Sudden genius? : the gradual path to creative breakthroughs

Format:

Book

Title:

Sudden genius? : the gradual path to creative breakthroughs

Other title(s):

Gradual path to creative breakthroughs

Author:

Robinson, Andrew, 1957-

ISBN:

9780199569953

Publication Information:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2010.

Physical Description:

xxxv, 371 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portraits ; 24 cm

Contents:

Meetings with remarkable creators -- The science and art of breakthoughs. Ingredients of creativity -- Genius and talent: reality or myth? -- Intelligence is not enough -- Strangers to ourselves -- Blue remembered Wednesdays -- The lunatic, the lover, and the poet -- Ten breakthroughs in art and science. Leonardo da Vinci: The Last Supper -- Christopher Wren: St Paul's Cathedral -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The marriage of Figaro -- Jean-François Champollion: Decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs -- Charles Darwin: Evolution by natural selection -- Marie Curie: Discovery of radium -- Albert Einstein: Special relativity -- Virginia Woolf: Mrs Dalloway -- Henri Cartier-Bresson: The decisive moment -- Satyajit Ray: Pather Panchali -- Patterns of genius. Family matters -- Professor of the little finger -- Creative science versus artistic creation -- Is there a creative personality? -- Reputation, fame, and genius -- The 'ten-year rule' -- Genius and us.

Summary:

Creativity takes many forms, but are there characteristics shared by those perceived as geniuses in their chosen domain of art or science? In this highly readable account, Andrew Robinson considers the nature of genius. We begin by looking at the scientific study of creativity. From talent, intelligence, and versatility to memory, dreams, and mental illness, we find that there can be many ingredients to exceptional creativity. The central part of the book analyses periods of creative achievement and breakthrough in the lives of five scientists and five artists--including Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, Curie's discovery of radium, Einstein's theory of special relativity, Mozart's composing of The Marriage of Figaro, Virginia Woolf's writing of Mrs Dalloway, and Champollion's decipherment of the Egyptian hieroglyphic system. Robinson follows the trail that led these ten remarkable individuals from childhood to their greatest achievements as adults. His personal choices reflect the variety of creativity and genius and of the factors involved in their accomplishments.

The final part asks what these ten highly creative individuals and many others have in common; if there are certain types of education, parental upbringing, and personality associated with genius: whether breakthroughs follow patterns; how creative science compares with artistic creation; and whether breakthroughs always involve imaginative leaps of discovery--so-called eurekas. Although breakthroughs may appear to have little in common, whether in art or science, it turns out that they almost always require at least ten years of immersion in a domain. --Book Jacket.

Personal Subject:

Leonardo, da Vinci, 1452-1519.

Wren, Christopher, Sir, 1632-1723.

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791.

Champollion, Jean-François, 1790-1832.

Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882.

Curie, Marie, 1867-1934.

Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955.

Woolf, Virginia, 1882-1941.

Cartier-Bresson, Henri, 1908-2004.

Ray, Satyajit, 1921-1992.

Cartier-Bresson, Henri, 1908-2004. (OCoLC)fst00019594

Champollion, Jean-François, 1790-1832. (OCoLC)fst00047450

Curie, Marie, 1867-1934. (OCoLC)fst00064685

Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882. (OCoLC)fst00029136

Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955. (OCoLC)fst00032023

Leonardo, da Vinci, 1452-1519. (OCoLC)fst00033122

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791. (OCoLC)fst00050702

Ray, Satyajit, 1921-1992. (OCoLC)fst00048430

Woolf, Virginia, 1882-1941. (OCoLC)fst00033879

Wren, Christopher, Sir, 1632-1723. (OCoLC)fst00058942

Subject(s):

Creative ability.

Inspiration.

Gifted persons.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Monmouth Public Library	153.98 Robinson, A. 2010	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

The highly admired scientist Linus Pauling, a double Nobel laureate in chemistry and peace, was once asked by a student. 'Dr Pauling, how do you have so many good ideas?' Pauling thought for a moment and replied: 'Well, David, I have a lot of ideas and throw away the bad ones.'Where do ideas come from? Why do some people have many more of them than others? How do you distinguish the good ideas from the bad? Most intriguing of all, perhaps, why do the best ideas sometimes strike in a flash of 'sudden genius'? These questions are the subject of this book. Andrew Robinson explores the exceptional creativity in both scientists and artists by following the trail that led ten individuals from childhood to the achievement of a famous creative breakthrough as an adult, in archaeology, architecture, art, biology, chemistry, cinema, music, literature, photography, and physics. Broken into three parts, the book begins with the scientific study of creativity, covering talent, genius, intelligence, memory, dreams, the unconscious, savant syndrome, synaesthesia, and mental illness. The second part tells the stories of five breakthroughs by scientists and five by artists, ranging from Curie's discovery of radium and Einstein's theory of special relativity to Mozart's composing of The Marriage of Figaro and Virginia Woolf's writing of Mrs Dalloway. Robinson concludes by considering what highly creative people who achieve breakthroughs have in common; whether breakthroughs in science and art follow patterns; and whether they always involve imaginative leaps and even 'genius'.

