Book review: "On Ugliness" by Umberto Eco - Patrick T. Reardon
The book organizes its "lexicon of the repellent" into several recurring categories: On Ugliness
: What one era found monstrous, another might find fascinating or even "camp." For instance, ancient Greek tragedy used ugliness (like Oedipus's blinded face) to achieve catharsis , heightening the emotional impact of drama. Book review: "On Ugliness" by Umberto Eco - Patrick T
: Eco suggests that while we can observe beauty dispassionately, ugliness forces an immediate, visceral emotional response—typically disgust, fear, or repulsion . ugliness forces an immediate
A write-up for (originally Storia della bruttezza ), the seminal 2007 work edited by philosopher and novelist Umberto Eco , explores the historical, cultural, and aesthetic evolution of what humans find repellent . Core Thesis and Structure