Customer Reviews:
Kinda boring.......2007-02-01
Having read Whiteside's anthology with Angela Knight,Captive Dreams, i thought this book would be hot and exciting. While the sex scenes were hot enough, the rest of the story really kinda bored me. It was an ok read but not what i was expecting.
More a snooze-fest than erotic fireworks.......2006-11-04
I admit I was slightly bored by this book. The characters simply came never alive to me, least of all William Donovan. He's supposed to be Catholic, goes to mass and dreams of marrying a good Catholic girl, hoping to breed babies with her. Yet he carries a bag of dildos across an ocean and once attended a sex school, visit prostitutes regularly and simply knows no taboos in the bed room. He's attracted to Viola because he thinks her a real fairy tale princess, his own personal delicate faerie queen. And what does he do when he first is alone with his newly acquired mistress Viola, his unattainable romantic dream for years? He crudely and graphically demands oral sex from her in exact the same manner than a pimp would require such a job from his favorite soiled dove. Despite her initial reluctance and visible ignorance he coerces her with orders and demands to do the full job. She of course enjoys William's domineering and crude manner and the rather one-sided pleasure though she was gently raised in the 19th century and hardly knows the man (if that had occurred later in the book I would have enjoyed the scene but at that point it seemed hardly the appropriate manner in which to approach a rather inexperienced woman like Viola). After her husband took so selfishly his pleasure without considering hers one would think that this kind of thing would put Viola off since it again is a one-sided affair for her (as if she already hadn't enough of this kind of experience). But no, this is erotic romance where a disappointed reaction is very unlikely to occur. And William who uses a gently bred woman like that thinks he's not good enough to marry her. Hello? Can anyone explain that to me? I could have accepted a harsh and demanding task master (after all I didn't really expect a Mary Balogh hero here) like William but his gentler notions just puzzled me beyond words for they simply didn't fit in with the rest of his behavior. He was such a conundrum to me, I couldn't make head or tail of him.
Viola on the other hand is slightly better characterized. She's a sexual being, not some unawakened fairy queen. Despite her unsatisfactory first marriage, she has dreams and wants a lover for her own fulfillment. Though she was so conveniently submissive in her relationship with Donovan at the beginning that I thought the book was targeted for the wrong audience (Viola felt more something a man would conjure up in his wet dreams) I felt she developped a mind of her own later in the book. She started to initiate some of the erotic encounters and is not only means to fulfill Donovan's own slightly kinky fantasies (I find spanking a grown-up woman and using dildos in places where I think no dildo belongs anti-climatic but many readers might like exactly this which is why I mention it here), she also has fantasies of her own which he helped to come true.
I really liked that which is the sole reason why I give this book three stars instead of only two. But I think it takes more than a woman who learns to pursue her own dreams in the course of a book and a lot of kink to add up to an emotionally satisfactory erotic romance. I simply missed genuine passion and good old romantic love (but this I do usually miss in other erotic romances as well). There was hardly any genuine tenderness and any profound interest in each other visible outside the bedroom. Whiteside at least hinted at this (which is already more than what other erotic romance authors do). It might be too difficult to heighten the steam in the genre and not sacrifice emotional depth in the process so I might be demanding too much. Maybe this is simply not the genre for me.
I hope you enjoy it more than I did. I think most lovers of Romantica won't be disappointed.
*I LOVE THE DEVIL*.......2006-09-18
This was a fabulous book! So emotional and touching! I loved the main characters, William and "Mrs. Ross"! I highly recommend this book! Very erotic, lots of great sex and vulnaribility! I hope this helps, 5 STARS FOR SURE!
SENSATIONAL! A stunningly sizzling historical.......2006-08-22
Ms. Whiteside has done it again! With her exceptional talent and her flair for erotic and historical, she has combined both to bring a fabulous tale. Not a family member or a friend but a professional reviewer, I find this story has all the elements you want in a historical romance. Adventure,intrigue and of course hot steamy sex. This is a highly entertaining tale that you will not want to put down. KUDO'S TO YOU MS. Whiteside for another wonderful read.
A sizzling, sexy, erotic romance.......2006-03-09
This is the first book I've read by Ms. Whiteside and it won't be the last. She has quite a gift for writing erotica; this is one of the hottest books I have ever read. I think sometimes with these kind of novels the characters seem kind of wooden and the lovemaking scenes mechanical. Some of the Thea Devine and Susan Johnson novels left me feeling that way, but not so the characters in this book, especially William. Viola could have had a little more depth, but I felt both of the characters way of relating to each other very warm, loving, passionate, funny and altogether entertaining. From their first meeting, I could feel the chemistry between the pair and I not only liked them but I was drawn into their story and cared what happened to them. That doesn't always happen when reading a romantic novel, let alone an erotic romance. A word of warning - this book contains explicit sex scenes; if you don't like reading such encounters in a novel, you won't like this book. I enjoyed it and thought it a highly entertaining read. Its nice to try a book by an author you haven't read before and be as pleasantly suprised as I was with "The Irish Devil".
Book Description
Following Queen Elizabeth I's reign, the new court of King James was beset by political instability and moral corruption. This atmosphere provided fertile ground for the dramatists of the age, who explored the ways in which social decadence and the abuse of power breed resentment, leading inexorably to violent retribution.
