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proseamongstthorns 's review for:
This review is a little different. Rather than reviewing a book I've read for fun, this one is the latest academic text I've read for my MRes dissertation. The Spell of the Sensuous is a beautiful exploration of magic, environment and the animal world within indigenous cultures.
'Direct sensuous reality, in all its more-than-human mystery, remains the sole solid touchstone for an experiential world now inundated with electronically-generated vistas and engineered pleasures; only in regular contact with the tangible ground and sky can we learn how to orient and to navigate in the multiple dimensions that now claim us' (Abrams, 1996, p. x)
I've never come away from an academic text feeling awed, but Abrams manages to do this. His writing style is beautiful, balancing academic and colloquial writing wonderfully. Every line resonated with me and I often found myself reading the text out-loud in order to fully appreciate it.
Most academic/theoretical/critical texts leave me with a headache and, often, feeling more confused than I was before. This was not the case with Abrams' work; each chapter leads into each other, creating a natural progression through his work. You are eased into the deep discussion of time and space and how this relates into the written word, by the time you reach this part of the text it seems like a natural evolution. Never before have I enjoyed an academic text to the extent that I have this one. I will almost certainly be purchasing my own copy.
If you have an interest in indigenous culture, human relationship with the nonhuman, or the history and importance of the written word, then this book is a must read. Or maybe you're studying English (Lit) at Uni and want to take a look at this critical text. Either way, I can't recommend this enough. Reading this book has helped shape my MRes and sparked my PhD topic too.
'Direct sensuous reality, in all its more-than-human mystery, remains the sole solid touchstone for an experiential world now inundated with electronically-generated vistas and engineered pleasures; only in regular contact with the tangible ground and sky can we learn how to orient and to navigate in the multiple dimensions that now claim us' (Abrams, 1996, p. x)
I've never come away from an academic text feeling awed, but Abrams manages to do this. His writing style is beautiful, balancing academic and colloquial writing wonderfully. Every line resonated with me and I often found myself reading the text out-loud in order to fully appreciate it.
Most academic/theoretical/critical texts leave me with a headache and, often, feeling more confused than I was before. This was not the case with Abrams' work; each chapter leads into each other, creating a natural progression through his work. You are eased into the deep discussion of time and space and how this relates into the written word, by the time you reach this part of the text it seems like a natural evolution. Never before have I enjoyed an academic text to the extent that I have this one. I will almost certainly be purchasing my own copy.
If you have an interest in indigenous culture, human relationship with the nonhuman, or the history and importance of the written word, then this book is a must read. Or maybe you're studying English (Lit) at Uni and want to take a look at this critical text. Either way, I can't recommend this enough. Reading this book has helped shape my MRes and sparked my PhD topic too.