Character: The History of a Cultural Obsession

Synopsis

“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 SupplementSince 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.

Copyright:

2020

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

Book Size:

466 Pages

ISBN-13:

9780374709372

Publisher:

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Date of Addition:

01/25/25

Copyrighted By:

Marjorie Garber

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Literature and Fiction, Social Studies, Language Arts, Law, Legal Issues and Ethics, Philosophy

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.