Words of Others - From Quotations to Culture

Words of Others: From Quotations to Culture

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English | June 28, 2011 | ISBN: 0300167474 | 340 pages | PDF | 3.12 Mb

In this lively gambol through the history of quotations and quotation 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 quotations 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 quote quotable as well as the (unexpected) differences between quotation and misquotation. He describes how quotations form transform and may eventually become idioms. How much of language itself is the residue of former quotations? Weaving in hundreds of intriguing quotations 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 nstration of that very process captured in the pages of this extraordinary new book.