Literary studies: general Books

Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Four o''clock in the morning, and the lights are on and still there''s no way we''re going to sleep, not after the film we just saw. The book we just read. Fear is one of the most primal human emotions, and one of the hardest to reason with and dispel. So why do we scare ourselves? It seems almost mad that we would frighten ourselves for fun, and yet there are thousands of books, films, games, and other forms of entertainment designed to do exactly that.As Darryl Jones shows, the horror genre is huge. Ranging from vampires, ghosts, and werewolves to mad scientists, Satanists, and deranged serial killers, the cathartic release of scaring ourselves has made its appearance in everything from Shakespearean tragedies to internet memes. Exploring the key tropes of the genre, including its monsters, its psychological chills, and its love affair with the macabre, this Very Short Introduction discusses why horror stories disturb us, and how society responds to literary and film representations of the gruesome and taboo. Should the enjoyment of horror be regarded with suspicion? Are there different levels of the horrific, and should we distinguish between the commonly reviled carnage of contemporary torture porn and the culturally acceptable bloodbaths of ancient Greek tragedies?Analysing the way in which horror manifests multiple personalities, and has been used throughout history to articulate the fears and taboos of the current generation, Darryl Jones considers the continuing evolution of the genre today. As horror is mass marketed to mainstream society in the form of romantic vampires and blockbuster hits, it also continues to maintain its former shadowy presence on the edges of respectability, as banned films and violent internet phenomena push us to question both our own preconceptions and the terrifying capacity of human nature.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.First published in hardback as Sleeping with the Lights on.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition What comes across most vividly is [Jones's] passion for the subject: this is a book that makes a reader want to read, to watch, and to listen more carefully. Oxford University Press, too, are to be commended for the low retail price and the quality production ... This is a fine introduction to, and defence of, a typically various popular form. In an age of anxieties new and old, Jones's exploration of taboo, control, and the politics of fear, seems particularly timely and potent. * Sean Hewitt, The Irish Times *Darryl Jones' beautifully packaged book ... is the perfect gift for a horror-head. Written with enthusiasm and incredible research, it bounces between breakout and iconic moments across literature, film, folklore, science and psychology. Truly fascinating if sometimes scary reading. * Emerald Street *[A] beautifully designed publication, small enough to slip in a handbag and short enough to be read in one or two sittings ... For those outside the field whod like to know more, this is an excellent place to start and even for those within it, this is an object lesson in concision of thought and precision of argument. I enjoyed it a great deal. * Linnie Blake, Times Higher Education *a concise, knowledgeable survey of the entire phenomenon of horror * David Sexton, Evening Standard *Jones packs more into 181 pages than many similar volumes do that are three times the size ... This is an academic exploration that's refreshingly easy to read, with plenty of original and genuinely fascinating content to enjoy ... Whether you're a devotee who bloodily soaks up everything from the latest Stephen King novel to the newest James Wan opus or simply someone who likes to stay on top of the cultural zeitgeist, Sleeping With The Lights On is the best book about the intricacies of horror that we've read in a long time. * Ian White, Starburst *Equal parts love letter and academic invitation, this assemblage of analysts urges you to discover how horror's cultural connection truly affects our society, by inspecting the primal side of our fascination with the weird, the horrid and the downright disturbing. * Ahlissa Eichhorn, Fangoria Magazine *Intelligent but still accessible ... We dig the lightbulb-shaped diecut on the cover. * SFX *Although this volume ... is quite slim, Jones makes a convincing case, especially for newcomers and students making their first steps into the genre in an academic capacity ... a pleasant, quick and entertaining read. * Iain MacLeod, Gore in the Store *Jones' passion for and love of his subject matter shines through on every page of this deceptively slim volume ... The book is immensely readable, with all the pace, momentum, and drive of a compelling thriller ... If you are even the least bit interested in the horror genre this book is a fine purchase. It will educate, inform, and illuminate a genre that almost revels in its obfuscation and slipperiness. For the fan of horror, Sleeping with the Lights On is a great companion to discover aspects of the history of horror, to dig deeper into films and books you may not be aware of. But more than that; for the horror writers amongst us, it's an absolute necessity. It is inspirational and affirming, infectious in its enthusiasm. A must-buy if you take your craft seriously, if you're sincere about the business of horror. * Paul Michaels, This is Horror *This welcome contribution to horror's critical bibliography is an extensive resource, though short in length. Sleeping with the Lights On will be essential reading for fellow scholars of the dark arts, and it is easily accessible for the everyday reader and horror fan more generally ... This new book ... will undoubtedly inspire thought-provoking critical studies of horror's future; for now, it remains an unsettling but mesmerising story of culture's most strongest and oldest emotion. * Benjamin E. Noad, Gothic Imagination *This analysis is not as long as it might be, but it is ... engaging, thoughtful and informative. As such it is likely that even seasoned fantasy horror collectors will learn something new, or find a fresh perspective * Science Fact & Science Fiction Concatenation *Sleeping with the Lights On is a book that every fan of the genre should read, it is also a book that every fan of the genre should give to that one person they know who thinks the genre is a just shock for the sake of shock, devoid of all artistic or intellectual merit. If this book doesn't change their mind, then nothing will. * Ginger Nuts of Horror *a fascinating little book ... Even if horror is a seasonal (trick or) treat for you, you will come away with a greater appreciation of that which haunts and unsettles you. * Sublime Horror *A terrific examination of horror in all its incarnations - literature, movies etc. * Books Monthly *an excellent read short enough to be approachable but with plenty of breadth and depth in the discussions. * FictionFan's Book Reviews *A fascinating & succinct jaunt through the history of #Horror in six vampire-bite-sized sections. The writing is engaging & detailed. An essential addition to any coffin-side table ... * The Ghastling *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Monsters 2: The occult and the supernatural 3: Horror and the body 4: Horror and the mind 5: Science and horror 6: Afterword: horror since the millenium Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisAzar Nafisi is a visiting professor and the executive director of Cultural Conversations at the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University. She has taught Western literature at the University of Tehran, the Free Islamic University and the University of Allameh Tabatabai in Iran. In 1981 she was expelled from the University of Tehran after refusing to wear the veil. In 1994 she won a teaching fellowship from Oxford University, and in 1997 she and her family left Iran for America. She is the author of Reading Lolita in Tehran and Things I've Been Silent About, and has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the New Republic, and has appeared on countless radio and television programs. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two children.www.azarnafisi.comTrade ReviewPlayful, sombre and tender, Nafisi's character-vignettes persuade us that reading nourishes empathy and friendship, opening the forbidden path through the green gate. * Independent *Resonant and deeply affecting . . . an eloquent brief on the transformative powers of fiction. * New York Times *We are all citizens of Azar Nafisi’s The Republic of Imagination. Without imagination there are no dreams, without dreams there is no art, and without art there is nothing. Her words are essential. * Marjane Satrapi *A lovely book: sharp in observation and wholly readable. * Larry McMurtry *An arresting read … striking and utterly persuasive * Times Higher Education *