Author Notes

Andrew Robinson is the author of some twenty books covering both the arts and the sciences, which have been acclaimed by both national newspapers and specialist journals. They include five biographies of exceptionally creative individuals in a wide range of fields: the physicist Albert Einstein (A Hundred Years of Relativity, 2005), the film director Satyajit Ray (The Inner Eye. 1989), the writer Rabindranath Tagore (The Myriad-Minded Man, 1995), the archaeological decipherer Michael Ventris (The Man Who Deciphered Linear B, 2002), and the polymath Thomas Young (The Last Man Who Knew Everything, 2006). He is a King's Scholar of Eton College, and holds a degree in chemistry from Oxford University and a second degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. For many years he worked in book publishing, television, and journalism, most recently as Literary Editor of The Times Higher Education Supplement from 1994-2006.

Reviews (2)

Choice Review

This is one of the best of the many works on the creative process that have appeared in recent years. Robinson explores his basic thesis--science can shed light on the act of creation--through both theoretical analysis and well-chosen case studies, drawing the "sources, ingredients, and patterns of genius" from the lives of the creators themselves. He emphasizes breadth as well as depth and the gradual evolution of creative ideas as opposed to the more romantic account of sudden, "out of the blue" insights. The book is organized into three parts. "The Ingredients of Creativity" introduces the scientific study of creativity, covering such topics as talent, genius, intelligence, memory, mental illness, and so on. "Ten Breakthroughs" provides case studies in art and science, from Leonardo da Vinci, Christopher Wren, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, and Satyajit Ray. "Patterns of Genius" addresses three crucial questions: What do highly creative people have in common? Do breakthroughs in science and art follow a pattern? Do such breakthroughs always involve imaginative leaps and even "genius"? This is an extremely worthwhile title. Summing Up; Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. R. M. Davis emeritus, Albion College

Library Journal Review

The concept of genius is both revered and reviled in modern society. However, the genius personalities chosen for this book would probably be widely accepted as prime examples of high accomplishment and creativity. Robinson (Einstein: A Hundred Years of Relativity), a former literary editor for The Times Higher Education Supplement, amassed an impressive array of scientific research and biographical detail for this study. He explores the components of creative genius, including talent, intelligence, memory, and the unconscious, as well as unusual but related manifestations like savant syndrome and synesthesia. The biographical subjects come from diverse fields but mostly represent Western cultural backgrounds. The final section analyzes the patterns and correlates of high creativity. Notable conclusions are drawn concerning the "creative personality," the ten-year rule for creative breakthroughs, family effects, the relationship between madness and creativity, and factors determining who is considered a genius and for how long. The notion of sudden genius is empirically evaluated, and the author suggests that "genius" itself is historically decreasing. VERDICT Recommended for students as well as general readers, this is a well-researched, finely written, and highly stimulating intellectual romp through the world of cognitive exceptionalism.-Antoinette Brinkman, M.L.S, Evansville, IN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Preface: Meetings with Remarkable Creators	p. xi
Acknowledgements	p. xv
Introduction: The Science and Art of Breakthroughs	p. xvii
Part I Ingredients of Creativity
1 Genius and Talent: Reality or Myth?	p. 3
2 Intelligence is Not Enough	p. 16
3 Strangers to Ourselves	p. 28
4 Blue Remembered Wednesdays	p. 40
5 The Lunatic, the Lover, and the Poet	p. 53
Part II Ten Breakthroughs in Art and Science
6 Leonardo da Vinci: The Last Supper	p. 69
7 Christopher Wren: St Paul's Cathedral	p. 86
8 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro	p. 106
9 Jean-Francois Champollion: Decipherment of Egyptian Hieroglyphs	p. 123
10 Charles Darwin: Evolution by Natural Selection	p. 142
11 Marie Curie: Discovery of Radium	p. 159
12 Albert Einstein: Special Relativity	p. 177
13 Virginia Woolf: Mrs Dalloway	p. 202
14 Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Decisive Moment	p. 219
15 Satyajit Ray: Pather Panchali	p. 236
Part III Patterns of Genius
16 Family Matters	p. 255
17 Professor of the Little Finger	p. 267
18 Creative Science versus Artistic Creation	p. 279
19 Is there a Creative Personality?	p. 292
20 Reputation, Fame, and Genius	p. 304
21 The Ten-year Rule	p. 316
Postscript: Genius and Us	p. 328
References	p. 330
Bibliography	p. 349
Index	p. 359

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Choice Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents