Blue Cats and Chartreuse Kittens: How Synesthetes Color Their Worlds
by Patricia Lynne Duffy
On This Page
Description
"Imagine a world in which words have colors and sounds have taste. Vladimir Nabokov described this neurological phenomenon in his autobiography. It helped inspire David Hockney's sets for the Metropolitan Opera. Arthur Rimbaud wrote a sonnet about it. Richard Feynman experienced it while formulating the quantum theory that won him a Nobel Prize." "Sometimes described as a blending of perceptions, synesthesia occurs when one of the five senses is aroused, yet two respond. Blue Cats and show more Chartreuse Kittens is a fascinating exploration of this collision of sights, smells, sounds, and tastes and how it makes for an odd, yet extremely colorful, way of thinking." "Journalist Patricia Duff draws from her own struggles and breakthroughs with synesthesia to help the reader better understand the condition. Along the way she introduces us to, among other topics, brilliant synesthetes from the past, the different varieties of synesthesia, the ongoing research devoted to it, and its frequent connections to the creative process. In addition, the book describes some of the major theories regarding synesthesia. This is a must-read for artists, writers, and creative thinkers, as well as science and health buffs, or anyone generally intrigued by the brain, the senses, and perception."--Jacket. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
This book caught my eye because it reminded me of my roommate in college. When we were having dinner together and talking over our plans to room together the next semester, somehow we got on the subject of the color of the alphabet. While I didn't associate colors with letters at all, my friend went through the entire alphabet and told me the color of every letter. Years later, I ran across the word "synesthete" and thought "that's Betty!".
It's been on my to-read list for a while, and I'm glad it finally floated to the top. The fact that the author is a synesthete herself gave the book a personal feel and made it more interesting. Her interviews with other synesthetes and comparisons of the different ways they see the world were show more fascinating. Assigning colors to letters and numbers is just one form of synesthesia--photographer Marcia Smilack hears sounds when she's taking photographs and uses them to know when to click the shutter. Some synesthetes associate certain tastes with shapes.
While overall the book was extremely interesting, and I will be able to continue my reading easily since she listed so many sources, sometimes the detail was more extensive than I thought was necessary. Sometimes she went on a little too long about the same thing, like comparing several different synesthetes' perception of the color of a particular letter of the alphabet, or expounding on the shapes and colors of every month of the year as she perceives it. I started getting antsy in those parts.
This is a nice starting point for people who are interested in synesthesia, and the last chapter and bibliography provide a wealth of information for those interested in further reading. show less
It's been on my to-read list for a while, and I'm glad it finally floated to the top. The fact that the author is a synesthete herself gave the book a personal feel and made it more interesting. Her interviews with other synesthetes and comparisons of the different ways they see the world were show more fascinating. Assigning colors to letters and numbers is just one form of synesthesia--photographer Marcia Smilack hears sounds when she's taking photographs and uses them to know when to click the shutter. Some synesthetes associate certain tastes with shapes.
While overall the book was extremely interesting, and I will be able to continue my reading easily since she listed so many sources, sometimes the detail was more extensive than I thought was necessary. Sometimes she went on a little too long about the same thing, like comparing several different synesthetes' perception of the color of a particular letter of the alphabet, or expounding on the shapes and colors of every month of the year as she perceives it. I started getting antsy in those parts.
This is a nice starting point for people who are interested in synesthesia, and the last chapter and bibliography provide a wealth of information for those interested in further reading. show less
This is an interesting and simple to understand book on the phenomenon of synesthesia. I find it fascinating to imagine seeing numbers as colors or music, as colors..
This book also explains that some synesthetes "see" time in a different way. Worth reading !
This book also explains that some synesthetes "see" time in a different way. Worth reading !
Interesting information regarding synesthesia, but beyond that brings up the concept of perception, and how we all tend to believe that others see the world in the way we do.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
1 Work 86 Members
Patricia Lynne Duffy is a co-founder of and a consultant to the American Synesthesia Association. She lives in New York City.
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2001
- Epigraph
- The brain is wider than the sky, For put them side by side, The one the other will contain with ease--And you beside. --Emily Dickenson
- Dedication
- to the memory of my father, Jack Duffy
- First words
- I was sixteen when I found out.
- Quotations
- Until one day, I said to my father, I realized to make an R all I had to do was first write a P and then draw a line down from its loop. And I was so surprised that I could turn a yellow letter into an orange letter by just a... (show all)dding a line.
What else did I see differently than the rest of the world? What did the rest of the world see that I didn't? - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I can still hear my father say, "Patty, isn't it amazing?"
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 86
- Popularity
- 372,467
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.88)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 1
