Disciplined Exuberance


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Flannery O'Connor


Book Description

Despite Flannery O'Connor's brief life, her work, comprising novels, short stories, essays, and articles, has had a great impact on American literature and to some extent popular culture, of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Her writing has become well loved, well read, and often studied. This book reprints complete book reviews and excerpts from review essays on the works of Flannery O'Connor that appeared in newspapers and periodicals during the author's writing life (1945-64) and after her early death. The more than four hundred edited reviews are prefaced with a substantial Introduction that situates O'Connor within the critical milieu of post-war American letters and Southern literary tradition, and provides an overview of contemporary critical responses to her collected stories, novels, and occasional pieces. An important resource for scholars of O'Connor and of Southern literature generally, this volume reveals much about her early reception and the continuing relevance of her work.




The Seven Basic Plots


Book Description

This remarkable and monumental book at last provides a comprehensive answer to the age-old riddle of whether there are only a small number of 'basic stories' in the world. Using a wealth of examples, from ancient myths and folk tales via the plays and novels of great literature to the popular movies and TV soap operas of today, it shows that there are seven archetypal themes which recur throughout every kind of storytelling. But this is only the prelude to an investigation into how and why we are 'programmed' to imagine stories in these ways, and how they relate to the inmost patterns of human psychology. Drawing on a vast array of examples, from Proust to detective stories, from the Marquis de Sade to E.T., Christopher Booker then leads us through the extraordinary changes in the nature of storytelling over the past 200 years, and why so many stories have 'lost the plot' by losing touch with their underlying archetypal purpose. Booker analyses why evolution has given us the need to tell stories and illustrates how storytelling has provided a uniquely revealing mirror to mankind's psychological development over the past 5000 years. This seminal book opens up in an entirely new way our understanding of the real purpose storytelling plays in our lives, and will be a talking point for years to come.




New Approaches to Medieval Architecture


Book Description

This collection of essays presents the exciting and innovative work being done in the field of medieval architectural history by scholars affiliated with AVISTA, one of the most active sponsors of such research in the Anglo-American scholarly community. These studies constitute a snapshot of the range of new interpretive strategies being deployed by researchers in the reassessment of previous scholarship and identification of new modes of inquiry. In recent years, the study of medieval architecture has been transformed by the emergence of new critical perspectives and new technologies. The contributors to this book are among those at the forefront of these developments. Several of the essays present dramatic reinterpretations of canonical monuments including the Abbey of Saint-Denis, Beauvais Cathedral and Notre-Dame in Paris. Others consider broader methodological issues such as the applications of geometry, workshop practice, and the shaping of historical narratives. Still others demonstrate how high-tech scanning and visualization methods can enhance our understanding of construction methods and the behavior of buildings. The publication of this collection of pioneering essays should foster further exploration by clarifying the state of research, by establishing specific historical arguments, and by providing models of inquiry to inspire emerging scholars.




Skiing


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Viewing Renaissance Art


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This book focuses on the values, priorities, and motives of patrons and the purposes and functions of art works produced north and south of the Alps and in post-Byzantine Crete. It begins by considering the social range and character of Renaissance patronage and ends with a study of Hans Holbein the Younger and the reform of religious images in Basle and England. Viewing Renaissance Art considers a wide range of audiences and patrons from the rulers of France to the poorest confraternities in Florence. The overriding premise is that art was not a neutral matter of stylistic taste but an aspect of material production in which values were invested--whether religious, cultural, social, or political.




Reading Architecture and Culture


Book Description

Architecture displays the values involved in its inhabitation, construction, procurement and design. It traces the thinking of the individuals who have participated in it, their relationships, and their involvement in the cultures where they lived and worked. In this way, buildings, their details, and the documents used to make them, can be read closely for cultural insights. Introducing the idea of reading buildings as cultural artefacts, this book presents perceptive readings by eminent writers which demonstrate the power of this approach. The chapters show that close readings of architecture and its materials can test commonplace assumptions, help architects to appreciate the contexts in which they work, and indicate ways to think more astutely about design. The readings collected in this innovative and accessible book address buildings, specifications and photographs. They range in time from the fifteenth century – examining the only surviving drawing made by Leon Battista Alberti – to the recent past – projects completed by Norman Foster in 2006 and Herzog and De Meuron in 2008. They range geographically from France to Puerto Rico to Kazakhstan and they range in fame from buildings celebrated by critics to house extensions and motorway service areas. Taken together, these essays demonstrate important research methods which yield powerful insights for designers, critics and historians, and lessons for students.




