The amorous heart : an unconventional history of love / Marilyn Yalom.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Yalom, Marilyn, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Heart--Symbolic aspects.

Heart.

Love symbols.

HISTORY / Europe / General.

ART / History / General.

LITERARY CRITICISM / European / General.

Local Subjects:

HISTORY / Europe / General.

Heart--Symbolic aspects.

ART / History / General.

LITERARY CRITICISM / European / General.

Physical Description:

viii, 277 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Basic Books, 2018.

Summary:

"An eminent scholar unearths the captivating history of the two-lobed heart symbol from scripture and tapestry to T-shirts and text messages, shedding light on how we have expressed love since antiquity The symmetrical, exuberant heart is everywhere: it gives shape to candy, pendants, the frothy milk on top of a cappuccino, and much else. How can we explain the ubiquity of what might be the most recognizable symbol in the world? In The Amorous Heart, Marilyn Yalom tracks the heart metaphor and heart iconography across two thousand years, through Christian theology, pagan love poetry, medieval painting, Shakespearean drama, Enlightenment science, and into the present. She argues that the symbol reveals a tension between love as romantic and sexual on the one hand, and as religious and spiritual on the other. Ultimately, the heart symbol is a guide to the astonishing variety of human affections, from the erotic to the chaste and from the unrequited to the conjugal"-- Provided by publisher.

"The symmetrical, scalloped, exuberant heart is everywhere: it gives shape to candy and candy boxes, cookies and cakes, earrings and pendants, floral arrangements, jewelry containers, vases, soaps, padlocks, and frothy milk on top of a cup of coffee. We see it used as a verb on t-shirts ("I [heart] New York") and in text messages (the incredible variety of heart emojis). In all of its forms, and across borders, continents, and languages, the heart symbol conveys one thing, and one thing only: love. How can we explain the ubiquity and power of what might be the most recognizable symbol in the world? In The Amorous Heart, Marilyn Yalom embarks on an investigation into the heart's mysteries, tracking the heart metaphor and heart iconography across three thousand years and shedding light on how human beings have found, expressed, and experienced love itself"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Chapter 1 The Amorous Heart in Antiquity 7

Chapter 2 Arabic Songs from the Heart 19

Chapter 3 The Heart Icon's First Ancestors 25

Chapter 4 French and German Songs from the Heart 33

Chapter 5 Romances of the Heart 43

Chapter 6 Exchanging Hearts with Jesus 59

Chapter 7 Caritas, or the Italianized Heart 69

Chapter 8 Birth of an Icon 83

Chapter 9 A Separate Burial for the Heart 95

Chapter 10 The Independent Heart 105

Chapter 11 The Return of Cupid 113

Chapter 12 The Reformation and Counter-Reformation 125

Chapter 13 How Shakespeare Probed the Heart's Secrets 137

Chapter 14 Heart and Brain 149

Chapter 15 Exposing the Female Heart 159

Chapter 16 The Heart in Popular Culture 171

Chapter 17 Hearts and Hands 179

Chapter 18 Romanticism, or the Reign of the Heart 189

Chapter 19 Valentines 205

Chapter 20 I ♥ U 219.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780465094707

0465094708

OCLC:

986971751