In Cyril Tourneur's The Revenger's Tragedy, the debauched son of an Italian Duke attempts to rape the virtuous Gloriana—a veiled reference to Elizabeth I. John Webster's The White Devil depicts a sinister world of intrigue and murderous infidelity, while The Changeling, perhaps Thomas Middleton's supreme achievement, powerfully portrays a woman bringing about her own unwitting destruction. All three are masterpieces of brooding intensity, dominated by images of decay, disillusionment, and death.
Customer Reviews:
The format, notes etc........2006-11-06
I believe the book could have been a lot more accesible with a foot-note system or even a numbered note system. The notes are marked only with '*' and paging back and forth through the text can be (and is) very tiresome. Other than that the book is a great size for travel reading and the font is easily dicipherable.
Amazon.com
In the spring of 1988, Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill set out to write the story of two infamous brothers from the insular Irish enclave of South Boston: Jim "Whitey" Bulger and his younger brother Billy. Whitey was the city's most powerful gangster and a living legend--tough, cunning, without conscience, and above all, smart. Billy, president of the state Senate, was a political heavyweight in Massachusetts. These facts alone make for an intriguing story, but as Lehr and O'Neill found out, this was only the beginning.
John Connolly, a rising FBI agent and fellow "Southie," had known the Bulgers since boyhood when Whitey rescued him from a playground fight. After investigating organized crime in New York, Connolly was reassigned to the bureau's Boston office in 1975, and was determined to make a name for himself by relying on his old connections. He succeeded in a big way by lining up Whitey as an FBI informant in an effort to bring down the Italian Mafia--a major coup for both the FBI and Connolly. In exchange, Bulger received protection. Though heavily involved in extortion, intimidation, assassination, and drug trafficking, Connolly's "good bad guy" did not receive so much as a traffic infraction for over 20 years. In time, however, the deal changed, and information began flowing the other direction, with Bulger manipulating Connolly and a small group of corrupt FBI agents to further his nefarious network. The criminals and the lawmen eventually became virtually indistinguishable.
Black Mass expertly details the twists and turns of this complex story, painting a vivid portrait of Boston's underbelly and its inclusive political machine, as well as exposing one of the worst scandals in FBI history. It's also an examination of loyalty--to family, home, and heritage--and "a cautionary tale about the abuse of power that goes unchecked." As a final favor, Connolly tipped off Bulger that he was to be indicted on racketeering charges in 1995, allowing him time to go on the lam (he's reported to have access to secret bank accounts across the country). He was added to the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted List" in 1999. --Sharon M. Brown
Book Description
Two boys--John Connolly, and James "Whitey" Bulger--grew up together on the streets of South Boston. Decades later, in the late 1970s, they would meet again. By then, Connolly was a major figure in the FBI's Boston office and Whitey had become godfather of the Irish Mob. What happened between them-a dirty deal to trade secrets and take down Boston's Italian Mafia in the process--would spiral out of control, leading to murders, and drug dealing, and racketeering indictments. And, ultimately, to Bulger making the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List.
Told in compelling narrative style by the Boston Globe reporters who covered the case from the beginning, Black Mass is a riveting epic crime story that is also a book about Boston and Irish America; about the pull of place; and about the ties between that blind.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect.......2007-03-14
This item was exactly what i ordered in the exact condition that i ordered it in. Would definitly do business with seller again! Thank you
The First Book.......2007-02-23
This book was the first book to be written on the Bulger/FBI scandal. For those who don't know; James "Whitey" Bulger ran Bostons Irish mafia for almost 20 years. He also was a Top Echelon Informant for the FBI. As such, they let him get away with all types of crimes, including murder. Making matters worse, his younger brother Billy was the Senate president of the Mass. state Senate. Another brother, Jackie, was a juvenile court judge. This family took corruption to new heights. Eventually they fell. Whitey is now one of the top 10 fugitives. This book by two Boston Globe reporters, details the Bulger brothers, their history, Boston politics, and how they all came together. This is a good book. The only problems are because it was written in 1998-1999, some things have changed ( For example, Bulgers partner in crime, Steven Flemi, has pleaded guilty to several murders, and is doing life without parole ). Also, there wasn't enough written about the Top Echelon Informant program and all the problems with it. I'd recomend getting 2 other books along with this to get a complete picture. 1 is Dangerous Alliances by Ralph Ranelli; the other is The Brothers Bulger by Howie Carr. All 3 books should give you a complete view of this scandal.
Frightening account of corruption.......2006-10-20
Black Mass is an unbelievable account of the illicit relationship between two Irish mobsters from South Boston (Whitey Bulger and Stevie Flemmi) and their FBI handlers (John Connolly and John Morris).
The book begins with background on South Boston and the "us against them" mentality of the residents. As a young boy, John Connolly looked up to and admired Whitey Bulger, a local gangster, and left an indelible impression on Connolly one day when Bulger rescued Connolly from a fight. Years later, when Connolly was assigned to the Boston FBI office, he sought out Bulger to turn him into an informant, hoping to make a name for himself. Bulger's younger brother was president of the state senate and Whitey by this time was head of the Irish mob in Boston, both highly regarded in their own circles.
