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Though he was the author of two highly regarded collections of essays, Ralph Ellison's fame rests on his prize-winning novel Invisible Man. For years, he labored on another novel, but he died in 1994 with it still unpublished. Here, Ellison's literary executor, John F. Callahan, collects 13 stories, many of which are published for the first time. The stories give us an intriguing look at Ralph Ellison's development as a writer (some early ones, for example, clearly show the influence of Hemingway), and his early attempts to articulate his concerns about the nature of blackness and the American identity.
Book Description
These 13 stories by the author of The Invisible Man "approach the elegance of Chekhov" (Washington Post) and provide "early explorations of (Ellison's) lifelong fascination with the 'complex fate' and 'beautiful absurdity' of American identity" (John Callahan). First serial to The New Yorker. NPR sponsorship.
Customer Reviews:
At Home with Ralph Ellison.......2001-08-18
Ralph Ellison's "Flying Home and Other Stories" apparently is the first posthumous collection to be published by his estate. And it is a remarkable collection at that. There are thirteen stories here, six of which had never been published before. The editor, Professor John F. Callahan, did a fine job at choosing the stories to be included, and he describes the fascinating selection process in the book's introduction. Professor Callahan includes three early Buster-and-Riley stories which inspired me to write my short story, "Los Angeles, 1970" (Outsider Ink at: http://outsidermedia.com/00/spring/olivas.html). The Buster-and-Riley stories capture the wonderful and lively banter between the two boys while showing how the racism of the real world touches and affects their childhood. There is also "A Party Down at the Square" which is a chilling story told in the first person by a white boy who witnesses the burning of an African-American man. Each story is well-crafted and powerful in its understatement. Ellison's graceful and evocative language paints a picture of human strength and frailty with the same honest, unflinching brush. Though he is best remembered for his novel, "Invisible Man," this collection demonstrates that he was also a brilliant craftsman of the short story.
Flying is easy if there is no buzzard on the way.......2000-10-05
Ralph Ellison is a great writer. In this collection of old short stories we see him grow and develop under our own eyes. He deals with the problem of racial relations and of race definitions with a tact and humor that make some of his stories extremely funny. But some others are dramatic and deal with a more general and abstract matter. The title story is typical of that. A black pilot is confronted to all kinds of reactions, from his dead father, from a vulture that crashed his plane, from the white owner of the field where he crashes, from the blacks who try to solve his problem : he broke his ankle in the accident. The father is being humorous about heaven and white Saint Peter. The white owner is deeply racist and brings two « nurses » from a psychiatric hospital since a black man has to become crazy if he flies. The black witnesses are just trying to help the poor fallen pilot without getting any antagonism from the white owner, which is not exactly easy. In each story we find such situations that bring racism to the fore or that reveals the « education » a black man has to go through to become « adapted » to this racist society, to make himself, if not invisible, at least unconspicuous. Those stories are worth a little voyage into this writing that we see building itself stone by stone. Of course the real walls are the novels, but here are the handy tasks that shaped Ralph Ellison's hand and pen for the novels. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.
Uneven, but good for Ellison fans.......1999-05-28
I read this book recently after devouring Invisible Man. I have to say, though, that I was a little dissappointed by this book. Curiously enough, a lot of these stories weren't published in Ellison's lifetime, and with some of them, it's evident why. A few of the stories are juvenile, not at all comparable to Invisible Man, and by the same token, a few of them are spectacular pieces of prose. So, with this volume, I advise you to tread carefully, but read it all the way through. The gems are worth it, despite the failures.
Great stories for the Ellison fan.......1999-04-12
This collection of stories is a must read for those who treasure to work of Ellison. In these short works, the voice that would give us Invisible Man can be seen developing. They are not as powerful or as deep as his great novel, but they do offer an entertaining and meaningful read. The lengthy introduction is informative and insightful. When I first read Invisible Man, I could swear that I heard jazz as I read. Callahan explains Ellison's musical background which convinces me that I heard the jazz in Ellison's words by design. These works carry the same music.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Review of Contemporary Fiction, published by Review of Contemporary Fiction on September 22, 1997. The length of the article is 337 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Flying Home and Other Stories. (book reviews)
Author: Greg Garrett
Publication:
The Review of Contemporary Fiction (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 1997
Publisher: Review of Contemporary Fiction
Volume: v17
Issue: n3
Page: p238(1)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Edicional Siempre on September 17, 1998. The length of the article is 306 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Flying Home and Other Stories.
