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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Myths & mythology
A look at all aspects of gnome life, their origins and fashions,
their pastimes, opinions and culinary tastes. It examines urban
gnomes, suburban, bucolic and wild ones.
Myth is oral, collective, sacred, and timeless. Fantasy is a modern
literary mode and a popular entertainment. Yet the two have always
been inextricably intertwined. Stories about Stories examines
fantasy as an arena in which different ways of understanding myth
compete and new relationships with myth are worked out. The book
offers a comprehensive history of the modern fantastic as well as
an argument about its nature and importance. Specific chapters
cover the origins of fantasy in the Romantic search for localized
myths, fantasy versions of the Modernist turn toward the primitive,
the post-Tolkienian exploration of world mythologies, post-colonial
reactions to the exploitation of indigenous sacred narratives by
Western writers, fantasies based in Christian belief alongside
fundamentalist attempts to stamp out the form, and the emergence of
ever-more sophisticated structures such as metafiction through
which to explore mythic constructions of reality.
For centuries, Arthurian legend has captured imaginations
throughout Europe and the Americas with its tales of Camelot,
romance, and chivalry. The ever-shifting, age-old tale of King
Arthur and his world is one which depends on retellings for its
endurance in the cultural imagination. Using adaptation theory as a
framework, From Camelot to Spamalot foregrounds the role of music
in selected Arthurian adaptations, examining six stage and film
musicals. The book considers how musical versions in twentieth and
twenty-first century popular culture interpret the legend of King
Arthur, contending that music guides the audience to understand
this well-known tale and its characters in new and unexpected ways.
All of the productions considered include an overtly modern
perspective on the legend, intruding and even commenting on the
tale of King Arthur. Shifting from an idealistic utopia to a silly
place, the myriad notions of Camelot offer a look at the importance
of myth in American popular culture. Author Megan Woller's
approach, rooted in the literary theory of scholars like Linda
Hutcheon, highlights the intertextual connections between chosen
works and Arthurian legend. In so doing, From Camelot to Spamalot
intersects with and provides a timely contribution to several
different fields of study, from adaptation studies and musical
theater studies to film studies and Arthurian studies.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Reynard - a subversive, dashing, anarchic, aristocratic, witty fox
from the watery lowlands of medieval East Flanders - is in trouble.
He has been summoned to the court of King Noble the Lion, charged
with all manner of crimes and misdemeanours. How will he pit his
wits against his accusers - greedy Bruin the Bear, pretentious
Courtoys the Hound or dark and dangerous Isengrim the Wolf - to
escape the gallows? Reynard was once the most popular and beloved
character in European folklore, as familiar as Robin Hood, King
Arthur or Cinderella. His character spoke eloquently for the
unvoiced and disenfranchised, but also amused and delighted the
elite, capturing hearts and minds across borders and societal
classes for centuries. Based on William Caxton's bestselling 1481
English translation of the Middle Dutch, but expanded with new
interpretations, innovative language and characterisation, this
edition is an imaginative retelling of the Reynard story. With its
themes of protest, resistance and duplicity fronted by a
personable, anti-heroic Fox making his way in a dangerous and cruel
world, this gripping tale is as relevant and controversial today as
it was in the fifteenth century.
A powerfully poignant tale of one of the most turbulent moments in
Scotland's history: the North Berwick Witch Trials. IT'S THE 4TH OF
DECEMBER 1591. On this, the last night of her life, in a prison
cell several floors below Edinburgh's High Street, convicted witch
Geillis Duncan receives a mysterious visitor - Iris, who says she
comes from a future where women are still persecuted for who they
are and what they believe. As the hours pass and dawn approaches,
Geillis recounts the circumstances of her arrest, brutal torture,
confession and trial, while Iris offers support, solace - and the
tantalising prospect of escape. Hex is a visceral depiction of what
happens when a society is consumed by fear and superstition,
exploring how the terrible force of a king's violent crusade
against ordinary women can still be felt, right up to the present
day. 'This series has already produced two works of note and
distinction. It raises the question - if a country cannot re-tell
its history, will it be stuck forever in aspic and condemned to be
nothing more than a shortbread tin illustration? Hex and Rizzio are
showing the way towards a reckoning, and about time too' - Stuart
Kelly, Scotland on Sunday
__________________ 'Easily my read of the year. Sheer perfection
from start to finish' - Catherine Doyle 'A beautiful and profound
retelling' - Madeline Miller, author of CIRCE and THE SONG OF
ACHILLES 'Utterly transporting ... This dynamic feminist retelling
is illustrated with stunning, polychromatic power' - Guardian Books
of the Year __________________ A dazzling, feminist retelling of
Greek myth from the internationally bestselling author of The
Miniaturist, stunningly illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill. Exiled
to a far-flung island by the whims of the gods, Medusa has little
company except the snakes that adorn her head instead of hair. But
when a charmed, beautiful boy called Perseus arrives on the island,
her lonely existence is disrupted with the force of a supernova,
unleashing desire, love and betrayal... Filled with glorious
full-colour illustrations by award-winning Olivia Lomenech Gill,
this astonishing retelling of Greek myth is perfect for readers of
Circe and The Silence of the Girls. Illuminating the girl behind
the legend, it brings alive Medusa for a new generation.
__________________ '... a must read for women of all ages' - Red
Magazine '... stole my heart from its first fierce lines' - Mary
Watson 'A beautiful and compassionate retelling that gives the
serpent-headed monster of myth a powerful and haunting humanity' -
Jennifer Saint '... an impressive addition to the shelves of
feminist retellings, balancing rage with beautiful storytelling' -
Irish Times 'It's an ideal gift for teenage girls finding their
voice and their power' - Stylist 'Gift ideas for the book lovers in
your life'
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