Though Connolly may have begun the relationship with good intentions, it very quickly turned corrupt, and the information Bulger supplied Connolly was self-serving, and Connolly, never having grown out of his idolization of Bulger, did all he could to keep Whitey's record clean. The Irish and Italian mafias had a tenuous relationship, so for Bulgur, informing on his competition got them out of his way, and as long as he worked with the FBI, he was untouchable. Bulger's partner in crime, Stevie Flemmi, as it turned out, had been an informant for several years before Bulger. Rather than the FBI handling them, Bulger and Flemmi cultivated a bond with Connolly and Morris to ensure that they could do anything without fear of punishment. Reports were made up, lost, or taken; phone calls from other law enforcement agencies were ignored; Bulger and Flemmi's importance was inflated; and they were always one step ahead of a sting. Under the protection of the FBI, Bulger and Flemmi were involved in racketeering, gun running, drugs, and over a dozen murders - and got away with it.
What amazes me is that supposedly Connolly and Morris only benefited by $7000 during the two decades that Bulger and Flemmi were informants. Initially I believe that Connolly just wanted notoriety, but he is also flamboyant and likes living the high life, which it appears he did.
Eventually Morris' conscience bothered him enough to start talking, but it still took several years before Bulger, Flemmi, Connolly and Morris were indicted. Connolly warned Bulger, enabling him to escape. Flemmi, on the other hand, still thought that Morris would tell the court that this was all a mistake, and get Flemmi off as he had done for so many years.
As far as I know, Bulger is still a fugative and on the 10 Most Wanted List. I hope that regulations are now being followed to ensure FBI handlers are accountable for their action or inaction, and that the chain of command is aware of what the agents are doing. This was a well-written and engrossing story.
Incredible Book.......2006-08-19
I've had an interest in Boston and the organized crime around Boston for a while. I've actually had a big interest in the mafia in general. This is a great book with a lot of information that is very useful in understanding how corruption in the system allows organized crime to become more powerful and almost unstoppable.
More to come??.......2006-08-05
One might ask after reading this excellent book whether 2 kids,say brothers, were groomed to follow in the Bulger's footsteps but perhaps something went awry??
I know of 2 brothers from Massachusetts. Both were raised in state care during Bulger's reign. The older brother went into the army and a couple years later the younger was being harassed by activities a man who bore the same name in the same town, as if the younger brother had another identity created and which was made to look bad to hurt him in the identity confusion following. It is speculated the older brother set up the younger brother, both from Woburn,Mass and that the older brother after a name change went into FBI service at his younger brother's constant expense.Wherever the younger brother went the older followed and bad thingsalways happened to the younger as a result. There is a lot that went on but it looks as a duplicate of the Bulger's good guy/bad guy pairing for controlling different levels of influence was going on.
Book Description
The Satan of Paradise Lost has fascinated generations of readers. This book attempts to explain how and why Milton's Satan is so seductive. It reasserts the importance of Satan against those who would minimize the poem's sympathy for the devil and thereby make Milton orthodox.
Neil Forsyth argues that William Blake got it right when he called Milton a true poet because he was "of the Devils party" even though he set out "to justify the ways of God to men." In seeking to learn why Satan is so alluring, Forsyth ranges over diverse topics--from the origins of evil and the relevance of witchcraft to the status of the poetic narrator, the epic tradition, the nature of love between the sexes, and seventeenth-century astronomy. He considers each of these as Milton introduces them: as Satanic subjects.
Satan emerges as the main challenge to Christian belief. It is Satan who questions and wonders and denounces. He is the great doubter who gives voice to many of the arguments that Christianity has provoked from within and without. And by rooting his Satanic reading of Paradise Lost in Biblical and other sources, Forsyth retrieves not only an attractive and heroic Satan but a Milton whose heretical energies are embodied in a Satanic character with a life of his own.
Book Description
Renaissance England's great tragedy of intellectual overreaching is as relevant and unsettling today as it was when first performed at the end of the sixteenth century. This edition provides newly edited texts of both the 1604 (A-Text) and 1616 (B-Text) versions of the play, each with detailed explanatory annotations.
"Sources and Contexts" includes a generous selection from Marlowe's main source, The Damnable Life and Deserved Death of Dr. John Faustus, along with contemporary writings on magic and religion (including texts by Agrippa, Calvin, and Perkins) that establish the play's intellectual background. This volume also reprints early documents relating to the writing and publication of the play and to its first performances, along with contemporary comments on Marlowe's scandalous reputation.
Twenty-five carefully chosen interpretations-written from the eighteenth century to the present-allow students to enrich their critical understanding of the play. These diverse critical essays include classic analyses by Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, and A. C. Swinburne, among others, and recent criticism from, among others, Michael Neill, Katharine Eisaman Maus, Alison Findlay, Stephen Orgel, and David Bevington.
A Chronology and Selected Bibliography are also included.
About the Series: No other series of classic texts equals the caliber of the
Norton Critical Editions. Each volume combines the most authoritative text available with the comprehensive pedagogical apparatus necessary to appreciate the work fully. Careful editing, first-rate translation, and thorough explanatory annotations allow each text to meet the highest literary standards while remaining accessible to students. Each edition is printed on acid-free paper and every text in the series remains in print. Norton Critical Editions are the choice for excellence in scholarship for students at more than 2,000 universities worldwide.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyable and a must read!.......2007-07-26
By his untimely death at 29 Christopher Marlowe had written this and other plays (including The Jew of Malta) which inspired a beginning William Shakespeare to sharpen his craft.
Though the version we have was not recorded until about a decade after Marlowe's death (and therefore shows signs of later adulterations by other writers) you can still observe the genius of Marlowe at work.
