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And there's the humor of it: Shakespeare and the four humors
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) created characters that are among the richest and most humanly recognizable in all of literature. Yet Shakespeare understood human personality in the terms available to his age—that of the now-discarded theory of the four bodily humors –blood, bile, melancholy, and phlegm. These four humors were understood to define peoples’ physical and mental health, and determined their personality, as well.
The language of the four humors pervades Shakespeare's plays and their influence is felt above all in a belief that emotional states are physically determined. Carried by the bloodstream, the four humors bred the core passions of anger, grief, hope, and fear—the emotions conveyed so powerfully in Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies. Curator Gail Kern Paster explains “The four humors were an early typology for human personality. Shakespeare uses them, even as he transcends them, to create the vivid characters whose emotions continue to fascinate and delight us.”
“And there’s the humor of it”: Shakespeare and the four humors explores the role played by the four humors in several of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays through beautiful imagery and rare books from both the National Library of Medicine and the Folger Shakespeare Library, and examines more modern interpretations of the four humors in contemporary medicine.
This exhibition was developed and produced by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health and the Folger Shakespeare Library.
First in the Nation: A History of the Costo Library
The Rupert Costo Library of the American Indian is a testament to the advocacy, expertise and legacy of its founders.
Rupert Costo (Cahuilla) and his wife Jeannette Henry-Costo (Eastern Cherokee) have supported UCR since its founding, even helping advocate for a UC campus to be built in Riverside in the first place. They believed in the power of education, and fought for Native American students to have equal access to education throughout their lives. In addition to helping bring a UC campus to Riverside, the Costos co-founded the American Indian Historical Society in San Francisco, and helped organize the First Convocation of the American Indian Scholars, a pivotal moment in the development of the field of Native American Studies. Throughout their lives, the Costos have been on the forefront of expanding access and representation of Native peoples in higher education. This legacy is deeply embodied in all three aspects of the endowment they gifted to UCR: their personal book collection, which forms the Costo Library of the American Indian, as well as their archives and their vision for the Costo Chair in American Indian History (now Affairs).
This exhibit documents the history of the Rupert Costo Library of the American Indian, located on the 4th floor of the Tomás Rivera Library in Special Collections & University Archives. View this exhibit and learn more about the Costos, the American Indian Historical Society, and why the Costos chose UCR to house their materials.
| Event | First in the Nation: A History of the Costo Library |
| Location | Tomás Rivera Library, 4th floor, Costo Library in Special Collections & University Archives (enter the double glass doors) |
| Dates | Monday, September 23, 2024 - Friday, June 6, 2025 |
| Hours |
View this exhibit during SCUA's operating hours. Monday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. NOTE: We are closed during UCR observed holidays. |
| Parking |
Free Visitor Parking is available on Fridays, starting at 12:00 PM through 6:00 AM Monday morning in the unreserved spaces of the following parking lots/structures:
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Disability Services
UCR Library is committed to equal access as articulated in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Patrons with disability-related needs are encouraged to request accommodations. We provide a positive environment to accommodate needs and respect privacy. Qualifying UCR students can receive assistance with academic needs. Contact Student Disability Resource Center.
Ronald H. Chilcote Collection on Latin America
Located in: Special Collections & University Archives
The collection contains material on the politics, economy, and history of Latin America, Portugal, and Portuguese-speaking Africa collected by Dr. Ronald H. Chilcote, Professor Emeritus of Economics at UC Riverside.
Highlights include:
Neon in the Gutters: Cyberpunk Visions of the Future
A new generation of comics writers and artists, who have slowly been diversifying the industry, has brought new perspectives and ideas along with them.
Their exciting new artistic visions and energy have utilized the fruitful spaces of cyberpunk to explore how identity, conceptions of the self, and different bodies and peoples fit into modern technological societies. Cyberpunk is tailor-made for these kinds of conceptual explorations of transhumanism, posthumanism, and societal change, as technology is increasingly interfacing with the human body, mind, and culture.
This exhibit will explore some of the ways cyberpunk has changed since its inception, how the visual design and language has evolved, how it has engaged with concepts like transhumanism and posthumanism, and how it continues to reshape itself as our technological landscapes change and evolve. View a digital version of the exhibit guide here or pick up a print copy in-person when you visit the exhibit.
| Event | Neon in the Gutters: Cyberpunk Visions of the Future |
| Location | Tomás Rivera Library, 4th Floor in Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA) |
| Dates | Ongoing |
| Hours |
View this exhibit during SCUA's operating hours: Monday - Friday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Exceptions to regularly scheduled hours during fall quarter:
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Eaton at the Movies
A celebration of science fiction film and television-related materials from the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
This exhibit takes up the themes of wonder and terror as it relates to SF film and television, and showcases a variety of materials from the Eaton Collection.
From periodicals to intimate photographs, rare books to concept art, many of these items are being exhibited for the first time, and represent holdings from multiple archival and print collections.
Visit Special Collections & University Archives to view the exhibit or learn more by downloading the exhibit guide here.
| Event | Eaton at the Movies |
| Location | Tomás Rivera Library, 4th Floor in Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA) |
| Dates | Monday, February 12, 2024 - Summer 2024 |
| Hours |
View this exhibit during SCUA's operating hours. Please note, SCUA will be closed on Monday, February 19 in observance of Presidents' Day. SCUA's normal operating hours are below: Monday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. |
| Parking |
Free Visitor Parking is available on Fridays, starting at 12:00 PM through 6:00 AM Monday morning in the unreserved spaces of the following parking lots/structures:
|
Special Collections & University Archives Reading Room Policy
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How Do I Find - Images & Photographs
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