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Book SynopsisPlease note this title is suitable for any student studying: Exam Board: AQA Level: AS/A Level Subject: English LiteratureFirst teaching: 2015First exams: 2017This book prepares students and teachers for the requirements of the 2015 AQA A Level English Literature B specification. Structured and written to develop the skills on which students will be assessed in the exams and coursework, students of all abilities, through the source texts, book features and approach, will be able to make clear progress. The book offers students the opportunity to build on skills acquired at GCSE, extending them into their A Level course, ensuring that they are fully prepared for the assessment requirements of the qualifications and that students become successful, independent all-round learners. Building on years of development work on earlier editions, this brand new book includes the latest thinking and research, thus maintaining relevance and instilling confidence. Whether students are taking AS or A

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Book SynopsisHis analysis of the play helps students interpret Shakespeare's plot and interwoven subplots, the sources that helped shape the play and the characters, and the thematic issues relating to justice, mercy, and the myriad bonds of human relationships.Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Literary and Dramatic Analysis Venice and Her Treatment of Jews Attitudes Towards Jews Classical and Renaissance Concepts of Male Friendship Elizabethan Marriage Usury, Interest, and the Rise of Capitalism Contemporary Applications and Interpretation Index

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Book SynopsisYork Notes Advanced offer a fresh and accessible approach to English Literature. This market-leading series has been completely updated to meet the needs of today's A-level and undergraduate students. Written by established literature experts, York Notes Advanced intorduce students to more sophisticated analysis, a range of critical perspectives and wider contexts. Table of Contents Part 1: Introduction Part 2: The poems Part 3: Critical approachs Part 4: Critical history Part 5: Background Further Reading Literacy Terms

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Book SynopsisA new series of bespoke, full-coverage resources developed for the 2015 A Level English qualifications. Endorsed for the AQA A/AS Level English Literature B specifications for first teaching from 2015, this print Student Book is suitable for all abilities, providing stretch opportunities for the more able and additional scaffolding for those who need it. Helping bridge the gap between GCSE and A Level, the unique three-part structure focuses on texts within a particular time period and supports students in interpreting texts and reflecting on how writers make meaning. An enhanced digital version and free Teacher''s Resource are also available.Table of ContentsIntroduction; BEGINNING: 1. Key concepts for literary study; 2. Poetry; 3. Drama; 4. The novel; DEVELOPING: 5. Tragedy; 5.1 Introduction to tragedy; 5.2 Development of tragedy; 5.3 Aspects of tragedy; 5.4 Voices and perspectives in tragedy; 5.5 Bringing it all together; 6. Comedy; 6.1 Introduction to comedy; 6.2 Development of comedy; 6.3 Aspects of comedy; 6.4 Voices and perspectives in comedy; 6.5 Bringing it all together; 7. Crime writing; 7.1 Introduction to crime writing; 7.2 Development of crime writing; 7.3 Elements of crime writing; 7.4 Narrative form and plot devices in crime writing; 7.5 Character types in crime writing; 7.6 Representation in crime writing; 7.7 Bringing it all together; 8. Political and social protest writing; 8.1 Introduction to political and social protest writing; 8.2 Development of political and social protest writing; 8.3 Elements of political writing; 8.4 Representation in political writing; 8.5 Bringing it all together; 9. Literary theory; 9.1 What is literary theory?; 9.2 Theoretical perspectives; 9.3 Value and the canon; 9.4 Narrative; 9.5 Feminism; 9.6 Marxism; 9.7 Eco-critical theory; 9.8 Post-colonial theory; 9.9 Approaching the non-exam assessment; 9.10 Bringing it all together; 10 Critical and creative responses to literature; 10.1 Introducing criticism and creativity; 10.2 Reading as a writer, writing as a reader; 10.3 Reading; 10.4 Writing; 11 Preparing for your exam; 11.1 Examined assessment and non-exam assessment; 11.2 Writing critical essays; 11.3 Writing creative responses to literary texts; 11.4 Bringing it all together; ENRICHING: 12 Tragedy; 13 Comedy; 14 Crime writing; 15 Political and social protest writing; 16 Literary theory; 17 Critical and creative responses to literature; Index; Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisWho are we and how do we define our inner selves? In his last work, Professor Stephen Prickett presents a literary and cultural exploration of our inner selves and how we have created and written about them from the Old Testament to social media. What he finds is that although our secret, inner, sense of self what we feel makes us distinctively us' seems a natural and permanent part of being human, it is in fact surprisingly new. Whilst confessional religious writings, from Augustine to Jane Austen, or even diaries of 20th-century Holocaust victims, have explored inwards as part of a path to self-discovery, our inner space has expanded beyond any possible personal experience. This development has enhanced our capacity not merely to write about what we have never seen, but even to create fantasies and impossible fictions around them.Yet our secret selves can also be a source of terror. The fringes of our inner worlds are often porous, ill-defined and susceptible to frightening formsTrade ReviewSecret Selves is a remarkable book, at once deeply personal and also a reflection on a profession spent with literature and art ... the product of lifetime of reading and teaching, moving with ease across texts and the images of Western art. It is a reflection on the selves whom we think we know well, and the selves in all of us that remain secret. * The Coleridge Bulletin *This is a fascinating book, written with clarity and charm. What is engaging as well as convincing is how Stephen Prickett traces out the visible emergence, usually in literature but also painting and film, of a conception of the interior life, suggesting how we might read evidence of it even in a single word or phrase. An impressive, memorable study that will, aptly, linger in the mind. * Francis O’Gorman, Saintsbury Professor of English Literature, University of Edinburgh, UK, and author of Worrying: A Literary and Cultural History *With a beguiling lightness of touch, Stephen Prickett explores the immense and fascinating landscape of the human mind. His book provokes, challenges and delights in equal measure. It's a joy. * The Rt Revd Dr Christopher Herbert, Visiting Professor in Christian Ethics, University of Surrey, UK *Stephen Prickett's many books on the evolution of the modern European imagination were without fail deeply original, written with wit, clarity and an immense range of reference. This – sadly posthumous – work is no exception. I can think of no other recent book that offers so rich an exploration of how modern people learned to think about their “inner selves,” with examples ranging from children's books to debates on Artificial Intelligence. A brilliant, humane, many-faceted study. * Rowan Williams, former Master of Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, UK *Table of ContentsIntroduction: A Self-Conscious Story 1. Visions, Dreams – and that which hath no Bottom 2. Room On All Three Floors: Dante to Macdonald 3. The Mind has Mountains: Landscape into Psyche 4. From China to Peru: Global Imaginations 5. Children’s Spaces: Adult Fantasies 6. Far Fetched Facts and Further Fictions: Furnishing with Extremes 7. Experience of Self: From Identity to Individuality Conclusion: Know Thyself: Facebook, Cyborgs, and Reincarnation Index