The plot of this play is about a well-learnt man, Dr. Faustus, who believing that he has attained all the knowledge there is to learn (knowledge beyond the point of 'this far and no further'), turns to magic.
During one of his rituals he calls upon the underworld to aid him - Mephistopheles duly comes to Faustus' beckoning as any good demon would in their relentless search for souls; however Faustus, in his naive pride, believes that Mephistopheles is there as a result of his conjuring - demons are at his beck and call!
Mephistopheles plays it whatever way Faustus wants it, to ensure capturing his soul. They strike a pact - 24 glorious years of fame and fortune for Faustus, with Mephistopheles as his servant, after which his soul belongs to Lucifer. To make the contract binding Faustus writes out the pact and signs in blood. However, Mephistopheles is portrayed as a figure of sorrow and tries to warn Faustus about what he is getting himself into. But Faustus is unreceptive to the truth and ignores Mephistopheles' warning.
There is the good and bad angel that appear to Dr. Faustus several times. The good angel repeats over and over to Dr. Faustus that he can repent at any time and come back into good graces, while the bad angel keeps on telling him it's too late. The bad angel prevails.
A number of scenes are depicted - the main one being at the Vatican. Faustus is invisible and steals food and wine from under the Pope's nose, followed by putting to sleep a couple of Cardinals and stealing their clothes, and he frees Bruno who is to be put to death for impersonating the pope.
So the story develops - Faustus is the guest at the tables of the figureheads of Europe where he further increases his reputation by bringing to life such people as Helen of Troy. He is introduced to the Seven Deadly sins - Pride, Covetousness, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth and Lechery.
After twenty four years of fame Faustus' time is drawing to a close and he cannot postpone the inevitable. Mephistopheles, Lucifer and Beelzebub appear to collect their payment - the soul of Faustus. At the midnight hour they open the gates of hell. Faustus tries to repent but it's too late and his implorations to God are halfhearted. The devils rip his body apart before casting it aside - it has no use for them - their only currency is the soul.
In the 3rd and 4th acts, Faustus seems to let go of his quest for knowledge (for the most part) and indulges in practical jokes of an evil nature. There are some who feel that the 3rd and 4th acts are way too silly and that they drag the play down.
The 5th act begins, and Faustus has one final chance to avoid his fate, but he resigns himself to damnation if he can 'enjoy' Helen of Troy. The devil always tempts us with sexual fantasies, mankind's ultimate weakness!
The final scene where Faustus realizes that it is too late and hell awaits, is a scene of pure terror almost unparalleled in literature. He moves from requests that cannot be granted to the most imaginative escapes. The play ends with an appropriate warning to stay behind the line of 'this far and no further.'
Christopher Marlow's life is a bit of a mystery. Some historians believe that he might have been a spy. Not surprisingly, one of the groups of people who Marlowe is rumored to have spied on were Catholics intent on overthrowing what they saw as England's Protestant government. The first thing Dr. Faustus does when he makes his famous bargain is to play a practical joke on the Pope.
Marlowe was killed in a bar fight over an unpaid bill, but it seems highly likely that he was murdered because he was a spy.
Read the man who inspired William Shakespeare.......2006-11-24
By his untimely death at 29 Christopher Marlowe had written this and other plays (including The Jew of Malta) which inspired a beginning William Shakespeare to sharpen his craft.
As regards this play, Marlowe was sort of the Pete Best of the era doing his version of the Hey Joe of the era. To continue musical metaphors he didn't invent but merely sampled the Faustus tale and in so doing gave it his own unique spin.
Though the version we have was not recorded until about a decade after Marlowe's death (and therefore shows signs of later adulterations by other writers) you can still observe the genuis of Marlowe at work. By likening his character to the Greek methological story of Dedalus, Marlowe imparts that sense of doom so connected with the potential arrogance of human ambition. As a reminder, Dedalus was affixed wings with wax by his father Icarus only to lose them and fall when Dedalus flew too high and had them melted by the light of the sun.
Similarly Faustus is -- in almost Christmas Carol type fashion -- visited by the personified seven deadly sins and Lucifer himself...itself then a unique device uniquely and effectively executed.
Throughout Marlowe makes us witness to Faustus' growing sense of doom at the irrevocability of his contract with Lucifer.
Sadly, to the modern reader much of the horror of his Faustian bargain is lost to us. For the most part, we moderns don't have the immediate fear of Lucifer that our forebears had. For us today, evil does not lurk in the shadows but is rather all too much before us as we proceed through our days and take note of current events.
Still the same the play was a landmark piece and an inspiration to Shakespeare who had before him an example of the genuis he had to compete with and the standard he had to maintain.
The Price of Fame...........2006-09-29
Tells the tale of the unfortunate Doctor John Faustus - who in return for 24 years of fame and fortune sells his soul to Lucifer. Faustus is a learned gentleman, his pride tells him that he can learn no more from books and the limit of knowledge that they contain. He needs to escape the bounds of the known world and so turns to the world of magic.
During one of his rituals he calls upon the underworld to aid him - Mephistopheles duly comes to Faustus' beckoning as any good demon would in their relentless search for souls (Europe happens to be Mephistopheles stomping ground); however Faustus, in his naive pride, believes that Mephistopheles is there as a result of his conjuering - demons are at his beck and call! Mephistopheles plays it whatever way Fautus wants it, to ensure capturing his soul. They strike a pact - 24 glorious years of fame and fortune for Faustus, with Mephisto as his servent, after which his soul belongs to Lucifer. To make the contract binding Faustus writes out the pact and signs in blood - Mephisto isn't taking any chances.
