On Longing: Narratives of the Miniature, the Gigantic, the Souvenir, the Collection
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
Miniature books, eighteenth-century novels, Tom Thumb weddings, tall tales, and objects of tourism and nostalgia: this diverse group of cultural forms is the subject of On Longing , a fascinating analysis of the ways in which everyday objects are narrated to animate or realize certain versions of the world. Originally published in 1984 (Johns Hopkins University Press), and now available in paperback for the first time, this highly original book draws on insights from semiotics and from psychoanalytic, feminist, and Marxist criticism. Addressing the relations of language to experience, the body to scale, and narratives to objects, Susan Stewart looks at the "miniature" as a metaphor for interiority and at the "gigantic" as an exaggeration of aspects of the exterior. In the final part of her essay Stewart examines the ways in which the "souvenir" and the "collection" are objects mediating experience in time and space.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0822313669
ISBN13:9780822313663
Release Date:December 1992
Publisher:Duke University Press
Length:232 Pages
Weight:0.89 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
amazingly insightful and infinitely engaging
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
This wonderful work has been indispensible in my research into collections and souvenirs. Stewart's ability to look at the long history of visual culture and bring in such disparate elements as Pop art and miniature manuscripts makes for a thoughtful and reasoned argument. Particularly notable is her need to cross barriers of medium, writing on everything from children's stories to painting to Tom Thumb weddings. An engaging read that rarely falls victim to theoretical rhetoric. The world needs more writers like Stewart who take their time, slowly unfolding their argument, surveying all aspects of culture, giving high and low culture equal weight.
great written work
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
I might add to the previous review, that this book is also of great interest for those that are interested in the study of objects and collections. Objects in this text are analysed in the miniature and the gigantic revealing their symbolic meanings and values. the analysis on the collection and the souvenir are also fantastic. Being a poet Stewart's book is a pleasure to read.
a great book for artists
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
On Longing is sensitively written and a must read for anyone interested in art or literature especially artists and writers. I would recommend Italo Calvino's Six Memos for the Next Millenium to anyone who enjoyed On Longing.
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