Author: Alejandro Pescador
Publication:
Siempre! (Refereed)
Date: September 17, 1998
Publisher: Edicional Siempre
Volume: v45
Issue: n2361
Page: p66(1)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from World Literature Today, published by University of Oklahoma on September 22, 1997. The length of the article is 694 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Flying Home and Other Stories.
Author: John L. Brown
Publication:
World Literature Today (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 1997
Publisher: University of Oklahoma
Volume: v71
Issue: n4
Page: p786(1)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
- Story Develops
- Great volume
- A Story to Grab Your Heart and Keep It!
- This series will always keep getting better.
- Ceres Manga: Volume 2
|
Yuhi, Volume 2 (Ceres, Celestial Legend)
Manufacturer: VIZ Media LLC
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ASIN: 1569319812 |
Book Description
Yûhi's rescue of Aya Mikage from her own family goes well, but he soon discovers there are two personalities dwelling inside Aya - herself and the legendary celestial maiden, Ceres. If he can't stand her, why is he so jealous when the handsome mystery man Tôya appears?
Customer Reviews:
Story Develops.......2005-11-30
Yuhi, Volume Two of Ceres: Celestial Legend has some intriguing story and character development. Better than the first volume, "Yuhi" gives us a look into why Ceres hates the Mikage family, and why she wants to kill Yuki. We also get to see some of what Kagami - Aya's cousin - is up to. It turns out he is not loyal to his grandfather; he wants to get a blood sample from Ceres to isolate the Celestial gene for corporate profit.
The only comic relief character in the book, Mrs. Q. is pretty funny in this volume.
There is a hot sex scene between Aya and Touya that really raised my eyebrows. I feel Watase should have made her at least eighteen if she is going to be so sexually active in this manga.
Great volume.......2005-07-16
I've read the entire Ceres series and love every volume. In this volume, Aya's alternate personality, Ceres, surfaces. Aya must learn to control Ceres- or else everything and everyone she loves may be lost. Aya's relationship with Tooya grows as their feelings are confessed. Aya and Tooya kiss on Tooya's bed and Aya stays the night. Aya promises she will control Ceres. Aya promises Tooya she will do it and is very happy with their relationship, but when Tooya must make a choice between his girlfriend Aya and recovering his memory- he must let Aya know which he chooses and the choice may break her heart.
A Story to Grab Your Heart and Keep It!.......2005-01-20
I guess I'm reviewing the series because i couldnt find the first one for sale on this site. But i have to tell you right now, if you havn't read these books you are sorely missing out on one of the best written Mangas I know of. I won't tell you much about it( i wouldn't want to ruin it for you. . ) but i can say that it holds something different for everybody. But i will sasy one small thing, GET THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW!!!!!!! Ok..(this is what happens when i spend the day reading manga) heh. . that wasn't small but i really couldn't help myself. .Well, happy reading, I got books to enjoy!
This series will always keep getting better........2004-11-26
Yu Watase will always be one of my favorite comic artists for doing this seies. She keeps Ceres: Celestial Legend going along smoothly and leaves you wanting more at the end, like any good comic series would. The characters are really great and they fit so nicely into the series. I would definately recommend this series to you.
In this installment, Aki goes to the Aogiri's house to finally be reunited with his twin sister again. Unfortunatley, Ceres attacks him because he's {she believes} the man who stole her Celestial robes {hagoromo}!! So Aki has to go back to the Mikages. Aya, after this unfortunate accident, spends some lovey-dovey time with Toya. When that's over, Aya follows Toya to the Mikage corporation, only to be attacked by Kagami so Ceres can come out. And unfortunately, she does.
I higly recommend this series to you.
Ceres Manga: Volume 2.......2004-11-17
I'm realy reviewing Ceres 1 through 3, and I must say This is one of the best Manga I have liked. The comedy and sexual tention combined is hilarious. I would recomend this book to anyone who likes genre: suspence, slight horror, comedy, Fighting, and slight sci fi. Also I recamend this for anyone who is into Inuyasha, Cresent Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, Immortal Rain...
note: All those titles are titles of Manga, Inuyasha as I know is also an Anime, I'm not sure about the others. Anyway, Ceres is great!
