For as long as anyone can remember, Wychdusk Manor has been the school to which all the top magical novices are sent, where they are trained to become the world’s greatest wizards. There, students are taught every form of spellcasting by the wisest of mages, and to be part of Wychdusk’s alumni is an incredible honour. But what about those that don’t make the grade, that don’t have the talent or the family name to make it to this prestigious establishment? For them, there’s LOWBORN HIGH, a rundown inner-city comprehensive that is often struggling with funding, but its pupils can still be capable of some truly amazing feats. Androgeus Frost has recently joined the school, becoming friends with Maisy, Ali and Drill.

A medieval Catalan verse fantasy by Bernat Metge, the most important Catalan writer of the fourteenth century, Written around 1381 by Bernat Metge, the most important Catalan writer of the fourteenth century, the Llibre de Fortuna i Prudencia is a fantasy in verse, drawing on learned sources, principally The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. Early one morning, Bernat, the protagonist and narrator, decides to alleviate his sorrows by strolling around the harbour of Barcelona. He meets an old man, apparently a beggar, who tricks him into getting into a boat which, despite the absence of sails and oars, conveys him to an island where the goddess Fortuna appears to him. In a heated discussion, Bernat blames her for all his misfortunes. His next meeting is with Prudenciawho is accompanied by seven maidens representing the liberal arts. Prudencia is able to lessen his despair, and exhorts him to trust in providence and renounce material possessions. When she considers him cured, she and the maidens send him sailing back to Barcelona, where he quickly goes home to avoid gossiping townsfolk. Published in association with Editorial Barcino, Barcelona. DAVID BARNETT, whose doctorate is from Queen Mary, University of London, continues to be involved in research on medieval Catalan literature.

Nineteenth century London is the center of a vast British Empire, a teeming metropolis where steam-power is king and airships ply the skies, and where Queen Victoria presides over three quarters of the known world-including the east coast of America, following the failed revolution of 1775.Young Gideon Smith has seen things that no green lad of Her Majesty's dominion should ever experience. Through a series of incredible events Gideon has become the newest Hero of the Empire. But Gideon is a man with a mission, for the dreaded Texas pirate Louis Cockayne has stolen the mechanical clockwork girl Maria, along with a most fantastical weapon-a great brass dragon that was unearthed beneath ancient Egyptian soil. Maria is the only one who can pilot the beast, so Cockayne has taken girl and dragon off to points east.Gideon and his intrepid band take to the skies and travel to the American colonies hot on Cockayne's trail. Not only does Gideon want the machine back, he has fallen in love with Maria. Their journey will take them to the wilds of the lawless lands south of the American colonies-to free Texas, where the mad King of Steamtown rules with an iron fist (literally), where life is cheap and honor even cheaper.Does Gideon have what it takes to not only save the day but win the girl?

Nineteenth century London is the centre of a vast British Empire. Airships ply the skies and Queen Victoria presides over three-quarters of the known world-including the East Coast of America, following the failed revolution of 1775. London might as well be a world away from Sandsend, a tiny village on the Yorkshire coast. Gideon Smith dreams of the adventure promised him by the lurid tales of Captain Lucian Trigger, the Hero of the Empire, told in Gideon's favourite "penny dreadful." When Gideon's father is lost at sea in highly mysterious circumstances Gideon is convinced that supernatural forces are at work. Deciding only Captain Lucian Trigger himself can aid him, Gideon sets off for London. On the way he rescues the mysterious mechanical girl Maria from a tumbledown house of shadows and iniquities. Together they make for London, where Gideon finally meets Captain Trigger. But Trigger is little more than an ageing fraud, providing cover for the covert activities of his lover, Dr. John Reed, a privateer and sometime agent of the British Crown. Looking for heroes but finding only frauds and crooks, it falls to Gideon to step up to the plate and attempt to save the day...but can a humble fisherman really become the true Hero of the Empire?

"The joy of Regened is that it's a proper all-ages thing, something for young and old" - Comicon.com2000 AD's all ages science fiction anthology series returns with a fourth thrill-powered collection of epic, action packed stories featuring all of your favourite characters and a brand new, exclusive Harlem Heroes strip! Cadet Dredd goes undercover as a renegade runaway! It's the Harlem Heroes versus the Harlem Hellcats in the most dangerous - and deadly - aeroball game Mega-City One's ever seen! Does Chopper have what it takes to evade the Judges and win the Sky Surfing competition? Travel to other dimensions with Jaina and Jacen in 'Splorers! It's the Galaxy's best and brightest all-ages comic - it's 2000 AD Regened!

