How are pain and joy constructed, articulated, represented, manipulated, and, ultimately, socially determined? This is the first collection of essays that investigates how such multi-faceted and subjective domains of human experience as pain and joy—which combine physical, psychological, private, public, conceptual, and cultural dimensions—are represented and reconstructed in language, literature, and culture. Adopting a genuinely interdisciplinary approach, the book is organized around themes and divided into four parts which blend literary, cultural, and linguistic examinations of theoretical angles, socio-cultural appropriations, stage and screen constructions, and the body. Contributors include eminent scholars from a variety of fields—Catherine Belsey, Declan Kiberd, Zoltán Kövecses, and Elaine Scarry—whose work informs a current academic conversation also developed by other authors in the volume from original angles. With its multi-cultural focus, cross-historical, and interdisciplinary scope—featuring studies of literature, language, art, philosophy, religion, theatre, film, music, television, the internet—this book not only surveys past and contemporary theoretical and critical grounds, but also anticipates future developments: an invaluable resource for all scholars and students exploring the representation of joy and/or pain.
