Stand Up Straight!

“Ambitious… . Gilman’s multidisciplinary approach draws on theology, philosophy, the military, medicine, and art… . He deftly threads the striking image of the plumb line throughout, using this trope to turn anecdote into data… . Stand Up Straight!’s illustrations are wonderful… . Gilman’s authoritative voice marshals a crowd of examples into a cogent, illuminating analysis… . What he demonstrates so successfully is that any history of posture is always a history of perception. The title’s bold imperative is a command barked at those whose posture supposedly imperils the nation, causes moral degeneration, or decreases productivity. He has produced a valuable book.”– “Times Higher Education”“There is a grandeur to certain works of scholarship, a singularity of vision by which genius is defined. In this respect, Gilman’s Stand Up Straight! can be aligned with Simon Schama’s rapturous Landscape and Memory–another masterpiece of romantic historical philosophy–in terms of its cultural significance… . Stand Up Straight! is more than a joy to read. It is a privilege to wander the labyrinths of Gilman’s gorgeously eccentric and intricate mind.”– “Australian”

Sander L. Gilman is Distinguished Professor of the Liberal Arts and Sciences as well as Professor of Psychiatry at Emory University. A cultural and literary historian, he is the author or editor of more than ninety books.