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Book SynopsisPublishing online can be a daunting prospect for any writer. This book equips aspiring writers with a range of practical skills and tactics for entering the online publishing world. It will guide readers on where and how to publish online, whether writing for magazines, journals, blogs, or podcasts. The textbook includes practical exercises for developing skills such as producing an e-book, creating an e-book marketing strategy, and building an online writer’s presence.It also features step-by-step guides, examples and checklists that help readers research and find appropriate sites to submit work to, and show how to take a completed manuscript through to publication. This textbook will appeal to students, freelance writers, creative writers, poets, novelists and anyone interested in publishing content online to promote and sell their work more effectively.Table of ContentsPART I: Publishing Online CHAPTER 1: Introduction to Publishing Online for Writers CHAPTER 2: Publishing Online - Getting Started CHAPTER 3: Publishing in Online Magazines CHAPTER 4: Publishing with Online Journals CHAPTER 5: Publishing via Blogs CHAPTER 6: Publishing a Podcast PART II: Publishing e-books CHAPTER 7: The e-book Publishing Process CHAPTER 8: Designing an e-book CHAPTER 9: Producing an e-book CHAPTER 10: Your e-book marketing strategy CHAPTER 11: Promoting your e-book PART III: Publishing Online - making it a success CHAPTER 12: An online writer's website CHAPTER 13: Managing Online Writing Projects CHAPTER 14: Long term success for a writer online

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Book SynopsisWe might think we are through with the past, but the past isn't through with us. Tragedy permits us to come face to face with the things we don't want to know about ourselves, but which still make us who we are. It articulates the conflicts and contradictions that we need to address in order to better understand the world we live in. A work honed from a decade's teaching at the New School, where 'Critchley on Tragedy' is one of the most popular courses, Tragedy, the Greeks and Us is a compelling examination of the history of tragedy. Simon Critchley demolishes our common misconceptions about the poets, dramatists and philosophers of Ancient Greece - then presents these writers to us in an unfamiliar and original light.Trade ReviewEngaging and thought-provoking without too much abstraction and with just enough detail to add flavour ... It has something of the chatty vigour of a successful seminar discussion ... infectiously enthusiastic ... . There is something genuinely invigorating about Critchley's eager open-mindedness, his willingness to step back from modernity to the ancient world and from philosophy to literature -- Emily Wilson * New Statesman *Simon Critchley beguiles as he illuminates -- David MitchellThoughtful, fascinating * New Yorker *

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Book Synopsis'Utterly fascinating' Daisy Goodwin, Sunday TimesBenjamin Franklin took daily naked air baths and Toulouse-Lautrec painted in brothels. Edith Sitwell worked in bed, and George Gershwin composed at the piano in pyjamas. Freud worked sixteen hours a day, but Gertrude Stein could never write for more than thirty minutes, and F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in gin-fuelled bursts - he believed alcohol was essential to his creative process. From Marx to Murakami and Beethoven to Bacon, Daily Rituals by Mason Currey presents the working routines of more than a hundred and sixty of the greatest philosophers, writers, composers and artists ever to have lived. Whether by amphetamines or alcohol, headstand or boxing, these people made time and got to work.Featuring photographs of writers and artists at work, and filled with fascinating insights on the mechanics of genius and entertaining stories of the personalities behind it, Daily Rituals is irresistibly addictive, and utterly inspiring.Trade ReviewI just can't recommend this book enough -- Lena DunhamA trove of entertaining anecdote and thought-provoking comparison -- Toby Lichtig * Daily Telegraph *A chance to see what great lives look like when the triumphs, dramas, disruptions and divorces have been all but boiled away. It will fascinate anyone who wonders how a day might best be spent, especially those who have wondered of their artistic heroes, as a baffled Colette once did of George Sand: how the devil did they manage? * Guardian *Utterly fascinating -- Daisy Goodwin * Sunday Times *Mason Currey has carefully compiled the daily habits and personal foibles of 161 great writers, artists, scientists and thinkers, including one who stood on his head to cure creative block. By the end of this book, our carpet-glue habit looks normal -- DBC Pierre * Guardian *A fascinating little book * Financial Times *An utterly fascinating compendium . . . This book is the ultimate retort to the flaneurs who dream about the novel/screenplay/painting they would create if only they had the time. Its message is that serious artists make the time, and most of them make it at the same time every day -- Daisy Goodwin * Sunday Times *A thoroughly researched, minutely annotated and delightful book, full of the quirks and oddities of thehuman comedy . . . Its main lesson can be summed up simply enough: get up, have a cup of coffee, sit at your desk and begin * Literary Review *Some of the world's greatest minds had routines they stuck to to produce their works of genius. In DailyRituals, Mason Currey reveals their more bizarre habits * Daily Mirror *Fascinating . . . it also interestingly reveals that there is no universal formula to greatness, so in essence, it's a celebration of individuality and quirkiness * Huffington Post *

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Book SynopsisFrom clay tablets to the printing press. From the pencil to the internet. From the Epic of Gilgamesh to Harry Potter. This is the true story of literature -- of how great texts and technologies have shaped cultures and civilizations and altered human history. The inventions of paper, the printing press and the world wide web are usually considered the major influences on the way we share stories. Less well known is the influence of Greek generals, Japanese court ladies, Spanish adventurers, Malian singers and American astronauts, and yet all of them played a crucial role in shaping and spreading literature as we know it today. The Written World tells the captivating story of the development of literature, where stories intersect with writing technologies like clay, stone, parchment, paper, printing presses and computers. Central to the development of religions, political movements and even nations, texts spread useful truths and frightening disinformation, and have the power to change lives. Through vivid storytelling and across a huge sweep of time, The Written World offers a new and enticing perspective on human history.

