The Oxford Companion to English Literature

Book Description

Based on the text of Margaret Drabble's 1995 edition, this sixth edition has been completely reworked and expanded. There are nearly 600 entirely new entries to reflect the new figures and issues of English Literature in the new millennium, and the existing entries have been extensively revised and updated to incorporate the latest scholarship. But this new edition remains faithful to Sir Paul Harvey's original vision of an authoritative work placing English literature from the Classical world, Europe, Latin America, and beyond. In addition to the extensive coverage of writers, works, literary theory, allusions, and characters, there are sixteen featured essay-style entries on key topics including black British literature, fantasy fiction, and modernism.

Customer Reviews:

A handy if heavy friend!.......2005-02-17

A wonderful resource and superbly edited by Ms Drabble to not only meet the founding principles of this work (which first appeared in the 1930's) but also to consider the ever changing parimeters of what good and great literature is, a highly subjective notion at best.
The title almost does not do this work justice, it bestows it with a crusty old British acaedemic image. You almost imagine having to blow the dust off it before you can begin! But it is so much more rich and diverse than this and should not be avoided by those made nervous by it's title; it is not the untouchable work it sounds like it may be.
If literature is a love of yours, whether by author or genre, then you will find this brilliantly informative. Don't be put off by this being such an enormous book, it needs to be, it will become a dear and chubby friend in no time!

A worthy companion.......2003-07-11

The first 'Oxford Companion to English Literature' was published in 1932 under the editorial direction of Sir Paul Harvey (no relation the American radio commentator). Half a century and five editions later, this is still a standard, authoritative reference work necessary for scholars and interested non-experts alike.

Under the editorship of Margaret Drabble, author and biographer (known for 'The Witch of Exmoor' and the more recently published 'The Peppered Moth'), this volume remains faithful to Harvey's intention of placing English literature in its widest possible context while exploring the deep classical and continental connections that underpin much of the history.

How can literature be divorced from cultural context? Surely it cannot be -- hence the newest entries into the edition include topics that read as if they were taken from today's best-seller shelf:

- Anglo-Indian Literature
- Simon Armitage
- Kate Atkinson
- Louis de Bernieres
- Censorship

- Ben Elton
- Gay and lesbian literature
- Hypertext
- A. L. Kennedy
- Lad's literature
- Literature of science
- New Criticism
- New Irish Playwrights
- Carol Shields
- Travel writing

This sample listing of the latest entries is representative of the more established categories, in that the entries (encyclopedic in character) include Authors, Subjects, Titles, Events, Characters and Critical Theory. The entries are unsigned (an ever-controversial practice in reference works such as this) -- well over a hundred contributors assisted in this volume, including the likes of Matthew Sweet, Salman Rushdie, Ceridwen Lloyd-Morgan, Katherine Duncan-Jones, and Brian Vickers.

This volume serves the general reader well in that one may follow cross-reference trails through the text. Take, for instance, Aaron the Moor -- the reader will be directed to Titus Andronicus, to which one is directed to Shakespeare, and from there a host of other cross-references historical and modern. Under the entry of Gabriel Josipovici, one is led back the entries of Rabelais and Bellow, influences as well as objects of Josipovici's study.

The appendices are new features of this edition. The first appendix is a Chronology that lists the chronology of the production of English literature from c.1000 to 1999 side by side with major historical events in Britain and beyond, and the significant events in the lives of literary figures. Appendix 2 lists the Poets Laureate in chronological order, from 1619 (when the office unofficially began) to the present -- surprisingly, there have only been 21 (19 official). Appendix 3 lists major literary award winners: Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Library Association Carnegie Medalists, and Booker-McConnell Prize for Fiction. Obviously not all of these are British authors, but it helps to place British literature in the wider world context of the twentieth century (as all of these prizes are twentieth-century creations).

In addition to the encyclopedic entries, there are major essays scattered through the text. These include the following topics:

- Biography
- Black British Literature
- Children's Literature
- Detective Fiction
- Fantasy Fiction
- Ghost Stories
- Gothic Fiction
- Historical Fiction
- Metre
- Modernism
- Post-Colonial Literature
- Romanticism
- Science Fiction
- Spy Fiction
- Structuralism and Post-Structuralism

These essays include history and current development of the genre or topic, as well as bibliographic information for further research, which (regrettably) the smaller encyclopedic entries rarely have.

This is a terrific, one-volume reference that should serve well anyone with a need for quick and ready reference material. It should find a welcome home on the shelf of any avid reader, fan of literature and modern fiction, history, religion, or any devoted Anglophile.