Book Description
Paragaea: A Planetary Romance is the story of Akilina "Leena" Chirikov, who shortly after launching from Star Town in the Soviet Union, finds herself thrown into another dimension, a world of strange science and ancient mystery. There she meets another time-lost person from Earth, Lieutenant Hieronymus Bonaventure of the Royal Navy—who left home to fight the forces of Napoleon and never returned—and his companion, Balam—outlaw prince of the jaguar men. Bonaventure is interested only in adventure and amusement, while Balam only wants distraction until the day he can reclaim his throne. Having little better to do, they agree to help Chirikov find a way home.
In the tradition of the planetary romances of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Leigh Brackett, Paragaea is in fact a "hard" science fiction adventure, grounded in the latest thinking in the fields of theoretical physics, artificial intelligence, genetics, and more. There is a rigorously rational explanation behind all of the unearthly elements, with most of the "magic" the protagonist encounters being the products of a forgotten, transhuman, post-singularity culture that has long since disappeared. Chirikov, a strictly rational Soviet cosmonaut, interprets these as best she can, using the framework of early 1960s science. Being a dutiful Soviet, she wants only to return home to Earth, to inform her superiors about what she has discovered. But she soon finds herself developing ties to her companion Bonaventure that make her wonder whether she really wants to go home at all.
Customer Reviews:
Uninspired and derivative.......2007-08-30
With "Paragaea" Chris Roberson is working in a venerable SF subgenre, the planetary romance, a form pioneered by the great Edgar Rice Burroughs and practiced by such luminaries as Jack Vance and Leigh Brackett. I love a good planetary romance, but "Paragaea" is a drag, and I only read 130 pages before giving up.
Roberson throws a host of SF cliches together (cat people, dinosaurs, swordfights, airships, time travel) and doesn't do much of anything with them. For example, an essential part of the traditional planetary romance is violence, particularly hand to hand combat with swordsmen and monsters, and there is quite a bit of that in the first 130 pages of "Paragaea," but the fights are diffidently described, and, rather than a means of creating tension or suspense, the author sees them as an occasion to make feeble jokes. Roberson isn't any better at portraying alien cultures, or alien animals, or alien cities and landscapes, just giving us the most vague sketches, or just plopping into his book something we've seen a hundred times already in other books and movies, like a giant scorpion or a Tyrannosaurus.
Does he have anything to add to this stew of old tropes? Well, his protaganist is from the 1960s Soviet Union, so I thought he might use the novel as a vehicle to critique socialism and/or capitalism, but he doesn't do any of that in the first 130 pages of the novel. The protagonist is also a woman, so we get some uncontroversial and banal feminism, and a scene in which she goes to a store to buy some tampons. (I'm not kidding, see page 71 of the hardcover.) These slight elements don't really add anything to the traditional formula.
Roberson also has some irritating tics, like using the words "insensate" and "gore" too often. He says a crossbow was "loaded and primed;" isn't "primed" a word that should be reserved for firearms?
I'm willing to believe that Roberson loves planetary romances as much as (or more than) I do, and wanted to do something in that vein, but he doesn't use the traditional devices very well, and he doesn't bring anything new to the table, so "Paragaea" is a waste of time.
Super Reader.......2007-08-01
Cosmonaut woman seeks original Earth, prefers shooting to swordplay, Soviet duty via singulairty over sailor.
A female cosmonaut ends up on another world after a flight, and ends up adventuring along with Hieronymus Bonaventure, a 19th century naval officer, and a jaguar man deposed ruler. Lots of drinking, travelling and eating leads them to an artificial man and an advanced civilisation responsible for creation of the titular joint. An army of religious fanatics lead by jaguar man relatives and another artificial are the major problem.
ENJOYABLE ADVENTURE.......2007-01-29
I enjoyed Paragaea & hope that Hieronymos,Leela, Balam & Benu are reunited. Unlike Burroughs, the story is well written, scientifically plausible & characters are developed. It lacks the compulsive page-turning end- of-chapter cliff-hangers that I remember from Burroughs at his best, but it is an enjoyable rewarding adventure. Unfortunately, reading ERB as an adult can be disappointing, but one does not need to feel guilty for enjoying Roberson's writing.