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Book SynopsisKaren Britland is Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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Book SynopsisTrade Reviewwelcome the new additions to the finest and widest-ranging library of great writing (at accessible prices too), OUP's World's Classics series ... Goethe's Erotic Poems ... this is the first readily available version of the uncensored Elegies * Oxford Times *

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Book SynopsisKundera''s essay has been written like a novel. In the course of nine separate sections, the same characters meet and cross paths with each other. Stravinsky and Kafka with their odd friends Ansermet and Brod; Hemingway with his biographer; Janácek with his little nation; and Rabelais with his heirs - the great novelists.In the light of their wisdom this book examines some of the great situations of our time. The moral trial of the twentieth century''s art, from Celine to Mayakovsky; the passage of time which blurs the boundaries between the ''I'' of the present day and the ''I'' of the past; modesty as an essential concept in an age based on the individual and indiscretion which, as it becomes the habit and the norm, heralds the twilight of individualism; the testaments, the betrayed testaments - of Europe, of art, of the art of the novel and of artists.

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Book SynopsisSince The Paris Review was founded in 1953, it has given us invaluable conversations with the greatest writers of our age, vivid self-portraits that are themselves works of finely-crafted literature. The magazine has spoken with most of the world's leading novelists, poets and playwrights, and the interviews themselves have come to be recognised as classic words of literature in their own right. The series as a whole is indispensable for all writers and readers.This new volume in the series builds on the success and acclaim of the first two editions. The interviews:Ralph Ellison (1955)Georges Simenon (1955)Isak Dineson (1956)Evelyn Waugh (1963)William Carlos Williams (1964)Harold Pinter (1966)John Cheever (1976)Joyce Carol Oates (1978)Jean Rhys (1979)Raymond Carver (1983)Chinua Achebe (1994)Ted Hughes (1995)Jan Morris (1997)Martin Amis (1998)Salman Rushdie (2005)Norman Mailer (2007)Trade ReviewIndispensable reading for anybody interested in how writers work and why writing continues to work. * * Daily Telegraph * *If you want to get acquainted with your favourite writer, you could go to a reading or a book-signing. But to really know them, you should read a Paris Review interview. * * The Times * *I have been fascinated by the Paris Review interviews for as long as I can remember. Taken together they form perhaps the finest available inquiry into the 'how' of literature, in many ways a more interesting question than 'why'. * * Salman Rushdie * *For writing nerds, this is nirvana. -- Colin Waters * * Sunday Herald * *Anyone with the slightest pretension a literary life needs to read this collection. * * The London Paper * *this second collection [The Paris Review Interviews vol. 2] of the magazine's interviews with writers is rich in delight. -- Steven Poole * * Guardian * *...much like its predecessor is a bull's-eye...this is a bible both for readers and writers, the insider gossip for those who are truly passionate about their prose [vol. 2]. -- Francesca Segal * * Observer * *I have read all the copies of The Paris Review and like the interviews very much. They will make a good book when collected and that will be very good for the Review. * * Ernest Hemingway * *The Paris Review is the finest literary magazine of the moment, a great contradiction of the prevailing gloom over the status of literature in contemporary life, and its arrival in these islands is an event that calls for loud hurrahs. * * John Banville * *The distinguished reputation of The Paris Review's long-standing series of interviews with writers is upheld in this volume. * * Daily Telegraph * *

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Book Synopsis‘You are ambitious, Eustacia–no not exactly ambitious, luxurious. I ought to be of the same vein, to make you happy, I suppose’Tempestuous Eustacia Vye passes her days dreaming of passionate love and the escape it may bring from the small community of Egdon Heath.  Hearing that Clym Yeobright is to return from Paris, she sets her heart on marrying him, believing that through him she can leave rural life and find fulfilment elsewhere. But she is to be disappointed, for Clym has dreams of his own, and they have little in common with Eustacia’s. Their unhappy marriage causes havoc in the lives of those close to them, in particular Damon Wildeve, Eustacia’s former lover, Clym’s mother and his cousin Thomasin. The Return of the Native illustrates the tragic potential of romantic illusion and how its protagonists fail to recognize their opportunities to control their own destinies.Penny Boumelha’s introducTrade Review"This is the quality Hardy shares with the great writers...this setting behind the small action the terrific action of unfathomed nature."--D. H. Lawrence

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Book Synopsis''Literature is not innocent,'' stated Georges Bataille in this extraordinary 1957 collection of essays, arguing that only by acknowledging its complicity with the knowledge of evil can literature communicate fully and intensely. These literary profiles of eight authors and their work, including Emily Brontë''s Wuthering Heights, Baudelaire''s Les Fleurs du Mal and the writings of Sade, Kafka and Sartre, explore subjects such as violence, eroticism, childhood, myth and transgression, in a work of rich allusion and powerful argument.Trade ReviewBataille is one of the most important writers of the twentieth century -- Michel FoucaultBataille intellectualizes the erotic, as he eroticizes the intellect ... reading him can be a disturbing kind of game * The New York Times *

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Book Synopsis''A fascinating journey into our relationship with the physical book...I lost count of the times I exclaimed with delight when I read a nugget of information I hadn''t encountered before'' Val McDermid, The TimesMost of what we say about books is really about the words inside them: the rosy nostalgic glow for childhood reading, the lifetime companionship of a much-loved novel. But books are things as well as words, objects in our lives as well as worlds in our heads. And just as we crack their spines, loosen their leaves and write in their margins, so they disrupt and disorder us in turn. All books are, as Stephen King put it, ''a uniquely portable magic''. Here, Emma Smith shows us why.Portable Magic unfurls an exciting and iconoclastic new story of the book in human hands, exploring when, why and how it acquired its particular hold over us. Gathering together a millennium''s worth of pivotal encounters with volumes big and small, Smith reveals Trade ReviewIf you love books, you'll love Portable Magic -- Val McDermidFor many of us, books are the life we chose without thinking about it too much. Emma Smith's terrifically knowledgeable and thoughtful Portable Magic helps us understand every aspect of what our beloved books stand for. I for one am very grateful. What a delight this book is. -- Lynne TrussIrresistibly fascinating -- John CareyBrilliant... amusing, darkly sobering, and consistently fascinating ... a combination of deep scholarship and down-to-earth wit * Telegraph *Fun, playful, learned and accessible... Smith is herself a magical writer * BBC History Magazine *Smith's genius is to question as well as to value and register every contradiction - to make you, the reader, think without even suspecting that you are ... for communicating complex material in conversational, occasionally irreverent, prose -- Lucasta Miller * The Critic *Joyous ... thrilling ... A brilliantly written account of the book-as-material-object, and the slightly seedy pleasures of "bookhood" -- Kathryn Hughes * Guardian (Book of the Week) *Wildly entertaining ... This fascinating, slyly amusing book carries an undertow of personal affection for the curious, rectangular, multileaved objects with which we're so familiar * Sunday Times *Smith's enchanting book sparkles with gems of trivia that often conceal deeper truths about the evolution of reading and publishing. Fascinating, enlightening, funny and touching, this is indeed portable magic * Sydney Morning Herald *Emma Smith's history of the physical book is a thing to cherish ... witty and ingenious ... Smith reads with all her senses alert ... A wise, funny, endearingly personal book -- Peter Conrad * Observer *Anyone who's ever enjoyed the feel or indeed smell of a book should read Emma Smith's delightful and informative Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers -- Lucasta Miller * Spectator Books of the Year *From bullet-stopping Bibles to tomes bound in human skin, Smith's history of books revels in their magic and malignity. It skewers our faith in the written word yet repays it handsomely * Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisWycherley''s four comedies are admired for their satirical wit, farcical humour, vivid characterization, and social criticism.Love in a Wood, a lively comedy of intrigue, established him as a brilliant new dramatist.The Gentleman Dancing-Master, in contrast, disappointed contemporary audiences, but the central relationship between Hippolyta and Gerrard features an original and sympathetic study of a young woman''s attitudes and feelings. The Country Wife is a sharp but also highly amusing attack on social and sexual hypocrisy. The Plain Dealer, a powerful dramatic satire loosely based on Moliere''s Le Misanthrope, continues and enlarges Wycherley''s assault on greed and corruption.Under the General Editorship of Michael Cordner of the University of York, the texts of the plays have been newly edited and are presented with modernized spelling and punctuation. In addition, there is a scholarly introduction, a note on staging, and detailed annotation. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Table of ContentsLove in a Wood ; The Gentleman Dancing-Master ; The Country Wife ; The Plain Dealer

