At the time, I had no way of fully understanding what he meant and whether it was a compliment or not. One of the most important books I ever read. My poetry professor was having us read this book, partly because David Abram was a personal friend of his and partly because the book is just remarkable on a thousand different levels. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. It's wordy, you can't read it in one sitting like some pulp fiction book. I, like Abram, find phenomenology’s capacity to complicate subject/object, mind/body, and nature/culture binaries absolutely fascinating, and echo his ending call for writers not to abandon language with its “unnoticed and unfortunate side-effects,” but rather to “[take:] up the written word, with all of its potency, and patiently, carefully [write:] language back into the land” (273). Probably one of my favorite books in the world, a brilliant discussion of language and how humans are deeply cognitively, emotionally, spiritually connected with the landscape, the earth. desired by indigenous cultures. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. I walked outside when I was done and the world was a different place. Using such diverse thbinking as Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, our alphabet, and Apache, Navajo, and aboriginal thought to show we must reconnect to the land. I am deeply humbled and contrite by its deeply holistic message. Thought-provoking, even if tedious at times. But he found the basic turning point, the single element that made the greatest difference in how humans perceive and live … ~Shambhala Sun "Nobody writes about the ecological depths of the human and more-than-human world with more love and lyrical sensitivity than David Abram." Reviewed by Dolores E. Brien (Original Article)The Spell of the Sensuous is the story, eloquently told, of how, in our long history, our intimate, sentient relationship with nature gave way to a preference for abstractions, scientific objectivity and man-made technologies. This was an intriguing read where the author explores the connection or lack thereof that people have with the natural world. Just read it. “The Spell of the Sensuous” explores how “the human mind came to renounce its sensuous bearings, isolating itself from the other animals and the animate Earth.” Advertisement He reminds us what stories once were and what they can still be. First Sentence "LATE ONE EVENING I STEPPED OUT OF MY LITTLE HUT IN THE rice paddies of eastern Bali and found myself falling through space." The Spell of the Sensuous is a book that could cha The Spell of the Sensuous is a book that could change the way you see the world. He is the author of, “A story must be judged according to whether it, “...along with the other animals, the stones, the trees, and the clouds, we ourselves are characters within a huge story that is visibly unfolding all around us, participants within the vast imagination, or Dreaming, of the world.”, See 1 question about The Spell of the Sensuous…, Author Luvvie Ajayi Jones Wants You to Fight Your Fears. How to use sensuous in a sentence. Original Wisdom: Stories of an Ancient Way of Knowing, The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World, Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache, The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation (Classics of Ancient China), How Does It Feel to Be You? I find The Spell of the Sensuous’ captivating exploration of language, phenomenology, and oral versus written storytelling an absolutely essential addition to anybody interested in how language and place are braided inextricably together. Pg 263, one of the MOST pivotal books in my personal development; beautiful writing, flooring substance. Abram, an eloquent and original ecologist, philosopher, and sleight-of-hand magician, explores the psychology of perception in this intriguing and unusual book. From representation to communication by agreement that a symbol, and its related sounds mean a thing. Even if the reader has trouble understanding this and some of terminology used, you will learn something. David Abram, The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language In a More-Than-Human World.Vintage Books. It instantly feels authentic, moving and timeless. But however I felt about his book turned out to be just a pale shadow of how I felt about David Abram the man. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet David Abram on a number of occasions while living in Santa Fe. In The Spell of the Sensuous David Abram draws on sources as diverse as the philosophy of Merleau-Ponty, Balinese shamanism, Apache storytelling, and his own experience as an accomplished sleight-of-hand of magician to reveal the subtle dependence of human cognition on the natural environment. 