Signs And Symbols

by Beryl Dhanjal

Signs, and especially symbols, are representations often of the abstract rather than the literal, which allows for a much broader interpretation of their meaning. A look at any dictionary will tell you what they are, but here we ask why and how they came to exist. Here we look for reasons why so many of us are visually illiterate, and why we no longer understand the symbolism which communicated stories and information to our forebears. We also see how symbols have changed with time, and how they have been manipulated to make them encapsulate new meanings.

Genres: Reference

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 11, 2008

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting and most of the symbols I knew and a few I needed to refresh my memory. It is so amazing how we use symbols in our daily lives ancient and fascinating. I also see that some of these are interpreted differently by others and not always correct or misunderstood.

Photo's posted throughout this book to guide you along with the definitions. Twelve chapters and it is hard to pinpoint the best one but I will choose chapter one : Symbolism in Art and the Invention of Tradition.

Art: Botticelli painted Venus, the goddess of Love, in several well-known paintings. A scholar E.H. Gombrich commented that, "Venus does not represent lust, but 'love and charity, dignity and magnanimity, liberality and magnificence, comeliness and modesty, charm and splendour'." Gombrich pretty much describes Venus and does not lack words at all. A book to pick up and read and before you know it, you've finished in a day or so.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book very interesting. All of our cultures have different symbols and to see them all explained was fascinating. I also got to add to my random trivia database, such as the white house was not originally painted white. They painted it after the British set it on fire.