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Book SynopsisThe definitive biography of an extraordinary novelist, by acclaimed literary biographer Claire Harman''There was no possibility of taking a walk that day . . .'' With these words Charlotte Brontë began Jane Eyre and changed English literature irrevocably.Claire Harman''s landmark biography provides a bold new view of one of Britain''s best loved writers, uncovering an inner life that touched the furthest extremes of human emotion. Harman shows us an intense and troubled young woman from an astonishingly creative family, whose early works were produced in total secrecy. Struggling against the conventional limitations of both life and literature, Charlotte created a new kind of heroine which both shocked and inspired her Victorian contemporaries. Love, loss, ambition and heartbreak: the anonymous author poured everything into her ground-breaking books, but lived it first.''Harman [is] a master-storyteller in her own right. Her account of Bronte''s life is a level-headed, highly readable and always intelligent. A delight from start to finish'' Sunday Times ''Subtle, measured. Full of insight into Bronte''s fiery intellect as well as the tragic intensity of her experience'' Helen Dunmore, Observer ''Three rounds of applause... a superb retelling of Charlotte''s story'' Mark Bostridge, Spectator Trade ReviewHarman's sane, unshowy re-telling is exactly right for the bicentenary next April. The result is a retooled classic biographical narrative, shipshape and serviceable for the next 200 years * The Guardian *Finely judged and authoritative * Sunday Times Book of the Week *Elegantly written, consistently perceptive...[Harman] succeeds in bringing Charlotte back to life in all her spiky vulnerability * Daily Mail Book of the Week *This is a comprehensive biography to enjoy and admire. Harman writes well and she is a fine and sensitive critic * The Times *Harman... portrays Bronte's complexity and dark genius in elegant prose with deep human sympathy * The Lady *Superb retelling of Charlotte's story (...) admirably concise * The Spectator *Harman tells [Charlotte's] story with quick wit, a sharp sympathy, and a fire and fury of her own * Evening Standard *Full of pleasing and piquant detail, scraps of passing recollection assembled from the various lives and letters in which the Brontes featured and from which we might reconstruct their world * Financial Times *Elegant, sensitive, beautifully paced and moving. [Claire Harman] has... produced a work that is affirmative, edifying, inspiring and humane * Sunday Express *Revelatory (...) adds freshness and texture to her account with original speculations. As someone who once wrote a book about the Brontës' afterlives, few people can have read as many biographies of them as I have. I thought I was Brontë-ed out, but reading this book-which will be equally accessible to someone coming to Charlotte for the first time-has drawn me back in * Lucasta Miller, The Independent *Three rounds of applause...for Claire Harman's superb retelling of Charlotte's story -- Mark Bostridge, The Spectator[An] excellent new bicentennial biography....Ms. Harman writes with warmth and a fine understanding of Ms. Brontë's literary significance. Above all, she is a storyteller, with a sense of pace and timing, relish for a good scene and a wry sense of humour * Economist *A vigorous new biography (...) Harman does a splendid job * Mail on Sunday *An immensely readable biography * Woman and Home *A substantial biography (...) that lets the disparate pieces speak for themselves * Daily Telegraph *Harman renders her daring novels fresh, interweaving what shocked critics then with what surprises us still * Sunday Telegraph *Prepare to suffer similar time-loss at the hands of Harman, Brontë's most recent biographer and a master storyteller in her own right. Level-headed, highly readable and always intelligent, Harman's account of Brontë's life and work is a delight from start to finish * Sunday Times *A subtle, measured biography, full of insight into Bronte's fiery intellect as well as the tragic intensity of her experience -- Helen Dunmore, ObserverHarman brings a fresh eye to many of the same papers studied by Gaskell to compile her Charlotte Brontë: A Life. The Gothic atmosphere and heart-breaking details remain, but Harman achieves a great feat by making the story seem new again -- Marcus Field, Independent

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Book SynopsisThe National Book Award–winning author of Year of the Monkey, Just Kids, and M Train offers a rare, intimate account of her own creative processTrade Review“Devotion is short enough to devour at one enjoyable sitting and thought-provoking enough to deserve re-reading. . . . It’s a privilege to spend any time with Patti Smith, however brief.”—Suzi Feay, Financial Times“A triptych of compact, heartfelt essays on discovery, solitude and writing.”—Darragh McManus, Irish Independent“By turns allegorical, metaphysical, fictional and factual, Devotion shows rather than tells what it means to give a life to writing. A master of poetic innovation, Smith takes her style to the next level in this slim volume.”—Katherine Cooper, Hyperallergic

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Book SynopsisFirst published to celebrate Faber's 90th anniversary, this is the story of one of the world's greatest publishing houses a delight for all readers who are curious about the business of writing.''A striking drama.''SUNDAY TIMES''Never less than fascinating.''DAILY TELEGRAPH''This book will fascinate anyone with an interest in twentieth-century literature . . . a treasure trove.''SCOTSMAN''The details here do consistently shine.''NEW YORK TIMES''Ingeniously compiled . . . charming and quirky''EVENING STANDARDTold in its own words, this is the story of one of the world's greatest publishers, capturing the excitement, hopes and fears of the people who published and wrote the books that line our shelves today. Including archive material from T. S. Eliot, Samuel Beckett, Seamus Heaney, P. D. James, Kazuo Ishiguro and Philip Larkin, this is both

