Farah Mendlesohn

Edward James

The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction

Fantasy is a creation of the Enlightenment and the recognition that excitement and wonder can be found in imagining impossible things. From the ghost stories of the Gothic to the zombies and vampires of twenty-first-century popular literature, from Mrs Radcliffe to Ms Rowling, the fantastic has been popular with readers. Since Tolkien and his many imitators, however, it has become a major publishing phenomenon. In this volume, critics and authors of fantasy look at the history of fantasy since the Enlightenment, introduce readers to some of the different codes for the reading and understanding of fantasy and examine some of the many varieties and subgenres of fantasy; from magical realism at the more literary end of the genre, to paranormal romance at the more popular end. The book is edited by the same pair who edited The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction (winner of a Hugo Award in 2005).

The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature

An unusual book, showing subtle observation of men and women, and appreciation of music, gardens and old houses.

The Gardener who Saw God

Some of the earliest books ever written, including The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Odyssey, deal with monsters, marvels, extraordinary voyages, and magic, and this genre, known as fantasy, remained an essential part of European literature through the rise of the modern realist novel. Tracing the history of fantasy from the earliest years through to the origins of modern fantasy in the 20th century, this account discusses contributions decade by decade—from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and Lewis’s Narnia books in the 1950s to J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. It also discusses and explains fantasy’s continuing and growing popularity.

A Short History of Fantasy

A history of the fantasy form, this work traces the genre from the earliest years with The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey through to the origins of modern fantasy in the 20th century with such acclaimed writers as Terry Pratchett and J. K. Rowling. An exploration of the great variety of fiction published under the heading "fantasy,” this engaging study seeks to explain its continuing and ever growing popularity.

WE NEVER DIE AN INVESTIGATION

The Merovingian Archaeology of South-west Gaul

Michael Dawson

Mike Nevell

Heritage under Pressure examines the relationship between the political perspective of the UK government on 'soft power' and the globalising effect of projects carried out by archaeologists and heritage professionals working in the historic environment. It exemplifies the nature of professional engagement and the role of the profession in working towards a theory of practice based on the integrity of data, the recovery and communication of information, and the application of data in real world situations. Individual papers raise complex and challenging issues, such as commemoration, identity, and political intervention. A further aim of the volume is to illustrate the role of professionals adhering to standards forged in the UK, in the context of world heritage under pressure. Papers also contribute to the emerging agenda developing as a result of the re-orientation of the UK following the Brexit vote, at once emphasising the global aspiration of the Uk’s professional archaeological body – the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists – in relation to the global reach of UK academic practice. By implication the volume also addresses the relationship between professional practice and academic endeavour. The volume as a whole contributes to the emerging debate on the authorised heritage discourse and provides an agenda for the future of the profession.

Studies of Agency and Soft Power in the Historic Environment

Heritage Under Pressure – Threats and Solution

James O'Hanlon

"Over My Dead Body"

Explores this popular literary genre as a cultural phenomenon which has had a considerable impact upon the the way in which the modern world is viewed

Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century

Readers have awarded Lois McMaster Bujold four Hugo Awards for Best Novel, a number matched only by Robert Heinlein. Her Vorkosigan series redefined space opera with its emotional depth and explorations of themes such as bias against the disabled, economic exploitation, and the role of women in society. Acclaimed science fiction scholar Edward James traces Bujold's career, showing how Bujold emerged from fanzine culture to win devoted male and female readers despite working in genres--military SF, space opera--perceived as solely by and for males. Devoted to old-school ideas such as faith in humanity and the desire to probe and do good in the universe, Bujold simultaneously subverted genre conventions and experimented with forms that led her in bold creative directions. As James shows, her iconic hero Miles Vorkosigan--unimposing, physically impaired, self-conscious to a fault--embodied Bujold's thematic concerns. The sheer humanity of her characters, meanwhile, gained her a legion of fans eager to provide her with feedback, expand her vision through fan fiction, and follow her into fantasy.