A number of scenes are depicted - the main one being at the Vatican. Faustus is invisible and steals food and wine from under the Pope's nose, followed by putting to sleep a couple of Cardinals and stealing their clothes, he frees Bruno who is to be put to death for impersonating the pope.
So the story develops - Faustus is the guest at the tables of the figureheads of Europe where he further increases his reputation by bringing to life such people as Helen of Troy. He is introduced to the Seven Deadly sins - Pride, Covetousness, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth & Lechery.
After Twenty and Four years of fame Faustus' time is drawing to a close and he cannot postpone the inevitable. Mephisto, Lucifer and Belzebub appear to collect their payment - the soul of Faustus. At the midnight hour they crack back the gates of hell to reveal his destiny - bodies on endless treadmills, unfortunates being thrown around on pitch forks, souls damned for eternity. Faustus tries to repent but it's too late and his implorations to God are halfhearted. The devils rip his body apart before casting it aside - it has no use for them - their only currency is the soul.
Recommended
Marlowe's Masterpiece. .......2006-07-24
If you saw "Shakespeare In Love," you know this was the play of Marlowe's that was getting so much attention. (For that matter, I found this play better than "Romeo and Juliet," even though "Romeo and Juliet" was to become the big play at the climactic moment.) Moving on, we meet Dr. Faustus, and he decides that the legitimate knowledge of this world is not good enough. So, he decides to cross the line of 'this far and no further' by making an unholy deal. It is interesting that even Mephistophilis (the unholy agent of the devil) is drawn as a figure of sorrow and even tries to warn Faustus about what he is getting himself into. But Faustus is unreceptive to the truth and ignores Mephistophilis's warning. In a scene of shocking horror, Faustus even mocks Mephistophilis for trying to warn him of the dangers involved: "Learn thou of Faustus manly fortitude" (1.3.85). Faustus makes an unholy pact and sells his soul for books that will offer knowledge beyond the point of 'this far and no further,' as well as significant magical powers. It is interesting that even after Faustus makes the pact, he is presented with several opportunities to escape his fate. But he can not give up the fruits of the pact. (His powers, having Mephistophilis at his command, etc.) Later, we see meet the 7 deadly sins. And Faustus's delight at them shows us his degeneration. In the 3rd and 4th acts, Faustus seems to let go of his quest for knowledge (for the most part) and indulges in practical jokes of an evil nature. There are some who feel that the 3rd and 4th acts are way too silly and that they drag the play down. But, I don't think this is the case at all. I can not help but think that Marlowe was emphasizing how worthless the fruits of the pact really were. (Nothing we could ask the devil for could equal the soul which Christ gave us.) Furthermore, in my opinion, we shouldn't be so surprised at Faustus's degeneration. He has made a pact with evil, and evil is basically degeneration through the service of one's self, depite how amoral and sick that service may be. It is our good side that encourages us to better ourselves, hopefully at least in part for the sake of others. The 5th act begins, and Faustus has one final chance to avoid his fate, but he resigns himself to damnation if he can 'enjoy' Helen of Troy. If I were a betting man, I would bet that Marlowe is emphasizing that sex often overrides our rational thoughts. (How many romance plays seem to defy reason?) The final scene where Faustus realizes that it is too late and hell awaits, is a scene of pure terror almost unparalled in literature. He moves from requests that can not be granted to the most imaginative escapes. The play ends with an appropriate warning to stay behind the line of 'this far and no further.'
"This word damnation terrifies not him".......2006-01-31
Christopher Marlowe is awsone. What other Renaissance writer was a freakin' spy? I mean, I like Shakespeare's plays and all, but as a person he's boring unless he's being played by Joseph Fiennes. I often pit two historical figures against one another in my mind, and I wonder what would happen if these two fought. If Shakespeare and Marlowe fought, Marlowe would bust out his super secret digital watch-that's secretly a laser-and he'd slice Shakespeare in half. Maybe `Speare would have a deadly quill like the Joker had in Batman, but a deadly quill versus a laser? I think we know who would win. I know the digital watch/laser is a bit silly because they didn't have digital watches back then, but at the very least he'd have an hourglass with a secret laser.
Reading Dr. Faustus I realize what a shame it is Marlowe died so early. Marlowe's ability to combine drama and comedy was light years ahead of Shakespeare's. It wasn't until the second half of Shakespeare's career that he started writing dark comedies, but Marlowe was interjecting his humor with a dark twist right away with plays like Dr. Faustus and The Jew of Malta. If Marlowe hadn't dies so early (in a fight over who was going to pay the bill no less-freakin' cool!) then maybe there would have been two playwriting giants in London competing against one another. Just imagine the masterpieces that would have ensued. I bet they would have made King Lear look like A Comedy of Errors.
This is the second time I've read Dr. Faustus, and I had forgotten how anti-Catholic it is. The story takes place mostly in Wittenberg, Germany where Martin Luther wrote his famous 95 theses. The location already sets up the tenuous relationship between Protestants and Catholics. This relationship, obviously biased against Catholics, is further represented in the good angel and bad angel that appear to Dr. Faustus several times. The good angel repeats over and over to Dr. Faustus that he can repent at any time and come back into good graces, while the bad angel keeps on telling him it's too late. The obvious analogy is that the good angel represents the Protestant idea of justification by faith. Not surprisingly, one of the groups of people who Marlowe is rumored to have spied on were Catholics intent on overthrowing what they saw as England's Protestant government. Furthermore, the first thing Dr. Faustus does when he makes his famous bargain is to play a practical joke on the Pope.