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Book SynopsisIs a facsimile an edition? In answering this question in relation to Shakespeare, and to early modern writing in general, the author explores the interrelationship between the beginning of the conventional process of collecting and editing Shakespeare's plays and the increasing sophistication of facsimiles.Table of ContentsIntroduction: What is a Facsimile and Why Does It Matter?; 1. The Pre-History of Facsimiles: Eighteenth-Century Editing; 2. Searching for Reproduction: Traced and Type-Facsimiles; 3. The Photographic Era; 4. New Bibliography, New Facsimiles; 5. The Hinman Folio Facsimile and Reproduction as a Manipulated Ideal Text; 6. The Microfilm Revolution; 7. The Resilience of Books and the Resurrection of Old Editions; 8. Screen and Page: Digital Facsimiles; 9. New Textualism and the Exploded Original; 10. Endless Facsimiles and the Shakespeare Original(s); Coda; Glossary.

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Book Synopsis''Hemingway''s world was close and uncomfortable and itchy and sweaty and frequently exhausting . . . This stuff was too good to be wasted on school exams. I must be bold and fearless and go out there and do it myself''Join Michael Palin as he journeys from the forests of North Michigan to the bars of Cuba in a quest to unravel some of the myths of Ernest Hemingway''s life. Along the way he encounters the running of the bulls in Pamplona, stands at the site of Hemingway''s plane crash in Uganda and feels the rush of marlin fishing on the Gulf Stream in this wonderful blend of pilgrimage and adventure.

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Book SynopsisValery Podoroga was one of the most important thinkers of his generation. Here his most famous work is translated into English for the first time. In it he gives a panorama view of Russian writing, focusing in on the work of Nikolai Gogol, Fyodor Dostoevsky and Andrei Bely. He identifies these authors as pioneers in creating an 'other literature'. This constituted a new form of mimesis or vision of the world, in opposition to the Imperial and national myths.In Mimesis Podoroga develops and elaborates his analytic anthropological approach on these authors with startling effect, excavating the identities and forms of Russian literature, and society. He places an emphasis on how a literary work is a process of world building: both internally by creating a fictive world, but also how it reflects the wider world in which it was produced, and the power with which it changes the world. Finally, the literary work's ability to exist in a time that is other than its own time, a time where it does not have a contemporary reader and an author who exercises his will, but where it nonetheless continues to mean something. Mimesis is rightly seen as the masterwork of one of the world's leading literary thinkers.Trade Review"Podoroga has long been heralded as a quasi-patron saint of post-Soviet philosophy. . . Podoroga liberates classics of Russian literature from questions of historicism or fidelity to an external reality."—Marxism and Philosophy

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Book SynopsisThis is the first comparative study of the distinctive literatures and cultures that have developed in Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland since political devolution in the late 1990s, especially surrounding Brexit. The book argues that in conceptualising their cultures as ‘national’, each nation is caught up in a creative tension between emulating forms of cultural production found in the others to assert common aspirations, and downplaying those connections in order to forge a sense of cultural distinctiveness. The author explores the resulting dilemmas, with chapters analysing the growth of the creative industries; the relationship between UK City of Culture and its forerunner, the European Capital of Culture; national book prizes in Britain and Europe; British variations on Nordic Noir TV; and the Brexit novel. With regard to separate cultural precursors and responses in each nation, Brexit itself is debated as a factor that has widened their differences, placing the future of the UK in question.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Introduction: Compatriots or Competitors? Chapter 1: From Counter Culture to Creative Industries Chapter 2: The Cultural Capital of Capitals of Culture Chapter 3: Imaging Northern Europe: British Varieties of Nordic Noir Chapter 4: Aspiration by Proxy: National Book Awards in International Markets Chapter 5: Brexit and Beyond Afterword: Brexit and Coronavirus References

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Book SynopsisThe Holy Mountain of Athos is a self governing monastic republic on a peninsula in Northern Greece. Standing on the shores of the Aegean Sea is one of the twenty ruling monasteries that comprise the republic, that of St Panteleimon, known in Greek as the Rossikon. It's building, fully restored in recent years, can accommodate up to 5,000 men, reflecting the scale of the settlement at its apogee in the nineteenth century and prior to the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 it has experienced a strong revival and is now one of the most numerous of the twenty.But the vast buildings that can be seen today are really only a reflection of the history of the past two centuries. Much less well known is the fact that the history of a Russian presence on Athos goes back more than one thousand years. This is the first comprehensive account of this in the English language. The author has been able to draw from previously inaccessible archival materials in gathering the wealth of information he shares in this work. The history of the community is not described in geographical isolation but shown as interacting with the much wider worlds of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires and the modern nation state of Greece, together with that of the Russian homeland whose political character is constantly evolving. There are shown to be three distinct phases in this history: From the tenth to the twelfth centuries when Russian Athonites inhabited the ancient Russian Lavra of the Mother of God, also known as Xylourgou. Then the six hundred years from the mid-twelth to the mid-eighteenth century when the ancient Monastery of St Panteleimon was the Russian house on Athos, more commonly referred to as Nagorny or Stary Rusik. Finally the most recent 250 years, that are naturally covered in greater depth thanks to the wider availability of sources.Amongst the themes explored in the book are ethnic relations, the Pan-Orthodox ideal, the role of money and political pressure, sanctity and heroism in adversity, and the importance of historical memory and precedent. The author seeks to arbitrate fairly between often strongly opposing ethnic viewpoints.It examines in detail the fluctuating fortunes of the monastic community of St Panteleimon during the past 250 years when its ethnic identity was frequently questioned. It is a history that has been blighted by Greek-Russian quarrels, mass deportation of dissenting brethren, troubles in the Caucasus, and even tangential implication in the present-day dispute between the Ecumenical and Moscow Patriarchates over Ukraine.This text will be invaluable to both academic historians and the general educated reader who does not possess specialist knowledge. It is complimented by a timeline, glossary, comprehensive bibliography, index, full colour illustrations and photographs.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 - The Monastery’s Early History: from Xylourgou to the Old Mountain Rusik 2 - From Savvas to Gerasim 3 - The Return of the Russians in the Reign of Abbot Gerasimos 4 - The New Spiritual Father and Leader of the Russian Brotherhood is Chosen 5 - The Crimean War 6 - The Greek and Russian Brotherhoods at Loggerheads 7 - The Reign of Archimandrite Makary 8 - Makary’s Successors, Abbots Andrey and Nifont 1889–1905 9 - Archimandrite Misail 10- The Name of God Dispute 11 - From 1913 to Abbot Misail’s Death in 1940 12- The Next Four Abbots: from Iustin to Avel´ (1940–1978) 13 - From Ieremiya to Evlogy Afterword Timeline Notes Glossary Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis‘Everything you ever wanted to know about cats in books. A wonderful idea, beautifully executed.’ - Viv Groskop Cats have provided the inspiration for an incredible range of fiction, memoir and poetry, from ancient myths and fables to much-loved children’s books, and from classic tales to contemporary novels. Featuring such famous feline characters as Puss in Boots, Tom Kitten, Pangur Bán, the Cheshire Cat, Macavity, Pluto and Bob the street cat, this light-hearted book is a whirlwind journey through the history of literary cats, uncovering their domestication, early cultural beginnings and religious associations, exploring their roles in different literary genres and revealing some real-life authors’ cats, including those belonging to Edgar Allen Poe, Ernest Hemingway, Patricia Highsmith and Muriel Spark. A section on cats in world literature introduces narrator cats and cat companions from Japan, Eastern Europe, France, Greece, Germany and Finland, demonstrating their enduring worldwide appeal. A must for all cat-lovers, this book celebrates the inspirational connections between our favourite feline friends and the literary imagination.Table of ContentsContents Introduction Felines of Note Classic Cats Poetical Cats Books for Kittens Talking Cats Authors and their Cats Astrocats Cats in Fact Cats in Translation Notes Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisEasy to use in the classroom or as a tool for revision, Oxford Literature Companions provide student-friendly analysis of a range of popular A Level set texts. Each book offers a lively, engaging approach to the text, covering characterisation and role, genre, context, language, themes, structure, performance and critical views, whilst also providing a range of varied and in-depth activities to deepen understanding and encourage close work with the text. Each book also includes a comprehensive Skills and Practice section, which provides detailed advice on assessment and a bank of exam-style questions and annotated sample student answers. This guide covers Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, is suitable for all exam boards and for the most recent AS/A level specifications.

