Popularly known as the 'Father of History', Herodotus is the first major prose writer in the history of Western literature whose work has survived in full. At a time when the ancient Greeks' knowledge of the past relied on orally transmitted memories, he was a pioneering historical practitioner who explored the interplay of myth and history and the role of narrative in history. Contributors to this volume analyze Herodotus' Histories and their influence. Taking a thematic approach, they explore the Histories and their context, techniques and themes, representation of the Greeks' relationships with foreigners and reception.
Added by: Nemini | Karma: 405.93 | Non-Fiction, Science literature | 14 November 2010
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The Companion to Chomsky
This Companion brings together a team of leading linguists, philosophers, cognitive scientists and political theorists to consolidate the disparate strands of Chomsky's thought into one accessible volume. Through a range of chapters focusing on the various aspects of his work, they introduce in a clear and non-technical way the central themes of his extraordinary effect on our understanding of language, mind, and the abuse of political power. Comprehensive and informative, this is an essential guide to one of the leading intellectual figures of our time.
Added by: Nemini | Karma: 405.93 | Non-Fiction, Science literature | 14 November 2010
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The Companion to Hobbes
The aim of The Companion to Hobbes is "to offer a much broader view of Hobbes's intellectual preoccupations than is usually available," and "to bring together the different perspectives on Hobbes that are now being developed in parallel by philosophers, historians of mathematics and science, historians of early modern England, political scientists, and writers of literary studies." It succeeds admirably, rising to a challenge set by the man himself: "It must be extremely hard to find out the opinions and meanings of those men that are gone from us long ago, and have left us no other signification thereof but their books."
These eleven essays, by an international team of leading Joyce scholars and teachers, explore the most important aspects of Joyce's life and art. The topics covered include his debt to Irish and European writers and traditions, his life in Paris, and the relation of his work to the "modern" spirit of skeptical relativism. The whole volume is informed by current debates about literature and literary study, and it demonstrates the central place occupied by Joyce's revolutionary achievement in those debates. This Companion, designed primarily as a student's reference work will deepen and extend the enjoyment and understanding of Joyce for the new reader.
Leading scholars present a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to Jane Austen's works in the contexts of her contemporary world, and of present-day critical discourse. Besides discussions of Austen's novels and letters, there are essays on religion, politics, class consciousness, publishing practices, domestic economy, style in the novels and the significance of her juvenile works. A chronology provides biographical information, and assessments of the history of Austen criticism highlight the most interesting recent studies in a vast field of critical diversity.