Essays on festive drama - plays, pageantry and traditional ceremonies - of the European middle ages, with comparative material. Festive drama, in these studies, includes processions and folk-customs as well as full-blown plays, from Spain, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Britain, Denmark, and Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). The main focus is the middleages, but style and approach are as relevant as time-scale, reflecting a culture in which there are no firm divisions between drama and pageantry and traditional ceremonies. Common themes emerge: the world turned upside-down of Shrovetide; the emotive power of religious celebration; and the links between commerce and the demonstration of civic pride. Festive customs are viewed as hidden agendas of popular culture, and performances are reconstructed. Thisis the obverse of art and power: the means by which the people, not the princes, rule the world. Professor MEG TWYCROSS teaches at the Department of English at Lancaster University. Contributors: PETER H. GREENFIELD, OLGA HORNER, SHEILA LINDENBAUM, CLAIRE SPONSLER, RONALD E. SURTZ, RAFAEL PORTILLO, MANUEL J. GOMEZ LARA, PAMELA M. KING, ROBERT POTTER, JOHN CARTWRIGHT, DAVID MILLS, JAMES STOKES, ALAN E. KNIGHT, MARJOKE DE ROOS, FEMKE KRAMER, TOM PETTITT, LEIF SNDERGAARD, WIM HUESKEN, JEAN-MARC PASTREE, SALLY-BETH MACLEAN, MALCOLM JONES, CHRISTINE RICHARDSON, JARMILA F. VELTRUSKY, JOHN COLDEWEY.

A celebration of the live poetry presented each month at the Willow Glen Poetry Readings in San Jose, California. For years, this Silicon Valley venue has provided a welcoming place for well-known featured readers and local poets to share the beauty and power--the light--of their words. This anthology reflects the ongoing poetic tradition, collecting some of the most luminous poems of 2011. Includes 84 poems by 38 poets.

Symbolism in the courtroom has been the subject of legal debate for some time. Such symbolism includes the layout of the courtroom, clothes worn by legal representatives and expected behaviours of those in the setting. Until now there has been no formal study on the influence of symbolic cues in the courtroom on lay individuals who enter the setting. Jurors in particular, are a group of lay individuals whose limited understanding of symbolism in the courtroom might influence their ability to focus on the evidence. Using nvironmental psychological theories, this research examined how jurors responded to the courtroom setting. A particular focus was how the juror experience in the setting of which they were relatively nave, influenced their ability to perform their role as a juror. With some adjustment, the continued use of symbolic representations in the courtroom is encouraged as the formal nature of the setting promotes juror focus on the evidence. This book is addressed to professionals, including lawyers, particularly those who desire a better understanding of juror sychology, environmental psychologists, courtroom architects, and court administrators.