{"product_id":"the-power-of-distraction-diversion-and-reverie-from-montaigne-to-proust-9781350342989","title":"The Power of Distraction: Diversion and Reverie from Montaigne to Proust","description":"From Pascal to contemporary anxieties about attention, we have constantly been urged to avoid distraction if we want to live and work better. But Alessandra Aloisi argues that we are missing the point.Drawing on a broad range ofEuropean philosophy and literature, this book considers distraction not as an expression of human imperfection, but as a creative, subversive, and aesthetic capability. \u003cbr\u003eIn contrast to the traditional accounts, from Saint Augustine to Robert Burton\u003ci\u003e, \u003c\/i\u003ewhich either associated distraction with sin or considered it as a symptom of melancholy, Aloisi argues that it is often precisely when we stop thinking about something that inspiration finds us. Why else are artists described as having their heads in the clouds? This book demonstrates the serendipity of distraction through close readings of cultural and visual sources ranging from the mathematician Poincar? to the Netflix show, \u003ci\u003eBlack Mirror.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith inspiration from La Bruy?re, Rousseau, Leopardi, Stendhal, Baudelaire, and others, Aloisi further examines the political value of distraction. After all, in an age of ubiquitous technology and 24\/7 availability fighting for our attention, distraction provides what Bergson called a 'slight revolt' from the codes and behaviors that society dictates.\u003cbr\u003eCombining philosophy, literature, art, and politics, \u003ci\u003eThe Power of Distraction\u003c\/i\u003eencourages us to think differently about our attention and considers just how productive daydreams can be.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Alessandra Aloisi\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bloomsbury Academic\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/24\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 208\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.53lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.43d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781350342989","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43881534980233,"sku":"9781350342989","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_f376c49f-3f3e-4f84-ba93-117612fd71a8.jpg?v=1744697252","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/the-power-of-distraction-diversion-and-reverie-from-montaigne-to-proust-9781350342989","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}