The Senses on Edge?: Overstrained and Fading Sensory Perception in Graeco-Roman Literature

Ancient literature abounds with portrayals of and reflections on sensory experience, yet there has been no systematic study of its more extreme and marginal phenomena, be it a loss of the senses or their overstimulation. This volume on Graeco-Roman perceptions of sensory experience therefore investigates the aspect of the extreme from multiple angles, encompassing philosophical, social, and literary perspectives. The contributions analyse texts spanning from the Greek Classical period to Roman Late Antiquity and from epigram to epic. They investigate both textual strategies of evoking sensory experiences that were considered extreme by certain agents or groups and the discourses that evolved around them in their socio-cultural context. The volume thereby adds to the flourishing field of sensory studies within Classics by mapping out the sensory extreme and exploring its interrelation with affect and emotion.