This is a worthy companion to Michael Moorcock's "Warrior of Mars" trilogy which also attempts to recapture the sense of adventure & existential freedom in ERB's John Carter books.
I also hope there is a followup to Adventure 1 which he produced.
Planetary? Yes. Romance? No........2006-10-18
This novel was very disappointing. The author showed some creativity with respect to the world of Paragaea, but in most other respects the work was unsatisfactory. The characters were wooden, the prose uninspired. I see that the publisher compares this work to that of Burroughs and Brackett, but those authors (in addition to creating exotic planetary scenery) could TELL A GOOD STORY. Here, I guarantee most readers will lose interest in these characters about halfway through the story. That's just as well because ultimately the author leaves most of these largely unsympathetic characters into dead ends, and unresolved or unconvincing conclusions.
Great Entertainment.......2006-08-08
This was a great read. Chris Roberson packs more entertainment value into the first fifteen pages of this book than some authors get into one hundred.
I was a big fan of the "Adventure!" anthology assembled by Roberson, which pays tribute to the great pulp adventures of early serial sci-fi. When I picked this book up and saw that it was homage of sorts to Edgar Rice Burroughs and other authors of his era, I was hooked by the premise. Roberson does not disappoint.
The characters in this book are likable, though some might find them underdeveloped. Lina is a sympathetic protagonist; a Russian Cosmonaut who goes, at the blink of an eye, from being the second woman in space to being lost on another world. Hieronymous Bonaventure, formerly a daring seaman of the British Navy circa Napoleon, and lately a mercenary and adventurer of Paragaea, and his companion Balam, outcast prince of Paragaea's "Jaguar Men" quickly find and befriend the lost cosmonaut and join her on a worldwide trek to find a way back to earth.
Paragaea is a fantastic planet of lost races, sinister and strange creatures, and sweeping vistas that bears close ties to earth. People may be snatched up by wormholes and sent between the two, as happens with Lina and Hieronymous. Along their journey, our protagonists encounter flying pirates, sentient snake, jaguar, fish, and alligator peoples, and an ancient android programmed by a lost race to gather data, who just happens to posses a biting wit and superhuman strength.
The story reads far faster than one would expect from a four hundred page book. The action is well developed and exciting, and Roberson's pacing is excellent. A dedicated reader with a lazy Sunday might finish the book in a day. I certainly didn't want to put it down to attend to comparably mundane tasks like work, eating, and walking the dog.
If I had a complaint, it would be that Roberson's characters have a tendency to an inordinate amount of luck. Still, having them killed off to bad luck in the first paragraph wouldn't make much sense, I suppose. It just seems that even the greatest of obstacles is overcome with little real difficulty.
Still, this book was a great read, and now has me interested in the sources that Roberson credits with inspiring him, most notably the Barsoom novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs.
*as a side note to readers interested in Roberson and possibly Burroughs, some of their works can be had for free. Burroughs has a large selection at Project Guttenberg, and Roberson has made Hieronymous Bonaventure's first tale available for free download at paragaea.com.
Book Description
In this provocative book, the authors argue that the core religious value of forgiveness can play a real, strategic role in the arena of international conflict and diplomacy.
Book Description
All across the U.S., people are finally discovering the delights of real Mexican cooking. Brimming with distinctive flavors and rich with centuries of tradition, Mexican food is so much more than fatty ground-meat dishes.
Acclaimed food writer Nancy Zaslavsky spent years traveling to Mexico to uncover the family treasures and local specialties in this spirited collection of recipes. These exuberantly flavored vegetarian dishes from great Mexican cooks are easy to prepare, adapted for U.S. kitchens, and thoroughly irresistible.
More than 100 recipes feature traditional meatless dishes with exceptional taste such as: Lentil Soup with Plantains; Refried Black Beans with Sweetened Smoky, Spicy Chile; Yucatan Tamales Stuffed with Eggs and Wrapped in Banana Leaves; Creamy Baked Flan; and Limeade Drink with Tequila and a Float of Red Wine.
Customer Reviews:
This book has changed my cooking!.......2002-11-06
I use this book every week. Now I make all my own tortillas, tamales, moles, enchilada sauces and broth and it is all fantastic! I am very grateful to have found this book. My criteria is "Would I pay money for this dish in a restaurant?" and for everything I have cooked out of this book, the answer has been yes!