A (Very Historical) Companion to English Literature.......2003-01-22

Disliking an Oxford Press book makes me feel like a heretic. The majority of their Companion books are superb, remarkably concise yet thorough works of scholarship. The English Companion is an unfortunate and surprising exception.

The entry for 'New Criticism' is an efficient example of the book's shortcomings. For one thing, there's a laundry list of authors, dates, and books but very little is said of the IDEAS that characterize New Criticism. The entries are generally hamstringed by a focus on the sociopolitical and historical aspects of writers and works. The effort is laudable but inappropriate and uneconomical for a reference work. In its most extreme form, the historical emphasis goes into bizarre detail about an author's upbringing -- is it really necessary that we know where an author went to grade school and when? Entries love to entertain tales of writers' deaths and and of their insignificant travellings. I often felt as though I were reading minibiographies.

One will also notice, in the case of 'New Criticism', the absence of any mention of the 'organic'. This is ridiculous and indicative of the book's lack of attention to concepts as such. There is a non-cross-referenced mention of 'organic' under Coleridge, yet even there it is only mentioned as one of his ideas, not in terms of what the theory tried to say. I would compare it to someone's asking, 'What does X mean?' This book's reply: 'X was one of so-and-so's ideas'. Too often, the response ends there. Literary theory entries are usually on the thin side, though the deconstruction essay is solid. However, even in the longest lit theory essays there is more of an emphasis on people and movements -- far less on ideas.

Along with the lack of depth (or conceptual emphasis), there's little sense of the overall significance of ideas, works or characters (ironic given the attempts at a social-historical approach): Caliban is mentioned in the Tempest entry, and even gets his own paragraph elsewhere, but there's nothing about his character as it's been re-elaborated and re-invented by a long tradition of English writers (Auden, Browning, Joyce, and Wilde for starters). There's nothing about Caliban's portrayal in that tradition, nor mention of Caliban's mirror, etc. Under 'hubris' (which is found, in turn, under a terse account of 'the Poetics'), there's nothing about Icarus, nor is there anything about hubris as a specific theme in so many works.

Speaking of hubris, it's baffling to me that Drabble's entry is longer than either Hill's or Heaney's. The general editor would have been better off focusing more of her energy on other writers: that expansive babbling space could have been put to stronger use had a more thorough background been given on either of those poets, among others.

Readers seeking to understand why an author alludes in his work to a character or poet will be little helped by nebulous terms like 'icily poised' or 'sensuously textured', which are more suggestive of gastronomic, rather than literary, criticism. To my mind a reference's primary function should be to offer a quick source of the 'essentials' of a book or of a writer's ideas, an understanding of which would illuminate one's reading of the alluding work. While I appreciate that entries shy away from 'this or that' critiques or strict (canonical) interpretations, giving lists of facts does an injustice to the works themselves and to the way these works have been interpreted by others. (Believe it or not, people CAN come to their own conclusions even after being introduced to an opinion.)

The book's scope is appropriate to literature, as literature tends to allude to so many disparate disciplines. But if one were truly trying to give an encyclopedic account of literature, the book would have to be much bigger. In this case, specialization suffers. I would have preferred a much more focused account of 'literature' as such; I'd then supplement this with other references focused, for example, on English history. One gets the sense that too many entries end up attenuated in this book.

On the positive side the plot summaries are strong and more nuanced, though many entries are badly written (full of odd, obscuring, convoluted syntax). Again, good editorship would have recognized this.

The book primarily succeeds as an enervated survey. Nevertheless, readers will occasionally happen upon some interesting, well-summarized topics.

I'm going to check out the Cambridgean counterpart to the Oxford Companion, and I'm hoping it will give a more in-depth account of ideas and themes. The other Oxford Companions are, however, truly amazing works and deserve a close look.

very good refrence.......1999-09-08

An excellent resource of information about English works of art

very good refrence.......1999-09-08

An excellent resource of information about English works of art

Average customer rating:

Karon yes, Herriot no
An Irish Country Doctor
A pint of Guinness, a placebo, and call me in the morning.
I'm sorry but I found this book somewhat dull.
The book, 'An Irish Country Doctor'

An Irish Country Doctor
Patrick Taylor
Manufacturer: Forge Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0765316234
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Book Description

NorthBarry Laverty, MD, can barely find the village of Ballybucklebo on a map when he first sets out to seek gainful employment there, but already he knows that there is nowhere he would rather live than in the emerald hills and dales of Northern Ireland. The proud owner of a spanking-new medical degree, Barry jumps at the chance to secure a position as an assistant in a small rural practice. At least until he meets Dr. Fingal Flahertie OReilly. The older physician, whose motto is never let the patients get the upper hand, has his own way of doing things, which definitely takes some getting used to. At first, Barry can't decide if the pugnacious O'Reilly is the biggest charlatan he has ever met, or possibly the best teacher he could ever hope for. Ballybucklebo is a long way from Belfast, and Barry soon discovers that he still has a lot to learn about country life. But if he sticks with it, he just might end up finding out more about life and love than he could ever have imagined back in medical school.