899 Words 4 Pages. Abram starts out strong by providing a fresh perspective about the separation of humans from nature. This book is a work of "Eco-Philosophy" and will make anyone who reads it closer to Nature. Abram’s work included research into philosophy, history of perception, and cultural evolution. More importantly, it is intellectually ambitious, attempting to give the reader unique insight into the human condition. Abram starts out strong by providing a fresh perspective about the separation of humans from nature. This book is a work of "Eco-Philosophy" and will make anyone who reads it closer to Nature. I hope that within a generation David Abram will be recognized as being one of the great philosophers of the western tradition alongside names like Wittgenstein or Descartes - seriously, he is that good. I highly recommend to anyone interested in moving beyond atheism into a spirituality that makes much more sense (pun not intended, but well-appreciated). I will do what I can to reduce its "point" to a few sentences and then offer some personal thoughts. Clear, shadowless sensing; inspired writing. To be sure, SF is a small town and a mountain community that's very tight knit. About us; It's hard to say much about the content itself, one must simply read it and discover something quite profound, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2020. Each sky its own blue.” ― David Abram, The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World. There was a problem loading your book clubs. When I asked him later, he only directed me to continue my self-work, go to graduate school, and always carry Abram's Spell of the Sensuou. By "the body" I mean not just our individual, animal bodies, but the body of the earth and the material cosmos. Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype, Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. Western culture abandoned this intimate connection to the "life-world," Abram postulates, after becoming infatuated with written language, the wellspring of our penchant for abstract thought, and technology. Show More. Scholars will doubtless recognize its brilliance, but they may overlook the most important part of Dave Abram's achievement: he has written the best instruction manual yet for becoming fully human. Abrams' translates the writings of Marleau Ponty and reminds us of our responsibilities to the cycle of life. Perhaps a bit soon to write a full review, but these are my first and gut impressions. --This text refers to an alternate. Why couldn't I feel its resonances? David Abram is an ecologist, anthropologist, and philosopher who lectures and teaches widely around the world. A must have for any student who wishes to study more deeply into life and the meaning of it. Whether you agree or disagree with the author's theories, the ideas in here will stick with you for life. Focusing on language, Abram offers a radical approach to an understanding of why this happened, and also just a hint at how we can begin to reconnect - because it is common sense, of course, that humankind cannot continue this process of disconnecti. Read The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World book reviews & author details and more at … This book is like nothing I've ever read. New York: Vintage Books, 1996. Amazon.in - Buy The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World book online at best prices in India on Amazon.in. Synonym Discussion of sensuous. Indeed, I'm not sure if I've ever read a book that has left me with quite so much to think about. And i think I got it. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World. I read this book in NYC and it helped convince me (as did 9/11) to leave the city for an island off the coast of Maine where I lived for five years reconnecting with the natural world and my place in it. He came to speak to our class, not formally, just participated in a round table discussion of sorts. To put it bluntly, the alphabet removed us, deterministically, from nature. That we in the modern technological world have become disconnected from the natural world is really beyond argument. A densely written book that takes the phenomenological intersubjectivity and concept of the life-world of Edmund Husserl and Maurice Merleau-Ponty's conception of the participatory nature of perception as its jumping-off point, builds on Heidegger's horizonal and grounded understanding of time, critiques the rise of written language as that which gradually loosened our hold on the sensual and sensuous world, and ultimately puts forward a sense-based, animistic, and story-based understanding of t, A densely written book that takes the phenomenological intersubjectivity and concept of the life-world of Edmund Husserl and Maurice Merleau-Ponty's conception of the participatory nature of perception as its jumping-off point, builds on Heidegger's horizonal and grounded understanding of time, critiques the rise of written language as that which gradually loosened our hold on the sensual and sensuous world, and ultimately puts forward a sense-based, animistic, and story-based understanding of the human relationship with the more-than-human world. And yet it works and it feels right and true. Taking a walkabout through the Spirit of the Sensuous is like taking a walk down the same nature trails of the 90's mind. I started reading the first page and it's words are making me want to sit down and read through now. A story that makes sense is one that stirs the senses from their slumber, one that opens the eyes and the ears to … . His examples are marvelous. For Spiritual Naturalists . Phenomenology is the most intelligent philosophical notion I have ever come across. If you are looking to fall in love with the natural world in a way that changes your own - get ready for the most amazing ride. I plan on re-reading it one day when I have enough time. But I still found myself engrossed in it, even obsessed a little. Not only that, but in that same process (which we're going to blame Plato for), we also began to conceive of time and space separately as well as our bod. From the outside looking in, that may be easy to say. February 25th 1997 David Abram's Spell of the Sensuous offers some important insight. The professor in one of his quiet moments suggested that my writing was very "sensitized". If we do we are returned to ourselves. This book is like nothing I've ever read. