The Culture of Pain
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
This is a book about the meanings we make out of pain. The greatest surprise I encountered in discussing this topic over the past ten years was the consistency with which I was asked a single unvarying question: Are you writing about physical pain or mental pain? The overwhelming consistency of this response convinces me that modern culture rests upon and underlying belief so strong that it grips us with the force of a founding myth. Call it the Myth of Two Pains. We live in an era when many people believe--as a basic, unexamined foundation of thought--that pain comes divided into separate types: physical and mental. These two types of pain, so the myth goes, are as different as land and sea. You feel physical pain if your arm breaks, and you feel mental pain if your heart breaks. Between these two different events we seem to imagine a gulf so wide and deep that it might as well be filled by a sea that is impossible to navigate.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0520082761
ISBN13:9780520082762
Release Date:April 1993
Publisher:University of California Press
Length:354 Pages
Weight:1.10 lbs.
Dimensions:0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"
Related Subjects
Clinical Criticism & Theory Diseases & Physical Ailments Education & Reference Family Health Health, Fitness & Dieting Health, Fitness & Dieting History History & Criticism Literary Theory Literature Medical Medical Books Medicine Medicine & Health Sciences Mental Health Movements & Periods Pain Management Parenting & Relationships Politics & Social Sciences Psychology Psychology & Counseling Reference Science & Math Social Sciences Sociology Special Topics TextbooksCustomer Reviews
2 ratings
pain
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
how does one rate a book about pain? it was painful to read! it's even painful to write this review.. i've been putting it off for weeks. pain can be fluid and contagious like this the book is very thorough, and covers pain from a large variety of viewpoints: historical, medical, biological, literary, social, sexual, aesthetic, etc i found it fascinating - full of interesting information, stories and cultural references. the connection between humor and pain was especially interesting (and enlightening), and i will not forget the description of pre-anesthetic surgery as long as i live it is heavy on literary references. david morris is clearly excited by literature, but some are extraneous or repetitive. it's a minor criticism having spelunked into the abyss and back - it was a powerful reading experience, but not one i'm in a hurry to repeat i would bet the author experienced sheer agony researching and writing this book :)
A splendidly rich set of reflections on living with pai
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
This is an extraordinary book, serious and varied and passionate; I recommend it to anyone who has encountered pain, and would be happy if all doctors had to read it in medical school. It argues that modern society no longer has any effective ways of coping with suffering - especially chronic pain -, of finding meaning in it, and explores some of the ways people in the past learned to live with - and learn from - pain, pain understood not as an enemy attack on human lives which ought to be pain-free, but as a part of life which must be lived with and which can be meaningful in itself, not just a deprivation of meaning.
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
