Symptoms of culture

by Marjorie B. Garber

The symptoms of culture are the anxieties that underlie modern life: the instability of gender roles, the mysteries of female sexuality, the enigma of authority, the desire for greatness in ourselves and our heroes. From concerns over fake orgasms to our worries about Great Books reading lists, from wanting God on our side at sports contests to wanting Shakespeare on our side whenever we want to sound important, we are a walking case of symptoms. Assessing with wry detachment our tics and obsessions, Symptoms of Culture unpacks the questions that lie beneath our everyday uncertainties.