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Book SynopsisThis is the first comprehensive collection of hands-on, active learning exercises for the college literature classroom, offering ideas and inspiration for new and veteran teachers alike. These 101 surefire lesson plans present creative and interactive activities to get all your students talking and learning, from the first class to final review. WhTrade Review"Steal from this book: Diana Fuss and William Gleason want you to. Bringing together an astonishing range of tips on an astounding range of literatures, this is a pedagogical care package for days when you're `off,' or students are tired, or the ice needs to be broken again, or you just want to shake things up. These tricks of the trade are more than surefire: they redefine the art of teaching literature."—Scott Herring, Indiana University"This thoroughly compelling book—the first collection of student-centered teaching tools for English instructors—will be useful to a wide range of teachers."—Maurice S. Lee, Boston University"Refreshingly hands-on without being reductive, this book makes an important contribution to undergraduate teaching and learning. By coming out in favor of active learning and student engagement, it positions itself at the head of a pack of bestsellers on the craft of teaching. But it outdistances them by calling on a wide range of expert teachers to share lessons gleaned from their experiences."—Jennifer Summit, San Francisco State University"From the insightful introduction to the systematic collection of diverse approaches to deep learning, this is a treasure chest that will help transform the literature classroom from a passive space to an active, engaged environment in which students encounter literature in new and exciting ways. Every literature teacher will find plenty of ideas and clever tactics to stimulate his or her teaching. New faculty should find it indispensable."—John Zubizarreta, Columbia College (South Carolina)Table of Contents*Frontmatter, pg. i*Contents, pg. v*Introduction, pg. xi*Discussions-collaborative classroom activities for promoting discussion, pg. 1*Essentials-classic literary exercises everyone should try, pg. 27*Stories-narrative, plot, setting, structure, character, point of view, beginnings, endings, ethics, pg. 45*Poems-content, form, language, sound, meter, pg. 95*Plays-interpretation, genre, character, staging, performance, context, pg. 147*Genres-identifying, rethinking, and switching genres, pg. 197*Canons-using, debating, and building canons, pg. 219*Words-understanding, defining, and relating words, pg. 241*Styles-naming, describing, and imitating styles, pg. 263*Pictures-drawing, printing, and viewing pictures, pg. 285*Objects-touching, making, and interpreting objects, pg. 309*About the Editors, pg. 333*Contributors, pg. 335*Four Cross- Indexes to Help You Plan Ahead, pg. 339*General Index, pg. 341

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Book SynopsisThis book gives a radically new reading of Russia s cultural history. Alexander Etkind traces how the Russian Empire conquered foreign territories and domesticated its own heartlands, thereby colonizing many peoples, Russians included.Trade Review"Thought provoking, at times arguably paradigm shifting" Slavic and Eastern European Journal "Internal Colonization might be said to inject postcolonial theory into Russian studies. This, however, would be to understate the case. Russia, in Etkind's account, is no mere latecomer to the postcolonial feast: in so many ways, it got there first. Etkind has confirmed what Russianists have suspected for a while without quite being able to prove the point: that Russia's peculiarly vocal subalterns have at least as much to bring to 'Western' cultural theory as they stand to gain from it." Times Literary Supplement "The cumulative power of Etkind's argument constitutes an impressive scholarly achievement, offering a coherent yet richly detailed account of Russia's centuries-long experience of internal colonisation." Times Higher Education "A coherent and cogent, as well as an original and witty investigation … the text itself teems with intriguing Tristram Shandean excursions." Journal of European Studies "Etkind highlights what is at the core of the Russian Empire building process. Beyond objective specific facts [Etkind] goes deep into Russian history and culture to emphasize and explain the heuristic idea 'how to colonize oneself'." The Global Journal "A thought-provoking work of scholarship that will inspire both controversies and useful new approaches to Russian history and culture: to paraphrase Levi-Strauss, it is good to think with." The Russian Review "A gripping read. Etkind combines an energetic pace with a multitude of sources … Etkind has succeeded in presenting an entirely readable text that will appeal to anyone interested in Russian imperial history, Russian literature, or the literature and culture of a colonial and postcolonial society." Melbourne Historical Journal "A fresh and entertaining work that is beautifully written … Etkind persuasively demonstrates that post-Soviet postcolonial studies should shift their focus from chasing the unresolvable historical justice to pursuing original, creative and challenging research to support competennt discussion of the controversial issues." Ideology and Politics "Not only useful but also very enjoyable...It is safe to consider this as one of the best books of 2011 in its category and it will definitely have an impact on Russian studies for many years to come." Journal of Eurasian Studies "An exhaustingly original book, beautifully written and crafted so as to be eminently quotable. It will stand for decades to come as the central volume in the larger debates on empire." Nancy Condee, University of Pittsburgh "An erudite and incisive interpretation of Russian history and culture. Indeed, one of the great virtues of this book is its sweeping range, covering several centuries of history and culture. It is well-known that Russia was a great and expansive empire. Etkind provides a striking new lens for seeing Russian culture and history, one that stresses the enduring process of internal colonization. Beyond scholars of Russia, this book should appeal to those interested in questions of colonialism and post-colonialism and in issues of comparative empire." Peter Holquist, University of Pennsylvania "Combining literary and historiographical evidence, Alexander Etkind elucidates the processes of 'self-' or 'internal colonization' the Russian imperial state carried out in its heartland in tandem with colonizing practices deployed in its farthest corners. With wit and erudition, Internal Colonization provides an original and fascinating account of Orientalism's genealogies, the complexity of its global enactments, and the fantasia of its imperial, 'self-colonizing' logic on the newly-illuminated stage of the Second World." Nancy Ruttenburg, Stanford Center for the Study of the NovelTable of ContentsIntroductionPart One. The Non-Traditional OrientChapter 1. Less than One and DoubleChapter 2. WorldlinessPart Two. Writing from ScratchChapter 3. Chasing RurikChapter 4. To Colonize OneselfChapter 5. Barrels of FurPart 3. Empire of the TsarsChapter 6. Occult InstabilityChapter 7. Disciplinary GearsChapter 8. Internal AffairsPart 4. Shaved Man's BurdenChapter 9. Philosophy under Russian Rule Chapter 10. Sects and Revolution Chapter 11. Re-Enchanting the DarknessChapter 12. Sacrificial Plotlines Conclusion

