Though a staple in high school English classes, Julius Caesar is not a simple play. Seemingly irreconcilable forces are at work: fate and free will, the changeableness and stubbornness of ambitious men, the demands of public service and the desire for private gain. Drawn from history as recorded by Plutarch, the major characters-Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, and Mark Antony-are complex, as are the twists and turns of their fortunes. What kind of man rises to power? What price does he pay when he becomes a politician? These questions raised by Shakespeare are relevant in every age, whether ancient Rome, Elizabethan England, or even in our own day.

Articles on religion and the religious during the Victorian period, showing its unity and disunity. The major themes of Catholic historiography and the history of education during the Victorian era unite the essays collected here, as is fitting for a volume honouring the work in these fields of Professor Vincent Alan McClelland.There is a particular emphasis upon the life and work of Cardinal Manning; other figures and topics considered include Father Randal Lythgoe, Cardinal Newman, the English Benedictine contribution to the British Empire, modern Scottish Catholic history, and Victorian Christianity in its various forms, as in the essays on Methodism and the Church of Ireland.

Discover the Christian meaning in " The Hobbit. "
In " Bilbo\'s Journey " go beyond the dragons, dwarves, and elves, and discover the surprisingly deep meaning of J.R.R. Tolkien\'s classic novel " The Hobbit. "
Bilbo\'s quest to find and slay the dragon Smaug is a riveting tale of daring and heroism, but as renowned Tolkien scholar Joseph Pearce shows, it is not simply Bilbo\'s journey, it is our journey too.
It is the Christian journey of self-sacrifice out of love for others, and abandonment to providence and grace.
In " Bilbo\'s Journey: Discovering the Hidden Meaning of The Hobbit " you will relive the excitement of Tolkien\'s classic tale, while discovering the profound Christian meaning that makes " The Hobbit " a truly timeless adventure.

The Merchant of Venice is probably the most controversial of all Shakespeare's plays. It is also one of the least understood. Is it a comedy or a tragedy? What is the meaning behind the test of the caskets? Who is the real villain of the trial scene? Is Shylock simply vicious and venomous, or is he more sinned against than sinning? Can the play be described as anti-semitic? What exactly is the quality of mercy? Is Portia one of the great Christian heroines of western literature? And what of the comedy of the rings with which Shakespeare ends the play? These questions and many others are answered in this critical edition of one of the Bard's liveliest plays.

Highly regarded and best-selling literary writer and teacher, Joseph Pearce presents a stimulating and vivid biography of the world's most revered writer that is sure to be controversial. Unabashedly provocative, with scholarship, insight and keen observation, Pearce strives to separate historical fact from fiction about the beloved Bard.

Shakespeare is not only one of the greatest figures in human history, he is also one of the most controversial and one of the most elusive. He is famous and yet almost unknown. Who was he? What were his beliefs? Can we really understand his plays and his poetry if we don't know the man who wrote them?

These are some of the questions that are asked and answered in this gripping and engaging study of the world's greatest ever poet. "The Quest for Shakespeare" claims that books about the Bard have got him totally wrong. They misread the man and misread the work. The true Shakespeare has eluded the grasp of the critics. Dealing with the facts of Shakespeare's life and times, Pearce's quest leads to the inescapable conclusion that Shakespeare was a believing Catholic living in very anti-Catholic times.

Many of his friends and family were persecuted, and even executed, for their Catholic faith. And yet he seems to have avoided any notable persecution himself. How did he do this? How did he respond to the persecution of his friends and family? What did he say about the dreadful and intolerant times in which he found himself? "The Quest for Shakespeare" answers these questions in ways that will enlighten and astonish those who love Shakespeare's work, and that will shock and outrage many of his critics. This book is full of surprises for beginner and expert alike.

Anna and Teresa Campbell were the daughters of the handsome young South African poet and writer, Roy Campbell (1901-1957), and his strikingly beautiful English wife, Mary Garman (1898-1979). In their frank and moving memoirs, Anna and Tess recall the extraordinary, and often very difficult, lives they shared with their exceptional parents. The Campbells experienced first-hand the political and social upheavals of post-World War I Europe, the cementing of white power in the Union of South Africa, the rise of communism and-as recent converts to Catholicism - the Spanish Civil War and World War II. Their lives also intersected with profound artistic and philosophical changes and they mixed with some of the key figures in European, South African and American artistic circles, including Virginia Woolf, Wyndham Lewis, the Sitwells, Augustus John, Bernard Meninsky, Jacob Epstein, Laurie Lee, Tristram Hillier, Dylan Thomas, Laurens van der Post, William Plomer, Uys Krige, Hart Crane.... About the editor - - Judith Lutge Coullie is Professor of English at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her publications include a compilation of South African women's life writing (The Closest of Strangers), an edited collection of critical essays on Breyten Breytenbach (a.k.a. Breyten Breytenbach), a CD on the poet Roy Campbell (Campbell in Context) and edited interviews on southern African auto/biography (Selves in Question). "Remembering Roy Campbell makes a significant contribution to understanding South Africa's best-known poet." / Peter F. Alexander, author of Roy Campbell: A Critical Biography. "The editor's introduction to the two memoirs serves as a further corrective to erroneous assumptions about Campbell's life and poetry and serves as a background against which the memoirs may be read." / Michael Hanke, author of Roy Campbell, Ein Solitar: Interpretationen Seiner Versdichtung