The horizon : a history of our infinite longing PDF
Preview The horizon : a history of our infinite longing
The Horizon The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the General Endowment Fund of the University of California Press Foundation. The Horizon A History of Our Infinite Longing Didier Maleuvre university of california press Berkeley • Los Angeles • London University of California Press, one of the most distin- guished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www .ucpress.edu. University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California University of California Press, Ltd. London, England © 2011 by The Regents of the University of California Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Maleuvre, Didier. The horizon : a history of our infinite longing / Didier Maleuvre. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-0-520-26743-5 (cloth : acid-free paper) 1. Civilization—History. 2. Horizon—Social aspects—History. 3. Boundaries—Social aspects— History. 4. Wonder—History. 5. Philosophy— History. 6. Religion—History. 7. Art—History. I. Title. cb151.m224 2011 909—dc22 2010021801 Manufactured in the United States of America 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on Natures Book, which contains 50% post-consumer waste and meets the minimum requirements of ansi/niso z39.48–1992 (r 1997) (Permanence of Paper). To Juan This page intentionally left blank I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. —Herman Melville The longing for the infinite must always be a longing. —Friedrich Schlegel Only a poet could frame a language that could frame a world. —Jeanette Winterson This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Illustrations xi Preface xiii Acknowledgments xxi Introduction 1 part one. the archaic age 1. Permanence: Egypt, 2500 b.c.e. 11 2. Astonishment: Mesopotamia, circa 1900 b.c.e. 29 3. Enterprise: Aegean Sea, circa 725 b.c.e. 39 4. Tremor: Northern Kingdom of Israel, 500 b.c.e. 51 part two. the philosophical age 5. Exodus: The Desert of Moab, 450 b.c.e. 65 6. Synthesis: The Hellenic Archipelago, 500 b.c.e. 77 7. Closure: Athens, circa 400 b.c.e. 85
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