Declan Kiberd, Zoltan Kovecses, and Elaine Scarry-whose work informs a current academic conversation also developed by other authors in the volume from original angles. With its multi-cultural focus, cross-historical, and interdisciplinary scope-featuring studies of literature, language, art, philosophy, religion, theatre, film, music, television, the internet-this book not only surveys past and contemporary theoretical and critical grounds, but also anticipates future developments: an invaluable resource for all scholars and students exploring the representation of joy and/or pain.