The Muses on Their Lunch Hour

Fiction & Literature, Essays & Letters, Essays, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book The Muses on Their Lunch Hour by Marjorie Garber, Fordham University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Marjorie Garber ISBN: 9780823273744
Publisher: Fordham University Press Publication: December 1, 2016
Imprint: Fordham University Press Language: English
Author: Marjorie Garber
ISBN: 9780823273744
Publisher: Fordham University Press
Publication: December 1, 2016
Imprint: Fordham University Press
Language: English

“Witty, shrewd, and imaginative essays on interdisciplinary topics . . . from Shakespeare to psychoanalysis, and the practice of higher education today.” —Publishers Weekly

As a break from their ordained labors, what might the Muses do on their lunch hour today? This collection of essays uses these figures of ancient legend to explore such modern-day topics as the curious return of myth and ritual in the theories of evolutionary psychologists and much more.

Two themes emerge consistently. The first is that to predict the “next big thing” in literary studies, we should look back at ideas and practices set aside by a previous generation of critics. In the past several decades we have seen the reemergence of—for example—textual editing, biography, character criticism, aesthetics, and philology as “hot” new areas for critical intervention. The second theme expands on this observation, making the case for “cultural forgetting” as the way the arts and humanities renew themselves, both within fields and across them. Although she is never represented in traditional paintings or poetry, a missing Muse—we can call her Amnesia—turns out to be a key figure for the creation of theory and criticism in the arts.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

“Witty, shrewd, and imaginative essays on interdisciplinary topics . . . from Shakespeare to psychoanalysis, and the practice of higher education today.” —Publishers Weekly

As a break from their ordained labors, what might the Muses do on their lunch hour today? This collection of essays uses these figures of ancient legend to explore such modern-day topics as the curious return of myth and ritual in the theories of evolutionary psychologists and much more.

Two themes emerge consistently. The first is that to predict the “next big thing” in literary studies, we should look back at ideas and practices set aside by a previous generation of critics. In the past several decades we have seen the reemergence of—for example—textual editing, biography, character criticism, aesthetics, and philology as “hot” new areas for critical intervention. The second theme expands on this observation, making the case for “cultural forgetting” as the way the arts and humanities renew themselves, both within fields and across them. Although she is never represented in traditional paintings or poetry, a missing Muse—we can call her Amnesia—turns out to be a key figure for the creation of theory and criticism in the arts.

More books from Fordham University Press

Cover of the book The Varieties of Transcendence by Marjorie Garber
Cover of the book Responding to Loss by Marjorie Garber
Cover of the book How to Do Comparative Theology by Marjorie Garber
Cover of the book Gettysburg Religion by Marjorie Garber
Cover of the book Spirit and the Obligation of Social Flesh by Marjorie Garber
Cover of the book Thou Shalt Not Kill by Marjorie Garber
Cover of the book Expectation by Marjorie Garber
Cover of the book Motherhood as Metaphor by Marjorie Garber
Cover of the book Mornings at the Stanton Street Shul by Marjorie Garber
Cover of the book Becoming Christian by Marjorie Garber
Cover of the book Practicing the City by Marjorie Garber
Cover of the book The Cruelest of All Mothers by Marjorie Garber
Cover of the book Orientalism and the Figure of the Jew by Marjorie Garber
Cover of the book Bob Drinan by Marjorie Garber
Cover of the book The Pleasures of Memory by Marjorie Garber
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy