The Art of Being Human, Eighth Edition,introduces students to the ways in which the humanities can broaden their perspectives, enhance their ability to think critically, and enrich their lives. Ideal for the one-semester humanities course, this well-respected book has been lauded for its scope, accessibility, and writing style. Featuring a unique topical organization, Part I examines ways of responding to the humanities, their mythic origins, and important struggles in the arts. Part II explores the individual genres of literature, art, music, theater, song and dance, and cinema. Part III looks at provocative themes in the humanities: religion, morality, happiness, love, life and death, and freedom.

Table of Contents

I. EXPLORING THE HUMANITIES. 1. You and the Humanities. Overview. Gifts of the Humanities. Love of the Beautiful. Love of Movement. Love of Language. Love of Ideas. Awareness of the Past. Apollonian and Dionysian Responses to the Humanities. The Pleasure of Responding Emotionally. The Pleasure of Responding Critically. A Guide to Critical Viewing: Professional and Personal. How the Professional Critic Responds. The Personal Critical Response. Becoming an "Infinite" Person. Epilogue. Key Terms. Topics for Writing and Discussion. 2. Myth and the Origin of the Humanities. Overview. Archetypes in Mythology. The Hero as World Myth. Magic. The Power of Words. The Power of Numbers. The Circle. The Journey. The Garden. The Doomed Family. Gods as Human Beings. Myth as Explanation. Creation. The Laws of Nature. Human Suffering. Myths of Childhood. The Need for Reassurance. The Importance of Beauty and Wealth. The Importance of Names. The Dark Side. Popular Mythology. Common Sayings. How Myth Influences the Humanities. Epilogue. Key Terms. Topics for Writing and Discussion. 3. Struggles of the Humanities. Overview. How Some Artists Fared in Their Lifetimes. Belated Recognition. Recognition in Life. Reasons for Conflict. Controversial Religious Views. Controversial Political Views. Controversial Sexual Views. The Artist's Behavior. Unfamiliar Form. Repressive Measures Taken Against Artists. Suppression of "Degenerate" Art. "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been a Member..?" Moral Censorship. Stereotyping as a Form of Repression. The Stages of Stereotyping. The Persistence of Stereotypes. Women and the Humanities. Early Exceptions to the Rule. The Quest for Equality. Epilogue. Key Terms. Topics for Writing and Discussion. II. DISCIPLINES OF THE HUMANITIES. 4. Literature. Overview. Literature as History. The Basic Literary Impulse: Identity. The First Epic: Gilgamesh. Another Early Epic: Homer's Iliad. Poetry. Lyrical Poetry. The Sonnet. Chronology. Haiku. Simple Forms, Profound Meaning: William Blake. Religious Poetry. Modern Poetry. Archetypes in this Chapter. Poetry of the Harlem Renaissance. Poetry in Our Time. The Novel. Early Western Novels. An American Classic: Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The Short Story. Magazine Fiction. A Short Story Masterpiece: Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery". Epilogue. Key Terms. Topics for Writing and Discussion. 5. Art. Overview. The Need to Imitate. Let Me See! Styles and Media. Creating Likeness in Different Styles. Classical Art. Medieval Art. Giotto. Renaissance Art. Leonardo. Michelangelo. Raphael. Two Women of the Post Renaissance. Rembrandt: The Perfection of Likeness. A Rebellion against Perfect Likeness. Goya. Impressionism. American Impressionism. Post-Impressionism. Art as Alternation. Chronology. The Sixty-Ninth Regiment Armory Show, 1913. Archetypes in this Chapter. Cubism: Picasso and Braque. Unreal Realism. Superrealism. Camera and Computer Art. Pop Art. Performance Art. Architecture as Art. Religious Architecture. Secular Architecture. Epilogue. Key Terms. Art Movements and Styles. Topics for Writing and Discussion. 6. Music. Overview. The Basic Elements of Music. Tone. Scale. Rhythm. Melody. Harmony and Orchestra. Silence. The Varieties of Musical Experience. A Bach Fugue. A Beethoven Symphony. Art Songs. Chronology. Folk Songs. The Spiritual. Ragtime. Jazz. Blues. Archetypes in this Chapter. Popular Songs. Rock. Hip-Hop. World Music. Avant-Garde Music. Epilogue. Key Terms. Topics for Writing and Discussion. 7. Theater. Overview. Conventions of Theater. Classical Conventions. Elizabethan Conventions. Neoclassical Conventions. Victorian Conventions. Modern Conventions. Tragedy. Greek Tragedy. Shakespearean Tragedy. Neoclassical Tragedy. Modern Tragedy. Melodrama and Tragedy: A Contrast. Comedy. Farce. Satire. The Comedy of Character. Theater of Ideas. Ibsen. Shaw. Chronology. Naturalism. Chekov. The Family Theme. Archetypes in this Chapter. A Theatrical Century of Dynamic Change. The Modern Theater of Ideas. Racial Themes. Gay Rights. Eastern Influences. Behind the Scenes. Epilogue. Key Terms. Topics for Writing and Discussion. 