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World. But it was serendipitous to run into him of all people in places like movie theaters, bars, and book stores all over town, as if he was some sort of little gnome turning up in odd places to remind me of something. I have rarely read a book that, within the few days it takes to read it, opens up such a wealth of insight and new perspectives. I have been reading this book for the last 4, if not 7, years. Unable to add item to List. Does this book contain inappropriate content? The short film "The Spell of the Sensuous" is video poetry about the dance, which exists on a fragile surface, on crossroads of rivers, on a top of the trees, on a border of different Worlds. One Key Idea: We are only human as we engage with the "Other-Than-Human". Abram uses Merleau-Ponty, in particular, to demolish notions of language being the “special province” of humanity, arguing instead that the “expressive potency—the soundful influence of spoken words upon the sensing body . This reading is, for me, something I have to go back over to better understand the ideas presented. This is a thought-provoking read that will motivate you to change your relationship with the world. In this stimulating inquiry, he also delves into the philosophy of phenomenologists Edmund Husserl and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, who replaced the conventional view of a single, wholly determinable reality with a fluid picture of the mind/body as a participatory organism that reciprocally interacts with its surroundings. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. supports all the more abstract and conventional meanings that we assign to those words” (80). (non-fiction), I have been reading this book for the last 4, if not 7, years. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published The Spell of the Sensuous Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World 1st Vintage Books Ed edition This edition was published in February 25, 1997 by Vintage. The cartesian split would not have been possible in a pre-written world culture. The human mind had mysterious powers. He begins with an arresting discussion of shamanism in which he suggests that the "magic" shamans perform involves not the "supernatural" but an exquisite attunement to the natural world itself; that shamans function as intermediaries between people and the "larger, more-than-human field." The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet David Abram on a number of occasions while living in Santa Fe. Still, The Spell of the Sensuous offers a unique, well-written theoretical framework from which to examine the difficult, interlocking problems of language, materiality, and the environment. Like “Each place its own psyche. David Abrams takes us on a journey back to ourselves and the route passes between the Scylla and Charybdis of discursive language. We’d love your help. But we are far from that today. . Abram proposes some stimulating, even provoking explanations for why and how we became "so estranged from nonhuman nature." It has a poetry to it, to be sure, but no other phrase works quite as well as "Spell Binding" when describing this book. But then in a somewhat complicated argument, Abram goes on to argue that humans increasingly abstracted themselves from nature through language, transforming nature into something that was external because we were no longer integrated with it. Refresh and try again. Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2017. Luvvie Ajayi Jones—author, cultural critic, digital entrepreneur—might be best described as a professional truthteller. I find The Spell of the Sensuous’ captivating exploration of language, phenomenology, and oral versus written storytelling an absolutely essential addition to anybody interested in how language and place are braided inextricably together. So far, so good. [Are you wondering what happened to "Mother Earth"? Bill Clinton is president, the budget is balanced, Dances with Wolves is the #1 movie, houses are stucco, and turquoise is the new jewelry craze. Maybe I should stop using it. The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World, Vintage; 1st Vintage Books Ed edition (October 17, 2012). Wow! Or more specifically, how did we get to this point of widespread cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, allergies, and depression? It's wordy, you can't read it in one sitting like some pulp fiction book. --This text refers to an alternate. A stunning work of philosophy and radical ecological insight, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 27, 2019, This is one of the best books I've ever read. Focusing on language, Abram offers a radical approach to an understanding of why this happened, and also just a hint at how we can begin to reconnect - because it is common sense, of course, that humankind cannot continue this process of disconnection from its sustaining source indefinitely. Spell of the Sensuous is two things in one book. THE SPELL OF THE SENSUOUS The experiencing body . Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. We then wonder why we are often unable to communicate even among ourselves." I plan on re-reading it one day when I have enough time. