William Brevda's Books

Harry Kemp, the Last Bohemian

By: William Brevda

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The first critical biography of the American writer. The Tramp Poet Harry Kemp (1883-1960). His creative works included poetry, drama, fiction, and the best-selling autobiography in prose, Tramping on Life.

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292

Publisher

Bucknell University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0838750869

ISBN 13

9780838750865

Signs of the Signs

The Literary Lights of Incandescence and Neon

By: William Brevda

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Signs of the Signs

The Literary Lights of Incandescence and Neon

By: William Brevda

This book is a study of signs in American literature and culture. It is mainly about electric signs, but also deals with non-electric signs and related phenomena, such as movie sets. The 'sign' is considered in both the architectural and semiotic senses of the word. It is argued that the drama and spectacle of the electric sign called attention to the semiotic implications of the 'sign.' In fiction, poetry, and commentary, the electric SIGN became a 'sign' of manifold meanings that this book explores: a sign of the city, a sign of America, a sign of the twentieth century, a sign of modernism, a sign of postmodernism, a sign of noir, a sign of naturalism, a sign of the beats, a sign of signs systems (the Bible to Broadway), a sign of tropes (the Great White way to the neon jungle), a sign of the writers themselves, a sign of the sign itself. If Moby Dick is the great American novel, then it is also the great American novel about signs, as the prologue maintains. The chapters that follow demonstrate that the sign is indeed a 'sign' of American literature. After the electric sign was invented, it influenced Stephen Crane to become a nightlight impressionist and Theodore Dreiser to make the 'fire sign' his metaphor for the city. An actual Broadway sign might have inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. In Manhattan Transfer and U.S.A., John Dos Passos portrayed America as just a spectacular sign. William Faulkner's electric signs are full of sound and fury signifying modernity. The Last Tycoon was a sign of Fitzgerald's decline. The signs of noir can be traced to Poe's 'The Man of the Crowd.' Absence flickers in the neons of Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles. The death of God haunts the neon wilderness of Nelson Algren. Hitler's 'empire' was an non-intentional parody of Nathanael West's California. The beats reinvented Times Square in their own image. Jack Kerouac's search for the center of Saturday night was a quest for transcendence. This book will interest readers who want to learn more about the city, the history of advertising, electric lighting, nightlife, architecture, and semiotics. In contrast to other cultural studies, however, Signs of the Signs is primarily a work of literary criticism. Lovers of literary light will appreciate this book the most.

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Page Count

435

Publisher

Bucknell University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1611480434

ISBN 13

9781611480436

Another Part of a Long Story

Literary Traces of Eugene O'Neill and Agnes Boulton

By: William Davies King

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Another Part of a Long Story

Literary Traces of Eugene O'Neill and Agnes Boulton

By: William Davies King

An engrossing biography about the marital breakdown of a major literary figure, of particular interest for what it reveals about O'Neill's creative process, activities, and bohemian lifestyle at the time of his early successes and some of his most interesting experimental work. In addition, King's discussion of Boulton's efforts as a writer of pulp fiction in the early part of the 20th century reveals an interesting side of popular fiction writing at that time, and gives insight into the lifestyle of the liberated woman." ---Stephen Wilmer, Trinity College, Dublin Biographers of American playwright Eugene O'Neill have been quick to label his marriage to actress Carlotta Monterey as the defining relationship of his illustrious career. But in doing so, they overlook the woman whom Monterey replaced---Agnes Boulton, O'Neill's wife of over a decade and mother to two of his children. O'Neill and Boulton were wed in 1918---a time when she was a successful pulp novelist and he was still a little-known writer of one-act plays. During the decade of their marriage, he gained fame as a Broadway dramatist who rejected commercial compromise, while she mapped that contentious territory known as the literary marriage. His writing reflected her, and hers reflected him, as they tried to realize progressive ideas about what a marriage should be. But after O'Neill left the marriage, he and new love Carlotta Monterey worked diligently to put Boulton out of sight and mind---and most O'Neill biographers have been quick to follow suit. William Davies King has brought Agnes Boulton to light again, providing new perspectives on America's foremost dramatist, the dynamics of a literary marriage, and the story of a woman struggling to define herself in the early twentieth century. King shows how the configuration of O'Neill and Boulton's marriage helps unlock many of O'Neill's plays. Drawing on more than sixty of Boulton's published and unpublished writings, including her 1958 memoir, Part of a Long Story, and an extensive correspondence, King rescues Boulton from literary oblivion while offering the most radical revisionary reading of the work of Eugene O'Neill in a generation. William Davies King is Professor of Theater at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and author of several books, most recently Collections of Nothing, chosen by Amazon.com as one of the Best Books of 2008. Illustration: Eugene O'Neill, Shane O'Neill, and Agnes Boulton ca. 1923. Eugene O'Neill Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

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Page Count

328

Publisher

University of Michigan Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0472117173

ISBN 13

9780472117178

Body Love

The Amazing Career of Bernarr Macfadden

By: William R. Hunt

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Body Love

The Amazing Career of Bernarr Macfadden

By: William R. Hunt

Bernarr Macfadden (1868-1955) entertained and instructed Americans for decades. He championed physical exercise, fasting, and diet reform and was the relentless scourge of established doctors. He presented his views in Physical Culture, a popular magazine featuring photographs of strong men and healthy women and articles promoting the healthy life. While some critics derided him as a health nut, no one could dispute his genius as a magazine publisher. He established the world's greatest magazine publishing empire through the innovation of such popular publications as True Story, the first confession magazine; True Detective; and many others.

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Page Count

244

Publisher

Popular Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0879724641

ISBN 13

9780879724641

French XX Bibliography

A Bibliography for the Study of French Literature and Culture Since 1885

By: William J. Thompson

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French XX Bibliography

A Bibliography for the Study of French Literature and Culture Since 1885

By: William J. Thompson

This annual French XX Bibliography provides the most complete listing available of books, articles, and book reviews concerned with French literature since 1885. Unique in its scope, thoroughness, and reliability of information, it has become an essential reference source in the study of modern French literature and culture. The bibliography is divided into three major divisions: general studies, author subjects (arranged alphabetically), and cinema. Number 59 in the series contains 12,703 entries. William J. Thompson is Associate Professor of French and Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Programs in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Memphis.

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Page Count

520

Publisher

Associated University Presse

Published Date

ISBN 10

1575911256

ISBN 13

9781575911250

Signs of the Signs

The Literary Lights of Incandescence and Neon

By: William Brevda

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Signs of the Signs

The Literary Lights of Incandescence and Neon

By: William Brevda

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

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Page Count

435

Publisher

Bucknell University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1611480434

ISBN 13

9781611480436

Harry Kemp, the Last Bohemian

By: William Brevda

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Harry Kemp, the Last Bohemian

By: William Brevda

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

292

Publisher

Bucknell University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0838750869

ISBN 13

9780838750865

Book's by William Brevda

Harry Kemp, the Last Bohemian

Harry Kemp, the Last Bohemian

Signs of the Signs

Signs of the Signs

Another Part of a Long Story

Another Part of a Long Story

Body Love

Body Love

French XX Bibliography

French XX Bibliography

Signs of the Signs

Signs of the Signs

Harry Kemp, the Last Bohemian

Harry Kemp, the Last Bohemian

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