Political conflicts on Earth erupt into open hostilities between their colonies in space, with Xenomorphs as the ultimate weapon. Political tensions boil over on Earth, spreading to the outer fringes of known space as the UK colony of New Albion breaks with the Three World Empire. When an oil-drilling facility on nearby LV-187 is destroyed, its French colonists slaughtered, the British are blamed. Military forces arrive from the Independent Core Systems and combat erupts. Trapped in the middle are Cher Hunt and Chad Mclaren. Cher is trying to find out who was responsible for the death of her sister, Shy Hunt (of McAllen Integrations from Alien: Into Charybdis). At the same time Mclaren, accompanied by the synthetic known as Davis, follows in the footsteps of his late wife, Amanda Ripley, seeking to stop the weaponization of Xenomorphs. When a horde of the deadly aliens overwhelms both groups, however, their only hope may lie with Royal Marine Corps unit known as "God's Hammer."

""I'm good Hamlet gi'me a cause for grief"" At first glance, readers of The Hamletmachine (1979) could be forgiven for wondering whether it is actually a play at all: it opens with a montage of texts that are not ascribed to a character, there is no vestige of a plot, and the whole piece lasts a total of ten pages. Yet, Heiner Muller's play regularly features in theatres' repertoires and is frequently staged by university theatre departments. In four short chapters, David Barnett unpicks the complexities of The Hamletmachine's writing and frames its author as an experimental, politically committed writer who confronts the shortcomings of his age. In considering the problems Muller poses for the play's performance, he also discusses two exemplary productions in order to show how the work can engage very different audiences. This book examines why such a compact, radically open, and yet seemingly obscure play has proved so popular.

The Berliner Ensemble was founded by Bertolt Brecht and his wife Helene Weigel in 1949. The company soon gained international prominence, and its productions and philosophy influenced the work of theatre-makers around the world. David Barnett's book is the first study of the company in any language. Based on extensive archival research, it uncovers Brecht's working methods and those of the company's most important directors after his death. The book considers the boon and burden of Brecht's legacy, and provides new insights into battles waged behind the scenes for the preservation of the Brechtian tradition. The Berliner Ensemble was also the German Democratic Republic's most prestigious cultural export, attracting attention from the highest circles of government, and from the Stasi, before it privatised itself after German reunification in 1990. Barnett pieces together a complex history that sheds light on both the company's groundbreaking productions and their turbulent times.

The Berliner Ensemble was founded by Bertolt Brecht and his wife Helene Weigel in 1949. The company soon gained international prominence, and its productions and philosophy influenced the work of theatre-makers around the world. David Barnett's book is the first study of the company in any language. Based on extensive archival research, it uncovers Brecht's working methods and those of the company's most important directors after his death. The book considers the boon and burden of Brecht's legacy, and provides new insights into battles waged behind the scenes for the preservation of the Brechtian tradition. The Berliner Ensemble was also the German Democratic Republic's most prestigious cultural export, attracting attention from the highest circles of government, and from the Stasi, before it privatised itself after German reunification in 1990. Barnett pieces together a complex history that sheds light on both the company's groundbreaking productions and their turbulent times.

Using extensive and untapped archival material as well as a series of in-depth interviews with Fassbinder's main theatre associates, this book offers commentary on and insights into Fassbinder's plays, his dramaturgies and staging practice. David Barnett helps to unlock the much discussed theatricality of Fassbinder's films by showing its many concrete sources. The first study of Fassbinder's work in the theatre, as a playwright and director, this book gives a full contextualisation of his work within the upheavals of its times. Readers are introduced to the cultural history of the West German theatre in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Radicalism in society meets experiment on stage as Fassbinder emerges from the cellar theatre scene of Munich, co-founds the antiteater and is then integrated into the most subsidised theatre in Europe, before being offered his own theatre to run for one fateful season.