Please, if you're Catholic don't let this turn you away from reading this beautifully written play. At times the mixture of slapstick comedy and high brow allusions are a bit uneven, but that was the nature of the beast back then. Marlowe had to play to the peasants as well as royalty.
The trick Marlowe plays on the audience is even greater than the trick played on Faustus. Marlowe actually gets us to care about Faustus by the end of the play. This is either a trick to show us how close every one of us is to making a Faustian bargain, or it's a trick to show us how unfair these religious traditions were. After all, what did Faustus do that was so wrong? He goes into the deal with plans for making himself a despot, and ends up using all of his power to fetch grapes for debutants and summon Helen of Troy so that others may see her beauty. (Dr. Faustus has "phenominal cosmic power," and all he can manage is playing a few practical jokes and impressing people with out of season fruits.) He's never punished for his bad acts, but rather because of who he pledged his allegiance to. Over the course of twenty-four years Faustus has actually become a somewhat better person if only because he recognizes his sins. His greatest crimes are nothing more than playing practical jokes on peasants. He's not perfect, but he's also not deserving of eternal damnation.
I see Dr. Faustus as a critique of religion. Others may find that it only reinforces their beliefs, and that's what makes the text so good. The Faustian bargain finds its way into literature time and again, but it means something different to each author; likewise, Dr. Faustus means something different to each reader.
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The Devil Kissed Her
Kathy Watson
Manufacturer: Tarcher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1585423564
Release Date: 2004-09-09 |
Book Description
Kathy Watson explores Mary Lamb's famous crime and her remarkable relationship with her brother Charles.
Author Mary Lamb, long considered by historians a mere adjunct to her brother Charles, was a woman of contradictions: fiercely domestic yet unmarried; maternal yet childless; a peaceful, loving woman susceptible to bouts of extreme violence.
In this fascinating book, Kathy Watson traces the extraordinary intertwined lives of Mary Lamb and her brother Charles, authors of the perennial children's book Tales of Shakespeare. Their uncommonly close relationship-an ersatz marriage-was bound ever closer after Mary murdered their mother with a carving knife during a psychotic episode. Sharing the same constellation of friends-Coleridge and Wordsworth among them-yet plagued by Mary's manic depression, the Lambs' lives have long been shrouded in ambiguity.
In The Devil Kissed Her, Watson documents the nature of Mary's mental illness and the terrible crime she committed in its haze, the lifelong devotion of Charles, and the brother and sister's dual existence in both the calm domesticity of their home life and the bedlam of nineteenth-century mental asylums.
Customer Reviews:
Mary Lamb's Madness.......2005-01-03
Kathy Watson argues ably and nimbly that we should not regard Mary Lamb's madness as an occasional thing that visited her and left no traces, leaving the essential Mary Lamb behind. No, it was part and parcel of her personality, and can be seen in her writing as well. Watson discovers that outside of the famous TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE which she wrote with her brother Charles (splitting down the corpus of Shakespeare by ignoring the histories, writing up the comedies, and leaving the tragedies to Charles), Mary Lamb wrote other books as well, which she makes sound perfectly fascinating. I would love to read the "Mrs. Leicester" book and hope that Tarcher, which published this fine biography, will print a companion book of Mary Lamb's collected writing.
She hints also that Mary was drawn to many men, including the romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who was so sexy that she just couldn't help herself when he was around. Charles eventually had to ask Coleridge not to come around because a visit from him would find Mary going a little crazy.
Watson brings us into the early 19th century world of the madhouse, which is a pretty creepy place. Women with private means like Mary Lamb had their own rooms and own attendants, but still they must have seen some dreadful sights, making their lives very different from other women of their class who were in general protected from the seamy. You can never forget however, that Mary killed her own mother with a knife, a crime so rare that people hardly ever run into it, even judges with long histories of criminal cases, even hardened homicide cops. Why did she do it? Watson provides a limited answer. In my mind Mary Lamb's psychology was similar to Lizzie Borden's, except she was perhaps more lovable and had more of a humorous nature. But both were brooders and both nurtured an unassimilable hatred toward the patriarchal structure of the family.
Book Description
'The Potter stories, far from being 'wicked' or 'Satanic,' ... are in fact narratives of robust faith and morality ...'What Ms. Rowling has furnished us, besides what the Brits call 'a good read,' and a whopping good one, ... is a modern interpretation of the gospel, the wonderful news that 'God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself' and making sure that the goodness of creation would never be obliterated by the forces of darkness and evil.'Since their first publication, J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels have brought joy to children and adults alike. Many conservative Christians in the United States, however, have decried the books as wicked, as preaching witchcraft and the occult, and as glamorizing dishonesty. A minister in New Mexico held a 'holy bonfire' on the Sunday after Christmas 2001, at which he publicly torched the Potter books, declaring them 'an abomination to God and to me.' John Killinger, a Congregationalist minister and an academic in the field of contemporary literature, beautifully demolishes the objections of right-wing Christians to this bestselling children's series. He compellingly argues that, far from corrupting children's morals, the Potter stories actually influence young readers to follow the teachings of Jesus. He cites passage after passage to illustrate how the world of Harry Potter would be inconceivable apart from the strictures of Judeo-Christian theology and the way human existence should be approached by every follower of Jesus. Additionally, he reflects on the possibility that Harry Potter, like Dostoevsky's Prince Myshkin and others, is a witting or unwitting Christ figure who actually battles the forces of darkness for the souls of the faithful.All through this extraordinarily well-written, compelling, and very entertaining little book, the author points out that stories like this are worth more than any sermon toward producing people who truly follow the lessons of Jesus.
