- 466 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
"In her wide-ranging cultural history of the term ['character'], Garber has unearthed fascinating material and is a convivial, stimulating critic." —Michael Saler,
The Times Literary Supplement
Since at least Aristotle's time, philosophers, theologians, artists, and scientists have pondered the enigma of human character. Whether defined as a moral idea, a literary persona, or a scientifically observable type, character has become omnipresent in discussions of politics, ethics, gender, morality, and the psyche. In this "magisterial book," Marjorie Garber examines the evolution and influence of this pervasive concept.
Is there a connection between "character" in the moral sense and the "character" of a novel or a play? Can character be "formed" or taught in schools, in scouting, in the home? From Plutarch to John Stuart Mill, from Shakespeare to Darwin, from Theophrastus to Freud, from nineteenth-century phrenology to twenty-first-century brain scans, the search for the sources and components of human character still preoccupies us.
With her distinctive verve, humor, and erudition, Marjorie Garber explores the stakes of these conflations, confusions, and heritages, from ancient Greece to the present day.
Since at least Aristotle's time, philosophers, theologians, artists, and scientists have pondered the enigma of human character. Whether defined as a moral idea, a literary persona, or a scientifically observable type, character has become omnipresent in discussions of politics, ethics, gender, morality, and the psyche. In this "magisterial book," Marjorie Garber examines the evolution and influence of this pervasive concept.
Is there a connection between "character" in the moral sense and the "character" of a novel or a play? Can character be "formed" or taught in schools, in scouting, in the home? From Plutarch to John Stuart Mill, from Shakespeare to Darwin, from Theophrastus to Freud, from nineteenth-century phrenology to twenty-first-century brain scans, the search for the sources and components of human character still preoccupies us.
With her distinctive verve, humor, and erudition, Marjorie Garber explores the stakes of these conflations, confusions, and heritages, from ancient Greece to the present day.
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Yes, you can access Character by Marjorie Garber in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & Social History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Notice
- Dedication
- Introduction: Character Witnesses
- 1. Testing It: Politics, Sports, Celebrity
- 2. Teaching It: Tales Out of School
- 3. Claiming It: The Idea of National Character
- 4. Reading It: The Rise, Fall, and (Un)Surprising Return of Phrenology
- 5. Naming It: Psychoanalysis, Psychology, and the Emergence of “Personality”
- 6. Seeing It: Art, Physiognomy, Photography, Gesture, Science
- 7. Character Types: Greeks, Geeks, Nerds—and Little Miss Hug
- 8. The Difference Gender Makes: Mettle, Spunk, and the Right Stuff
- Afterword: The Character Effect
- Photographs
- Notes
- Acknowledgments
- Index
- Also by Marjorie Garber
- Praise for Character
- A Note About the Author
- Newsletter Sign-up
- Contents
- Copyright