A complex delight
Margaret R. Miles
Reading Time
at 250 WPM3h 16m
The average reader, reading at a speed of 250 WPM, would take 3h 16m to read A complex delight.
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7
days at 30 min/day
196
total minutes
A complex delight
Published
January 7, 2008
Publisher
University of California Press
Pages
196
ISBN-13
9780520253483
ISBN-10
0520253485
Description
"Looking at painting and sculpture from the fourteenth through the eighteenth centuries, this provocative work focuses on the symbolism of the female breast to open a dazzling interpretive view of Western European history over four centuries. Margaret R. Miles finds that while in 1350 the Virgin's bare breast represented nourishment and loving care - God's provision for the Christian - by 1750, artistic representations of the breast were either erotic or medical. The breast had lost its meaning as a religious symbol. But how did the breast, and nakedness more generally, lose the ability to represent human bodies as site and symbol of religious subjectivity and commitment? To explore this phenomenon, Miles engages in a wide-ranging investigation of the social, cultural, and religious circumstances within which a religious symbol came to be thoroughly "mastered" by erotic and medical meanings. What emerges is a nuanced understanding of the location of power in early modern Western Europe, of how the lives of women changed over this period, of how art reveals and helps to construct religious meaning, and of how modern Christianity's attitude toward bodies was shaped."--BOOK JACKET.
Subjects
Man and His Symbols
The meaning of meaning
The lost language of symbolism
Echange symbolique et la mort
The history, principles and practice of symbolism in Christian art
Secrets of the talking jaguar
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pages are in A complex delight?
This edition of A complex delight has approximately 196 pages. Please note, this is an estimate and the exact page count can vary between hardcover, paperback, and e-book versions.
How long does it take to read A complex delight?
For most readers, A complex delight typically takes between 4h 5m and 2h 43m to complete. This is based on the book's length of approximately 49,000 words and common reading speeds.
Here's a detailed breakdown: • Continuous reading at 250 WPM: approximately 3h 16m of focused reading • Casual reading (30 minutes/day): you could finish in roughly 7 days • Estimated word count: 49,000 words
Your individual reading time will vary based on your personal reading pace, the amount of daily reading time, and your familiarity with the subject matter.
What is the word count of A complex delight?
The estimated word count for A complex delight is approximately 49,000 words. This figure is calculated using industry-standard methods that consider genre-specific word density patterns, typical formatting and layout characteristics, and standard words-per-page ratios for published books.
This is an approximation — actual word count may vary based on font size, formatting, edition, and the presence of illustrations or charts.
Who is the author of A complex delight?
A complex delight was written by Margaret R. Miles.
When was A complex delight published?
The publication date for this specific edition is January 7, 2008. The original work may have been published on a different date.