The words of others [[electronic resource] ] : from quotations to culture / / Gary Saul Morson

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910789700403321
• Autore: Morson Gary Saul <1948->
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: New Haven, : Yale University Press, c2011
• ISBN: 1-283-15060-3; 9786613150608; 0-300-17174-9
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (353 p.)
• Disciplina: 080.9
• Soggetti: Quotations - History and criticism; Quotation in literature; Epitaphs - History and criticism
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Verbal gems and treasuries -- The market for quotations -- What is an anthology? -- Quotationality and former quotations -- The nature of quotations -- What is a quotation? -- Making a quotation -- What is a misquotation? -- More than words alone -- Mis-misquotations -- How and where quotations live -- Quotations of occasion -- Famous last words -- Epitaphs -- Literary composition and decomposition -- The anthology as literature -- Whole and part.
• Sommario/riassunto: In this lively gambol through the history of "ations and "ation books, Gary Saul Morson traces our enduring fascination with the words of others. Ranging from the remote past to the present, he explores the formation, development, and significance of "ations, while exploring the "verbal museums" in which they have been collected and displayed--commonplace books, treasuries, and anthologies. In his trademark clear, witty, and provocative style, Morson invites readers to share his delight in the shortest literary genre.The author defines what makes a "e "able, as well as the (unexpected) differences between "ation and mis"ation. He describes how "ations form, transform, and may eventually become idioms. How much of language itself is the residue of former "ations? Weaving in hundreds of intriguing "ations, common ; and unusual, Morson explores how the words of others constitute essential elements in the formation of a culture and of the self within that culture. In so doing, he provides a demonstration of that very process, captured in the pages of this extraordinary new book.