Customer Reviews:

Karon yes, Herriot no.......2007-09-10

The synopsis on the inside cover of AN IRISH COUNTRY DOCTOR compares Taylor's book to James Herriot and Jan Karon. Jan Karon I can see. James Herriot is a bit out of reach.

There's more syrup in this book than in a Smucker's factory. Doctor Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly is like a father to the residents of Ballybucklebo in Northern Ireland. There's a pregnant servant girl, a proud old man who lives in his car, a carpenter's wife with a ne'er-do-well husband, plus his new young assistant, Barry Laverty, who's reminiscent of a lovesick calf. O'Reilly presents a tough exterior, but he's got the proverbial heart of gold.

That's not to say AN IRISH COUNTRY DOCTOR doesn't have some good points. If you love language, you'll love the Ulster dialect. For instance, "A beagle's gowl" is the distance a Beagle can be heard; "Near took the rickets" means had a great shock. There are also some more familiar words and expressions such as "lummuck" and "shite," all of which are defined in Taylor's glossary.

Taylor is also a doctor, so the medical scenes provide some enlightenment. I didn't know, for instance, that halitosis is a symptom of appendicitis.

My biggest problem with the book was the climax. O'Reilly resolves all of the plot conflicts in one fell swoop. But he uses blackmailing and some questionable medical slight of hand to do it. I'm thinking there's no way the villain, a tough businessman, would have believed O'Reilly's ploy for a second.

All in all, if you like Jan Karon, you'll probably like AN IRISH COUNTRY DOCTOR. If not, venture at your own risk.

An Irish Country Doctor.......2007-08-10

For me this book was an easy, quick, read that I could hardly put down. The dry, witty, humor gave me many laughs. I especially liked watching the relationship develop between the old, established, doctor and the young, new doctor. A very good read that I have passed on to others.

A pint of Guinness, a placebo, and call me in the morning........2007-08-09

Travelers to the North of Ireland find wind-swept vistas, fog-blanketed coasts and a land so verdant it looks like it was brush-stroked by Thomas Kinkade. On the occasional clear day you can even see Scotland from the lush Antrim shoreline. A mere twelve miles, `tis, across the North Channel, and a cinch for the marauding Scots giants of lore to breach it in a dozen strides, seeking to do battle with Ireland's own giant, Finn McCool. Saint Patrick first landed somewhere nearby and lies buried beneath an eponymous cathedral in County Down. A land of provos and loyalists, the fervent prayer is that the North of Ireland has also entombed the Troubles.

Nestled astride close-by Beflast Lough, readers are introduced to the make-believe, picture-postcard village of Ballybucklebo. An emerald plucked from the Ireland of yesteryear, herein resides a laughable, affable and pitiable collection of all the Irish caricatures we'd ever want to meet. `Tis where we find our two Irish country doctors in residence plying a common sense and routinely placebo-driven brand of medicine mildly reminiscent of the old joke: A man goes to his doctor and informs him that his arm hurts terribly when he raises it. To which the doctor replies: "Then don't raise your arm. Next patient!"

Our crusty but learned Doctor Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly plays mentor, confessor and father-figure to wet-behind-the-ears Doctor Barry Laverty, late of Belfast's Queen's University Medical School. Gambling that rural Ireland might offer a more suitable lifestyle than Belfast, Dr. Laverty arrives in Ballybucklebo ("Bally" loosely meaning "town" in Irish) driving a beat-up Volkswagen, answering O'Reilly's advertisement for a physician to assist him. Following typically whimsical driving directions the Irish are renowned for, Laverty ultimately finds O'Reilly's combination rustic living quarters and surgery (in Ireland "surgery" equals doctor's office) where he's set upon by Arthur Guinness, Fingal O'Reilly's shaggy mutt, a brute armed with boundless affection for the human leg.

