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Eccentricity
Characteristics
Eccentricity (behavior). Wikipedia. Last modified 31 May 2010. Web. 09 June 2010. Eccentricity. Answers.com. Web 09 June 2010. Resources about Eccentricity in Early American Literature1. "A Guide to the Study of Literature: A Companion Text for Core Studies 6, Landmarks of Literature." English Department, Brooklyn College. Last Modified 12 February 2009. Web. 10 June 2010.This site discussion the fundamental characteristics Romanticism and its major theories. Most relevant, the site states "the Romantics asserted the importance of the individual, the unique, even the eccentric." Romanticism, as defined by this site, was a revolutionary energy which consciously set out to transform not only the theory and practice of poetry (and all art), but the very way we perceive the world. The works of William Wadsworth, William Blake, Emily Dickinson, Whitman, Poe and Hawthorne. As defined by this site Romanticism focused on imagination; nature, symbolism and myth; emotion, lyric poetry, and the self; contrasts with neoclassicism; individualism; and the everyday and the exotic. 2. Martin, Ronald E. American Literature and the Destruction of Knowledge: Innovative Writing in the Age of Epistemology. Google Books. Duke University Press, 1991. Web. 10 June 2010. In the first section, The Deconstruction of Knowledge in Prescentific Literary Imagination, Martin states that Whitman, Melville, and Dickinson principally lead the carried out the deconstruction of American literature based on their skepticism and frustration with thinking of their age. Martin discussed the focus of their work on in imagination and that the product of their "imaginations might eccentric, solipsistic, not sane." In this same section, Martin also discusses the work of Emerson, Whitman, and Melville. The first section of this book focuses on these writers as a deviation from normal and in contrast to the tradition literary work. They were eccentric. 3. Zimmerman, Brett. "Frantic Forensic Oratory: Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart'." Find Articles. Style 35.1, Spring 2001. Web. 10 June 2010. This journal is a critical essay that looks at Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” and analyzes it as an oratory about the protagonist murdering his roommate. In doing so, Zimmerman touches on various themes that help look at the story from a more abstract perspective, and though he focuses most on Poe’s rhetoric, his ideas can be applied in other areas. While using this site I was able to draw notes about Poe's eccentricity in "The Tell-Tale Heart." This may serve as a useful tool in understanding the author, and is a Scholarly Journal. 4. Saville, Julia F. "Eccentricity as Englishness in David Copperfield." Find Articles. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, 42.4 (Autumn 2002). Web. 10 June 2010. This article describes eccentricity as the mere refusal to bend the knee to custom or odd human behavior. It goes on to say that the amount of eccentricity in a society has been linked to amount of genius. The paper discuss the how early literature such as Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy (1760-67). The earliest use of eccentricity was found in astronomy, when planet had decentered axis. Julia Saville is an associate professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 5. Eby, Douglas. “Eccentricity and Creativity.” Talent Development Resources. 19 June 2007. Web. 10 June 2010. Author Douglas Eby lists about 10 different people, all famous for their talents, and all famous for being eccentric. That is, for “having a behavior that lies somewhere outside the norm.” Instead of merely describing eccentricity, however, he couples it with creativity, making the two symbiotic. He grants eccentrics quite a high statute, stating that they are “essential for the health of the social organism, for they provide the variety of ideas and behavior that permits the group to adapt successfully to changing conditions. All intellectual evolution depends on new ideas; they are the essence of science, of exciting new art, indeed of all intellectual progress." Instead, this article showed the relevance of eccentricity in literature, film, and in society in general. 6. “Eccentricity.” Oxford English Dictionary. Web. 10 June 2010. This website’s purpose is to provide definitions and word origins. The site is supported by the Oxford University Press. One given definition of “eccentricity” is to deviate from what is normal or expected. Edgar Allen Poe did indeed deviate from previous, more rigid poetic convention when he delved into his character’s psyche and created highly imaginative and dark situations. Poe was more concerned with artistic expression than poetic convention of his time dictated. 7. "Eccentric." Random House Unabridged Dictionary. Random House, Inc. on Infoplease. Web. 09 June 2010. This website defines eccentricity as “deviating from the recognized or customary character.” Related words include “irregular” and “erratic.” An eccentric is defined as “a person who has an unusual, peculiar, or odd personality, set of beliefs, or behavior pattern.” This is a perfect way to describe the radical Transcendental Thinker Margaret Fuller, who went against the recognized character with her idea that the soul is sexless, which was an unusual belief during her time and still. This website is an online source of multiple dictionaries and encyclopedias 8."Eccentricity." The Free Dictionary. Web. 9 June 2007. The page is for informational purposes, listing and defining, as well as providing a thesaurus, for countless words from a typical dictionary, a computing, medical, financial, and legal dictionary. It also provides online encyclopedias and much more.The website's dictionary/thesaurus defines eccentricity as "deviation from the normal, expected, or established." Eccentricity is "the quality of being eccentric," or plainly, being odd. This definition fits well into the story of "The Lamplighter" by Maria S. Cummins, lighting the personality of the heroine, Gerty. She is an oddity in the eyes of those who first gaze upon her. Eccentrictiy is also "the quality" of being odd, and Gerty possesses a quality from her oddness. Eccentricity also is an important aspect of Romanticism highlighting the creativity during the period. -Dolmii Remeliik 9. "nonfictional prose." Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 10 June 2010. The main purpose of this website is to help readers define terms related to an area of study. According to Encyclopedia Britannica online, many writers create “novels and shifted to impromptu sketches or desultory essays” and they “blend dreams and facts, ventures into the illogical, and delightful eccentricities." 