The Red Shoes


Book Description

A poor girl, adopted by a rich old woman after the death of her mother, grows up to be vain and spoilt. She buys a pair of red shoes and wears them everywhere, even when she is asked not to. Because of her disobedience, the shoes become cursed and the girl must dance continuously, unable to remove the red shoes.




Son of Gun in Cheek


Book Description

Follow-up to the Edgar Award-nominated Gun in Cheek further celebrates neglected classics of substandard mystery writing, uncovering even more twisted treasures for connoisseurs of hideous prose.




Who Done It?


Book Description




Emerald City Confidential


Book Description

"Dorothy Gale the current mayor of the Emerald City and wealthy socialite’s daughter has been murdered. Walter Diggs a former palace guard turned private detective is hired to investigate and uncover what the tin men didn’t find. What he does find will shake Oz to its very core. Drugs, sex, murder, corruption, and deception. The dark side of Oz you never knew about but always wanted to."




Emotion Pictures


Book Description

This book investigates a group of exceptional films that single-mindedly consider one particular emotion – be it pity, lust, grief, or anxiety – to examine cinematic emotion in depth. Drawing on philosophical and psychological approaches, Fischer’s unique analysis offers unparalleled case studies for comprehending emotion in the movies. The book provides the reader with an opportunity to contemplate what notion of a particular emotion is advanced onscreen; to describe how the unique tools and aesthetics of cinema are utilized to do so; to place such representations in dialogue with film theory as well as philosophical and psychological commentary; and to illustrate the important dichotomy between filmic portrayals and audience response. Beyond film and media scholars and students, this book will have resonance for academics and practitioners in several fields of psychology, including social work, psychiatry, and therapy.




Archetypes and Motifs in Folklore and Literature: A Handbook


Book Description

This is an authoritative presentation and discussion of the most basic thematic elements universally found in folklore and literature. The reference provides a detailed analysis of the most common archetypes or motifs found in the folklore of selected communities around the world. Each entry is written by a noted authority in the field, and includes accompanying reference citations. Entries are keyed to the Motif-Index of Folk Literature by Stith Thompson and grouped according to that Index's scheme. The reference also includes an introductory essay on the concepts of archetypes and motifs and the scholarship associated with them. This is the only book in English on motifs and themes that is completely folklore oriented, deals with motif numbers, and is tied to the Thompson Motif-Index. It includes in-depth examination of such motifs as: Bewitching; Chance and Fate; Choice of Roads; Death or Departure of the Gods; the Double; Ghosts and Other Revenants; the Hero Cycle; Journey to the Otherworld; Magic Invulnerability; Soothsayer; Transformation; Tricksters.




The Crossroads of Justice


Book Description

An analysis of the cultural and social functions of law, legal processes and legal rituals in late medieval northern France. It interprets the various influences upon the shaping of law as a cultural manifestation and its application as an actual system of justice.




Death Wears a Big Hat


Book Description

Here it is: the long awaited sequel to the cult-classic Bodies. Travel with the motleyest crew of reluctant companions the fictional world described by this book has ever seen. There's Gilbert, a bigoted former knight and idiot savant of swordplay, Carmelita, the sultry, seductive elf wench, Zappa, the world's most effeminate male dragon, and many, many more. They must save the world from destruction at the hands of a raging mega-demon by reassembling the Ring of Serpentium, the one item capable to stopping the demon's rampage across the known world.Death Wears a Big Hat picks up where Bodies left off and is nothing less than a full-throttle sleigh ride to the summit of Mount Excitement!




The Red Shoes


Book Description

Endlessly fascinating, dark and bright, The Red Shoes (1948) employs every branch of the cinematic arts to sweep the audience off its feet, invigorated by the transcendence of art itself, only to leave them with troubling questions. Representing the climax of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's celebrated run of six exceptional feature films, the film remains a beloved, if unsettling and often divisive, classic. Pamela Hutchinson's study of the film examines its breathtaking use of Technicolor, music, choreography, editing and art direction at the zenith of Powell and Pressburger's capacity for 'composed cinema'. Through a close reading of key scenes, particularly the film's famous extended ballet sequence, she considers the unconventional use of ballet as uncanny spectacle and the feminist implications of the central story of female sacrifice. Hutchinson goes on to consider the film's lasting and wide-reaching influence, tracing its impact on the film musical genre and horror cinema, with filmmakers such as Joanna Hogg, Sally Potter, Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma having cited the film as an inspiration.




The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales


Book Description

In over 1,000 entries, this acclaimed Companion covers all aspects of the Western fairy tale tradition, from medieval to modern, under the guidance of Professor Jack Zipes. It provides an authoritative reference source for this complex and captivating genre, exploring the tales themselves, the writers who wrote and reworked them, and the artists who illustrated them. It also covers numerous related topics such as the fairy tale and film, television, art, opera, ballet, the oral tradition, music, advertising, cartoons, fantasy literature, feminism, and stamps. First published in 2000, 130 new entries have been added to account for recent developments in the field, including J. K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins, and new articles on topics such as cognitive criticism and fairy tales, digital fairy tales, fairy tale blogs and websites, and pornography and fairy tales. The remaining entries have been revised and updated in consultation with expert contributors. This second edition contains beautifully designed feature articles highlighting countries with a strong fairy tale tradition, covering: Britain and Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, North America and Canada, Portugal, Scandinavian countries, Slavic and Baltic countries, and Spain. It also includes an informative and engaging introduction by the editor, which sets the subject in its historical and literary context. A detailed and updated bibliography provides information about background literature and further reading material. In addition, the A to Z entries are accompanied by over 60 beautiful and carefully selected black and white illustrations. Already renowned in its field, the second edition of this unique work is an essential companion for anyone interested in fairy tales in literature, film, and art; and for anyone who values the tradition of storytelling.