We have a fascination with and inability to understand the unique
phenomenon of tears. Our interest is not new; in the earliest
written account of crying, from 14th-century BC Canaan, a goddess
weeps herself into a state of intoxication at the death of her
brother. Lutz traces crying throughout history, in recorded events,
literature and the media. The body produces three types of tears,
with different compositions, but only one of them is shed to
communicate emotion. As well as a detailed account of the
anatomical features related to crying, Lutz reviews scholarly
theories as to its origins and purpose, though the development of
psychology and physiology to current investigations into how the
brain works. In a chapter concerning the rituals of mourning, Lutz
compares some of the extreme, though often formalized, gestures
expressing grief in different societies with modern, Western
restraint which can lead to denial and guilt. He also looks at
weeping in fiction, referring to writers such as Lawrence and
Hemingway and films such as Dangerous Liaisons. Crying is an
unusual subject for popular non-fiction but this book, which
contains several black and white illustrations within the text, is
comprehensive and enthralling. We respect tears as an expression of
sincerity but often find it intensely embarrassing to see someone
cry. We admire people who exercise emotional restraint but because
we like to cry we flock to films like Titanic. Weeping is
involuntary but actors can learn to shed genuine tears. Lutz does
not tell us why we cry but he offers fascinating insights into this
aspect of human behaviour. (Kirkus UK)
In this wide-ranging and provocative study, Tom Lutz looks at the
ways people have understood weeping from the earliest known
representations of tears in the fourteenth century B.C. to the
tears found in today s films. Drawing on works of literature,
philosophy, art, and science from the writings of Plato and Darwin
to the paintings of Picasso to modern medical journals, he unearths
the multiple meanings and uses of tears."
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