Spectacles of Realism

Spectacles of Realism
Author :
Publisher : U of Minnesota Press
Total Pages : 382
Release :
ISBN-10 : 1452900566
ISBN-13 : 9781452900568
Rating : 4/5 (66 Downloads)

Synopsis Spectacles of Realism by : Margaret Cohen

The Spectacular Past

The Spectacular Past
Author :
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Total Pages : 297
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781501729836
ISBN-13 : 1501729837
Rating : 4/5 (36 Downloads)

Synopsis The Spectacular Past by : Maurice Samuels

Struggling to make sense of the Revolution of 1789, the French in the nineteenth century increasingly turned to visual forms of historical representation in a variety of media. Maurice Samuels shows how new kinds of popular entertainment introduced during and after the Revolution transformed the past into a spectacle. The wax display (in which visitors circulated amid life-size statues of historical figures), the phantasmagoria show (in which images of historical personages were projected onto smoke or invisible screens), and the panorama (in which spectators viewed giant circular canvases depicting historical scenes) employed new optical technologies to entice crowds of spectators. Such entertainments, Samuels asserts, provided bourgeois audiences with an illusion of mastery over the past, allowing them to picture their new role as historical agents.Samuels demonstrates how the spectacular mode of historical representation pervaded historiography, drama, and the novel during the Romantic period. He then argues that the early Realist fiction of Balzac and Stendhal emerged as a critique of the spectacular historical imagination. By investigating how postrevolutionary France envisioned the past, Samuels illuminates a vital moment in the cultural history of modernity.

The Boundaries of Realism in World Literature

The Boundaries of Realism in World Literature
Author :
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages : 207
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781793609113
ISBN-13 : 179360911X
Rating : 4/5 (13 Downloads)

Synopsis The Boundaries of Realism in World Literature by : Kornelije Kvas

This book is a valuable theoretical and critical contribution to the study of realism inworld literature. Proceeding from the mimetic theories of the era of antiquity, and proceeding to explore formalists, structuralists, theories of possible worlds, and theories of simulation, Kvas points to the fictionality of (mimetic) realism, to literature and art as the creation of new, fictional aesthetic worlds, even when—as in the case of realism—there is a programmatic and practical inclination of such art and literature toward the world of the historical and the social—the real in the original sense of the word. This study will enable readers to confront, in a new and dependable manner, the issues of literary realism and its digressions into magical realism.

Viewing Positions

Viewing Positions
Author :
Publisher : Rutgers University Press
Total Pages : 308
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0813521335
ISBN-13 : 9780813521336
Rating : 4/5 (35 Downloads)

Synopsis Viewing Positions by : Linda Williams

On visual perception in film and human subjectivity

Daisy; or, The Fairy Spectacles

Daisy; or, The Fairy Spectacles
Author :
Publisher : Good Press
Total Pages : 86
Release :
ISBN-10 : EAN:8596547571810
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (10 Downloads)

Synopsis Daisy; or, The Fairy Spectacles by : C. S. Guild

In 'Daisy; or, The Fairy Spectacles' by C. S. Guild, readers are transported into a whimsical world where a pair of fairy spectacles reveal hidden truths about human nature. Written in a charming and fairy-tale like style, the book explores the themes of perception, deception, and self-discovery. Guild's use of magical realism adds an enchanting element to the narrative, inviting readers to ponder the complexities of the human experience. Set in the Romantic era, the book reflects the period's fascination with the supernatural and the unknown. The moral lessons subtly woven into the story make 'Daisy' a thought-provoking read for both young and adult audiences alike. C. S. Guild's imaginative storytelling keeps readers captivated from beginning to end, making 'Daisy; or, The Fairy Spectacles' a standout work of fiction worth exploring.

Aesthetic Realism

Aesthetic Realism
Author :
Publisher : Springer
Total Pages : 149
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9783030201272
ISBN-13 : 3030201279
Rating : 4/5 (72 Downloads)

Synopsis Aesthetic Realism by : Inês Morais

This compelling book defends realism concerning the aesthetic—in particular, concerning the aesthetic properties of works of art (including works of literature). Morais lucidly argues that art criticism, when referring to aesthetic properties, is referring not ultimately to the critic’s subjective reactions, but to genuine properties of the works. With a focus on contemporary discussion conducted in the analytic tradition, as well as on arguments by Hume and Kant, this book characterizes the debate in aesthetics and the philosophy of art concerning aesthetic realism, examining attacks on the objectivity of values, the ‘autonomy thesis’, and Hume’s sentimentalism. Considering and defusing scepticism concerning the significance of the ontological debate about aesthetic realism, Morais discusses two powerful attacks on aesthetic realism before defending the doctrine against them and providing a positive realist account of aesthetic properties.