A nice start for meatless Mexican fare.......2001-06-12
For anyone interested in authentic south west and mexican style food sans the meet this is a wonderful starter book. We live in California where picky taste buds abound when it comes to simple as well as nutritious and authentic ethnic fare. And this is also a recipe book that is healthy food, although I admit that we are a low fat food family as well.
Very enjoyable and inspiring !.......1999-06-04
I found this book to be very enjoyable. Being a chile fanatic, the red-hot combinations in some of the recipes were exactly to my taste.Being a vegetarian as well also helped! I love Mexican food but can never find that elusive combination of Mexican-Vegetarian; here it is! The Yellow Mole with Vegetables inspired me to invent a similar soup which went down (literally!) like a house on fire. The Banana tree in my garden helped me to enjoy "Verdura Pibil". I would recommend this book!
Save your money. This text is uninspiring and uninteresting........1999-01-29
This is one of the few cookbooks that I have purchased (my collection is in excess of 500 volumes) that I have found to be totally disappointing and uninspiring in its content. There was not a single recipe that I found even remotely tempting. Not one that I was interested in making. Nor was there any useful information imparted vis a vis cooking techniques. Save your money, look for something else.
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Victorian Staffordshire Figures, 1875-1962: Portraits, Decorative and Other Figures, Dogs and Other Animals, Later Reproductions (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
Adrian Harding , and
Nicholas Harding
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0764317997 |
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Songbird Painting Projects
David Mohrhardt
Manufacturer: Stackpole Books
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ASIN: 0811730123 |
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- Mr. Way Too Quickly
- Contra the Neo-Cons...
- Who knew this book could say all this?
- An excellent source for readers of philosophy
- How to write between the lines
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Persecution and the Art of Writing
Leo Strauss
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
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Book Description
The essays collected in Persecution and the Art of Writing all deal with one problem—the relation between philosophy and politics. Here, Strauss sets forth the thesis that many philosophers, especially political philosophers, have reacted to the threat of persecution by disguising their most controversial and heterodox ideas.
Customer Reviews:
Mr. Way Too Quickly.......2006-01-12
Mr. Quickly (see review below) is either a prankster or an idiot. He has confused the philosopher, Leo Strauss, with the composer Richard Strauss.
But his review was good for a laugh, at least.
Contra the Neo-Cons..........2004-12-05
Now that certain of his followers have risen to such unpredictably high prominence and stuck around, Leo Strauss is getting more attention. This is good. Strauss is a good reader of good books (esp. Spinoza and Aristophanes), but his legacy is more ambivalent than one might expect. He is more than simply the intellectual architect behind Reaganism. Here are some observations that give an idea of what I mean in Persecution and the Art of Writing:
First, something to like about Strauss: He proceeds from the beginning of this study with the assumption that knowledge has a social basis, that social factors produce "truth." This position actually puts Strauss much closer to Foucault, the Frankfurt School, and the Cultural Studies crowd than to, say, Paul Wolfowitz and others who seek to engineer social circumstances by force if necesary to meet their proclaimed truths; thus, "freedom" must be "spread" to Iraq. Strauss was not stupid, like these saps. (We'll leave non-Senator Alan Keyes out of this.)
In fact, Strauss saw the right-wing shouters and their exercise of free speech at the expense of everyone else's coming: "What is called freedom of thought...for all practical purposes consists of--the ability to choose between two or more different views presented by the small minority of people who are public speakers or writers." (23). Nuance be damned. "We made the right decision on Iraq." "Ignorance is strength..."
Second, a disturbing view. Strauss assumes that the suppression of ideas by those in power and the persecution of dissenters and intellectuals is okay. Why? "Persecution...cannot prevent independent thinking. It cannnot prevent even the expression of independent thought" (23), never mind that this contradicts the statement Strauss makes above that independent thinking doesn't really exist anyway unless you have an AM talk radio show. Strauss's thesis: "Persecution cannot prevent even public expression of the heterodox truth, for a man of independent thought can utter his views in public and remain unharmed, provided he moves with circumspection. He can even utter them in print without incurring any danger, provided he is capable of writing between the lines" (24). What follows from this? Because the savvy socialist can write allegorically, then, it's alright to oppress socialists, or feminists, or any other kind of grownup. One can also argue from Strauss that religious minorities may also be persecuted, since they ought to find a way to "behave" between the lines. This is disgusting, obviously.
