Word: understanding
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Dates: during 1900-1909
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...useless to analyze fashions in literature as it is to dissect a man's personality. Personality defles analysis, and books follow the personalities of their authors. To understand the characteristics of a piece of writing, one must be acquainted with the prevalent styles of the time and with the politics and current history of the period under discussion...
Each religion has its keynote; that of Confucianism was order, of Zoroastrianism conflict, of Hinduism reality, and of Hebraism, holiness. Every religion is the idealism of the thought of the nation that brought it forth. Therefore to understand the religion of a nation one must study that nation's characteristics. The Hebrews were originally a nomadic tribe and as such possessed a nomadic cult, which had much in common with the later monotheistic idea. Like all nations, the Hebrews had two sides to their national character. The world y ambition and soldiery qualities of the Maccabees and the like...
...movements of the body. Certain poses and certain expressions are universally understood to interpret certain definite emotions, and, while the theory of the interpretation of character by pose is a subject, rather of philosophy than of art, it is nevertheless necessary that the artist and one who is to understand the work of the artist, must study the practical and actual relation of gestures and pose to the character expressed...
Thackeray's literary fortune has been, in one respect, unique. He founded no school of writers nor attended at any time supreme popularity, but his works have constantly increased in favor both among authors and among the reading public. To understand rightly the genius of Thackeray's writings, one must look at the world as the author himself looked at it, must understand his thoughts and know his life...
...stoicism since the days of Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. The letters contained in the volume throw much light on Shaftesbury's character and are all in Shaftesburys' best style. It is this portion of the book that is most helpful to the ordinary reader, for it enables him to understand better a great philanthropist, a sound thinker, and a deep student of human and ethical problems...