Product Description

The notion of beauty is elusive: we love the things we find beautiful, and yet we are inarticulate when we try to communicate this love, or describe its essence. We are aware of people, paintings and houses that are universally recognized as beautiful, and yet we know also that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. In defining beauty and our response to it, we are often caught between the concrete and the sublime. We wish to categorize beauty, to clearly label its parts, and yet we wish also to celebrate its mysterious – and at times mythical – power. Armstrong’s response is a discursive and graceful journey through various and complementary interpretations, leading us from Hogarth’s belief that the essence of beauty lies in shapely curves, to Kant’s discourses on the meaning of pleasure. In this lucid and lyrical exploration John Armstrong aims to deepen our response both to beauty and to happiness. As he shows, the ability to truly recognise the beauty that surrounds us in the everyday could enable us to deepen the enjoyment of our lives.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #232883 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

The Herald (Glasgow), January 17, 2004
'Good soul food for a hungry age'

Waterstones Books Quarterly, February, 2004
'An elegant and discursive book'

The Tablet, 6 March, 2004
'John Armstrong's apprach, compact, readable, anecdotal and discerning, is also morally optimistic'

Customer Reviews

A thought-provoking and inspiring read
John Armstrong lays out many of the arguments people have had over the years over what beauty is clearly and in an interesting way. But the very best bit of the book is near the end where he lets us in on his own views. When I got to the one key sentence that brought it all together I was really moved - things I have been wondering about for ages clicked into place. I know that this book has permanantly changed the way I will look at the question of beauty, and also the way I look at beauty in the everyday world around me.