The Oxford Handbook of Communist Visual Cultures

The Oxford Handbook of Communist Visual Cultures
Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages : 799
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780190885533
ISBN-13 : 019088553X
Rating : 4/5 (33 Downloads)

Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Communist Visual Cultures by : Aga Skrodzka

Stereotypes often cast communism as a defunct, bankrupt ideology and a relic of the distant past. However, recent political movements like Europe's anti-austerity protests, the Arab Spring, and Occupy Wall Street suggest that communism is still very much relevant and may even hold the key to a new, idealized future. In The Oxford Handbook of Communist Visual Cultures, contributors trace the legacies of communist ideology in visual culture, from buildings and monuments, murals and sculpture, to recycling campaigns and wall newspapers, all of which work to make communism's ideas and values material. Contributors work to resist the widespread demonization of communism, demystifying its ideals and suggesting that it has visually shaped the modern world in undeniable and complex ways. Together, contributors answer curcial questions like: What can be salvaged and reused from past communist experiments? How has communism impacted the cultures of late capitalism? And how have histories of communism left behind visual traces of potential utopias? An interdisciplinary look at the cultural currency of communism today, The Oxford Handbook of Communist Visual Cultures demonstrates the value of revisiting the practices of the past to form a better vision of the future.

How To Improve Your Mind

How To Improve Your Mind
Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages : 198
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781118315026
ISBN-13 : 1118315022
Rating : 4/5 (26 Downloads)

Synopsis How To Improve Your Mind by : James R. Flynn

Become the master of your world Presents 20 key concepts, or keys, to aid critical thinking Authored by one of the world's most eminent psychologists - and founder of the Flynn Effect Looks at topics such as Race and IQ, "good" science and the current world economic crisis Written in a clear and lucid style, illustrated with many examples

Shakespeare, Theory and Performance

Shakespeare, Theory and Performance
Author :
Publisher : Routledge
Total Pages : 230
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781134819171
ISBN-13 : 113481917X
Rating : 4/5 (71 Downloads)

Synopsis Shakespeare, Theory and Performance by : James C. Bulman

Shakespeare, Theory and Performance is a groundbreaking collection of seminal essays which apply the abstract theory of Shakespearean criticism to the practicalities of performance. Bringing together the key names from both realms, the collection reflects a wide range of sources and influences, from traditional literary, performance and historical criticism to modern cultural theory. Together they raise questions about the place of performance criticism in modern and often competing debates of cultural materialism, new historicism, feminism and deconstruction. An exciting and fascinating volume, it will be important reading for students and scholars of literary and theatre studies alike.

Shivers Down Your Spine

Shivers Down Your Spine
Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Total Pages : 392
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780231129893
ISBN-13 : 0231129890
Rating : 4/5 (93 Downloads)

Synopsis Shivers Down Your Spine by : Alison Griffiths

From the architectural spectacle of the medieval cathedral and the romantic sublime of the nineteenth-century panorama to the techno-fetishism of today's London Science Museum, humans have gained a deeper understanding of the natural world through highly illusionistic representations that engender new modes of seeing, listening, and thinking. What unites and defines many of these wondrous spaces is an immersive view-an invitation to step inside the virtual world of the image and become a part of its universe, if only for a short time. Since their inception, museums of science and natural history have mixed education and entertainment, often to incredible, eye-opening effect. Immersive spaces of visual display and modes of exhibition send "shivers" down our spines, engaging the distinct cognitive and embodied mapping skills we bring to spectacular architecture and illusionistic media. They also force us to reconsider traditional models of film spectatorship in the context of a mobile and interactive spectator. Through a series of detailed historical case studies, Alison Griffiths masterfully explores the uncanny and unforgettable visceral power of the medieval cathedral, the panorama, the planetarium, the IMAX theater, and the science museum. Examining these structures as exemplary spaces of immersion and interactivity, Griffiths reveals the sometimes surprising antecedents of modern media forms, suggesting the spectator's deep-seated desire to become immersed in a virtual world. Shivers Down Your Spine demonstrates how immersive and interactive museum display techniques such as large video displays, reconstructed environments, and touch-screen computer interactives have redefined the museum space, fueling the opposition between public and private, science and spectacle, civic and corporate interests, voice and text, and life and death. In her remarkable study of sensual spaces, Griffiths explains why, for centuries, we keep coming back for more.