The two docs hit it off (without which---no story) and Laverty hires on after passing the muster of the matronly "Kinky" Kincaid, O'Reilly's cook, housekeeper, nurse, confidante, screening-committee and appointment scheduler. Kinky's the glue holding the practice together, protecting our doctoral duo from the likes of: Councillor Bertie Bishop, resident Orangeman and curmudgeon, an equal opportunity Scrooge bent on leaving misery in his path as he cuts a vicious verbal swath through the townspeople. We're soon introduced to the half-dozen or so listless folks who appear daily at the surgery patiently awaiting their turn to receive hypodermic injections of "the tonic", which O'Reilly confesses hush-hush to Laverty is merely vitamin B-12, a placebo which the patients think they cannot live without. We can`t forget about Maggie and Sonny either. He living down the county in his automobile until the roof on his cottage get's fixed. It's been fifty years and the two lovebirds just might get hitched when he gets the roof money together. The good doctors make automobile and house calls to the likes of Sonny and others who can't find a way to the surgery. Which brings us to Major Fotheringham and his wife, a hypochondriac couple who spend days conjuring up imagined maladies, luring a nonplussed Doctor O'Reilly to their house where he plays the game for a bit and takes leave after appearing duly concerned for their fragile health.

Another hapless patient, Seamus Galvin, learns wife Maureen is pregnant again; they're hoping for a turn of financial luck which will allow them to emigrate to Americay. Speaking of pregnant, unmarried Julie MacAteer is praying she's not (But aren't they always?), and none too keen to identify the father.

Spring is in the air and a young man's fancy turns to .....fishing. Not really. Laverty's good with the rod and reel but he's infatuated with a captivating lady he met in Belfast; yet she's unsure, hesitant, all of which leaves our good doctor pining away in Ballybucklebo. And what about Doctor O'Reilly's love life? It's a subject he plays close to the vest, not freely discussing the sad tale behind the one and only love of his life and what happened to her. Keeping his nose to the grindstone, O'Reilly stays steadfast to the task at hand, mindful that the July 12th Orange parade looms and with it the potential for violence and mayhem that accompanies that enduring symbol of the Troubles.

There's more, of course, lot's more: a life-and-death medical emergency; an embarrassing misdiagnosis. In the end of author Taylor's semi-autobiographical Irish charmer the sutures get tied and most, but not all, wounds heal. Some things you can't fix----people die; bad sometimes wins over good. But make no mistake, this is a feel-good anachronistic tale in the stead of The Quiet Man, the Irish heart-tugger that transferred so beautifully to the silver screen over a half-century ago and remains as fresh as it did in the 1950s.

Doctor Laverty's alter ego, author Patrick Taylor M.D., is alive and well, living the good life on Bowen Island off Vancouver, British Columbia, where he reminisces about his days as a physician in his native County Down, Northern Ireland.

I'm sorry but I found this book somewhat dull. .......2007-07-05

I've obviously been spoiled by James Herriot's "All Creatures Great & Small". His vets are lively & memorable.

Also, no one can top Maeve Binchy with her characters that seem so real.

The book, 'An Irish Country Doctor'.......2007-06-27

This book is just a wonderful read. It is set in the 1960's era, and is about a young med-school graduate who takes his first job in a little northern Irish village, joining an elderly doctor in family practice. It is very heart-warming, and holds your interest to the very last page. The author, Patrick Taylor, is a medical doctor himself. I am anxious to read any future books he writes.

Average customer rating:

Irish Rural Interiors in Art
Claudia Kinmonth
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0300107323

Book Description

This book offers a fascinating view of many aspects of Irish rural life from the eighteenth to the mid twentieth century. Illustrated with more than 250 images, many of which have not been published before, the book evokes the hardships and celebrations of laborers and farmers, men and women, the old and the young as depicted in oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, prints, postcards, and cartoons. Most of the illustrations show people engaged in indoor activities at home, but schools, shops, pubs, and doctors’ surgeries are also included. Claudia Kinmonth draws on extensive knowledge of the material culture of rural life to present a new social history of Irish country people.
Working within a broadly chronological framework, the author addresses such themes and patterns of rural life as the architecture of houses, where people slept, cooking over the open hearth, rural dress, display, childcare, work within the home, the arrangement of marriages, weddings, wakes, and celebrations. The book also explores why Irish and foreign artists depicted rural interiors and sets their work in the context of art history.

