Curious Myths of the Middle Ages


Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1889 edition. Excerpt: ... A MORE interesting task for the comparative mythologist can hardly be found, than the analysis of the legends attaching to this celebrated soldier-martyr; -- interesting, because these legends contain almost unaltered representative myths of the Semitic and Aryan peoples, and myths which may be traced with certainty to their respective roots. The popular traditions current relating to the Cappadocian martyr are distinct in the East and the West, and are alike sacred myths of faded creeds, absorbed into the newer faith, and recolored. On dealing with these myths, we are necessarily drawn into the discussion as to whether such a person as St. George existed, and if he did exist, whether he were a Catholic or a heretic. Eusebius says (Eccl. Hist. B. viii. c. 5), "Immediately on the first promulgation of the edict (of Diocletian), a certain man of no mean origin, but highly esteemed for his temporal dignities, as soon as the decree was published against the Churches in Nicomedia, stimulated by a divine zeal, and excited by an ardent faith, took it as it was openly placed and posted up for public inspection, and tore it to pieces as a most profane and wicked act. This, too, was done when two of the Caesars were in the city, the first of whom was the eldest and chief of all, and the other held the fourth grade of the imperial dignity after him. But this man, as the first that was distinguished there in this manner, after enduring what was likely to follow an act so daring, preserved his mind calm and serene until the moment when his spirit fled." This martyr, whose name Eusebius does not give, has been generally supposed to be St. George, and if so, this is nearly all we know authentic concerning him. But popular as a saint he unquestionably...




Lectures on Dostoevsky


Book Description

Poor Folk -- The Double -- The House of the Dead -- Notes from Underground -- Crime and Punishment -- The Idiot -- The Brothers Karamazov -- Appendix I: Selected Film Adaptations of Dostoevsky's Novels -- Appendix II: "Joseph Frank's Dostoevsky" by David Foster Wallace.




Synonyms and Antonyms


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Jane Austen's Style


Book Description

A new exploration of the innovative features of Jane Austen's style.




Interview with Larry Niven


Book Description

This special issue of the Pennsylvania Literary Journal: Interview with Larry Niven features an interview with the best-selling science fiction author, Larry Niven, in which he discusses the writing craft, the life of a professional writer, and his unique science fiction style. Niven's Ringworld has won many prestigious international awards, and his newly released collection of short stories, The Draco Tavern is one of the best recent examples of structured, literary science fiction. The issue also includes a short story from the editor, Anna Faktorovich, "Coal and Rice" about a struggling Chinese rice farmer and a wealthy, corrupt Chinese businessman. In addition, the first scholarly essay in the volume is from an NPR employee, who's finishing his PhD at Brown. Byrd McDaniel critically evaluates the modern paintings of Kehinde Wiley, a Yale MFA graduate painter whose work has been displayed at some of the top museums around the world. Wiley's painting is also on this issue's cover.




Meet Me at the Fair: A World's Fair Reader


Book Description

Together with the Olympics, world's fairs are one of the few regular international events of sufficient scale to showcase a spectrum of sights, wonders, learning opportunities, technological advances, and new (or renewed) urban districts, and to present them all to a mass audience. Meet Me at the Fair: A World's Fair Reader breaks new ground in scholarship on world's fairs by incorporating a number of short new texts that investigate world's fairs in their multiple aspects: political, urban/architectural, anthropological/ sociological, technological, commercial, popular, and representational. Contributors come from eight different countries and represent affiliations in academia, museums and libraries, professional and architectural firms, non-profit organizations, and government regulatory agencies. In taking the measure of both the material artifacts and the larger cultural production of world's fairs, the volume presents its own phantasmagoria of disciplinary perspectives, historical periods, geographical locales, media, and messages, mirroring the microcosmic form of the world's fair itself.




The Day Lincoln Was Shot


Book Description

The Day Lincoln Was Shot is a gripping, minute-by-minute account of April 14, 1865: the day President Abraham Lincoln was tragically assassinated. It chronicles the movements of Lincoln and his assassin John Wilkes Booth during every movement of that fateful day. Author and journalist Jim Bishop has fashioned an unforgettable tale of tragedy, more gripping than fiction, more alive than any newspaper account. First published in 1955, The Day Lincoln Was Shot was a huge bestseller, and in 1998 it was made into a TNT movie, with Rob Morrow as Booth.




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The Book of Mindkind


Book Description

Coining the term, The Book of Mindkind is a philosophy of hope in a time of despair, a wakeup call in a time of danger, and an engaging quick read for the curious-minded. The theory of Mindkind is an entirely original philosophy, likely the first to be conceived in the past century, certainly the first of the new millennium. People are looking for new ways to think about the human society rapidly evolving around them, and they are searching for answers and solutions to the age-old questions of existence. The world may not be spinning out of control, but it can no longer be held together by the beliefs of the past. Now, more so than ever, with political extremism-driven by corporationalism and religious fundamentalism-shutting down democratic processes and suppressing rationalism, there is a critical need for social, spiritual, and political alternatives. The Book of Mindkind is not a new-age philosophy-rather it presents a logical foundation for a practical worldwide solution for the social, economic, and environmental crises facing human existence. The book brings together the scientific elements of time, Earth, and humanity in exploring the evolution of the brain and the mind it produces, and it examines religion and culture in developing the thesis that humans are members of a Universal Mindkind. Essentially, the philosophy theorizes that humans, as the Children of Mindkind, are on the verge of flying from their earthly nest, as soon as the diseases of deception, hatred, and violence are cured and every child is provided with equal access to nutrition, health care, and education. Collectively, these concepts are brought to focus on the future of human existence. Mindkind projects a vision of a bright unlimited and creative future, but necessarily considers a darker and more destructive alternative in which humanity continues to organize as warrior societies. It concludes with thoughts about the physical nature of the soul and the aura of mind. Mindkind has an appeal to thinking people of every culture and every language, who are seeking purpose in their lives. It especially speaks to young people, who are questioning ancient religions and current governments, and to women, who are weary of the discrimination they suffer in male-dominated societies.