The Secret Power of Beauty

Book excerpt: 'The love of beauty involves a yearning which is not - and perhaps cannot be - fulfilled. For at the core of beauty is a conception of how we would like life to be and yet we know that life cannot be that way.' The notion of beauty is elusive- we love the things we find beautiful, and yet we are inarticulate when we try to communicate this love or describe its essence. There are people, works of art and places that are universally regarded as beautiful; but we also recognize the personal, individual character of our feel for beauty. In this lucid and lyrical exploration John Armstrong aims to deepen our response to beauty. And, he suggests, our capacity to discover and create beauty in everyday life is intimately connected to the pursuit of happiness.