The Politics of Home: Postcolonial Relocations and Twentieth-Century Fiction

Average customer rating:

Excellent Book

The Politics of Home: Postcolonial Relocations and Twentieth-Century Fiction
Rosemary Marangoly George
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

Twentieth-century imperial and postcolonial narratives in English have a major investment in the notion of "home." At the same time, the concept of "global English" challenges the traditional boundaries of national literatures. Through inter-related readings of the work of "first-world" and "third-world" writers and theorists, including Joseph Conrad, Kazuo Ishiguro, Anita Desai, Edward Said and Homi Bhabha, the author explores the problems, pleasures and privileges involved in "feeling at home" in literature.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Book.......2006-11-16

I loved this book ... couldn't put it down until the last page was over ! When's the next one coming??

Houses of the Gentry 1480-1680 (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in Britis)

Average customer rating:

Houses of the Gentry 1480-1680 (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in Britis)
Nicholas Cooper
Manufacturer: Paul Mellon Centre BA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Home & Garden | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0300073909

Book Description

This abundantly illustrated book provides the first full account of houses built and inhabited by the English upper classes during the period of radical social change between 1480 and 1680. Architectural historian Nicholas Cooper explores hundreds of gentry houses, some well known and others less familiar, and considers their evolution in the light of economic, political, and social changes of the age.

Average customer rating:

Just OK
But it's just a book for children...
Good resource for academics
A must-read

Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter

Manufacturer: Falmer Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Pedagogy | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Children's Literature Guides | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Children's Books | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Accessories:

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0415933749

Book Description

The Harry Potter books have become ubiquitous early texts for children, and are also a popular choice for many adults. Potter-mania has expanded to become a significant cultural phenomenon complete with a feature film and a wide range of paraphernalia. However, there has been little critical attention devoted to these books and the cultural phenomenon surrounding them. Containing powerful, thought-provoking literary themes as well as portrayals of social and cultural normalcy, the Potter books cumulatively serve as a powerful form of social text and deserve serious critical attention. Elizabeth Heilman brings together scholars from various disciplines to provide literary, cultural, sociological, and psychological examinations of the Harry Potter books as both cultural product and social text.
Covering many facets of the Harry Potter series and Potter-mania, this collection begins with a cultural analysis of marketing hype and product spin-offs. Literary and interpretive perspectives consider Harry as a romantic hero and review the books for their capacity to contain elements of every genre. Critical and sociological theorists explore how the Potter books present gender, race, class, school, family and citizenship. By providing numerous perspectives on the Harry Potter series, the contributors provide teachers, administrators, critical theorists and those interested in cultural studies with a variety of ways to read these popular texts.

Customer Reviews:

Just OK.......2006-07-28

While this book is much better than some Harry Potter books out there, because the articles are scholarly and well-informed, I didn't like it. Most of the articles are written from a sociological or "cultural studies" perspective. If you like that kind of thing, then you will like this volume. If you like psychological, allegorical or symbolic readings, then its not the right book for you. Most of the essays are on broad issues and don't go into the books in great detail. I found the academic scholarship to be very repetitive and predictable at times, with many people expounding the same ideas of what "postmodern" is. But some essays in it are great (Peter Appelbaum's for instance) and its worth getting, if you know what to expect.

But it's just a book for children..........2003-05-23

That was often the comment I received when I wrote my senior thesis last fall about the Harry Potter series. Specifically, I wrote a feminist criticism of the series exploring the ways in which Hermione resists and reaffirms gender stereotypes--"Miss Smarty Pants," "The Damsel in Distress," etc. Although I am a huge fan of this series (even my dog's name is Muggle), I couldn't believe that I was the only adult concerned about issues of gender, class, and so forth in the books. So imagine my delight upon finding this book...until I realized it wouldn't be published until January 2003, and I was presenting my thesis on December 13, 2002. Not only is this a well-presented and organized collection of essays from a variety of perspectives, but it is also edited by the outstanding & very generous Dr. Heilman. I wrote personally to her about my paper (and dilemma), and she provided to me the working & yet unpublished copy of her essay dealing with gender issues. Luckily, the book was released ahead of schedule so I was able to cite from her published version. My own experience with this book aside, I highly recommend it to Harry fans who would enjoy thoughtful academic discourse on the series.

Good resource for academics.......2003-04-04

I joined the Harry Potter phenomenon late in the game. Book four had already been in circulation for over two years and at 25, I considered myself well above the normal reader age. However, once I picked up the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I was (no pun intended), spellbound. I spent the rest of that long summer weekend reading the remaining books. Since then, I have read each book in the series at least 20 times apiece. Somewhere in the middle of all the reading, I began to jot down notes, questions and observations I made- little items that I wanted to ponder afterwards. Questions such as: Why did Professor Dumbledore so prize the individual merits of courage and "sheer nerve"? Did Hermione and other female students ever experience gender discrimination at Hogwarts? What defined the social structure of the wizard world (surely one exists as is evident by the influence of the well-to-do Malfoy family)? What is it about the Harry Potter books that have such universal appeal? And most importantly, what lessons can be learned?

