Popular Texts in English


Book Description

This book comprises a collection of articles devoted to the academic study of popular texts in English. Authors analyse genres which had been habitually looked down on by canonical approaches to literature and art. They take into serious consideration forms like horror literature, the gothic, fantasy, de-tective fiction, science fiction, best-sellers, films and television series of different kinds... among some other representations of what conservative scholars had been considering as marginal. The referential richness of the perspectives reflected here demonstrates that popular texts can be enjoyable for readers and audiences, at the same time that they can be significant in order to reach a better understanding of our culture and ourselves at the beginning of a new millennium.




Treasure Island


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Sense and Sensibility


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Popular Literature from Nineteenth-Century France: French Text


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The city of Paris experienced rapid transformation in the middle of the nineteenth century: the population grew, industry and commerce increased, and barriers between social classes diminished. Innovations in printing and distribution gave rise to new mass-market genres: literary guidebooks known as tableaux de Paris and illustrated physiologies examined urban social types and fashions for a broad audience of Parisians hungry to explore and understand their changing society. The works in this volume offer a lively, humorous tour of the manners and characters of the flâneur (a leisurely wanderer), the grisette (a young working-class woman), the gamin (a street urchin), and more. While the names of authors such as Paul de Kock are no longer familiar, their works still open a window onto a vivid time and place.




The Making of English Popular Culture


Book Description

The Making of English Popular Culture provides an account of the making of popular culture in the nineteenth century. While a form of what we might describe as popular culture existed before this period, John Storey has assembled a collection that demonstrates how what we now think of as popular culture first emerged as a result of the enormous changes that accompanied the industrial revolution. Particularly significant are the technological changes that made the production of new forms of culture possible and the concentration of people in urban areas that created significant audiences for this new culture. Consisting of fourteen original chapters that cover diverse topics ranging from seaside holidays and the invention of Christmas tradition, to advertising, music and popular fiction, the collection aims to enhance our understanding of the relationship between culture and power, as explored through areas such as ‘race’, ethnicity, class, sexuality and gender. It also aims to encourage within cultural studies a renewed historical sense when engaging critically with popular culture by exploring the historical conditions surrounding the existence of popular texts and practices. Written in a highly accessible style The Making of English Popular Culture is an ideal text for undergraduates studying cultural and media studies, literary studies, cultural history and visual culture.




The Remains of the Day


Book Description

BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, here is “an intricate and dazzling novel” (The New York Times) about the perfect butler and his fading, insular world in post-World War II England. This is Kazuo Ishiguro's profoundly compelling portrait of a butler named Stevens. Stevens, at the end of three decades of service at Darlington Hall, spending a day on a country drive, embarks as well on a journey through the past in an effort to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving the "great gentleman," Lord Darlington. But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington's "greatness," and much graver doubts about the nature of his own life.




Common Errors in English Usage


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Online version of Common Errors in English Usage written by Paul Brians.




Blood is Thicker


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Hakeem and Savon are cousins who do not get along at first but work things out.




Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets


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'There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year.' Harry Potter's summer has included the worst birthday ever, doomy warnings from a house-elf called Dobby, and rescue from the Dursleys by his friend Ron Weasley in a magical flying car! Back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his second year, Harry hears strange whispers echo through empty corridors - and then the attacks start. Students are found as though turned to stone... Dobby's sinister predictions seem to be coming true. Having become classics of our time, the Harry Potter eBooks never fail to bring comfort and escapism. With their message of hope, belonging and the enduring power of truth and love, the story of the Boy Who Lived continues to delight generations of new readers.




The Illustrated Histories of Everyday Expressions


Book Description

With 100+ full-page illustrations, The Illustrated Histories of Everyday Expressions introduces readers to the fascinating, humorous, and often unbelievable origin stories behind the English language’s most common sayings! Why do we bring home the bacon, instead of some other salty meat? Whose beans are we spilling, exactly? Why was that cat in the bag to begin with? Every day, English speaking people turn phrase after phrase, idiom after idiom, with no actual idea what they are saying! Sure, the meaning of these expressions has long been established, but rarely do we stop to think about where they come from. The Illustrated Histories of Everyday Expressions will profile 64 of the greatest idiom origin stories through simple text and captivating illustration. No longer will you wonder why getting a goat is so frustrating, or why hatters are so mad (and no, that one doesn’t come from Alice in Wonderland)! With The Illustrated Histories of Everyday Expressions, everyday phrases come to life! Inside this charming little hardcover volume, the illustrated idioms will be arranged chronologically, with the oldest expressions appearing first, working all the way up to the present day. Each entry will provide the saying’s definition and origin story, laid out cohesively within a funny and captivating illustration of the strange and wonderful long-forgotten story. Whalen Book Works is an independent book publishing company that combines top-notch design, unique formats, and fresh content to create truly innovative gift books. We bring together a talented team of writers, designers, illustrators, and artists in order to develop strong editorial content that brings a book to life!