Covering nearly one thousand years, this volume explores medieval and modern English texts from fresh perspectives. Within the relatively new field of historical discourse linguistics, the synchronic analysis of large textual units and consideration of text-external features in relation to discourse has so far received little attention. To fill that gap, this volume offers studies of medieval instructional and religious texts and correspondence from the early modern period. The contributions highlight writer-audience relationships, the intended use of texts, descriptions of text-type, and questions of orality and manuscript contextualization. The topics, ranging from the reception of Old English texts to the conventions of practical instruction in Middle English to the epistolary construction of science in early Modern English, are directly relevant to historical linguists, discourse and text linguists, and students of the history of English.

Offering a panoramic view of the history and culture of food and drink in America with fascinating entries on everything from the smell of asparagus to the history of White Castle, and the origin of Bloody Marys to jambalaya, the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink provides a concise, authoritative, and exuberant look at this modern American obsession. Ideal for the food scholar and food enthusiast alike, it is equally appetizing for anyone fascinated by Americana, capturing our culture and history through what we love most--food! Building on the highly praised and deliciously browseable two-volume compendium the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, this new work serves up everything you could ever want to know about American consumables and their impact on popular culture and the culinary world. Within its pages for example, we learn that Lifesavers candy owes its success to the canny marketing idea of placing the original flavor, mint, next to cash registers at bars. Patrons who bought them to mask the smell of alcohol on their breath before heading home soon found they were just as tasty sober and the company began producing other flavors. Edited by Andrew Smith, a writer and lecturer on culinary history, the Companion serves up more than just trivia however, including hundreds of entries on fast food, celebrity chefs, fish, sandwiches, regional and ethnic cuisine, food science, and historical food traditions. It also dispels a few commonly held myths. Veganism, isn't simply the practice of a few "hippies," but is in fact wide-spread among elite athletic circles. Many of the top competitors in the Ironman and Ultramarathon events go even further, avoiding all animal products by following a strictly vegan diet. Anyone hungering to know what our nation has been cooking and eating for the last three centuries should own the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink.

If a literary movement arises but no one notices, is it still a movement? In Speculative Poetry and the Modern Alliterative Revival: A Critical Anthology, Dennis Wilson Wise argues that the answer is “yes.” Over the last ten decades, poets working in fantasy, science fiction, and horror have collectively brought forth a revival in alliterative poetics akin to what once happened in the mid-fourteenth century. Altogether, this anthology collects for the first time over fifty speculative poets—several of whom are previously unpublished—from across North America and Europe. Alongside such established names as C. S. Lewis, Patrick Rothfuss, Edwin Morgan, Poul Anderson, Jo Walton, P. K. Page, and W. H. Auden, this anthology includes representative texts from cultural movements such as contemporary neo-Paganism and the Society for Creative Anachronism. A lengthy critical introduction by the editor—written accessibly for a general audience—explains and contextualizes the Modern Revival for critics and readers alike, and extensive footnotes offer aids to anyone new to medieval history or Norse mythology. Overall, this indispensable anthology—the first major academic book to focus on speculative poetry—establishes where the medieval meets the modern in the hitherto unrecognized Modern Alliterative Revival.

Join professional fight choreographer Teel James Glenn as he takes you on a journey through the process of creating believable and dramatic action scenes in every kind offiction. Using wit and personal experience, he dissects action scenes for the keys to what makes them work. Readers benefit from his combat experience, including eastern martial arts, the physiology and kinetics of weight training and the dramatic story telling from film and stage acting. From fantasy swordfights, barroom brawls, comic combat to martial arts knockabouts, he not only outlines and explains the whys and wherefores of literary violence, he also explores techniques that allow you to create them yourself with a series of fun and easy to do exercises. He takes the mystery out of writing action, but not the excitement!

When it comes to folklore and mythology, what springs to mind are places like Greece, Romania, England and other European countries, with their stories and images of Gorgons and Cyclopes, Vampires, Dragons and Faeries... But what about Canada? Canada has a deep and varied folkloric heritage based upon the legends, myths and stories of the numerous Native nations who lived in Canada first, that were built upon by each successive wave of immigrants from all over the world. The French brought tales of flying canoes, the Devil, and little goblins who took horses out for joyrides; the Germans gave us conjure doctors; the Italians the weather controlling folletti; the Russians the household sprites called domivye... For more than ten years, amateur folklorist Todd H. C. Fischer has researched hundreds of creatures, monsters, strange locales, heroes and spirits from all across Canada, collecting them here, for the first time, in one comprehensive volume.

An anthology of twenty-five Lovecraftian horror stories set in the world of business and bureaucracy. Includes tales from Peter Rawlik, DJ Tyrer, Gordon Linzer, and many more!

The production and use of surface active agents have seen various evolutions over time, yet rarely, if ever, has this information been collated in one place. Covering all surfactant classes in a clear and concise style, from their properties and applications to an overview of the evolution of their production processes, this book is a comprehensive overview of the field. It is both a record of important documents and intellectual property as well as a springboard for possible future developments. Key features: Covers both man-made and natural surfactants Includes abundant references to production processes and developments of intellectual property Provides a complete background to the field of surface active agents today From producers and formulators of surface active agents to professors and students of raw materials, this book is appropriate for both academic courses and industry professionals.

This book consists of practical games and exercises to introduce actors, directors, and teachers to the skill, characters, and history of Commedia dell' Arte.