{"product_id":"the-narcissus-machine-andrew-shawcross-9798259239203","title":"The Narcissus Machine: Imitation and Modern Life","description":"\u003ci\u003eFor anyone who has ever wondered whether what they want is really theirs.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhy do we want the things we want? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe honest answer is more unsettling than most of us care to admit. We do not desire independently. We learn what to want by watching others want it - and in an age of infinite scroll, algorithmic feeds, and curated lives, we have never been more thoroughly surrounded by models of desire. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Narcissus Machine\u003c\/i\u003e traces this condition from its roots in ancient Greece through the printing press, the novel, mass advertising, and the social media feed. It arrives at a diagnosis many of us recognise: the restlessness, the sense that life is somehow happening just out of reach, is not a personal failing. It is the predictable output of a system engineered to keep us wanting. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut understanding the trap is the first step to escaping it. Drawing on ancient philosophy, literature, and cultural history, this book offers a practical guide for what comes next: how to recognise desire that is genuinely yours, and how to want something of your own.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Andrew Shawcross\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798259239203\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/18\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 178\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.54lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.38d","brand":"Andrew Shawcross","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48997698339071,"sku":"9798259239203","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-narcissus-machine-andrew-shawcross-9798259239203","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}