History teaches us the danger inherent in this attitude. The case of Walter Benjamin is a good place to start inquiring, if you're interested. I'd rather find a way to do without persecution at all. A more productive vision might be: Free Inquiry and the Art of Listening.
May Allegory Strike Back, and "fit audience find, though few."
Who knew this book could say all this?.......2002-05-18
I bought PERSECUTION AND THE ART OF WRITING because I wanted an easy approach to whatever contribution Leo Strauss might be able to make to the understanding of political philosophy, and the idea that writers might be persecuted is fundamental to my understanding of what separates social thinking from what a philosopher might be capable of. The second chapter, which covers the topic "Persecution and the art of writing," is only from page 22 to page37 of this book. The Introduction attempts to provide a basis for understanding all the essays in this book "within the province of the sociology of knowledge." (p. 7). The final chapter, "How to Study Spinoza's THEOLOGICO-POLITICAL TREATISE," is the culmination of a series of articles, which first appeared in 1941, 1943, and 1948, that is primarily concerned with understanding the works of a few philosophers in a manner which might be helpful "for a future sociology of philosophy." (p. 7).
The particular work of Spinoza discussed was an attempt "to refute the claims which had been raised on behalf of revelation throughout the ages." (p. 142). Studying the Treatise is primarily philosophical because "the issue raised by the conflicting claims of philosophy and revelation is discussed in our time on a decidedly lower level than was almost customary in former ages." (pp. 142-3). Later it is admitted that Spinoza's own age did not have Spinoza's books to discuss. "The only book which he published under his own name is devoted to the philosophy of Descartes." (p. 152). "But Spinoza, who wrote for posterity rather than for his contemporaries, must have realized that the day would come when his own books would be old books." (p. 153). My own understanding of Spinoza is not helped by the fact that the longest quotations, in note 2 on page 143 and note 19 on page 153, are in latin. Note 13 on page 149 quotes Carl Gebhardt (Spinoza. OPERA, vol. II, p. 317) in German. I thought I was going to be able to understand it best when Strauss wrote, "To ascertain how to read Spinoza, we shall do well to cast a glance at his rules for reading the Bible." (p. 144). Philosophy itself might demand that the most modern conclusion on that effort would be: "For the same reason it is impossible to understand the Biblical authors as they understood themselves; every attempt to understand the Bible is of necessity an attempt to understand its authors better than they understood themselves." (p. 148). In the case of the Bible, the idea of revelation offers the consolation to people who never wanted to be considered its authors that the book was written by someone else, as the angel who dictated the Koran to its prophet is the ultimate target of the book THE SATANIC VERSES by Salman Rushdie in the most modern comic edition of this conflict. The only escapes which Spinoza would offer is "to potential philosophers, i.e., to men who, at least in the early stages of their training, are deeply imbued with the vulgar prejudices: what Spinoza considers the basic prejudice of those potential philosophers whom he addresses in the Treatise, is merely a special form of the basic prejudice of the vulgar mind in general." (p. 184). Given the facts of life for most people, this seems to be particularly bad news for the political, which could use a few intellectual connections.
An excellent source for readers of philosophy.......2000-10-25
An excellent text, Strauss explicates on his views of how philosophers in times of persecution will "hide" their most stunning and important ideas "between the lines" of their works. In this way, the authors avoid death, and also provide the deepest insight to only those intelligent enough to find it in the texts. Pay special attention to Strauss's chapter on the "Guide for the Perplexed:" not only is it an interesting read, but one can see Strauss himself using some of the same techniques that he claims authors of the past used. It's all a matter of trying to understand what he truly wants to tell us.
How to write between the lines.......2000-06-16
The title essay is a masterpiece I read once a month in the course writing journalism by day and reading of political comedy by night. By day it is extremely helpful keeping my job in a political environment not particularly conducive to complete freedom of expression at times. By night, coupled with Strauss's superb "Socrates and Aristophanes" is has proved a wonderful tool for unveiling meaning in Aristophanes, Rabelais, Cervantes, Sterne, Hasek, Garcia-Marquez, Kundera and the rest of the European comic tradition. I think his idea of a literary criticism "between the lines" based on ancient rhetoricians would be an extremely useful study for younger graduate students to follow - whenever such studies become possible again. The rest of the essays apply the theory of reading between the lines in interesting limit cases of persecution of political philosophy. They may lead the general reader to try such authors as Maimonides and Spinoza. Can't speak for specialists, not being one.
