A Brief History of the Smile.ANGUS TRUMBLE The word smile generally makes us think of happiness, yet there are lots of other types of smiles that don't necessarily have that connotation con·no·ta·tion n. 1. The act or process of connoting. 2. a. An idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing: : the leer, the snarl, the smirk, and the lewd grin, to name just a few. Trumble considers these different expressions, as well as the history of smiling, including what different grins have meant in different cultures. He draws on a wealth of data culled from art, poetry, history, and biology to describe the nuances of the human smile, in the process, he reveals some interesting facts. For instance, many people believe that supreme enlightenment Enlightenment, term applied to the mainstream of thought of 18th-century Europe and America. Background and Basic Tenets The scientific and intellectual developments of the 17th cent. is reflected in the holy smile of the Buddha. Victorians, on the other hand, thought open-mouth smiling was obscene Offensive to recognized standards of decency. The term obscene is applied to written, verbal, or visual works or conduct that treat sex in an objectionable or lewd or lascivious manner. . Trumble also details the behavioral and psychological aspects of smiling by exploring how and when in infancy infancy, stage of human development lasting from birth to approximately two years of age. The hallmarks of infancy are physical growth, motor development, vocal development, and cognitive and social development. smiling becomes an act of communication. The author's background is in art history; therefore, his examples--from the famous smile of Mona Lisa Mona Lisa La Gioconda, da Vinci’s enchanting portrait. [Ital. Art: Wallechinsky, 190] See : Beauty, Lasting Mona Lisa enigmatic smile beguiles and bewilders. [Ital. to the sculptured heads of the Ming dynasty--offer interesting context. Basic, 2004, 226 p., b&w photos, hard-cover, $26,00. |
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