Showing titles in Literary History & Criticism

Tolkien and the Great War tells for the first time the full story of how he embarked on the creation of Middle-earth in his youth as the world around him was plunged into catastrophe. This biography reveals the horror and heroism that he experienced as a signals officer in the Battle of the Somme and introduces the circle of friends who spurred his mythology to life.

This classic personal time-management book, originally published in 1908, has inspired generations of men and women to live deliberate lives. Not just another collection of timesaving tips, this book is more of a challenge to leave behind mundane everyday concerns, focus on pursuing one's true desires, and live the fullest possible life. Reflection, concentration, and study techniques make it easier to accomplish more truly rewarding undertakings than anyone ever dreamed possible.

Secret agent Richard Hannay travels across war-torn Europe in search of a German plot and an Islamic messiah. He is joined by three others: John S. Blenkiron, an American who is determined to battle the Kaiser; Peter Pienaar, an old Boer Scout; and the colorful Sandy Arbuthnot, who is modeled on Lawrence of Arabia. Their success or failure could change the outcome of the First World War.

Join prolific author and artist Lucy H. Pearce and her creative guests - writers, artists, creatrixes - for profound and practical conversations about what creative magic means to us. We'll reflect on what, how and why we create, what drives us...and what stops us in our tracks. We share honestly how we find the time and energy to make magic in the midst of life's challenges and why we keep on saying yes to our creativity. Lucy is known for giving real and raw interviews, and now she shares this form of deep dive conversation with many of her favourite creative people. The first season of ...

Just two demigods who love Percy Jackson. Join Erin and Manasa as we dive into the canon of the Percy Jackson universe, a few chapters at a time. We'll be going through not only Percy Jackson and the Olympians, but also Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo, and the companion books. Get ready for lots of speculating and dorky jokes! Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/camp-half-pod/support

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.

A relation of cruel optimism exists when something you desire is actually an obstacle to your flourishing. Offering bold new ways of conceiving the present, Lauren Berlant describes the cruel optimism that has prevailed since the 1980s, as the social-democratic promise of the postwar period in the United States and Europe has retracted.

Bine ați venit în lumea Minipovestilor, un colț de magie unde poveștile pentru copii prind glas. Fiecare poveste audio este o aventură, îmbogățind imaginația ascultătorilor de toate vârstele. Cu o poveste scurtă pentru copii în fiecare săptămână, scrisă de Mihai Mănescu sau de scriitori invitați, Minipovesti transformă momentele de ascultare în lecții valoroase și aventuri fantastice. Ideal pentru copii de școală primară sau gimanziu, dar îndrăgit de întreaga familie, proiectul Minipovesti încurajează lectura prin magia sunetului, făcând din fiecare poveste ...

Juliet Capulet is the heartbeat of the world's most famous love story. She is an enduring romantic icon. And she is a captivating, brilliant, passionate teenage girl who is read and interpreted afresh by each new generation. Searching for Juliet takes us from the Renaissance origin stories behind William Shakespeare's child bride to the boy actor who inspired her creation onstage. From enslaved people in the Caribbean to Italian fascists in Verona, and real-life lovers in Afghanistan. From the Victorian stage to 1960s cinema, Baz Luhrmann and beyond.

During the 1930s at Oxford, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams - remarkable friends, writers, and scholars - met regularly to discuss philosophy and literature and to read aloud from their own works in progress. Calling themselves the Inklings, their circle grew. It was in this company that such classics as The Lord of the Rings, The Screwtape Letters, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe first found an audience.

In his great triptych The Millennium, Bosch used oranges and other fruits to symbolize the delights of Paradise. Whence Henry Miller's title for this, one of his most appealing books; first published in 1957, it tells the story of Miller's life on the Big Sur, a section of the California coast where he lived for 15 years. Big Sur is the portrait of a place - one of the most colorful in the United States - and of the extraordinary people Miller knew there.

This book charts the personal and professional journey of Greg Doran, Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, from 2012 until 2022. My Shakespeare uniquely captures the excitement, energy, surprises, joys and agonies of working on the greatest of plays; sheds new light on these plays through Doran’s own research and discoveries made in the rehearsal room; and gives unprecedented access into the craft, life and loves of this exceptional director.

This is Virginia Woolf’s first collection of essays, published in 1925. In them, she attempts to see literature from the point of view of the ‘common reader’ - someone whom she, with Dr Johnson, distinguished from the critic and the scholar. She read, and wrote, as an outsider: a woman set to school in her father’s library, denied the educational privileges of her male siblings - and with no fixed view of what constitutes ‘English literature’. What she produced is an eccentric and unofficial literary and social history from the 14th to the 20th centuries.

Eight million people improve their mornings by tuning into Terry's words of wisdom on Wake up to Wogan. But is their appetite sated by this daily exposure? Not in the slightest. So it's lucky that Terry has been known to turn his hand to the odd bit of writing. This has allowed him to shed light on such weighty matters as how to survive a wedding, what Bank Holidays are for, why Eurovision could be responsible for the Celtic Tiger, whether we should watch out for potatoes, and where exactly it all went pear-shaped.

Tom Muir is an Orkney Islands native storyteller, author and historian. Rhonda is an American expat and a writer living in Orkney with her husband. Together we're creating an Orkney Islands online social archive, press and travel guide, Orkneyology.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The author travels from London to Baghdad by train, following the route of an identical journey made by Agatha Christie in 1928. Many of the countries Eames passes through have been deeply troubled in recent years. Merging literary biography with travel adventure, The 8.55 to Baghdad is the journey of a lifetime.

For over 40 years, Carlos Castaneda’s The Teachings of Don Juan has inspired audiences to expand their world view beyond traditional Western forms. Originally published as Castaneda’s master’s thesis in anthropology, Teachings documents Castaneda’s supposed apprenticeship with a Yaqui Indian sorcerer, don Juan Matus. Dividing the work into two sections, Castaneda begins by describing don Juan’s philosophies, then continues with his own reflections.

Celtic mythology, Arthurian romance, and an intriguing interpretation of British history - these are just some of the themes embraced by the anonymous authors of the eleven tales that make up the Welsh medieval masterpiece known as The Mabinogion. They tell of Gwydion the shape-shifter, who can create a woman out of flowers; of Math the magician whose feet must lie in the lap of a virgin; of hanging a pregnant mouse and hunting a magical boar.

An engaging look at English literature down the ages, with Dr David Davies, PhD, and Huw Davies.

Struggling to make it as a stand-up comic didn't always fit with being a single parent. But Josh figured out his own set of rules - through trial and (frequent) error. Early picking up kids from school? The nearby strip club is a great place to kill time and bond with some like-minded dads. Want a drunken heart-to-heart with your son? First make sure there's no Sharpie around in case you pass out.