Intimate Subjects

More about the book

Focusing on the sense of touch, the book explores how late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Britain redefined physicality and personal space. Historian Simeon Koole examines various environments—train cars, tea shops, and foggy streets—to illustrate the transformation of tactile experiences. He delves into the interplay between embodiment and modernity, highlighting the influence of emerging fields like neurology and psychology on perceptions of sensation and selfhood. The narrative reveals how disruptions in personal space have historically shaped societal interactions.