Showing titles in Literary History & Criticism

In this brilliantly original book, Camille Paglia identifies some of the major patterns that have endured in western culture from ancient Egypt and Greece to the present. According to Paglia, one source of continuity is paganism, which, undefeated by Judeo-Christianity, continues to flourish in art, eroticism, astrology, and pop culture. Others, she says, are androgyny, sadism, and the aggressive western eye, which has created our art and cinema.

Where would you go to rest and retreat, in good times and bad?Katherine May, author of Wintering and Enchantment, asks her guests to share their idea of a perfect sanctuary. Drawing on memory, inspiration and imagination, she explores the things we seek out when we need to restore our joy, hope and energy. It begins with a forest clearing. What will we find there? A log cabin or a grand hotel? What cherished object or talisman would you bring? And what single work of art, be it a book, record, film or something else, would provide you with enough sustenance to see you through the darkness and...

Step into the world of youthful curiosity and social intrigue, where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur. This podcast explores the complexities of coming of age and the often humorous misunderstandings that arise when one navigates the expectations of society and the allure of adventure. Each episode features a complete audiobook, offering a fresh take on themes of personal growth and societal norms from a variety of authors and time periods. With a new book highlighted every week, listeners gain diverse perspectives and styles, ensuring no two stories are alike. Whether ...

The British Isles, especially Wales, are steeped in rich legend and folklore. An American journalist, who served as Consul to Wales, developed a deep fascination with Welsh mythology, becoming a respected authority on the subject. In this scholarly work, he delves into the origins and geography of these enchanting tales rather than simply recounting them. - Summary by Lynne Thompson

Bloomsbury presents On Our Best Behaviour written and read by Elise Loehnen. *THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* 'A stunning, big and bold encyclopedia of how to live' LISA TADDEO 'Astute, radical and utterly compelling' KATHERINE MAY 'You will finish this book and immediately hand your copy...

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Shakespeare’s Sonnets, Retold by William Shakespeare and James Anthony, with a foreword by Stephen Fry. Read by Stephen Fry, Paapa Essiedu and the author. 'James Anthony has done something I would have confidently stated to be impossible. He has...

The long-awaited portrait of a literary master from one of our generation's greatest biographers. Anthony Powell: the literary genius who gave us A Dance to the Music of Time, an undisputed classic of English literature. Spanning 12 spectacular volumes and written over 25 years, his comic masterpiece teems with idiosyncratic characters, capturing 20th-century Britain through war and peace. Drawing on Powell's letters and journals, and the memories of those who knew him, Hilary Spurling explores his life.

The controversial father of psychiatry and psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud charted the human unconscious, brought us the talking cure, and wrote books that now rank among the classics of world literature. In On the Couch, the great analyst is analyzed by some of today's great writers and thinkers, who help us understand the man who has helped us understand ourselves as much, if not more, than anyone else, ever. The result is a fresh, multifaceted reassessment of Freud's continuing relevance and influence on ideas, literature, culture, science, and more.

Random House presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of The Ode Less Travelled, written and read by Stephen Fry. Stephen Fry believes that if you can speak and read English you can write poetry. But it is no fun if you don't know where to start or have been led to believe that...

A staggeringly popular work of fiction, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has sold in its millions. But this fast-paced mystery is unusual in that the author states up front that the historical information in the book is all factually accurate. But is this claim true? As historian Bart D Ehrman shows in this informative and witty book, The Da Vinci Code is filled with numerous historical mistakes.

An astonishing work of cultural criticism, this book is widely recognized as a brilliant and devastating challenge to conventional views of literature, anthropology, religion, and psychoanalysis. In its scope and interest it can be compared with Freud's Totem and Taboo, the subtext Girard refutes with polemic daring, vast erudition, and a persuasiveness that leaves the listener compelled to respond, one way or another. This is the single fullest summation of Girard's ideas to date, the book by which they will stand or fall.

A concise and original introduction to a wide range of subjects—from Public Health to Buddhist Ethics, Soft Matter to Classics, and Art History to Globalization—by the expert authors of the Very Short Introductions series. For wherever your curiosity may take you.

Have you ever wondered…whether God exists? whether life has meaning? Whether pain and suffering have a purpose? This audiobook is my invitation to sit down with C. S. Lewis and me to think about some of the persistent questions and dilemmas every person faces in life. We’ll explore Lewis’s thoughts on everything from friendships to heaven, from the reasons for faith to the power of stories.

1984, il capolavoro distopico di George Orwell, narrato integralmente. Prodotto da Ménéstrandise Audiolibri e narrato da Edoardo Camponeschi.

What story would Eve have told about picking the apple? Why is Pandora blamed for opening the box? And what about the fate of Cassandra who was blessed with knowing the future but cursed so that no one believed her? What if women had been the storytellers? Elizabeth Lesser believes that if...

Hello there!! Welcome to Alberts Bookshelf. Albert loves books and here is his book shelf full of his favourite books read by Alberts Dad. From The Gruffalo to The Wonkey Donkey, from reading to listening we sat down and recorded some of his favourite books as a birthday present to him. For the times when Mum and Dad are at work, having this page means we’re always in his earshot and he loves them. So much so, we decided to put them out there for other children and parents to enjoy listening and reading along to. There lots of books you can listen to, if not now, maybe another time. Thanks ...

Identity Rewired is a thoughtful and transformative self-help book that explores the hidden forces that shape human identity. Through reflections on conditioning, childhood patterns, validation, emotional memory, awareness, and personal reconstruction, Dinesh Chugh guides readers on a conscious journey toward understanding who they became—and who they can intentionally become. The book explains how repeated emotional patterns, survival strategies, social expectations, and unconscious beliefs slowly become identity. It encourages readers to observe their inner world with honesty, recognise ...

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Richard Beckett's heart races when he catches a fleeting glimpse of a veiled Countess in a crowded French square, her presence igniting a dangerous obsession. Seeking to uncover the mystery behind her haunting beauty, he secures a room at the Dragon Volant, a notorious inn shrouded in whispers of terror and unsolved disappearances. As Richard delves deeper into the secrets of the inn and the shadowy figure that captivates him, he finds himself drawn into a web of intrigue, where love and peril intertwine, and every corner holds a clue, or a threat. In this chilling tale of Gothic horror, ...

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