Lagretta Tallent Lenker

Why? Versus Why Not?: Potentialities of Aging in Shaw's Back to Methuselah

Bernard Shaws critique of societys “sacred cows,” as well as his participation in the social, cultural and political marketplace in which he lived, resemble the new historical/cultural materialism of contemporary theory. In Back to Methuselah, Shaw examines the notions of aging and illuminates the degree to which our chronological standards of “old age” are sociological not biological constructs. This tour de force on aging both dramatizes age as a function of societal and/or individual choice, not as a biological given, and juxtaposes opinions toward aging in such a way that flexible attitudes toward the subject emerge.

Center for Applied Humanities

AbstractThe role and function of the Center for Applied Humanities at the University of South Florida is briefly discussed. Particular attention is given to programs relating literary perspectives to social and psychological problems.