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Book SynopsisA working father whose life no longer feels like his own discovers the transforming powers of great (and downright terrible) literature in this laugh-out-loud memoir.Andy Miller had a job he quite liked, a family he loved and no time at all for reading. Or so he kept telling himself. But, no matter how busy or tired he was, something kept niggling at him. Books. Books he'd always wanted to read. Books he'd said he'd read, when he hadn't. Books that whispered the promise of escape from the 6.44 to London. And so, with the turn of a page, began a year of reading that was to transform Andy's life completely.This book is Andy's inspirational and very funny account of his expedition through literature: classic, cult and everything in-between. Crack the spine of your unread Middlemarch', discover what The Da Vinci Code' and Moby-Dick' have in common (everything, surprisingly) and knock yourself out with a new-found enthusiasm for Tolstoy, Douglas Adams and The Epic of Gilgamesh'. The Year ofTrade Review‘Like nothing else I have ever read – a combination of criticism and memoir that is astute, tender, funny and often wickedly ironic’ Peter Conrad, Observer ‘Very funny … this is “High Fidelity” for bookworms’ Christian House, Daily Telegraph ‘Brilliant. All these books should count themselves lucky to have been read by Andy Miller’ Stewart Lee ‘A readable, often funny account … This is much more than a succession of verdicts on famous books. It’s also an autobiography told through books … reminiscent both in style and perceptiveness of Nick Hornby. Miller’s theme is that books aren’t separate from life … Perhaps one book never changed anyone’s life; but 50 of them can.’ Brandon Robshaw, Independent ‘Hilarious and touching … If you don’t like to read, this book is probably not for you, but Dan Brown remains on sale’ Jenny Colgan, author of ‘Welcome to Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop of Dreams’ ‘I loved this book … challenging, controversial and very funny’ David Nobbs, author of ‘The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin’ ‘Andy Miller is a very funny writer. And this hymn to reading is a delight. The chapter on Herman Melville and Dan Brown had me howling with pleasure. PS. It will also make you feel a bit well-read’ Matt Haig, author of ‘The Humans’ ‘Brilliant’ Lucy Mangan, author of ‘My Family and Other Disasters’ ‘Andy Miller was leading a normal life of quiet desperation when he discovered that he was no longer reading with any plan or pleasure. Usually books about books as therapy are resistible but “The Year of Reading Dangerously” is a sweet exception. Amiable, circumstantial, amusing, charming’ The Times ‘A witty self-help guide to managing one’s bookshelves’ TLS ‘Like Bill Bryson being locked in the British Library for his own good, “The Year of Reading Dangerously” is clever, inspiring and – shh! – laugh-out-loud funny’ Neil Perryman, author of ‘Adventures with the Wife in Space’ ‘By turns witty and profound’ Daily Telegraph

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Book SynopsisYork Notes Advanced offer a fresh and accessible approach to English Literature. This market-leading series has been completely updated to meet the needs of today's A-level and undergraduate students. Written by established literature experts, York Notes Advanced intorduce students to more sophisticated analysis, a range of critical perspectives and wider contexts.Table of Contents Part 1: Introduction Part 2: The Text Part 3: Critical Approaches Part 4: Critical History Part 5: Background Further Reading Literacy Terms

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Book SynopsisYork Notes Advanced offer a fresh and accessible approach to English Literature. This market-leading series has been completely updated to meet the needs of today's A-level and undergraduate students, introducing them to more sophisticated analysis, a range of critical perspectives and wider contexts.Table of Contents Part 1: Introduction Part 2: The Text Part 3: Critical Approaches Part 4: Critical History Part 5: Background Further Reading Literacy Terms

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Book SynopsisIn his Confessions Jean-Jacques Rousseau tells the story of his life, from the formative experience of his humble childhood in Geneva, through the achievement of international fame as novelist and philosopher in Paris, to his wanderings as an exile, persecuted by governments and alienated from the world of modern civilization. In trying to explain who he was and how he came to be the object of others' admiration and abuse, Rousseau analyses with uniqueinsight the relationship between an elusive but essential inner self and the variety of social identities he was led to adopt. The book vividly illustrates the mixture of moods and motives that underlie the writing of autobiography: defiance and vulnerability, self-exploration and denial, passion, puzzlement,and detachment. Above all, Confessions is Rousseau's search, through every resource of language, to convey what he despairs of putting into words: the personal quality of one's own existence.

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Book SynopsisThe story of Manon Lescaut is a tale of passion and betrayal, of delinquency and misalliance, which moves from eighteenth-century Paris - with its theatres, assemblies, and gaming-houses - via prison and deportation to a tragic denouement among the treeless waste of Louisiana. It is one of the great love stories, and also one of the most enigmatic. This new translation includes the vignette and eight illustrations that were published in the edition of1753.Trade Review'an excellent new translation of Manon Lescaut, with a number of useful and welcome features' * MLR *

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