According to Roger Caillois, play is "an occasion of pure waste: waste of time, energy, ingenuity, skill, and often of money." In spite of this - or because of it - play constitutes an essential element of human social and spiritual development. In this classic study, Caillois defines play as a free and voluntary activity that occurs in a pure space, isolated and protected from the rest of life. Play is uncertain, since the outcome may not be foreseen, and it is governed by rules that provide a level playing field for all participants. In its most basic form, play consists of finding a response to the opponent's action - or to the play situation - that is free within the limits set by the rules. Caillois qualifies types of games - according to whether competition, chance, simulation, or vertigo (being physically out of control) is dominant - and ways of playing, ranging from the unrestricted improvisation characteristic of children's play to the disciplined pursuit of solutions to gratuitously difficult puzzles. Caillois also examines the means by which games become part of daily life and ultimately contribute to various cultures their most characteristic customs and institutions. Presented here in Meyer Barash's superb English translation, "Man, Play and Games" is a companion volume to Caillois' "Man and the Sacred".
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"Well worth the attention of every sociologist interested in the relationship of culture to play." -- American Sociological Review "A book to be read for ideas." -- American Journal of Sociology "An excellently conceived work." -- Social Forces
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Text: English, French (translation)
--This text refers to the
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In 1933, the rector of the University of Leyden, J. Huizinga, chose as the theme of an important oration, "The Cultural Limits of Play and the Serious." Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
regulated competition Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Homo Ludens New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
In 1933, the rector of the University of Leyden, J. Huizinga, chose as the theme of an important oration, "The Cultural Limits of Play and the Serious." Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
regulated competition Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Homo Ludens New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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This book cites 19
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78
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- Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture by Johan Huizinga on 4 pages
- Les Stars (French Edition) by Morin in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Play of Animals by Karl Groos in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Theory of Games and Economic Behavior (Commemorative Edition) (Princeton Classic Editions) by John von Neumann in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Animal Intelligence by George John Romanes in Back Matter
See all 19 books this book cites
- Theories of Play and Postmodern Fiction (Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies) by Brian Edwards on page 32, page 35, and Back Matter
- Australian Cultural Studies: A READER by John Frow on page 77, page 83, and page 84
- The Epic Hero by Dean A. Miller in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Get Back in the Box: Innovation from the Inside Out by Douglas Rushkoff in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Drama/Theatre/Performance (The New Critical Idiom) by Simon Shepherd on page 123, and Back Matter
See all 78 books citing this book
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