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{ "item_title" : "The Waterless Sea", "item_author" : [" Christopher Pinney "], "item_description" : "Mirages have long astonished travelers of the sea and beguiled thirsty desert voyagers. Traditional Chinese and Japanese poetry and art depict the above-horizon, superior mirage, or fata morgana, as exhalations of clam-monsters. Indian sources relate mirages to the thirst of gazelles, a metaphor for the futility of desire. Starting in the late eighteenth century, mirages became a symbol in the West of Oriental despotism--a negative, but also enchanted, emblem. But the mirage motif is rarely simply condemnatory. More often, our obsession with mirages conveys a sense of escape, of fascination, of a desire to be deceived. The Waterless Sea is the first book devoted to the theories and history of mirages. Christopher Pinney navigates a sinuous pathway through a mysterious and evanescent terrain, showing how mirages have impacted politics, culture, science, and religion--and how we can continue to learn from their sublimity.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers4.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/1/78/023/932/1780239327_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "31.00", "online_price" : "31.00", "our_price" : "31.00", "club_price" : "31.00", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }
The Waterless Sea|Christopher Pinney

The Waterless Sea : A Curious History of Mirages

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Overview

Mirages have long astonished travelers of the sea and beguiled thirsty desert voyagers. Traditional Chinese and Japanese poetry and art depict the above-horizon, superior mirage, or fata morgana, as exhalations of clam-monsters. Indian sources relate mirages to the "thirst of gazelles," a metaphor for the futility of desire. Starting in the late eighteenth century, mirages became a symbol in the West of Oriental despotism--a negative, but also enchanted, emblem. But the mirage motif is rarely simply condemnatory. More often, our obsession with mirages conveys a sense of escape, of fascination, of a desire to be deceived. The Waterless Sea is the first book devoted to the theories and history of mirages. Christopher Pinney navigates a sinuous pathway through a mysterious and evanescent terrain, showing how mirages have impacted politics, culture, science, and religion--and how we can continue to learn from their sublimity.

Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781780239323
  • ISBN-10: 1780239327
  • Publisher: Reaktion Books
  • Publish Date: July 2018
  • Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.05 pounds
  • Page Count: 184

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