Shortly after Pottermania began, several books appeared on the market dedicated to analyzing the phenomenon. Some addressed broad themes, while others disseminated every detail of the book, trying to decipher each and every meaning of every word of J.K. Rowling's works. Among these is Harry Potter's World: Multidisciplinary Critical Perspectives, a collection of essays written by professors and graduate students.

Harry Potter's World: Multidisciplinary Critical Perspectives is by far the most comprehensive book of this genre. Edited by Michigan State University professor Elizabeth Heilman, the book is comprised of numerous essays separated into four perspectives: Cultural Studies Perspectives, Reader Response and Interpretive Perspectives, Literary Perspectives: The Hero, Myth and Genre and Critical and Sociological Perspectives.

As a graduate student pursuing a MSEd in Curriculum and Instruction, this book has been a wonderful guide for me and enriched my understanding of the many facets of curriculum study. Not only does it provide unique interpretations of the series, but it also stimulates critical reflection and offers deep analyses of the boy wizard the world has grown to love.

While it is appropriate for college and graduate-level classes, anyone interested in exploring the cultural phenomenon of Harry Potter should read and will benefit from this. You will never look at Harry Potter the same way again.

A must-read.......2003-03-11

"This book is a must-read for everyone interested not only in 'Harry Potter' the phenomenon, but culture as the pedagogical force par excellence of the new millennium."
Henry Giroux.

"Harry Potter's World is a fascinating attempt not only to take on the kaleidoscopic intellectual ramifications of the Harry Potter books, but to make them accessible to a wide audience." Peter Hunt, Editor, Routledge International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature

"These analyses are well grounded, articulate, and conceptually wide-ranging. This book gives all of us Seekers a chance to catch Snitches of insight into our own world as well as Harry Potter's."
Betsy Hearne, author of Choosing Books for Children: A Commonsense Guide

"Reading Harry Potter's World is like having a triple-shot latté-a pleasant eye-opener. There is imagination here, intellectual engagement, surprising insights, and fresh angles of regard. All of it provides an antidote to the iconic Harry, the authoritative Harry, the stable, properly policed, and clichéd Harry." Bill Ayers, Distinguished Professor of Education, University of Illinois at Chicago

Average customer rating:

A nice man and I...

A Must Read for Literature Students & Scholars

The Country and the City
Raymond Williams
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

20th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
jp-unknown1 | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society

Culture and Society 1780-1950

Culture and Materialism (Radical Thinkers)

Marxism and Literature (Marxist Introductions)

The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America

ASIN: 0195198107

Book Description

As a brilliant survey of English literature in terms of changing attitudes towards country and city, Williams' highly-acclaimed study reveals the shifting images and associations between these two traditional poles of life throughout the major developmental periods of English culture.

Customer Reviews:

A nice man and I..........2005-08-06

Really like this book. As a rural dwelling, rural upbrought, bumpkin, who nevertheless has had habitual social intercourse with city folk, and cities themselves, it plunged me, through its meditations on history and literature, deeply into the images, signs and languages that have subconsciously impregnated all our imaginations and at which we instinctively grope when trying to make sense of those most fundamental of divisions, rural/urban, modern/tradition, nature/civilisation. Being less versed in English lit than Williams-meister, I found it a bit difficult to keep up at times, but it also whetted by appetite for getting down to some serious literature consumption myself.

If you read it, you won't think about the "countryside" in quite the same way again...which is to say, you'll actaully think about the countryside as a changing cultural notion, rather than not think about it, which has got to be alright.

Wack this on the old bookshelve, and surprise your friends with your hidden marxist-critical-intellectual side. It worked for me.

A Must Read for Literature Students & Scholars.......2000-06-19

Williams' *The Country and the City* is a classic study on the relationship between literature and society. His arguments are original and interesting, and formulate useful, if not necessary reading for later marxist criticisms. Some parts of the book are taken from one of Williams' earlier books entitled *The English Novel From Dickens to Lawrence*. Williams' writing is lucid and accessible, particularly in comparison to other critical texts. Students and Scholars of 19th and 20th literature, and individuals interested in rural/urban literature should definitely be familiar with this text.

The Irish Cinderlad (Trophy Picture Books)

Average customer rating:

Not bad
Wonderful change from the traditional Cinderella story.

