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Silence
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Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.
What is silence? In a series of short meditations, novelist and playwright John Biguenet considers silence as a servant of power, as a lie, as a punishment, as the voice of God, as a terrorist's final weapon, as a luxury good, as the reason for torture-in short, as an ...more
What is silence? In a series of short meditations, novelist and playwright John Biguenet considers silence as a servant of power, as a lie, as a punishment, as the voice of God, as a terrorist's final weapon, as a luxury good, as the reason for torture-in short, as an ...more
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Paperback, 152 pages
Published
September 24th 2015
by Bloomsbury Academic
(first published August 27th 2015)
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A few of the essays really stretched the concept of what silence means beyond its breaking point, and Biguenet has the habit of falling into painfully purple prose during those moments. Other clearer essays actually have something to say. Mixed bag.
Such a surprisingly moving, astute, almost poetic object lesson on silence.
"The consequences of living in a world without curtains may be as serious as the daily price paid for living in a world without silence" - J. Biguenet
Wow- second favorite instalment of the Object Lessons series so far! The author explores the biological impact of silence- both desired or through deafness, the use of silence in art and language in song and on stage, silencing of populations through genocide, breaking silences through torture, and so many more thought provoking ideas about an ...more
Wow- second favorite instalment of the Object Lessons series so far! The author explores the biological impact of silence- both desired or through deafness, the use of silence in art and language in song and on stage, silencing of populations through genocide, breaking silences through torture, and so many more thought provoking ideas about an ...more
How does silence or the lack thereof shape our lives? How is silence used to control? These are just a couple of questions that get explored in this book. I finished it five days ago and am still contemplating.
I have translated this book to Turkish
Mi aspettavo una riflessione sul silenzio e non l'analisi del silenzio nell'arte e nella vita.
Feb 06, 2018
Kate
rated it
liked it
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Mimes and shushers
Recommended to Kate by:
155.9115 BI
Shelves:
music-radio-sound,
nonfiction-minis
“Wovon man nicht reden kann, darueber muss man schweigen.” –LW (About that of which we cannot speak, we must remain silent.)
In the anechoic chamber, you become the sound.
Reading is a fitful silencing of the self.
Even speech can be a form of silence.
“Speech is a constant stratagem to cover nakedness.” –HP
“Silence is the ultimate weapon of power.” –CG
“Silence is the most perfect expression of scorn.” –GBS
In the anechoic chamber, you become the sound.
Reading is a fitful silencing of the self.
Even speech can be a form of silence.
“Speech is a constant stratagem to cover nakedness.” –HP
“Silence is the ultimate weapon of power.” –CG
“Silence is the most perfect expression of scorn.” –GBS
This is my favorite of John Biguenet's works. I read this book in one sitting because I absolutely couldn't put it down. "Silence" reads like a novel but is incredibly informative, everything you wish educational texts could be but rarely are. Biguenet manages to cover a wide range of information while still arranging it in a way that creates a very natural flow. By the end of the book you'll be seeing silence in ways you've never imagined and in places you've never thought possible. I won't
...more
I love the Object Lessons series by Bloomsbury. In Silence, Biguenet takes a look at silence in an extended essay format, examining the role of silence in music, the idea of silent reading, silence in religion, silence as a part of punishment with solitary confinement, in the silencing of voices, and more. This was a fascinating read and I love the format of this series -- in depth looks at the cultural, historical, religious, artistic, etc perspectives about a particular topic. If you enjoy the
...more
The book is a long essay on the meaning and aesthetics of silence. Biguenet examines silence as an absence, an action, a form of speech, a feature of music, and more. The most valuable passages discuss silence after Katrina -- the silence induced by that trauma. Yet some of his references to deafness show an lack of awareness of disability critique, where one should be. Overall, a good dip into sound theory.
Very thought provoking.
First "Objects" book I've read. Enjoyed. Silently reading is not silent, etc. More please.
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