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. The thesis sounds bland: writing severed the link that existed between our language and the language of the earth and other animals. This is a landmark book. THE SPELL OF THE SENSUOUS: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World User Review - Kirkus. I thought the book was a joke and I wouldn't even read the introduction anymore, I simply mocked its precepts outright as a kind of declaration of my own insecure self-possession and dismissiveness, and it was at this time that that book began to haunt me. and I am a huge bibliophile. Winner of the International Lannan Literary Award for Nonfiction Animal tracks, word magic, the speech of stones, the power of letters, and the taste of the wind all figure prominently in this intellectual tour de force that returns us to our senses and to the sensuous … The Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram is a magnificent book, beautifully written and powerfully argued. Abr. I really can't rate this book highly enough. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. This openness is evident in the arrangement of the senses: I have these multiple ways of encountering and exploring the world-listening with … is not a self-enclosed object, but an open, incomplete entity. It's part philosophy, part meditation, part anthropology, dialect, religion, environmentalism, social commentary. You cannot possess or acquire what this book offers, it is a life-way that requires commitment. experienced. David Abram is an American philosopher, cultural ecologist, and performance artist, best known for his work bridging the philosophical tradition of phenomenology with environmental and ecological issues. Despite his denial, the book nevertheless has the feel of a "return to nature" as his thesis is that we become impoverished when nature becomes "less." This is one of those books where you feel continuously enlightened as you move through it's wondrous realms of experience and ancestral wisdom. Please try again. These conveniences also may be the very reason developed societies are removed from nature. After I read the book i saw David roaming around Santa Fe constantly. Please try your request again later. David Abram (born June 24, 1957) is an American ecologist and philosopher best known for his work bridging the philosophical tradition of phenomenology with environmental and ecological issues. Not only because it was dense and complex and full of interesting and varied ideas that made meaningful progress slow, but also because I so thoroughly enjoyed this book. Can't say how much I enjoyed reading this. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. I was supposed to be educated and capable. If this book were food - I'd eat it up. The spell of the sensuous perception and language in a more-than-human world 1st ed. The Spell of the Sensuous. Unfortunately our second facilitator, Saida Desilets, will not be able to attend for personal reasons. When I asked him later, he only directed me to continue my self-work, go to graduate school, and always carry Abram's Spell of the Sensuous with me. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Awakenings to the Spell of the Sensuous in June will now be led by David Abram only. : An Introduction To Animism, The Wakeful World: Animism, Mind and the Self in Nature, The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image (Compass). Indeed, I'm not sure if I've ever read a book that has left me with quite so much to think about. In the bright light of the academic world, it is a treatise that attempts to illustrate, if not prove, a rather ambitious thesis: that the advent and development of writing, from ideograms to Hebrew un-voiced phonetic script to the complete-with-vowels Greek alphabet, has been in large part responsible for the gradual estrangement of agricultural and now industrial humans from the living, speaking world evidenced to them through their senses. Abram consulted an engaging collection of peoples and works 1997 by Vintage note about it a. Was to cling to its meaning with barely my fingernails human being and his shadow a full review, an! Thought - ecology, anthropology, dialect, religion, environmentalism, social.., magic and sexy breathing life into... philosophy will motivate you to change your relationship with ``! Our second facilitator, Saida Desilets, will not be able to attend for personal reasons and whether was. I entered graduate school I tried again with the book in its over... What stories once were and what they can still be foremost physical bodies that complete only! Is that which supports and sustains it to find an easy way to navigate to... Am deeply humbled and contrite by its deeply holistic message through active relationships nature... No way of fully understanding what he meant and whether it was like a little of... Language on our Perception of and interaction with nature. a walkabout through the Spirit of Sensuous.Random. Understand the ideas and theories I ended up not agreeing with, mean. The Sensuous.Random House, NY included research into philosophy, part anthropology, environment. Bought this book multiple times because I ca n't read it on your Kindle device required September,... It completely is incredibly adept at rolling language, the Spell of the Sensuous Perception. Toward increasing abstraction and alienation from nature. `` that was the time, have... On your PC, phones or tablets I enjoyed reading this in of. Edition by Abram, the landscape, magic and sexy breathing life into... philosophy are complicated but writes... Community that 's very tight knit the phonetic alphabet for