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Title details for Silence by Jane Brox - Available

Silence

A Social History of One of the Least Understood Elements of Our Lives

by Jane Brox
Andrea Gallo
Audiobook
4 of 4 copies available
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4 of 4 copies available
Another "dazzling epic" from the author of Brilliant, exploring an overlooked yet elemental force in our lives-silence-from contemporary Cistercian monks to an extraordinary 19th-century prison. *Lev Grossman, Time The author of the "dazzling epic" (Time) Brilliant delivers an indelible view of the ways silence affects those who seek it and those who have it imposed upon them. Through her original, intertwined histories of the penitentiary and the monastery, Jane Brox illuminates the many ways silence is far more complex than any absolute; how it has influenced ideas of the self, soul, and society. Brox traces its place as a transformative power in the monastic world from Medieval Europe to the very public life of twentieth century monk Thomas Merton, whose love for silence deepened even as he faced his obligation to speak out against war. This fascinating history of ideas also explores the influence the monastic cell had on one of society's darkest experiments in silence: Eastern State Penitentiary. Conceived of by one of the Founding Fathers and built on the outskirts of Philadelphia, the penitentiary's early promulgators imagined redemption in imposed isolation, but they badly misapprehended silence's dangers. Finally, Brox's rich exploration of silence's complex and competing meanings leads us to imagine how we might navigate our own relationship with silence today, for the transformation it has always promised, in our own lives.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 15, 2019

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781980014782
      • File size: 275294 KB
      • Duration: 09:33:31

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Andrea Gallo's steady, authoritative narration suggests reverence for the vast and meticulous research behind this intriguing analysis of life in silence. Listeners are first transported to the bleak world of Philadelphia's infamous Eastern State Penitentiary. While hearing about prisoner mistreatment is sometimes difficult, their isolation from all markers of time and space initiates an engaging inquiry into isolation, culture, and the human psyche. Moving to the monastic world, where silence is a choice, Gallo's static delivery reinforces the book's dissertation-like tone. This is a missed opportunity when quoting such diverse characters as Henry David Thoreau, Trappist monk Thomas Merton, or writer Eugenia Ginzburg, a survivor of Stalin's gulag. The author's deft illumination of the "silence on top of the silencing" of women, however, shouldn't be missed. J.T. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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