Our Centuries-Long Quest for ‘A Quiet Place’

“Wivenhoe Park,” 1816, by John Constable. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Despite, or because of, our increasingly noisy world, we always long for the ideal: serenity. Public Domain

The new film “A Quiet Place” is an edge-of-your-seat tale about a family struggling to avoid being heard by monsters with hypersensitive ears. Conditioned by fear, they know the slightest noise will provoke a violent response, and almost certain death.

John Krasinski in “A Quiet Place.” Jonny Cournoyer/Paramount Pictures