In today's increasingly electronic world, we say our personality
traits are "hard-wired" and we "replay" our memories. But we use a
different metaphor when we speak of someone "reading" another's
mind or a desire to "turn over a new leaf" - these phrases refer to
the "book of the self", an idea that dates from the beginnings of
Western culture. Eric Jager traces the history and psychology of
the self-as-text concept from antiquity to the modern day. He
focuses especially on the Middle Ages, when the metaphor of a "book
of the heart" modelled on the manuscript codex attained its most
vivid expressions in literature and art. For instance, mediaeval
saints' legends tell of martyrs whose hearts recorded divine
inscriptions; lyrics and romances feature lovers whose hearts are
inscribed with their passion; paintings depict hearts as books; and
mediaeval scribes even produced manuscript codices shaped like
hearts. In a far-reaching conclusion, Jager considers what the
much-prophesied "death of the book" might portend for 21st-century
conceptions of the post-textual self.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