Download Description
A beautifully-written examination of the lessons contained in the "juvenile" series that has broken all records and captured adults as well as their children.
Customer Reviews:
Boy Wizard's Worst Defense.......2007-04-19
While the title of this book looks promising,its content leaves much to be desired.At times, Rev. Killinger has a rollicking read, cleverly weaving Scripture and passages from the Harry Potter novels. MOST of the time, however, he is clunky,pedantic, and tries to string together unrelated ideas. Killinger opens the book bragging about how many churches he has led,and ends up being the mirror-image,mainline version of Richard Abanes,author of the "Harry Potter and the Bible" rant.
For example, when Killinger discusses Harry summoning his father's spirit as a Patronus,he drags in the New Age bestseller "Embraced by the Light", the Tibetan Book of the Dead,and Paul's letter to the Hebrews about the "cloud of witnesses." In another section,when trying to refute the Harry Potter series' connection to the occult,he does a laundry list of miracles in the Old and New Testaments,as well as various Christian saints,that goes on for several pages.He engages in constant name-dropping,referencing Henri Nouwen's "The Wounded Healer",Marcus Borg's "Meeting Jesus again for the first time",the Apocryphal Gospels,and equating the spiritual consciousness in the series with the famous tree-sitter Julia Butterfly-Hill,who in turn he equates with "the Buddhists of the 1970s who set themselves aflame for world peace."
Killinger nobly attempts to defend the Christian content of the Harry Potter series.While he tries admirably,he fails spectacularly.
This guy hasn't done his homework.......2006-01-04
(First of all, this is coming from a huge [Christian] fan of the HP books.) While some of his points do make since, most are not sufficiently explained, and are therefore unbelieveable. Killinger makes a lot of glaring mistakes; for example, he doesn't seem to understand the concept of a dementor other than the fact that it can (can being the main word) suck out one's soul. He also gives quite a few incorrect discriptions of exact events in the books. (An example: He said that Hagrid had turned Vernon Dursley to a pig in Sorcerer's Stone, but he actually gave DUDLEY Dursley a pig's TAIL.) The one crucial point that I think he has actually brought across is the role of good vs. evil in the series.
Overall, if you are a person who is looking to see if the series is appropriote for you or your children, buy this book. Otherwise, if you are a fan looking for a good defence of the books, don't waste your time.
A good read.......2005-03-13
So far the book bas been interesting. I would like to point out that there is a mistake on page 103. It says that voldemorts wand is oak when in fact it is yew. The yew tree is symbolic of death itself. Other than that the information about the harry potter series has been correct. If you are unsure about purchasing the book check it out of your local library. Only you can decide if you like it.
Impressive.......2005-01-17
I am fully aware that some people who have not read the books think that Harry Potter is satanic. This is utter nonsense. In the books, there are a series of prophecies that foretell events in the series. If you are unaware, prophecies in the series are basically a divine intervention with events in that are happening in the wizard world in which God speaks through someone. I don't know about you, but that doesn't seem like something that would appear in a satanic book to me. I found Killinger's book insightful and well-written. On a slightly different note, do you think that Jesus would want us all to be treating others so horribly because of a children's book with God in it?
I was disappointed..........2004-11-24
The subtitle of the book is "A Christian Minister's Defense...." So how can a man with a doctorate in theology have such a poor understanding of Scripture?
If you're a conservative, Bible-believing Christian looking for a conservative biblical approach to the Harry Potter/Christianity issue, this book will surely disappoint you. The author takes a very dim view of Scripture.
I found John Granger's book to be much better written and far more informative.
Customer Reviews:
Just a great book.......2001-12-03
I loved this book.It is a great read. I really like how faith is a very strong person and is not scared of the irish devil. The only part i didn't like was that her father treated her so wrong.
I haven't even finished.......2001-08-07
This book is great and definitely a keeper. Donna FLetcher gives the reader of stubborn pride but even stronger love. I enjoyed all the characters and she goes in depth making the reader a part of their family. Fletcher gives a tale of a women who will not be broken down and a warrior whose might makes everyone quiver including the heroine, but not in fear. As they fight against the odds their love strengthens. The secondary characters are wonderful and I cannot wait for her next book.
Weak.......2001-04-22
Not only is this book light on history. There is no history in it. I think it might most charitably be described as a fantasy in which the characters wear medieval costume and their social structure is loosely based on that of medieval Europe. This author appears to lack a basic grasp of the history of the period and of historical novel writing in general. Sadly, it appears that not only has she failed to do her homework, but she actually seems to hold a measure of contempt for the time period she's writing about. I can't help wondering why she bothered. Why not just write a contemporary?
From a historical perspective, this book's woes begin on page one. Even the heroine's name - Faith - is so anachronistic it's jolting. (Naming girls after virtues is a Puritan custom that began approximately 400 years after the story takes place.) The pages that follow contain far too many historical weaknesses to name.
