The Temple of Perfection
A History of the Gym
Seiten
2015
Reaktion Books (Verlag)
978-1-78023-449-6 (ISBN)
Reaktion Books (Verlag)
978-1-78023-449-6 (ISBN)
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The first in-depth, historical study of the gymnasium from antiquity to modern times, which charts the gym's rich history, exploring its origins in Ancient Greece and its evolution through history to the slick, modern-day temples to the body that we know today.
The gym is often seen as an emblem of modernity, but its origins date back 2,800 years to the very beginnings of Western civilization. The Temple of Perfection charts the gym’s long history, exploring its enduring appeal and growing popularity in a world increasingly obsessed with physical perfection, and attracted by the quick fixes of plastic surgery and miracle diet pills.
How we look after our bodies is based on the complex interplay of spiritual beliefs, moral discipline and aesthetic ideals that are entangled with the dynamics of political, social and sexual power. Today, training in a gym is primarily associated with individual fulfilment, but the gym has always had another role in creating men and women who are ‘fit for purpose’ – but exactly for what and whose purpose? In its many incarnations, the gym has been the stage on which the interests of the individual, the state, the media and the corporate world have intersected, sometimes with unintended consequences. Although the gym may look like a place where the self-obsessed pursue the superficial ideal of physical perfection, Eric Chaline argues that it has always been one of the principal battlefields of humanity’s social, political, sexual and cultural wars.
The history of the gym is also a history of the human body: its real and idealized forms, artistic representation and public and private presentation. Although this book may not make you want to go to the gym, it will transform the way you think about it, your body and your attitude to fitness.
The Temple of Perfection has been reviewed by Mark Mason on Monocle 24 Radio’s Arts Review. To listen to the review please click here.
Eric Chaline has been interviewed by Amanda Smith on ABC Radio’s ‘Bodysphere’ programme. To listen to the interview please wait for the mp3 file to load, or to go to the website click here.
The gym is often seen as an emblem of modernity, but its origins date back 2,800 years to the very beginnings of Western civilization. The Temple of Perfection charts the gym’s long history, exploring its enduring appeal and growing popularity in a world increasingly obsessed with physical perfection, and attracted by the quick fixes of plastic surgery and miracle diet pills.
How we look after our bodies is based on the complex interplay of spiritual beliefs, moral discipline and aesthetic ideals that are entangled with the dynamics of political, social and sexual power. Today, training in a gym is primarily associated with individual fulfilment, but the gym has always had another role in creating men and women who are ‘fit for purpose’ – but exactly for what and whose purpose? In its many incarnations, the gym has been the stage on which the interests of the individual, the state, the media and the corporate world have intersected, sometimes with unintended consequences. Although the gym may look like a place where the self-obsessed pursue the superficial ideal of physical perfection, Eric Chaline argues that it has always been one of the principal battlefields of humanity’s social, political, sexual and cultural wars.
The history of the gym is also a history of the human body: its real and idealized forms, artistic representation and public and private presentation. Although this book may not make you want to go to the gym, it will transform the way you think about it, your body and your attitude to fitness.
The Temple of Perfection has been reviewed by Mark Mason on Monocle 24 Radio’s Arts Review. To listen to the review please click here.
Eric Chaline has been interviewed by Amanda Smith on ABC Radio’s ‘Bodysphere’ programme. To listen to the interview please wait for the mp3 file to load, or to go to the website click here.
Eric Chaline has combined journalism, academic work and writing with sport and exercise, both as a practitioner and coach. He is the author of Simple Path to Yoga (2001) and Fifty Minerals that Changed the Course of History (2012). His first book for Reaktion was The Temple of Perfection: A History of the Gym (2015). He lives in London.
Introduction, Illustrations, Chapter 1: The Pursuit of Arete, Chapter 2: The Rebirth of Vitruvian Man, Chapter 3: The Health of Nations, Chapter 4: The World's Strongest Man, Chapter 5: Pumping Iron, Chapter 6: Let's Get Physical, Chapter 7: Macho Man, Chapter 8: Consuming Fitness, Selected Bibliography, Index
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 1.3.2015 |
|---|---|
| Zusatzinfo | 29 illustrations |
| Verlagsort | London |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 216 x 138 mm |
| Themenwelt | Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Sport |
| Weitere Fachgebiete ► Sportwissenschaft | |
| ISBN-10 | 1-78023-449-X / 178023449X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-78023-449-6 / 9781780234496 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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