Compassion in Early Modern Literature and Culture: Feeling and Practice

This collection explores compassion as an early modern emotional phenomenon, examining its entanglement with European economic, social, cultural, and religious tensions. It demonstrates how compassion shaped attitudes and social structures that remain central to our understanding of suffering today, and how investigations can provoke new ways of thinking about community in contemporary Europe.

Format: Hardback
Length: 290 pages
Publication date: 22 April 2021
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This collection delves into compassion as a profound emotional phenomenon during the early modern era, situated within the intricate tapestry of European economic, social, cultural, and religious dynamics. Drawing upon recent advancements in the study of emotions, esteemed scholars explore the unique characteristics of early modern compassion, revealing its intricate connections with various genres and geographies. The chapters delve into canonical and lesser-known works, encompassing tragedy, comedy, sermons, philosophy, treatises on consolation, medical writing, and dramatic theory. Through these diverse lenses, the collection showcases how early modern compassion molded attitudes and social structures that continue to shape our understanding and response to suffering in contemporary Europe. Moreover, these investigations serve as a catalyst for innovative thinking about community and interconnectedness in the modern European context.

Weight: 604g
Dimension: 158 x 236 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108495394