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A Cabinet of Characters
Paperback
Literary CriticismFiction AnthologiesBritish History
ISBN13: 9781025532493
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 486
Weight: 1.49
Height: 0.98 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
A Cabinet of Characters is an illuminating collection of the character sketch, a popular and influential prose genre that reached its zenith in seventeenth-century England. This anthology brings together a diverse array of literary portraits modeled after the classical traditions of Theophrastus, offering a vivid survey of social types, moral virtues, and human vices. The work provides a witty and often satirical look at the inhabitants of the early modern world, ranging from the pious and noble to the foolish and corrupt.
The collection features contributions from various masters of the form, illustrating the stylistic precision and psychological insight that defined the era's literature. By showcasing these distilled observations of human nature, A Cabinet of Characters traces the evolution of characterization that would eventually pave the way for the development of the English novel. It stands as an essential resource for those interested in the history of English prose and the art of the short portrait, offering a unique perspective on the intersection of literature, sociology, and ethics. This volume remains a valuable record of the cultural and intellectual atmosphere of the seventeenth century and beyond.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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