The Ambiguity of Play (Paperback)

~ (Author) "We all play occasionally, and we all know what playing feels like..." (more)
Key Phrases: adaptive potentiation, progress rhetoric, seven rhetorics, Mardi Gras, New Zealand, Peter Smith (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Brian Sutton-Smith presents a lively, contemplative and challenging theoretical discussion of the "category of diverse learnings"...that make up play...Sutton-Smith presents a variety of play dimensions that cause disturbance of theoretical certainty and bring together hitherto unconnected ideas on play in the tradition of creativity. The book explores its chosen rhetorics in a scholarly and yet undeniably accessible way. The material included is multi-faceted and multi-layered drawing on theories across the centuries and presenting a case for a new look at play. Play is taken beyond the rhetoric of progress leaving the reader alive and alert to the possibilities of play that transcend generations and cultures.
--Jill Williams (British Journal of Educational Studies )

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of extant theory and research on the subject of play in children and adults in a variety of cultural contexts with relevant comparisons to play in nonhuman species. The work is thorough and well referenced and provides new insights on a classic topic in children's social development. The primary issue addressed is the ambiguous nature of play. Although we have a sense of what constitutes play, when asked to define it, explain its function, or even identify players, its paradoxical nature becomes apparent--it is and is not what it appears to be. Does and does not have a function, is and is not the purview of children. (Child Development Abstracts & Bibliography )

A wonderful and important book. Its strength is its depth and its breadth. Play is discussed in incredibly close detail, and from diverse perspectives: from anthropology to zoology, to literary criticism and biology. This work represents the one most thorough discussion of play that we have.
--Anthony Pellegrini, University of Georgia

A stunning book and a superbly scholarly undertaking which will make it impossible to discuss play in the simplistic terms we are accustomed to.
--Greta Fein, University of Maryland at College Park

The Ambiguity of Play is an extremely important contribution to theoretical discussions about play not only in the United States but around the world. The book provides a platform for further theoretical reflection, interdisciplinary dialogue, and for critical examination of long-held beliefs about child development and education. Sutton-Smith succeeds at maintaining a playful tone throughout, and lives up in his own rhetoric to the topic at hand.
--Petra Hesse, Wheelock College

Review

A wonderful and important book. Its strength is its depth and its breadth. Play is discussed in incredibly close detail, and from diverse perspectives: from anthropology to zoology, to literary criticism and biology. This work represents the one most thorough discussion of play that we have.
--Anthony Pellegrini, University of Georgia --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press; 1 edition (May 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674005813
• ISBN-13: 978-0674005815
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #262,727 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Serious scholarship on the not-so-serious topic of play, March 29, 2000

By	felicia mcmahon (Syracuse University) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ambiguity of Play (Hardcover)

In a novel approach to an understanding of the everyday phenomenon that we call "play," Professor Sutton-Smith tackles this slippery subject by analyzing the persuasive techniques that researchers use to define play. "We all play occasionally, and we all know what playing feels like. But when it comes to making theoretical statements about what play is, we fall into silliness," claims Sutton-Smith. In his attempt to bring some coherence to past scholarship of the ambiguous field of play studies, Sutton-Smith not only challenges conventional definitions of play but manages somehow to succintly summarize all major and minor theorists in a mere 231 pages. The text is laced with numerous examples to support Sutton-Smith's contention that all theories of play to date fall into one of seven rhetorical categories. He clearly points to the problem of consensus on the definition of play in a field that is divided among different disciplines each claiming that its own kind of play is the one that is central to the phenomenon. Although the book is not directed to a popular audience, it is an excellent text for classroom use in many academic disciplines.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Child development must read, September 7, 2008

By	A. swan "play brincar" (Brazil) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great read and a must for anyone outside the feild of childrens play. I say that as everyone in the field know this man's work and reputation.
Anyone working with kids should learn to evaluate their own work and position within the field. This book will help you do that.
Mind you if you don't regularly learn from working with children, you are definetly doing something wrong!

0 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars not in good condition, October 13, 2008

By	Peng Yang "David" (Urbana,Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

not in good condition

but the content is worthwhile.

there are too many marks on the pages.

not as said to be " good "