Book Description
Leo Strauss articulates the conflict between reason and revelation as he explores Spinoza's scientific, comparative, and textual treatment of the Bible. Strauss compares Spinoza's Theologico-political Treatise and the Epistles, showing their relation to critical controversy on religion from Epicurus and Lucretius through Uriel da Costa and Isaac Peyrere to Thomas Hobbes.
Strauss's autobiographical Preface, traces his dilemmas as a young liberal intellectual in Germany during the Weimar Republic, as a scholar in exile, and as a leader of American philosophical thought.
"[For] those interested in Strauss the political philosopher, and also those who doubt whether we have achieved the 'final solution' in respect to either the character of political science or the problem of the relation of religion to the state." —Journal of Politics
"A substantial contribution to the thinking of all those interested in the ageless problems of faith, revelation, and reason." —Kirkus Reviews
Leo Strauss (1899-1973) was the Robert Maynard Hutchins Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of political science at the University of Chicago. His contributions to political science include The Political Philosophy of Hobbes, The City and the Man, What is Political Philosophy?, and Liberalism Ancient and Modern.
Customer Reviews:
A Terrific Introduction to both Spinoza and Strauss.......2004-10-08
Leo Strauss, intellectual godfather of neoconservativism and intellectual bogeyman of the postmodern left, is always sure to provoke thought in his readers. Here, in one of his earliest works, he takes on Spinoza's Theologico-Political Treatise, the very root of the enlightenment critique of religious revelation.
According to Strauss, Spinoza's critique is rooted in the prior philosophical work of Maimonides, da Costa, and Hobbes. Unlike Maimonides, who tries to reconcile reason and faith, or Hobbes, who believes in the necessity of a "religious lie" for political control, Spinoza believes that man can live by reason alone. According to Strauss, Spinoza's critique is flawed- though the philosopher can live without revelation, revelation is a necessity for the populous at large. Strauss evaluates Spinoza's critiques of both Christianity and Judaism, as well as where his philosophy intersects and diverges from Calvinism- the major trend of theological thought in the Netherlands during Spinoza's own time.
A valuable book for students of philosophy, politics, and anyone trying to understand the origins of our modern separation between church and state.
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Spinoza's Theologico-Political Treatise: Exploring 'the Will of God'
Theo Verbeek
Manufacturer: Ashgate Pub Ltd
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ASIN: 0754604934 |
Customer Reviews:
Reclaiming Spinoza as a founder of modern liberalism........2000-03-27
So many different threads of Enlightenment thought seem to pass through the writings of Baruch Spinoza, it is perhaps surprising that so few thinkers have given full place to his work in the founding of the modern world. In this volume Steven B. Smith seeks to repair this omission to some extent.
Smith is primarily concerned with Spinoza as a founder or architect of the modern liberal polity, but with an ingenious twist: part of this concern is _also_ with what Spinoza had to say on the related question of "Jewish identity." The underlying question here is: is it possible to be a Jew, indeed for there to _be_ Judaism, in the context of a liberal social order?
I shall not try to summarize Smith's discussion of Spinoza on this important question; suffice it to say that we are treated to enlightening presentations of Spinoza's theology and his "secularization" of the meaning of Judaism and of the Jewish people, all of it depending on a clear and close reading of the neglected _Theologico-Political Treatise_. For its exposition of Spinoza's thought alone, this volume will be a helpful addition to the library of any student of Spinoza.
However, Smith also deals directly with the question I mentioned two paragraphs back, which makes his work highly pertinent on other grounds as well. His answer [p. 205] is that liberalism is indeed "the last best hope for Judaism" -- the "worst solution except for all the alternatives" -- but that Judaism and liberalism may not be fully compatible anyway. "To the extent that the liberal Enlightenment urges the abolition of [belief in] a particular providence [as reflecting the spiritual core of Judaism and the fundamental Jewish experience at Sinai], it will always be at odds with Judaism."
Note Smith's careful phrasing on this point. His closing remark immediately raises the question: _does_ liberalism require the "abolition" of belief in a "particular providence"? I do not think it does, and I think Spinoza was mistaken to argue otherwise.
