Play in a Godless World: The Theory and Practice of Play in Shakespeare,Nietzsche,and Freud

Challenging a longstanding and respected tradition that regards human play as the fount of creativity and origin of all civilization, this analysis traces the history of an alternative theory of play in Shakespeare, Nietzsche, and Freud. Arguing that traditional theories espousing a cheerful belief in progress and the unquestionable good of order are out of place in today's disillusioned world, this asserts that play is not the starting point for a civilized world so much as an end in itsel...