Arc of Feeling: The History of the Swing

From beloved elements of children’s playgrounds to leather tools of bondage, a sweeping study of the cultural significance of swings.

In Arc of Feeling Javier Moscoso investigates the pleasure of oscillation and explores the surprising history of the swing through its meanings and metaphors, noting echoes and coincidences in remote times and places: from the witch’s broom to aerial yoga and from the gallows to sexual mores. Taking in cultural history, science, art, anthropology, and philos...