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 joywhich combine physical, psychological, private, public, conceptual, and cultural dimensionsare 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 fieldsCatherine Belsey, Declan Kiberd, Zoltan Kovecses, and Elaine Scarrywhose 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 scopefeaturing studies of literature, language, art, philosophy, religion, theatre, film, music, television, the internetthis 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.