1982Medical Entomology and ZoologyRequires access

From ritual to theatre : the human seriousness of play

Victor W. Turner

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Abstract

How is social action related to aesthetics, and anthropology to theatre? What is the meaning of such concepts as work, play, liminal, and flow? In this highly influential book, Turner elaborates on ritual and theatre, persona and individual, role-playing and performing, taking examples from American, European, and African societies for a greater understanding of culture and its symbols.

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How is social action related to aesthetics, and anthropology to theatre? What is the meaning of such concepts as work, play, liminal, and flow? In this highly influential book, Turner elaborates on ritual and theatre, persona and individual, role-playing and performing, taking examples from American, European, and African societies for a greater understanding of culture and its symbols.

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Available abstract

How is social action related to aesthetics, and anthropology to theatre? What is the meaning of such concepts as work, play, liminal, and flow? In this highly influential book, Turner elaborates on ritual and theatre, persona and individual, role-playing and performing, taking examples from American, European, and African societies for a greater understanding of culture and its symbols.

Key concepts: Seriousness, Liminality, Action (physics), Aesthetics, Meaning (existential), Persona, Sociology, Art

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