A Companion to Medieval Art


Book Description

A fully updated and comprehensive companion to Romanesque and Gothic art history This definitive reference brings together cutting-edge scholarship devoted to the Romanesque and Gothic traditions in Northern Europe and provides a clear analytical survey of what is happening in this major area of Western art history. The volume comprises original theoretical, historical, and historiographic essays written by renowned and emergent scholars who discuss the vibrancy of medieval art from both thematic and sub-disciplinary perspectives. Part of the Blackwell Companions to Art History, A Companion to Medieval Art, Second Edition features an international and ambitious range of contributions covering reception, formalism, Gregory the Great, pilgrimage art, gender, patronage, marginalized images, the concept of spolia, manuscript illumination, stained glass, Cistercian architecture, art of the crusader states, and more. Newly revised edition of a highly successful companion, including 11 new articles Comprehensive coverage ranging from vision, materiality, and the artist through to architecture, sculpture, and painting Contains full-color illustrations throughout, plus notes on the book’s many distinguished contributors A Companion to Medieval Art: Romanesque and Gothic in Northern Europe, Second Edition is an exciting and varied study that provides essential reading for students and teachers of Medieval art.




Magic Statements (1916 +) to Be Romantic and Make a Girl Feel Special


Book Description

The Miracle! In this book Nicholas presents you a practical, unique, subliminal, very simple, detailed method of how to Be Romantic and Make a Girl Feel Special. You will feel the effects immediately and the results will appear very quickly! So it was in my case. You will not achieve fulfillment and happiness until YOU become the architect of your own reality. Imagine that with a few moments each day, you could begin the powerful transformation toward complete control of your own life and well being through this unique, subliminal method combined with positive affirmations. The order of words is extremely important for every book written by Nicholas. These are arranged to be traversed in a certain way so as to eliminate certain blockages in the human being, blockages that are bringing disease or failure on various plans. You don't need a big chunk of your time or expensive programs. Everything is extremely simple! Health, money, prosperity, abundance, safety, stability, sociability, charisma, sexual vitality, erotic attraction, will, optimism, perseverance, self-confidence, tenacity, courage, love, loving relationships, self-control, self-esteem, enthusiasm , refinement, intuition, detachment, intelligence, mental calm, power of concentration, exceptional memory, aspiration, transcendence, wisdom, compassion. You have the ability to unlock your full inner-potential and achieve your ultimate goals. This is the age-old secret of the financial elite, world class scholars, and Olympic champions. For example, when you watch the Olympics, you'll find one consistency in all of the champions. Each one closes their eyes for a moment and clearly affirms & visualizes themselves completing the event flawlessly just before starting. Then they win gold medals and become champions. That's merely one example of how the real power of mind can elevate you above any of life's challenges. By reading this book, you will feel totally that life deserves to be lived and enjoyed every moment and that everything that you propose for yourself becomes easy for you to fulfill. Nicholas will guide you to touch your longed-for dream and will make you see life from a new perspective, full of freshness and success. This book helps you step by step, in a natural way, in just 3 minutes a day, to change your misguided way of thinking and to Be Romantic and Make a Girl Feel Special. (NOTE: For good, Nicholas keep the price of the book as lower as he can, even if is a hard work behind this project. A significant portion of the earnings from the sale of the book are used for these purposes: for charity, volunteer projects, nature restoration, and other inspired ideas to do good where it is needed. If you can not afford to buy the book please contact Nicholas and he will give you a free copy.) You, also have a bonus in the pages of the book that makes you live your success by doing a seemingly trivial thing. You will feel the difference. Yes. The Miracle is possible! Get Your Copy Now!




Ski


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