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Seneca's Characters: Fictional Identities and Implied Human Selves

Bexley, E.M.

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Abstract

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.

Citation

Bexley, E. (2022). Seneca's Characters: Fictional Identities and Implied Human Selves. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108770040

Book Type Authored Book
Acceptance Date Jan 19, 2021
Online Publication Date Jun 30, 2022
Publication Date 2022-06
Deposit Date Feb 17, 2021
Publicly Available Date Aug 11, 2022
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Series Title Cambridge Classical Studies
DOI https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108770040

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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Copyright Statement
An online version of this work is published at doi.org/10.1017/9781108770040 under a Creative
Commons Open Access license CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 which permits re-use, distribution and
reproduction in any medium for non-commercial purposes providing appropriate credit to the
original work is given. You may not distribute derivative works without permission. To view
a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0




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