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Marjorie Garber

Marjorie Garber Biography

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“These debates framed and energized educational and philosophical schemes throughout that century and well into the following one. What was at stake was in part the very divergent, often intrinsically antithetical set of meanings that constellated around, and crystallized in, the concept of the word "character." Was it intrinsic or acquired? Could it be taught? Was a "strong character" one that acted or one that withheld? And, above all, could it change? For, if human character could be changed- or could change itself- for the better, was it not the obligation of society and the individual, the schools and the home, to do what they could to "improve" it?”

CharacterPersonalityCharacter BuildingStrong CharacterEducuation
Book:Character: The History of a Cultural Obsession
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“The dogs in our lives, the dogs we come to love and who (we fervently believe) love us in return, offer more than fidelity, consolation, and companionship. They offer comedy, irony, wit, and a wealth of anecdotes, the "shaggy dog stories" and "stupid pet tricks" that are commonplace pleasures of life.”

BelieveStoriesWealthPleasureComedyOur LivesDogStupidReturnOffersWitTricksIronyPetCompanionshipConsolationCommonplaceFidelityAnecdotesBelieve In LovePleasures Of Life
Author:Marjorie Garber
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“They offer, if we are wise enough or simple enough to take it, a model for what it means to give your heart with little thought of return. Both powerfully imaginary and comfortingly real, dogs act as mirrors for our own beliefs about what would constitute a truly humane society. Perhaps it is not too late for them to teach us some new tricks.”

IfsGivingHeartMeanLittlesRealEnoughBeliefSimpleTeachWiseDogReturnOffersLateModelsMirrorsTricksToo LateImaginaryHumaneHumane Society
Author:Marjorie Garber
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“We do literature a real disservice if we reduce it to knowledge or to use, to a problem to be solved. If literature solves problems, it does so by its own inexhaustibility, and by its ultimate refusal to be applied or used, even for moral good. This refusal, indeed, is literature's most moral act. At a time when meanings are manifold, disparate, and always changing, the rich possibility of interpretation--the happy resistance of the text to ever be fully known and mastered--is one of the most exhilarating products of human culture.”

IfsHumansDoeRealUseProblemUsedCultureLiteratureKnownMoralRichPossibilityProductsUltimateSolveResistanceInterpretationRefusalExhilaratingDisserviceManifold
Book:The Use and Abuse of Literature
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“A study conducted by the State University of New York at Buffalo Medical School suggested that in times of stress a dog is likely to be more help in calming you down than a spouse or partner. Most dog owners can guess the reason why: dogs never judge us and never compete with us.”

StatesReasonHelpingSchoolFriendshipStudyDogNew YorkJudgingStressUniversityMedicalPartnersReason WhyOwnersSpouseCalmingBuffaloMedical SchoolDog Owner
Book:DOG LOVE
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