Lois McMaster Bujold

'Barbarians' is the name the Romans gave to those who lived beyond the frontiers of the Roman Empire - the peoples they considered 'uncivilised'. Most of the written sources concerning the barbarians come from the Romans too, and as such, need to be treated with caution. Only archaeology allows us to see beyond Roman prejudices - and yet these records are often as difficult to interpret as historical ones. Expertly guiding the reader through such historiographical complexities, Edward James traces the history of the barbarians from the height of Roman power through to AD 600, by which time they had settled in most parts of imperial territory in Europe. His book is the first to look at all Europe's barbarians: the Picts and the Scots in the far north-west; the Franks, Goths and Slavic-speaking peoples; and relative newcomers such as the Huns and Alans from the Asiatic steppes. How did whole barbarian peoples migrate across Europe? What were their relations with the Romans? And why did they convert to Christianity? Drawing on the latest scholarly research, this book rejects easy generalisations to provide a clear, nuanced and comprehensive account of the barbarians and the tumultuous period they lived through.

Europe's Barbarians Ad 200-600

The first millenium in British history, a period framed by two invasions and conquests from across the Channel, is given a fresh portrayal in this innovative new account. It is the first time that Britain has been studied over the entire first millenium--or what might be called the 'long'first millenium, from the middle of the first century B.C. until the end of the eleventh century A.D.It was a fundamental period for the historical and cultural develpment of Britain. The incomplete nature of the Roman Conquest lies behind the separate development of Ireland and northern Scotland, and perhaps Wales. The events of the fifth and sixth centuries, the so-called Migration Period, led tothe remaking of the linguistic map. The arrival of Christianity was a major unifying event of the period in cultural terms. But it was the Vikings who ultimately brought about the unification of the English kingdom, and aided in the unification of the kingdom of Scotland, the two most significantpolitical developments of the latter part of the period, while the Norman Conquest inextricably tied subsequent medieval English monarchs into the politics of France.

Britain in the First Millennium

Henri Sauguet

Paul Tchelitcheff

The Bones of My Hand, Including "La Belle Au Bois Dormant", with Other Poems Before Published ...

And Other Poems, by Edward James

La Belle Au Bois Dormant

Eine kurze Geschichte der Fantasy

The Franks first come to light in the third century A.D. as a group of barbarians living in the marshy lowlands of the Rhine frontier of the Roman Empire. By 800 they had become the political heirs of the Romans in the West.

The Franks

Fantasy ist, obwohl Literaturkritiker wie Akademiker dies gerne ausblenden, das einfluss- und erfolgreichste Genre des 21. Jahrhunderts. Einige der frühsten Bücher unserer Kultur, darunter das Gilgamesch-Epos und die Odyssee, handeln von Ungeheuern, Wundern, phantastischen Reisen und Magie. Gegenwärtig reicht das Spektrum der Fantasy von weltweit rezipierten mehrbändigen Serien bis zu anspruchsvollsten Nischenpublikationen. Die vorliegende Einführung stellt das Genre in den Zusammenhang der euröpäischen Literatur, erzählt seine Geschichte von den Anfängen bis zu den Ursprüngen der modernen Fantasy im 20. Jahrhundert und widmet sich in ihren Hauptkapiteln der Zeit seit Tolkiens ›Herr der Ringe‹, vom Fantasy-Boom der 70er- und 80er-Jahre über den Erfolg der ›Harry Potter‹-Serie bis hin zu aktuellen Entwicklungen.

Europe's Barbarians AD 200-600

Andrew M. Butler

Terry Pratchett has long been on Britain's most popular and successful authors, and has already won many fans in North America as well. He is best known for the bestselling Discworld series. This is a new edition of of the first full-length study of Pratchett. The first edition was shortlisted for the Hugo Award in 2001 and the 2001 Locus Award for Non-fiction.

Edward James

Books

Your next favorite book is out there