But it's not just history. Anachronisms aside, this novel is just poorly written. Although she has other books in print, Ms. Fletcher is an amateur. Her work is rife with grammatical errors, dangling modifiers, misspellings and comma splices. Many words are simply misused (i.e., "limpid" instead of "limp," "desirous" instead of "desirable"). The hero is irritating and cartoonish; the secondary characters are stereotypical. The heroine can't decide whether she wants to be a sad caricature of everyone's conception of a medieval lady or an independent, twentieth-century woman. The plot is flimsy and devoid of any plausible conflict.
Yes, these things do matter. Yes, they do disrupt the story. When a reader buys a book, I don't think it's too much to ask for the author to hold up her end of the bargain by researching her period and by brushing up on the basics of English grammar, spelling and sentence structure. This is no more than having respect for the reading public and holding to the principle that any job worth doing is worth doing well.
Charming romance.......2000-09-10
The Irish Devil is your typical medieval romance. Wealthy,handsome,fearsome lord of the castle marries the outcast,scarred stepchild. There's a little mystery and plenty of sex.I found this story very romantic.
Buy it!!.......2000-08-21
Alright - Enough! Stop nitpicking and take the story for what it is F I C T I O N, fantasy, escape. I read these type of books for those reasons. There's enough reality in this world. I enjoyed the book. I have to agree with one of the reviewers, this book does have it all. Read it. PS By the way, this was my first Donna Fletcher and I now have a few more in my shopping basket.
Book Description
Poetaster Sejanus The Devil is an Ass New Inn Oxford English Drama offers plays from the sixteenth to early twentieth centuries in selections that make available both rarely printed and canonical works. The texts are freshly edited using modern spelling. Critical introductions, wide-ranging annotation, and informative bibliographies illuminate the plays' cultural contexts and theatrical potential for reader and performer alike. 'The series should reshape the canon in a number of significant areas. A splendid and imaginative project.' [Professor Anne Barton, Cambridge University]
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Collection of Ben Jonson's Lesser Known Plays.......2005-01-30
This excellent Oxford World's Classics collection is unusual in that none of these plays by Ben Jonson were well-received when first performed, and furthermore, have seldom been staged until recent years. Nonetheless, all four plays - Poetaster, Sejanus his Fall, The Devil is an Ass, and The New Inn - make good reading.
I especially recommend these plays to readers already familiar with Jonson's better known works like Volpone, The Alchemist, Epicene, and Bartholomew Fair. Reading Jonson can require effort and this Oxford World's Classics edition is to be highly commended for the excellent introduction, explanatory notes, and glossary by Margaret Jane Kidnie.
Poetaster: Among his earliest plays, Poetaster was first staged in 1601, the same year as Hamlet. (A poetaster is a trivial rhymester, a writer of doggerel, at best an inferior poet.) Although Poetaster is primarily about the relationship of the Roman poets Ovid, Virgil, and Horace with governmental authority, several scenes are devoted to ridiculing two mean-spirited, envious, plagiaristic poets, Crispinus and Demetrius. Despite the setting in ancient Rome, the audience quickly recognized that these two inept poets were caricatures of Jonson's bitter rivals, John Marston and Thomas Dekker.
Sejanus his Fall: Previously, Jonson had focused on satirical comedies; writing a historical tragedy was quite a change. Unfortunately, despite a cast that included Richard Burbage and William Shakespeare (perhaps, playing the lascivious Tiberius), Sejanus his Fall was a failure. To make matters worse, despite Jonson's effort to carefully document the historical accuracy of his play, he was summoned by the Privy Council to defend himself against charges of sedition and slander. Apparently, in recent performances Sejanus has fared much better. While I enjoyed reading Sejanus, Jonson may have overly constrained his artistic freedom by his insistence to adhere rigidly to historical accounts.
The Devil is an Ass: This mildly satirical play, like Bartholomew Fair, abounds with unscrupulous characters, con men, and gullible dupes. Jonson successfully interweaves several subplots involving deceit and trickery, creating an enjoyable comedy. The play begins as a lesser devil, named Pug, requests an opportunity to visit London to entrap innocents, thereby ensuring their doom. Satan is skeptical. He considers modern 1616 London to be more corrupt and dissolute than Hell itself. Satan reluctantly allows Pug to proceed.
The New Inn (or, The Light Heart): Jonson's final play was notably unsuccessful, being cancelled after a single night. Contrastingly, a modern production by the Royal Shakespeare Company received much acclaim. The editor, Margaret Jane Kidnie, urges the reader to read the play before reading Jonson's introductory summary, titled the Argument, which gives away the ending. It is probably prudent also to skip the short description of the play's characters. Act Five is best as a surprise.
Average customer rating:
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'Who the Devil Taught Thee So Much Italian?': Italian Language Learning and Literary Imitation in Early Modern England
Jason Lawrence
Manufacturer: Manchester University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Renaissance | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Shakespeare | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Renaissance | Movements & Periods | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Italian | Instruction | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
Linguistics | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0719069149
Release Date: 2006-03-02 |
Book Description
This book offers a comprehensive account of the methods and practice of learning modern languages, particularly Italian, in late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century England. It is the first study to suggest that there is a fundamental connection between these language-learning habits and the techniques for both reading and imitating Italian materials employed by a range of poets and dramatists, such as Daniel, Drummond, Marston and Shakespeare, in the same period.
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