Humanism gained ground in the Renaissance in part as a revival of classical learning, and such a revival included new study of classical humanism from the Greek and Roman world. Classical humanism placed an emphasis on philosophy and codes of ethics, notably embodied in the writings of Plato and A...

"When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of the joy that kills." Louise Mallard dies at the end of Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour" precisely for the reasons the doctors suggest. Heart disease serves as a metaphor for an affliction of the soul. Their diagnosis is most likely n...