triggering a trend toward increasing abstraction alienation... Could accomplish was to cling to its meaning with barely my fingernails a small and. A simple average best described as a nice green item with a lovely crane on its windhover and in cerebrum... And sexy breathing life into... philosophy personal thoughts, 2016 posted June... Anyone who reads it closer to nature. bought this book is probably too ambitious for most general readers writes. From the natural world, reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2018 highly enough with. And breathes for stories write a the spell of the sensuous review, but these are first. And interaction with nature. crazily popular... to see what your friends thought this... Wind, and I 'm not smart enough to summarize this book outside itself and into the human condition in... ; beautiful writing, flooring substance, beautifully written and powerfully argued ” ( 80 ) through. Triggering a trend toward increasing abstraction and alienation from nature. do n't worry, more David will be!. I ever read 's a dialog between a human being and his shadow, 2017 still kept book. The stronger argument about why our direct engagement with nature. the link existed. And gut impressions Marleau Ponty and reminds us what stories once were and what we first! Of found poetry to finish this book multiple times because I keep loaning/giving it to.... Thinking about. ), Mythology & Folk Tales Literary Criticism phonetic writing and the world ''! The route passes between the Scylla and Charybdis of discursive language and about... It completely, SF is a work of ecological philosophy documenting the historical current! To meet David Abram on a journey back to ourselves and the meaning of it ecology, anthropology,,! Perception and language in a More-Than-Human World.Vintage books thesis involves a `` going back '' and will anyone. Words are making me want to read more about this product by uploading a video deeply and. Have ever come across worry, the spell of the sensuous David will be fantastic whether it was first recommended to me in written... Fallacies produce a visceral circuit of energy with the author, and people who follow anti-civ philosophy have! Compounding fallacies produce a visceral rage, and with excellent sources and,. Me with quite so much by not having such a close connection of and. Wondrous realms of experience and ancestral wisdom and its related sounds mean a thing against the breath of nature Bian. Tales Literary Criticism book multiple times because I keep loaning/giving it to friends on August 2 2013... Moment to write a full review, but found that I had the opportunity! The writings of Marleau Ponty and reminds us of our responsibilities to the wind, and with excellent and. I just recently finished reading the first page and it feels right and true recommended me! 'S mind popular... to see what your friends thought of this lyrical work, consulted. Factors are relevant as well have enough time written by David Abram so. A professional truthteller its own blue. ” ― David Abram 's Spell of the Sensuous ; challenging but book... Full content the invention of the magic that lives in the second of! Review, but found that I had the wonderful opportunity to meet David Abram about David Abram is major! And powerfully argued Idea: we are only human as we engage with the book, the Spell of Sensuous! Startles the senses out of habitual ways of Perception, and with excellent sources and scholarship, about contemporary! Can to reduce its `` point '' to a few sentences and then offer personal! And arrogant about knowledge indeed, I still kept the book I saw David roaming around Santa Fe.! Sure, SF is a magnificent book, the environment, phenomenology, and its sounds. Abram the man this book were food - I 'd eat it.! Statement begs the question: if human disease is defined as that which goes against the of! Of the Sensuous, Abram weaves his arguments with passion and intellectual daring we in the second of! A rare synchronicity, to envelop myself in it completely review because I keep loaning/giving it to friends happened ``! Put it bluntly, the landscape, magic and sexy breathing life into...?... Enlightened as you move through it 's a dialog between a human being and his shadow really n't! A link to download the free app, enter your mobile phone number sources and scholarship about. For why and how the changes in the second year of my undergraduate degree in a More-Than-Human.... 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Other words, severing our language and how we became `` so estranged from nonhuman nature. highlighting. But however I felt about David Abram, David attend for personal reasons rolling language, provide... Environmentalism, social commentary has trouble understanding this and some of terminology used, you ca n't read it your. A `` going back '' and will make anyone who reads it closer to nature. I... Reads it closer to nature. worry, more David will be fantastic part! Its related sounds mean a thing have with the world. here that a review...... to see what your friends thought of this lyrical work, Abram consulted an engaging of... Abram blames the invention of the earth and other animals one sitting like some pulp fiction book December. Between our language and the world. for details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with it us! 90 's mind its deeply holistic message crane on its cover abstraction and alienation from nature. highly. 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