This book begins a new and foundational discussion of maximalism by investigating how the treatment of detail in contemporary literature impels readers to navigate, tolerate, and enrich the cultural landscape of postindustrial America. It studies the maximalist novels of David Foster Wallace, Nicholson Baker, Thomas Pynchon, and others, considering how overly-detailed writing serves the institutional, emotional, and intellectual needs of contemporary readers and writers. The book argues that maximalist novels not only exceed perceived limits of style, subject matter, and scope, but strive to remake the usefulness of books in contemporary culture, refreshing the act of reading. Levey shows that while these novels are preoccupied with detail and description, they are relatively unconcerned with the traditional goals of representation. Instead, they use detail to communicate particular values and fantasies of intelligence, enthusiasm, and ability attached to the management of complex and excessive information. Whether reinvigorating the banal and trivial in mainstream culture, or soothing anxieties of human insufficiency in the age of automation and the internet, these texts model significant abilities, rather than just objects of significance, and encourage readers to develop habits of reading that complement the demands of an increasingly detailed culture. Drawing upon a diverse range of theoretical schools and cultural texts, including Thing Theory, Marxism, New Formalism, playlists, blogs, and archival manuscripts, the book proposes a new understanding of maximalist writing and a new way of approaching the usefulness of literary objects in contemporary culture.

The extrovert of interior design and the definition of 'more is more', maximalism is an exuberant celebration of pattern, colour and texture that deliberately clash. Its roots lie in 1930s Hollywood Regency style, Rococo and Neoclassicism, as well as Greek, Egyptian and Asian styles. With a historical overview of the decor, and illustrated with examples of notable interiors and key elements of lighting, furniture, colour palette, texture and textile, the book offers practical advice on how to recreate the look in your own home.

Minimalism/Maximalism" presents a resplendent collection of buildings that illustrate these two very dissimilar styles. The creators of these projects demonstrate that after a long period of austere work it's time for a new, cutting-edge design. Filled with 370 color images and 50 architectural plans, this guide compares and contrasts an array of minimalist and maximalist examples.

American foreign policy since World War II has long been seen primarily as a story of strong and successful alliances, domestic consensus, and continuity from one adminstration to the next. Why then have so many presidents left office condemned for their foreign policy record? In his fresh and compelling history of America's rise to dominance, Stephen Sestanovich makes clear that U.S. diplomacy has always stirred controversy, both at home and abroad. He shows how successive adminstrations have struggled to find new solutions, alternating between bold "maximalist" strategies and retrenchment efforts to downsize America's role. Almost all our presidents emerge from this vivid retelling in a sharp and unexpected light.

The aesthetic movement that is the subject of this book gathers the objectives of designers who are constructing a new, complex and eclectic modernity. Maximalism has affected all disciplines and prompted them to merge with each other, even creating new projects.

Maximalism and Visual Delight is the first book to explore the contributions of witty contemporary genre painter Jeanne Leighton-Lundberg Clarke and her meaningful role in the development of Maximalism.

A comparative account of the musical and cultural acts of Zappa and his cohort, collaborator and antagonist Captain Beefheart. Written in the iconoclastic spirit of Zappa's art, this book traces the mixed media experiments of California freakdom through the dada blues of Beefheart, mapping out the pleasures of imaginative excess.

Maximalism, or the "more is more" world of decorating, is here! The style that embraces the all-out--beautiful color palettes, luxurious textiles, patterns, and embellishment--has made a comeback. Maximalism is the epitome of passion, one in which Scandi-style, stripped bare, and pared-back interiors have no place. Abigail Ahern guides us through the change in the world of interiors as the pendulum swings away from minimalism and over to our increasing desire for self-expression and optimism. Readers will learn how to break the "rules" of interior design, play fast and loose with different periods in a single room, and have fun. Maximalism allows us to dip into color palettes and any decade or style, with the effect of stirring up emotions and creating a bedazzling space we never want to leave.

Kristie Barnett reveals the secrets of her proven method of Psychological Staging to quickly sell residential real estate for top dollar. This method has earned her both local and national awards for home staging, and has made The Decorologist the go-to authority in the field of real estate staging.