Using extensive and untapped archival material as well as a series of in-depth interviews with Fassbinder's main theatre associates, this book offers commentary on and insights into Fassbinder's plays, his dramaturgies and staging practice. David Barnett helps to unlock the much-discussed theatricality of Fassbinder's films by showing its many concrete sources. The first study of Fassbinder's work in the theatre, as a playwright and director, this book gives a full contextualization of his work within the upheavals of its times. Readers are introduced to the cultural history of the West German theatre in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Radicalism in society meets experiment on stage as Fassbinder emerges from the cellar theatre scene of Munich, co-founds the antiteater, and is then integrated into the most subsidized theatre in Europe, before being offered his own theatre to run for one fateful season.

With over 80 scholarly articles, reviews, and critical interventions from the last 50 years, Bertolt Brecht: Critical and Primary Sources set covers the key periods of Brecht's life, from his time in Augsburg (1898-1918) through the Weimer Republic (1918-1933), exile (1933-1948) and the German Democratic Republic (1949-1956). It also explores his theories, fundamentally his belief in the theatre's ability to represent and change the world, core practices and relationships. Alongside primary sources that include writings by Brecht published in English for the first time, such as his short but important reflection in 'originality' in theatre production, key featured scholars include Fredric Jameson and his essay 'Episch, or, the Third Person', and pieces on Brecht's collaborative working methods by Claus and Wera Kuchenmeister, and the director Egon Monk. Volume 1 covers Brecht's life and work, including essays on his famous Mother Courage and Her Children, production reviews, poetry, novels and short stories, with some thoughts on his journals. Volume 2 covers theory, containing essays and primary writings on Brechtian terminology, and some of the more enigmatic terms like 'Epic theatre', 'Verfremdung', 'Gestus' and 'Fabel', features a survey of important theoretical works, a section on Brecht on non-theatre media, his relationship to other major thinkers, ideas and sources and the reception of his ideas. Volume 3 covers practice, including Brecht's practice as documenter and director, beginning with his disastrous start in the Weimar Republic through to his later role as director as the Berliner Ensemble, his relationships with other practitioners and his own collaborators, reviews of important productions and global receptions. Each volume includes a contextualizing introduction surveying the topics covered and the development of scholarship on Brecht.

"I'm good Hamlet gi'me a cause for grief" At first glance, readers of The Hamletmachine (1979) could be forgiven for wondering whether it is actually a play at all: it opens with a montage of texts that are not ascribed to a character, there is no vestige of a plot, and the whole piece lasts a total of ten pages. Yet, Heiner Muller's play regularly features in theatres' repertoires and is frequently staged by university theatre departments. In four short chapters, David Barnett unpicks the complexities of The Hamletmachine's writing and frames its author as an experimental, politically committed writer who confronts the shortcomings of his age. In considering the problems Muller poses for the play's performance, he also discusses two exemplary productions in order to show how the work can engage very different audiences. This book examines why such a compact, radically open, and yet seemingly obscure play has proved so popular.

Examines, then employs the metaphor of cultural impact in an effort to understand how culture works in the German-speaking world. How to gauge the impact of cultural products is an old question, but bureaucratic agendas such as the one recently implemented in the UK to measure the impact of university research (including in German Studies) are new. Impact isseen as confirming a cultural product's value for society -- not least in the eyes of cultural funders. Yet its use as an evaluative category has been widely criticized by academics. Rather than rejecting the concept of impact, however, this volume employs it as a metaphor to reflect on issues of transmission, reception, and influence that have always underlain cultural production but have escaped systematic conceptualization. It seeks to understand how culture works in the German-speaking world: how writers and artists express themselves, how readers and audiences engage with the resulting products, and how academics are drawn to analyze this dynamic process. Formulating such questions afresh in the context of German Studies, the volume examines both contemporary cultural discourse and the way it evolves more generally. It links such topics as authorial intention, readerly reception, intertextuality, andmodes of perception to less commonly studied phenomena, such as the institutional practices of funding bodies, that underpin cultural discourse. Contributors: David Barnett, Laura Bradley, Rebecca Braun, Sarah Colvin, Anne Fuchs, Katrin Kohl, Karen Leeder, Jurgen Luh, Jenny McKay, Ben Morgan, Gunther Nickel, Chloe Paver, Joanne Sayner, Matthew Philpotts, Jane Wilkinson. Rebecca Braun is Executive Dean of the College of Arts, Social Sciences, & Celtic Studies at the National University of Ireland in Galway and Lyn Marven is Lecturer in German at the University of Liverpool.

