Sinopsis de A HISTORY OF THE DEVIL: FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE PRESENT
This highly original and engaging book by French historian Robert Muchembled, is a journey through time and space in search of the changing perception and significance of the devil in Western culture. The author takes the story back to the 13th century, when visual images of Satan first started to appear, and forward to the 20th Century, dealing with, among others, the place of the diabolical in the films of Stanley Kubrick, including "Eyes Wide Shut," The changing figures of Evil over time are shown to correlate with the way in which men conceive of their destinies and the future of their civilisation. Fascination with the diabolical having reached its height in the witch-hunts of the 15th and 16th centuries, by the enlightenment, begins to show signs of decline, a process which has continued up to today. The result of this process, for modern western society, is a subtle metamorphosis of the notion of the devil from fear of Satan, into an internal demon, "the demon within" characterised by a distrust of oneself and ones desires. It is this conception of the diabolical that is visible today in our interest in the supernatural, exorcism, and for example, in the role of the "devlish good" in advertising.
Ficha técnica
Editorial: Polity Press
ISBN: 9780745628165
Idioma: Inglés
Número de páginas: 368
Tiempo de lectura:
7h 36m
Encuadernación: Tapa blanda
Año de edición: 2003
Plaza de edición: London
Especificaciones del producto
Escrito por Robert Muchembled
Robert Muchembled, profesor en la Universidad Paris-Nord, profesor visitante en la Universidad de Michigan en Ann Arbor, y antiguo miembro del Institute for Advanced Study, de Princenton, es autor de más de veinte obras traducidas a diversas lenguas, entre las que se cuentan Una historia del diablo y El orgasmo en Occidente. Sus investigaciones se centran en diversos aspectos de la historia social, como la arquitectura del poder, la criminalidad o el estudio de la brujería.