Volume 2 of the Selected Writings is now available in paperback in two parts.In Part 1, Benjamin is represented by two of his greatest literary essays, "Surrealism" and "On the Image of Proust," as well as by a long article on Goethe and a generous selection of his wide-ranging commentary for Weimar Germany's newspapers.Part 2 contains, in addition to the important longer essays, "Franz Kafka," "Karl Kraus," and "The Author as Producer," the extended autobiographical meditation "A Berlin Chronicle," and extended discussions of the history of photography and the social situation of the French writer, previously untranslated shorter pieces on such subjects as language and memory, theological criticism and literary history, astrology and the newspaper, and on such influential figures as Paul Valery, Stefan George, Hitler, and Mickey Mouse.

    

    An interview with Kieslowsi shortly before his death concludes this tribute.

    Focusing on the youth-driven phenomenon of otaku (roughly translated as “geek culture” or “pop cult fanaticism”), Takashi Murakami and a notable group of contributors explore the complex historical influences that shape Japanese contemporary art and its distinct graphic languages. The book’s title, Little Boy, is a reference to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, thus clearly locating the birth of these new cultural forms in the trauma and generational aftershock of the atomic bomb.This generously illustrated book showcases the work of key otaku artists and designers, many of whom are cult celebrities in Japan, and discusses their feature film and video animations, video games and internet sites, music, toys, fashion, and more. In the process, the following questions are posed: What is otaku, and what does it tell us about contemporary social, economic, and cultural life in Japan and throughout the world? How is it related to the pervasive and curious fixation on “cuteness” evident in Japanese popular culture? What impact did the atomic devastation of World War II have on the development of Japanese art and culture?This brilliantly designed, bilingual (English and Japanese) publication examines these themes to explore how contemporary Japanese art has become inseparable from the subcultural realms of manga and animé (Japanese animation)—a world where meticulous technique, apocalyptic imagery, and high and low cultures meet.Little Boy concludes Murakami’s “Superflat” trilogy, a project conceived in 2000 to introduce a new wave of Japanese artists and to place their work in the historical context of traditional styles and concepts.

    As seen on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno (twice!) as well as 2 dozen other TV programs, Brian's now the host of the popular online series "Scam School," (downloaded over 1 million times a month, and named by iTunes as a "top video podcast" of 2008 and 2009). ...And THIS is the book that started it all.With 57 killer tricks (and 8 bonus scams), any one of these tricks could win you the cost of a free drink or more... and yet your investment will be LESS THAN 2 CENTS PER TRICK!Short enough to digest in an evening, yet powerful enough to score you free drinks for the rest of your life... "Cheats, Cons, Swindles and Tricks" could be the single best investment of 99 cents you'll ever make.

    She goes to Bonaire to write, but mostly ends up diving while gripped with a case of, well, not exactly writer’s block, but perhaps writer’s trickle. Words are coming, just slowly and painfully. When a mom and son move into the rental across the yard from her, at first she thinks it will make things worse. And, in terms of writing, it does, at least for a while. But getting to know Ash and Jake is definitely worth it.Ash and her ten-year-old son, Jake, have been through a rough couple of years. When a windfall comes her way, Ash decides that they need a reset, and she takes Jake on the diving trip he’s always wanted. The across-the-yard neighbor is entirely too attractive, friendly, and competent, making Ash feel bumbling in comparison. But the more she gets to know Morgan, the less she wants to keep her distance.As Ash and Morgan dive together, spend time in their shared yard, and bond over being Jake fans, the vacation fling starts to seem like more.

    This volume provides her readers and fans with additional insights into her life and work. The first section provides a biographical chapter and literary heritage. The second and third sections analyze the Tales of Tortall and the Magic Circle Sagas as a whole, providing details into the characters and settings of each. The final section of the book, Perspectives, includes both a section on literary techniques along with an interview of Tamora Pierce herself. Appendices include a section on Power Female Heroes, and Fantasy Adventures.Novels include: *The Song of the Lioness Quartet *The Immortals Quartet *The Protector of the Small Quartet *The Trickster Duology *The Magic Circle Quartet *The Circle Opens Quartet *The Will of the Empress

    Here, the stigmatized condition of a spinster; there, a writer's unequalled display of absolute, impersonal authority. In between, the secret work of Austen's style: to keep at bay the social doom that would follow if she ever wrote as the person she is.For no Jane Austen could ever appear in Jane Austen. Amid happy wives and pathetic old maids, we see no successfully unmarried woman, and, despite the multitude of girls seeking to acquire "accomplishments," no artist either. What does appear is a ghostly No One, a narrative voice unmarked by age, gender, marital status, all the particulars that make a person--and might make a person peculiar. The Austen heroine must suppress her wit to become the one and not the other, to become, that is, a person fit to be tied in a conjugal knot. But for herself, Austen refuses personhood, with all its constraints and needs, and disappears into the sourceless anonymity of her style. Though often treasured for its universality, that style marks the specific impasse of a writer whose self-representation is impossible without the prospect of shame.D.A. Miller argues this case not only through the close reading that Austen's style always demands, but also through the close writing, the slavish imitation, that it sometimes inspires.

    York Notes author John Scicluna discusses all aspect of An Inspector Calls --a thorough run-down very helpful to anyone studying the famous Priestley play.

    She has never been on a plane before. She’s upset and nervous enough, but she just has to get out of Chicago for a little while to clear her head. Lindsey never thought one meeting on a plane would change her life forever. Is there true love out there? She didn’t think so after what she’s just been through. After meeting Kelli Monroe, Lindsey can see that she’s bubbly, kind and nice. They sit beside each other on the plane. Lindsey likes her positive attitude. It’s just the thing she needs to pull her out of her gloom and pity. Kelli comforts Lindsey on the plane without even personally knowing her! Lindsey finds out quickly that Kelli is also from Chicago. What are the odds that they are from the same place, going to the same place? Lindsey thinks. So when Kelli asks to exchange telephone, Lindsey is all in. There’s nothing wrong with making a friend along this rough road of life. Little does Lindsey know just how much Kelli is going to change her life, how much she is going to learn from her. How she can turn any heart that’s bitter, into wanting to love again. Kelli shows Lindsey just how strong she is when she feels like Lindsey can’t make it through at all. Please Note: This book contains adult language and steamy adult activities, it is intended for 18+ Adults Only. Novel, approximately 40,000 words in length. HEA (happy ever after ending). Does not end with a "cliffhanger."

    Essays include discussion of the psychological implications in the novel as well as themes and character analysis.

    Michael Ryan's comprehensive textbook on the practice of literary theory demonstrates how the full panoply of theoretical approaches can be used to read the same texts.

    Blake Day wants nothing more than to live out the rest of his college life without the media's spotlight on his back. What happens when Blake throws a deal out to Sloane that's almost too good to not consider?But what if the deal that he was just throwing to her- isn't the whole story? What if the deal is somewhat the truth? The deal is in between the lines.

    This new edition of Hesmondhalgh′s clearly written, thoroughly argued overview of political-economic, organizational, technological, and cultural change represents yet another important intervention in research on cultural production.

    He argues that the development of communication media has transformed the spatial and temporal constitution of social life, creating new forms of action and interaction which are no longer linked to the sharing of a common locale. The consequences of this transformation are far-reaching and impinge on many aspects of our lives, from the most intimate aspects of personal experience and self-formation to the changing nature of power and visibility in the public domain.Combining breadth of vision with sensitivity to detail, this book situates the study of the media where it belongs: among a set of disciplines concerned with the emergence, development and structural characteristics of modern societies and their futures.