Author Description
Cover -- Half Title -- Hold On -- Copyright -- Contents -- List Of Illustrations -- Prologue: Go On Taking My Tablets -- A Portrait -- 1. Everyone Is Just Waiting: Three Versions Of The Experience Of Waiting -- 2. Alan Rabinowitz And The Jaguar: Are Some Brains Better At Waiting Than Others? -- Pairs -- 3. Hall Porter Senf's Wife Is In Labor: Childbirth, Friendship, Marriage, And Waiting -- 4. Happiness-is It Just A Matter Of Waiting To Meet Your Double? A Chapter On The Life And The Lore Of Waiting And Fulfillment -- The Pause -- 5. Miles Davis Breaks For A Smoke: The Power And The Pleasure In Pausing -- 6. Dithering: A Chapter On The Strategic Advantages Of Indecisive Waiting -- Death, Religion, And Dread -- 7. Heaven Can Wait: That Empty Chair, Waiting, And The Beyond -- 8. The Littler Waiting Room: Can You Make The Best Of Dread-and Of Waiting For Approaching Death? -- Epilogue: One-two-three: A Better Description For Waiting? -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index Peter Toohey. Description Based Upon Print Version Of Record. Electronic Reproduction. Oxford Available Via World Wide Web.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the multifaceted nature of waiting, questioning whether it is merely a passive state or a complex psychological and cultural phenomenon. Author Peter Toohey, a classicist and scholar, synthesizes historical anecdotes, scientific research, and artistic observations to argue that waiting is an integral, often productive, component of the human experience. He examines how different contexts—from biological imperatives to existential dread—shape our capacity to endure and utilize periods of suspension.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of waiting in diverse contexts including childbirth, artistic performance, and religious belief
- Examination of the neurological and personality-based differences in how individuals manage delay
- Exploration of the strategic advantages of indecision and the power of the pause
- Historical and cultural perspectives on the concept of fulfillment and anticipation
Scope Limits
- The text does not provide a clinical self-help manual for overcoming impatience
- It does not offer a comprehensive history of time-keeping technology
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Readers frequently note the accessible, interdisciplinary approach Toohey takes in blending classical scholarship with contemporary psychological inquiry. Experts highlight this as a thoughtful exploration of a mundane human experience that is often overlooked in academic discourse.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
1900-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press,
ISBN-10:
0190083646
ISBN-13:
9780190083649
Philosophy
Psychology
Non-Fiction
Human behavior