Wordz » Florence syndrome http://www.wordz.in/blog A word a day keeps ignorance at bay!® Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:40:36 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 Stendhal syndrome http://www.wordz.in/blog/2009/08/stendhal-syndrome/ http://www.wordz.in/blog/2009/08/stendhal-syndrome/#comments Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:16:23 +0000 admin http://www.wordz.in/blog/?p=149 Stendhal syndrome or Florence syndrome, is a psychosomatic illness that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to a particularly beautiful piece of art or a large amount of art in a single place. Can also be used to describe a similar reaction to a surfeit of choice in other circumstances, e.g. when confronted with immense beauty in the natural world

It is named after the famous 19th century French author Stendhal (pseudonym of Henri-Marie Beyle), who described his experience with the phenomenon during his 1817 visit to Florence, Italy in his book “Naples and Florence: A Journey from Milan to Reggio”.

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