But I arrived at this view in part through reflection on Smith's nuanced presentation in this volume. I can only urge other readers interested in these questions to do likewise.
Book Description
In Two Volumes.
Product Description
Translated from Latin into English. 387 pp.
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Faith and Philosophy: Spinoza on Religion
Alan C. Fox , and
A. J. Watt
Manufacturer: Intl Specialized Book Service Inc
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0855642564 |
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- always a winner
- Absolute Talent with Brilliant Allegorical References
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Ruth Channing Selected Graphic Work
Ruth Channing
Manufacturer: Mimesis Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0974624004 |
Book Description
Beautiful art book, affordable, etchings reproduced in glorious black and white. Subjects include Vivaldis muse, Voltaire in love, Love life of Talleyrand. Erotic, stylish and playful depictions of the female nude.
Customer Reviews:
always a winner.......2005-04-25
As a bookseller I always recommend Ruth Channing's book, especially to customers who seem down in the dumps, because her art lifts their spirits wonderfully and I'm always likely to get a sale. Maybe it's the faces, maybe it's the figures, but people recognise something in these human images that connects with themselves. I like to have stock of this book because it's very special.
Absolute Talent with Brilliant Allegorical References.......2005-01-30
This wonderful book of Ruth Channing's work reiterates the beauty and profundity within her art. She is certainly an artist whom is admired, not only for the depth of her work, but also for the meticulous effort that goes into such work. Bravo!
Maryland Public Television did a revealing and fascinating documentary on Channing. She detailed the piece with insight of her work and the process of her etchings.
If you get a chance to see her art up close in France, Boston, New York, Baltimore etc...take the time. It is certainly worth it.
Book Description
Now in paperback: The first comprehensive biography of the American cultural giant who changed popular theater and dance forever with her choreography for Oklahoma!, Carousel, and Brigadoon
Pioneering a distinctly American style that combined modern dance and ballet with a traditional folk idiom, Agnes de Mille popularized what had been an elitist art and irrevocably changed the American musical theater. During a life that spanned most of the twentieth century, de Mille worked and played with a fabulous cast of characters, from her uncle (the legendary Cecil B. de Mille) to Charlie Chaplin, Martha Graham, Cole Porter, Nol Coward, Rebecca West, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Drawing on unpublished papers and extensive interviews with friends, colleagues, relatives, and de Mille herself, Carol Easton takes us behind the scenes of de Mille's extraordinary life: struggling to establish a reputation, surviving a series of disastrous love affairs, meeting the conflicting demands of ambition and motherhood, dealing with a devastating illness. She unforgettably brings to life the combination of intelligence, artistry, and humor that was Agnes de Mille.
Customer Reviews:
Not the Real Thing.......2006-02-16
This biography offers little insight to what already exists, and doesn't convey the passion of De Mille's own writings [although they are quoted lavishly]. You would be much richer served to read her own memoirs:
"Dance to the Piper" [published 1952][early memoir: childhood in Hollywood, struggle to become a dancer]
"And Promenade Home" [published 1959] [early success, and wartime marriage]
"Speak to Me, Dance with Me" [published 1973] [more detail on the early career years, in London and in Hollywood]
"Where the Wings Grow" [published 1978] [about summers at Merriewold, the de Mille estate near the Delaware Water Gap]
"Reprieve: A Memoir" [published 1982] [about her stroke]
Agnes De Mille came from a driven and successful family: her maternal grandfather was the world renown economist, Henry George. Her father, William de Mille, was a Broadway playwright, and later Hollywood scenarist. Her uncle, Cecil B. De Mille, is known world over for his movie directing. She grew up in a milieu that expected achievement, and achieve she did: choreographer of the highest caliber, on Broadway [the groundbreaking "Oklahoma!", "Brigadoon", etc.] and in the ballet world [the groundbreaking "Rodeo", "Fall River Legend", "Three Virgins and a Devil"].
De Mille was passionate about dance. She was passionate about her beliefs [sometime see the video of her debate with a Hollywood columnist during the McCarthy era], passionate about everything. She was also an astute observer, a gifted writer, and self-critical.
You will find her books enthralling. Go to the source!
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No Intermission: The Life of Agnes De Mille
Carol Easton
Manufacturer: Diane Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Modern
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ASIN: 0756761034 |
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