The Irish Cinderlad (Trophy Picture Books)
Shirley Climo
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0064435776
Release Date: 2000-01-26

Book Description

A hero's feats?

Ever since he was a baby, Becan's only worry has been his big feet--until his widowed father remarries. His new stepmothr and her three daughters feed him crusts of bread and banish him to work in the fields. So Becan runs away.

With the help of his only friend, a magical bull, he defeats a giant, slays a dragon, and rescues a princess. But before she can thank him, Becan disappears, leaving behind him one of his enormous boots. The princess scours the kingdom for the owner of the giant boot. Will Becan's feet give him away? And what will his fate be if they do?

Folklorist Shirley Climo retells an age-old Irish tale that is an unusual twist on the popular Cinderella story. Just like his female counterpart, Becan has a mean stepmother and stepsisters. Unlike Cinderella, Becan has large feet and a magical bull for a fairy godmother. He defeats a sword-swinging giant, slays a fire-breathing dragon, and rescues a princess. But before the princess can thank him, he runs off, leaving her with only an enormous boot to aid her in the search for her rescuer. And, as in all Cinderella stories, true love prevails.

Customer Reviews:

Not bad.......2006-08-05

I enjoyed this reversal (in more than one way) of Cinderella. Here its a boy--with big feet. (Made me wonder if Tolkein had read this somewhere along the way). He is mistreated by his stepmother and sister, but instead of a fairy godmother, gets a magic bull. (This really proclaims the irishness of the story to me, instantly bringing Cuchulain to mind).

The story is fun and I really loved the last line that the princess has. I liked the illustrations, for the scenery, but the people were weirldy childish looking to me, especially in comparison to the magnificent bull that we get to see our hero befriend.

Wonderful change from the traditional Cinderella story........2000-04-24

The Irish Cinderlad is a continuation of Climo's journey in theCinderella folktales. Children can see how a boy can also be part ofthe Cinderella story. Educators can use this story to demonstrate thesimilarities between different cultures around the world. The illustrations in this book continue with the high standards set in the other "Cinderella" stories in this series.

Life in the English Country House: A Social and Architectural History

Average customer rating:

The Archaeology of the British
Very informative
This will become a fixture on your nightstand

Life in the English Country House: A Social and Architectural History
Mark Girouard
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0300058705

Customer Reviews:

The Archaeology of the British.......2006-01-14

This book is brilliant. It reminded me of a paleontology book where the author looks at the shells of ancient marine fossils and reconstructs their lives from the shape of the shells.

From the structure of the English Country House Girouard recreates the lives of those who lived in them. Not just the Lord and Lady but all those who lived and worked there. How many people were in this room during dinner? How did the food get to the dining area (usually a long trek. This minimized the chance the kitchen would burn the place down but mimimized the chance dinner hadn't congealed). How many people (ladies in waiting, servants, servants of servants) were sleeping in the room together in 1500, 1700 or 1890? The idea that one would actually have any privacy is a very recent concept.

A fascinating reconstruction of what life was like not just for the head of the household, but for all who lived on the estate.

Very informative.......2002-02-19

Don't be put off at first by the black and white photos. This book has some color photos, and I was at first hesitant to purchase this book because it seemed to be mostly black and white photography.
However, once I began to read this book, all thoughts about photos went out of my head! This book is informative, intelligent and thorough. The author has studied his subject very well, and writes in a clear and easy to follow manner. I really do find the floorplans to be an invaluable tool towards understanding the buildings the author is describing.
I am currently using this book as a research tool for my novel, but I did buy this book just for the love of the subject and I was not disappointed.
I would recommend this book again and again to anyone with a love of history and architecture.

This will become a fixture on your nightstand.......2001-05-13

Mark Girouard, an architectural historian, has traced the roles of form and function in England's Great Houses in this densely illustrated, sensitively written book. Floor-plans, innumerable photographs and drawings (many of homes now destroyed), and portraits pepper the text, which is readability itself.

The book follows a chronological path from the Mediaval Household to the present day. The text isn't dry at all. Delicious details abound: Bess of Hardwick pacing her Great Chamber of Hardwick Hall, waiting for the royal visit that never came in the instantly-dated house she'd built for this very purpose, ... The origin of the phrase "backstairs intrigues" (both political and sexual).... the slow but persistant birth of the aristocratic ideal of "privacy"--and how it affected dining halls....the rise of the great dilettante libraries (and the rooms to house them).....and the advent of the freakish innovation of indoor plumbing (and a picture of the Duke of Wellington's elaborate WC) are just a few tidbits.

