Culture of Accidents: Unexpected Knowledges in Early Modern EnglandStanford University Press, 2002 M09 1 - 240 pages Collapsing buildings, unexpected meetings in the marketplace, monstrous births, encounters with pirates at sea—these and other unforeseen “accidents” at the turn of the seventeenth century in England acquired unprecedented significance in the early modern philosophical and cultural imagination. Drawing on intellectual history, cultural criticism, and rhetorical theory, this book chronicles the narrative transformation of “accident” from a philosophical dead end to an astonishing occasion for revelation and wonder in early modern religious life, dramatic practice, and experimental philosophy. Embracing the notion that accident was a concept with both learned and popular appeal, the book traces its evolution through Aristotelian, Scholastic, and Calvinist thought into a range of early modern texts. It suggests that for many English writers, accidental events raised fundamental questions about the nature of order in the world and the way that order should be apprehended. Alongside texts by such canonical figures as Shakespeare and Bacon, this study draws on several lesser-known authors of sensational news accounts about accidents that occurred around the turn of the seventeenth century. The result is a cultural anatomy of accidents as philosophical problem, theatrical conceit, spiritual landmark, and even a prototype for Baconian “experiment,” one that provides a fresh interpretation of the early modern engagement with contingency in intellectual and cultural terms. |
From inside the book
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... narrative trans- formation of " accident " from a philosophical dead end to an astonishing occasion for revela- tion and wonder in early modern religious life , dramatic practice , and experimental philosophy . Embracing the notion that ...
... to thank my parents , who have always matched their support for my work with a ready interest in what it is about . This book is dedicated to them . M.W. Contents Note on Modernization Introduction : A Narrative Wonder ix vi ...
... Narrative Wonder ix 1 1 Early Modern Accidents and an Aristotelian Tradition 17 2 Exemplary Accidents from Cicero to Jean Calvin 42 3 The Avoidance of Ends in The Comedy of Errors 62 4 Hamlet Interrupted 82 5 Accident and the Invention ...
Unexpected Knowledges in Early Modern England Michael Witmore. Let us dismiss the accidental ; for we have sufficiently determined its nature . -Aristotle , Metaphysics 1027b Introduction : A Narrative Wonder Over the last two decades.
... events that defy the human capacity for prudence , calculation and knowledge . This affective state or " passion " had already been linked to accidental events in the tradition of Aristotelian poetics , a Introduction: A Narrative Wonder.
Contents
Early Modern Accidents and an Aristotelian Tradition | 17 |
Exemplary Accidents from Cicero to Jean Calvin | 42 |
The Avoidance of Ends in The Comedy of Errors | 62 |
Hamlet Interrupted | 82 |
Accident and the Invention of Knowledge in Francis | 111 |
The Blackfriars Accident | 130 |
Notes | 159 |
Bibliography | 205 |
Index | 219 |
Other editions - View all
Culture of Accidents: Unexpected Knowledges in Early Modern England Michael Witmore Limited preview - 2002 |
Culture of Accidents: Unexpected Knowledges in Early Modern England Michael Witmore No preview available - 2002 |