Seneca's characters : fictional identities and implied human selves / Erica M. Bexley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bexley, Erica M., 1982- author.

Series:

Cambridge classical studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Seneca, Lucius Annaeus, approximately 4 B.C.-65 A.D. Tragedies.

Seneca, Lucius Annaeus.

Seneca, Lucius Annaeus, approximately 4 B.C.-65 A.D--Characters.

Characters and characteristics in literature.

Human behavior in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 388 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2022.

Summary:

Seneca's Characters addresses one of the most enduring and least theorised elements of literature: fictional character and its relationship to actual, human selfhood. Where does the boundary between character and person lie? While the characters we encounter in texts are obviously not 'real' people, they still possess person-like qualities that stimulate our attention and engagement. How is this relationship formulated in contexts of theatrical performance, where characters are set in motion by actual people, actual bodies and voices? This book addresses such questions by focusing on issues of coherence, imitation, appearance and autonomous action. It argues for the plays' sophisticated treatment of character, their acknowledgement of its purely fictional ontology alongside deep - and often dark - appreciation of its quasi-human qualities. Seneca's Characters offers a fresh perspective on the playwright's powerful tragic aesthetics that will stimulate scholars and students alike.

Contents:

Introduction

Coherence

Exemplarity

Appearance

Autonomy

Conclusion.

Notes:

Open Access.

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 23 Jun 2022).

Other Format:

Print version:

ISBN:

9781108770040 (ebook)

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.