Mr. Girouard doesn't neglect the "downstairs" portion of a Great House, because he's interested in the whole institution as a functioning unit. Some of the most intriguing photos are of beloved servants' portraits, and the almost Shaker-like beauty of a working kitchen or laundry. Included, also, is a printed "Summary of Livery Men's Duties, Etc., Etc.", of Hatfield House, and darned if it doesn't sound like instructions for empoyees at an indifferent New York hotel!

Book Description

Covering Irish history from the beginnings of Irish Nationalism through 1973, Robert Kee's treatment ranges from the Protestant Plantations through Wolfe Tone and the Great Famine to the founding of the Fenian Movement and the Irish Free State. His authoritative and comprehensive history is masterly in its detail and judicious analysis. A classic in its field, this is essential reading for anyone attempting to understand the complex historical forces that have shaped Ireland.

Customer Reviews:

Extremely enlightening book.......2007-08-22

Robert Kee, contrary to previous reviews, is almost surprising in the objectivity he brings to a segment of history notorious for being incredibly emotionally charged -- historical objectivity rather surprising to find in someone that doesn't make history their calling.

His well researched trilogy sheds light on the tragic effects of English misrule in Ireland, as well as the startling contrast of nationalist myth and fact -- that militant republicanism, despite the whitewash radicals would like to use, succeeded more in spite of itself than anything, and that it is deeply unrepresentative of Irish political opinion. Indeed, the final success of militant republicanism can be more attributed to the extreme political missteps of the English administration in Ireland than the supposed correctness of their methods. Hardly the imagery painted in Republican music and myth.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that seeks an understanding of the underlying causes of the centuries of political strife and violence that have plagued Ireland, and -- despite steps toward peace -- may continue to plague Ireland in the future.

English Propaganda.......2007-06-29

Kee, a former RAF officer, lets his English propaganda brush slap on to the window pane. His examination of the Fenian Brotherhood of American is very shallow. He doesn't want to lose his American audience. He avoids tagging the former American officers as "terrorists." Yet one might ask oneself:why would an Irish born officer, founded at Fredericksburg return to Ireland --and not pick up his civilian life in America? A question not answered by Mr. Kee! Mr. Kee parleyed his trilogy into a multi-part BBC Tv series where is expressions and voice betrayed his lack of objectivity.

One of the Best Books on Irish Political History-Ever.......2001-09-08

This is a famous and well reputed book. It has been in print now for almost 30 years-deservedly so I might add. I suspect it will still be in print another 30 years from now.
Robert Kee was a journalist and a famous World War 2 P.O.W. escapee. He writes lucidly and with great style, eloquence even. Yet above all his books are a darn good read. This book is vividly written, fleshed out with characters and facts that are dispassionatly but richly detailed.
This book follows the course of Irish nationalism from the distant past of the Tudor wars and Anglo-Scottish Settlements up through the rise of DeVelera.
Its true strength is in parts two and three which recount, in great detail, the growth of Irish nationalist sentiment (and rebellion) and land reform/Catholic emancipation, during the 19th Century. Kee demonstrates clearly the ever so slight, but vital, strand of personal connection that linked Wolfe Tones' United Irishmen to Emmet, Parnell, the Fenians and eventually the I.R.A..
Part three details the rise of the Nationalist cause in the wake of Parnell's fall and the rise of the I.R.B./I.R.A. in the late Victorian era up through the Civil war of the 1920s. This book painted very clearly the horror of the Black and Tan war as well as the subsequently even more nasty Irish civil war.
Up until the 1970s a great many people in Ireland would not even speak to each other because of the bitterness engendered by the latter conflict. It spawned Ireland's two major parties and the emotions, recriminations and even hatred caused by the Collins/DeVelera conflict still has significant effect today. This era also shaped the course of the present day three I.R.A.s (Provisional,"Real" and "Stickie").
This book does not deal with the Present Ulster 'troubles' at all. But you can not understand them, nor modern Ireland without reading this book.
Above all, this book was written in a 'neutral' fashion, by an outsider, who deeply loved his subject. It lacks the usual bombast of many other slanted histories. At the same time none of the drama, emotion, glory nor hatred are lost in the telling.
To illustrate what I mean by the above review: in 1987 I asked a series of Irish politicians of all persuasions what history book would still be in print in 2037 and what volumes would they use if they had to teach Irish history to a class at Harvard. Every politician (except the Rev.Ian Paisley) mentioned this book.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books