10. "Eccentricity (Behavior)." Wikipedia. Last modified 31 May 2010. Web. 10 June 2010. This site defines eccentricity as a behavior and explains that often eccentricity can be a genius trait. This really applies to someone like Edgar Allan Poe, who was a literary genus, however an eccentric person, which enhanced his work. 11."Eccentricity." WordNet Search. Princeton University. Web. 10 June 2010. The main purpose of the website is to offer definition of different literary terms. Thomas Paine’s writing focused on the American Revolution. The website defines eccentricity as a strange and unconventional behavior. This is exactly what Thomas Paine was doing at the time. This resource is helpful in reading and interpreting the theme because it defines the theme. 12.“eccentricity.” Your Dictionary. Wiley Publishing , Inc: New Jersey. 2006. Web. 10 June 2010. This website gives a dictionary definition of eccentricity. It says that it means a deviation from what is normal, or a peculiarity. This could mean a variety of things. It could be in regards to literature that strays from the norm, or it could define an author. It could define a character in a novel. In this instance, it applies to some of the characters in Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter. Hester is seen as shunned, and because she has no place within the community, she is seen as eccentric, an outsider. This helped me to take a different look at the novel and to understand Hester’s character better. 13."Eccentricity." Wordia. Web. 10 June 2010. This websites main focus is providingdefinitionsfor words and literary terms. This page specifically gives the definition for the term eccentricity. The information helps you understand the meaning of the word eccentricity and specifically in the Puratinism period that I am studying, the Puritans were considered eccentric because they deviated from the normal patterns to be followed by England. 14. ”Eccentricity." Cambridge Dictionaries Online.Web. 10 June 2010. This website is used for the purpose of researching definitions to various words. It defines eccentricity as “the state of being eccentric” which is “Strange or unusual, sometimes in an amusing way”. This can be seen in various works throughout all the different literary genres as themes or simply as literary elements. This is a credible website. 15. "Eccentricity." Definr. Web.6 Jun 2009. This website is an online dictionary, which is used to define and provide information on various topics. According to Definr, eccentricity means strangeness and unconventional behavior. Eccentricity is present in many, if not most, works of literature. There is always some character acting eccentrically. From my personal experience, most stories involving eccentricity start with a sane character that is somehow driven insane. 16. "Eccentricity." Answers.com. Web. 12 June 2009. The main purpose of this site is to define eccentricity along with synonyms, antonyms, and quotes for the theme. For this theme to suit something the text or author must deviate from normal or expected behavior. This source was helpful because it clearly defined eccentricity and the quotes aided in understanding the term/theme. This source is credible because they composed their definition from 180 different trusted sources. 17. “Eccentric.” Wiktionary. Last modified 26 April 2010. Web. 10 June 2010. The main purpose of this site is to provide a multi-language, free dictionary. It defines an eccentric as someone “who does not behave like others.” Even more helpful is what this word originally meant; in Latin and Greek, the basis of ‘eccentricity’ translates as “not having the earth as center of orbit” and “out point.” Not only does this person have a different center of reality, but they are often seen as “deviating from the norm, behaving unexpectedly or differently.” These definitions fit the narrator of Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. He is seen by the world as mad, because his center of reality is different than ours. Yet, Poe’s story also seems to question if the consensus center, or convention, is as correct as it believes. I think this implies that eccentricity is partially a matter of perception, or judgment, onto another person. In Typee, Melville implies the limitations of preconceived notions, yet freedom from them also seems eccentric because the ideal is not the norm. Eccentricity may apply to the whole of Romanticism, since the emphasis on emotion and the unconscious worked to encourage experimentalism against the established "centers" of the Enlightenment. This is a credible website because it is peer reviewed as part of the WikiPedia project. 18.“Definitions of Eccentricity.”Rhyme Zone. Web. 10 June 2010. The purpose of this website is to define the term Eccentricity. This website also lists synonyms, antonyms, and provides an example of how the word is used. The website gives related terms to eccentricity therefore it is easy to understand and interpret the meaning of the word. "England still expects a modicum of eccentricity in its artists- Ian Jack. |  King, Edward L. Rights of Man. Digital image. Famous Non Masons. Web. 8 June 2010. Definitions: Merriam-Webster The Free Dictionary Your Dictionary Mnemonic Dictionary |
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| gunmacht | Resource 20 | 0 | Jul 1 2009, 10:03 PM EDT by gunmacht | ||
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Thread started: Jul 1 2009, 10:03 PM EDT
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This website provided a few different definitions for the word "eccentricity". I found it useful as a dictionary, but it did not relate the term to literature, and the information provided was limited. The information seems accurate, but there aren't any cited sources and the site construction seems a little amateur.
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| gunmacht | Resource 18 | 0 | Jul 1 2009, 9:59 PM EDT by gunmacht | ||
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Thread started: Jul 1 2009, 9:59 PM EDT
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I liked this source a lot. It is all about the psychology behind eccentric behavior. I would have really benefited from using this source in my own paper about Poe. I couldn't find any cited sources on this Wiki, but the student summary says they are there, so its reliability is questionable.
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| Star7az | Resource 5 | 0 | Jul 1 2009, 9:27 PM EDT by Star7az | ||
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Thread started: Jul 1 2009, 9:27 PM EDT
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This source provides an glimpse into eccentricity as it applies to past and modern creative types. It may be helpful, although I think it is limited because it doesn’t define eccentricity as much as apply it using examples. I think in this case there is credibility, despite the .com address, because the site is run by a psychologist as a self-help reference.
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