Mystery of the Senses
Encyclopedia
Mystery of the Senses is a five-part Nova
miniseries
, based on the book A Natural History of the Senses
by Diane Ackerman
, who also presents the documentary. Each episode covers one of the traditional five senses: hearing
, sight
, smell
, taste
, and touch
. The series premiered on PBS
on February 19, 1995.
said that "Ackerman has fashioned an absorbing tapestry of media essays on human sensuality". Walter Goodman of The New York Times
stated that "much of the information ... is fresh", but "the programs meander down dull paths; the scientific material tends to be delivered in clumps that are hard to absorb".
Ken Ringle of The Washington Post
was not impressed, and described the series as "distracted, disorganized, frequently trivial and irritatingly self-indulgent". He went on to say that "instead of exploring our senses' role in the natural world", the programs "tends to celebrate instead the way corporations seduce them artificially for profit". Despite the mostly unfavorable review, Ringle did concede that "some moments in the series are pure gold".
NOVA (TV series)
Nova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...
miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
, based on the book A Natural History of the Senses
A Natural History of the Senses
A Natural History of the Senses is a non-fiction book by Diane Ackerman. In this book, Ackerman examines both the science of how the different senses work, and the varied means by which different cultures have sought to stimulate the senses...
by Diane Ackerman
Diane Ackerman
Diane Ackerman is an American author, poet, and naturalist known best for her work A Natural History of the Senses. Her writing style, referring to her best-selling natural history books, can best be described as a blend of poetry, colloquial history, and easy-reading science...
, who also presents the documentary. Each episode covers one of the traditional five senses: hearing
Hearing (sense)
Hearing is the ability to perceive sound by detecting vibrations through an organ such as the ear. It is one of the traditional five senses...
, sight
Visual perception
Visual perception is the ability to interpret information and surroundings from the effects of visible light reaching the eye. The resulting perception is also known as eyesight, sight, or vision...
, smell
Olfaction
Olfaction is the sense of smell. This sense is mediated by specialized sensory cells of the nasal cavity of vertebrates, and, by analogy, sensory cells of the antennae of invertebrates...
, taste
Taste
Taste is one of the traditional five senses. It refers to the ability to detect the flavor of substances such as food, certain minerals, and poisons, etc....
, and touch
Somatosensory system
The somatosensory system is a diverse sensory system composed of the receptors and processing centres to produce the sensory modalities such as touch, temperature, proprioception , and nociception . The sensory receptors cover the skin and epithelia, skeletal muscles, bones and joints, internal...
. The series premiered on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
on February 19, 1995.
Reception
Alan Rich of VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
said that "Ackerman has fashioned an absorbing tapestry of media essays on human sensuality". Walter Goodman of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
stated that "much of the information ... is fresh", but "the programs meander down dull paths; the scientific material tends to be delivered in clumps that are hard to absorb".
Ken Ringle of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
was not impressed, and described the series as "distracted, disorganized, frequently trivial and irritatingly self-indulgent". He went on to say that "instead of exploring our senses' role in the natural world", the programs "tends to celebrate instead the way corporations seduce them artificially for profit". Despite the mostly unfavorable review, Ringle did concede that "some moments in the series are pure gold".