8. Song and Dance. Overview. Opera and Operetta. Monteverdi. Classical Opera. Mozart. Romantic Opera. Wagner. Modern American Opera. Treemonisha. Showboat: An Operetta. Porgy and Bess. Nixon in China. The Peking Opera. The Broadway Musical. Of Thee I Sing. Chronology. Pal Joey. Oklahoma! West Side Story. Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The Lion King. Dance. Archetypes in this Chapter. Ballet. Modern Dance. Folkloric Tradition. Epilogue. Key Terms. Topics for Writing and Discussion. 9. Cinema. Overview. Conventions of Film. Some Early Milestones. Art and Propaganda I: D.W. Griffith. Art and Propaganda II: Sergei Eisenstein. Slapstick Comedy and More: Sennett, Chaplin, and Cantinflas. Major Film Genres. Film Noir. Romantic Comedy. Dramedy. The Comedy of Manners. Musical Comedy: Singing and Dancing with Fred, Ginger, and Gene. The Western. Slice-of-Life. Social Realism. Documentaries and Docudramas. Fictionalized Biography. Chronology. Loosely Based on the Original. The Top Two American Films of the 20th Century. Citizen Kane. Casablanca. The Film Auteur. Archetypes in this Chapter. Ingmar Bergman. Federico Fellini. Alfred Hitchcock. Akira Kurosawa. Stanley Kubrick. Francis Ford Coppola. Martin Scorsese. Pedro Almodovar. A Word of Critical Viewing. Epilogue. Key Terms. Topics for Writing and Discussion. III. THEMES IN THE HUMANITIES. 10. Religion. Overview. The Belief in Many Gods. Egypt. Hinduism. Greek and Roman Polytheism. Native American Religions. The Belief in an Impersonal Divinity. Buddhism. Taoism. Socrates and Plato. Aristotle's Unmoved Mover. The Belief in One God. Judaism. Christianity. Good, Evil, and Augustine. Chronology. Logical Proof. Islam. The Protestant Reformation. The Questioning of Belief. Agnosticism. Atheism. Archetypes in this Chapter. Religion and the Arts. Epilogue. Key Terms. Topics for Writing and Discussion. 11. Morality. Overview. How We Arrive At Moral Decisions. Moral Systems. The Arts and Morality. The Morality of Self-Interest. Glaucon versus Socrates. Enlightened Self-Interest. Economics and Self-Interest. Transcending Self-Interest: Altruism. Moral Authorities. A Philosophical Defense of Altruism. The Moral Mathematics of Jeremy Bentham. Utilitarianism Modified: John Stuart Mill. The Moral Imperative of Immanuel Kant. Chronology. Religion and Morality. Archetypes in this Chapter. The Morality of Work. Moral Relativism. The Global View. Feminist Morality. Epilogue. Key Terms. Topics for Writing and Discussion. 12. Happiness. Overview. Hedonism: Happiness as Pleasure. Hedonist Assumptions. Hedonism Reconsidered. Epicureanism: Avoiding Pain. Epicurean Assumptions. Epicureanism Reconsidered. Stoicism: Strategies for Survival. Working on the Mind. Stoicism Reconsidered. Aristotelianism: Happiness as the Quality of a Whole Life. Pleasure a Limited Goal; Happiness a Complete Goal. Providing Happiness: A Government's Responsibility? Chronology. Aristotle Reconsidered. Eastern Philosophy and Happiness. Gandhi. Archetypes in this Chapter. Buddhist Paths. The Dalai Lama. Epilogue. Key Terms. Topics for Writing and Discussion. 13. Love. Overview. Body and Soul. Eros. Agape. Family Love. Friendship. Romantic Love. Mariolatry. Romance and Chivalry. Chronology. Courtly Love. Love as a Game. Love and Marriage. The Victorian Model. Archetypes in this Chapter. New Versions and Continued Misgivings. Love in a Time of Health Hazards. Love and Older People. Imagining a World in Which Only Sex Exists. Epilogue. Key Terms. Topics for Writing and Discussion. 14. Death and Life-Affirmation. Overview. Images of Death. Death in the Popular Arts. Humor. Magnifying and Beautifying Death. The Medicalization of Death. Death in Literature. Death in Music. A Philosopher's Death. Death and the After-Life. Death and Fate. Symbolic Death. Unworth. Symbolic Suicide. Chronology. Symbolic Murder. Models of Life Affirmation. The Phoenix. There is Only Now. Archetypes in this Chapter. Reinventing Ourselves. The Forgiveness Ritual. Epilogue. Key Terms. Topics for Writing and Discussion. 15. Freedom. Overview. Determinism and the Limitation of Choice. Past and Present Limitations. Institutional Determinism. Economic Determinism. Character Consistency. Behaviorism. Genetics. Sociobiology. Possibilities for Freedom. A Pessimist's Definition of the Will. Regret and Relief. Psychoanalysis: Freedom through the Conscious Ego. Chronology. Existentialism. Religious existentialism. Secular existentialism. Archetypes in this Chapter. Freedom within Limitations. Epilogue. Key Terms. Topics for Writing and Discussion.