In Air’s Appearance, Jayne Elizabeth Lewis enlists her readers in pursuit of the elusive concept of atmosphere in literary works. She shows how diverse conceptions of air in the eighteenth century converged in British fiction, producing the modern literary sense of atmosphere and moving novelists to explore the threshold between material and immaterial worlds. Air’s Appearance links the emergence of literary atmosphere to changing ideas about air and the earth’s atmosphere in natural philosophy, as well as to the era’s theories of the supernatural and fascination with social manners—or, as they are now known, “airs.” Lewis thus offers a striking new interpretation of several standard features of the Enlightenment—the scientific revolution, the decline of magic, character-based sociability, and the rise of the novel—that considers them in terms of the romance of air that permeates and connects them. As it explores key episodes in the history of natural philosophy and in major literary works like Paradise Lost, “The Rape of the Lock,” Robinson Crusoe, and The Mysteries of Udolpho, this book promises to change the atmosphere of eighteenth-century studies and the history of the novel.
As an historical figure Mary Queen of Scots has been perpetually represented on canvas, page and stage, and has captured the British imagination since the time of her death in 1587. The 'real' Mary Stuart however has remained an enigma. Mary Queen of Scots: Romance and Nation sheds light on Mary's life by exploring four main themes: * the history of Mary's representation in Britain from the late Tudor period focusing on key periods in the formation of the British identity and closely analysing several texts against a background of the visual, musical and literary works of each period * the reasons why those representing Mary have been so conscious that her image was largely a debatable fiction * the identification of symbolic styles, using Mary to reveal the habits of representation in each historical period * The link between the image of Mary Stuart and Britain's long struggle to define itself as a single nation, focusing on the roles of gender and religion in this development.
Between 1651 and 1740 hundreds of fables, fable collections, and biographies of the ancient Greek slave Aesop were published in England. In The English Fable, Jayne Elizabeth Lewis describes the national obsession with Aesop's fables during this period as both a figural response to sociopolitical crises, and an antidote to emerging anxieties about authorship. Lewis traces the role that fable collections, Augustan fable theory, and debates about the figure of Aesop played in the formation of a modern, literate, and self-consciously English culture, and shows how three Augustan writers - John Dryden, Anne Finch, and John Gay - experimented with the seemingly marginal symbolic form of fable to gain access to new centres of English culture. Often interpreted as a discourse of the dispossessed, the fable in fact offered Augustan writers access to a unique form of cultural authority.
The cultural highlights of the reign of Queen Anne (1702-1714) have long been overlooked. However, recent scholarship, including the present volume, is demonstrating that Anne has been seriously underestimated, both as a person, and as a monarch, and that there was much cultural activity of note in what might be called an interim period, coming after the deaths of Dryden and Purcell but before the blossoming of Pope and Handel, after the glories of Baroque architecture but before the triumph of Burlingtonian neoclassicism. The authors of Queen Anne and the Arts make a case for Anne’s reign as a time of experimentation and considerable accomplishment in new genres, some of which developed, some of which faded away. The volume includes essays on the music, drama, poetry, quasi-operas, political pamphlets, and architecture, as well as on newer genres, such as coin and medal collecting, hymns, and poetical miscellanies, all produced during Anne’s reign.
The treason trial and execution of Mary Queen of Scots in 1586 constitutes a crucial moment in English history. This brief history with documents uses the conflict between Mary and her cousin Elizabeth Tudor, Queen of England, and its violent outcomes to explore a variety of important themes in English history including religion, nationality, sovereignty, gender, and the legitimacy of female rule. An extensive introduction discusses the trial and the events that precipitated it and offers relevant background on the political and religious history of sixteenth-century England. Nine primary documents--including treatises on the legitimacy of female rule, trial records, Elizabeth's speeches to parliament, letters between Mary and Elizabeth, and accounts of the trial by contemporaries--immerse the reader in debates and controversies surrounding the two queens and the trial.
In this compilation of essays demonstrating the application of psychological and spiritual principles to the women of the Bible, the reader will soon see the similarities between the lives of Biblical women and those of today. Just like 21st century Eves, some are wise, brave, and faithful, and others are conniving, imprudent, and downright disagreeable. Then and now, women struggle with emotions, relationships, and personal choice as they navigate their way through life. Eve and her sisters felt apprehension, jealously, and self-doubt. And like us, many squared their shoulders and faced their fears head on. With its themes of love, faith, individuality, and fulfillment, the Bible can actually be seen as a self-help book. Dont underestimate the power of these women who lived generations ago to reach across time and culture to touch our lives. A semi-retired educator with a background in psychology, Jayne is the author of four blogs and has published articles/stories in Guideposts, The Petigru Review, and two LDS magazines, the Liahona and the Ensign. She has also written two books, Human Relations in Industry and Musings of a Missionary Mom.
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