Fassbinder's prominence, his creative non-conformity and artistic radicalism led to now legendary films, television series and theatrical plays. Works such as Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, The Marriage of Maria Braun, Eight Hours Don't Make a Day, Berlin Alexanderplatz and Querelle have etched themselves into our collective visual memory. He was exceedingly prolific in his short life, writing, directing or shooting some 45 feature films and 25 plays. Fassbinder was an artist who succeeded in synthesizing radical subjectivity and social analysis in his works. He lived and demanded intensity. His sometimes unwieldy, critical stance that stood in contrast to often affectionate portrayals of people regardless of their respective social backgrounds was unparalleled and also of deeply respectful consistency. Often viewed controversially during his lifetime, Fassbinder's work has lost none of its relevance, intensity and charisma to this day. Texts by: David Barnett, Isabelle Bastian, Ines Bayer, Elisabeth Bronfen, Rai Gandra, Andrea Hartmann, Udo Kier mit Ulrich Sonnenschein, Susanne Kleine, Juliane Maria Lorenz-Wehling, Verena Lueken, Hans-Helmut Prinzler, Hans-Peter Reichmann, Annette Reschke, Ralf Schenk, Wolfram Schutte, Bernd Schultheis, Petra Terhoeven, Michael Toeteberg, Barbara Vinken, Nicolaus Wackerbarth, Wim Wenders

The leading publication on Brecht, his work, and topics of interest to him; this annual volume documents the International Brecht Society's 2016 symposium, "Recycling Brecht." Published for the International Brecht Society by Camden House, the Brecht Yearbook is the central scholarly forum for discussion of Brecht's life and work and of topics of particular interest to him, especially the politics of literature and of theater in a global context. It includes a wide variety of perspectives and approaches, and, like Brecht himself, is committed to the concept of the use value of literature, theater, and theory. Volume42 features a selection of the papers given and protocols of the events held at the International Brecht Society's "Recycling Brecht" symposium at St. Hugh's College, Oxford, in June 2016. The theme of recycling is understood bothas a description of Brecht's own creative practice and as an activity applied to his works by others. The volume includes keynote papers by Hans-Thies Lehmann and Amal Allana on Brecht's reception of Antigone and on the reception and recycling of Brecht in India, respectively. Other papers are on a wide range of topics, from Brecht's own "recycling" of Shakespeare and others, through the reception of his own works in a range of contexts and by later writers, to contemporary works that may be understood as post-Brechtian. The final section, introduced by an extended interview with American playwright Tony Kushner, documents additional creative responses to the theme. Volume co-editors Tom Kuhn and David Barnett are, respectively, Professor of Twentieth-Century German Literature at the University of Oxford and Professor of Theatre at the University of York. Managing Editor Theodore F. Rippey is Associate Professor of German at Bowling Green State University.

By 1800, London was regarded as the world's greatest city, at the centre of the world's greatest empire. London: Hub of the Industrial Revolution examines this and also explores how London was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution. Traditionally, historians have regard the city as a minor player in the Industrial Revolution but, in this book, David Barnett argues that the capital was at the forefront of industrial development, providing financial aid and essential services to other towns and cities. Based on original archival material, including insurance records and trade directories, this book paints a portrait of London during a period of rapid and unprecedented development as the world's first great modern industrial city.

Encountering Ensemble, is a text for students, teachers, researchers and practitioners who wish to develop a deeper understanding of the history, conceptual foundations and practicalities of the world of ensemble theatre. It is the first book to draw together definitions and practitioner examples, making it a cutting edge work on the subject. Encountering Ensemble combines historical and contemporary case studies with a wide range of approaches and perspectives. It is written collaboratively with practitioners and members from the academic community and is divided into three sections: 1. Introduction and an approach to training ensembles 2. Practitioner case studies and analysis of specific practical approaches to training ensembles (or individuals in an ensemble context) 3. Succinct perspectives from practitioners reflecting on a range of questions including: What is an ensemble?; the place of ensemble in the contemporary theatre landscape; and training issues.