5744 results for "Literature"

Tales of the neighborhood: Jewish narrative dialogues in late antiquity

Hasan-Rokem, Galit
In this lively and intellectually engaging book, Galit Hasan-Rokem shows that religion is shaped not only in the halls of theological disputation and institutions of divine study, but also in ordinary events of everyday life. Common aspects of human relations offer a major source for the symbols of religious texts and rituals of late antique Judaism as well as its partner in narrative dialogues, early Christianity, Hasan-Rokem argues. Focusing on the "neighborhood" of the Galilee that is the birthplace of many major religious and cultural developments, this book brings to life the riddles, parables, and folktales passed down in Rabbinic stories from the first half of the first millennium of the Common Era.
University of California Press 2003-02-06 208 pages

Life on Earth

Frederick Seidel
The second book of an extravagant work in progressWhat's JoelGot to do but let the jewelHatchThe light and hookIt to the fleshIt will outlastAnd point the staring womanAt a mirror? --from "The Master Jeweler Joel Rosenthal"Dante's Divine Comedy begins with a journey through Hell and ends in Heaven. Frederick Seidel's Cosmos Poems trilogy begins in the heavens, with The Cosmos Poems, and descends.Life on Earth is the second book in this trilogy. It includes natural and human history, which are the history of the self, and biography, which is the history of everything else, told in vignettes of beauty, sublimity, horror, and regret.
Farrar Straus & Giroux (T) 2002-03-01 80 pages

The Devil

Ferenc Molnar
The Devil begins his work by planting doubts in János’s mind, making him question his fiancée’s loyalty and commitment. Meanwhile, he tempts Hilda with the allure of personal freedom and excitement, suggesting that true happiness can only be achieved by casting aside societal and moral constraints. The Devil’s words resonate with both characters, each facing a growing internal conflict between their moral beliefs and burgeoning desires. His relentless probing begins to strain the couple’s relationship, pushing them closer to betrayal. Through wit, irony, and suspense, Molnár crafts a story that serves as both a moral fable and a psychological drama, exploring how easily people can be swayed by temptation. In the end, while the couple grapples with their newfound insights and the Devil’s impact, they must confront their own choices and decide if love or self-interest will ultimately prevail. Molnár’s play remains a classic in examining the struggle between good and evil, personal agency, and the enduring allure of forbidden desires.
Zinc Read 2024-12-10 90 pages

Ether: seven stories and a novella

Citkowitz, Evgenia
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice All the characters in Evgenia Citkowitz's first collection of short fiction are connected by the quest for identity—some are poised at crossroads, while others teeter on the edge of a moral precipice. In "Leavers' Events," a teenage girl awaits exam results and has a sexual encounter with a teacher that she hopes will define her. In "Sunday's Child," a middle-aged actress evicts a homeless woman from her garden, precipitating a crisis of conscience. And in the title novella, "Ether," a blocked writer plagiarizes his own life with devastating consequences. Unexpected and startlingly original, Citkowitz depicts her characters with a mordant humor and tenderness that never diminishes their complexity.
Picador 2011-06-21 256 pages

The Story of Old Fort Loudon

Charles Egbert Craddock,Ernest C. Peixotto
Experience the raw and untamed spirit of the Tennessee frontier in Charles Egbert Craddock's "The Story of Old Fort Loudon," a compelling work of historical fiction. Set against the backdrop of pioneer life and military engagement, this meticulously republished edition brings to life a pivotal chapter in American history. Immerse yourself in a world of rugged landscapes and the challenges faced by those who dared to carve out a life on the edge of civilization. Explore the dramatic narrative woven around Old Fort Loudon, a symbol of both hope and hardship for early settlers. This classic work offers a glimpse into the struggles, sacrifices, and triumphs that defined the era. A captivating blend of historical detail and vivid storytelling, "The Story of Old Fort Loudon" remains a testament to the enduring allure of the American West and the indomitable spirit of its pioneers. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Creative Media Partners, LLC 2025-03-29 204 pages

Heritage and hellenism: the reinvention of Jewish tradition

Gruen, Erich S.
The interaction of Jew and Greek in antiquity intrigues the imagination. Both civilizations boasted great traditions, their roots stretching back to legendary ancestors and divine sanction. In the wake of Alexander the Great's triumphant successes, Greeks and Macedonians came as conquerors and settled as ruling classes in the lands of the eastern Mediterranean. Hellenic culture, the culture of the ascendant classes in many of the cities of the Near East, held widespread attraction and appeal. Jews were certainly not immune. In this thoroughly researched, lucidly written work, Erich Gruen draws on a wide variety of literary and historical texts of the period to explore a central question: How did the Jews accommodate themselves to the larger cultural world of the Mediterranean while at the same time reasserting the character of their own heritage within it? Erich Gruen's work highlights Jewish creativity, ingenuity, and inventiveness, as the Jews engaged actively with the traditions of Hellas, adapting genres and transforming legends to articulate their own legacy in modes congenial to a Hellenistic setting. Drawing on a diverse array of texts composed in Greek by Jews over a broad period of time, Gruen explores works by Jewish historians, epic poets, tragic dramatists, writers of romance and novels, exegetes, philosophers, apocalyptic visionaries, and composers of fanciful fables—not to mention pseudonymous forgers and fabricators. In these works, Jewish writers reinvented their own past, offering us the best insights into Jewish self-perception in that era.
University of California Press 2002-02-13 335 pages

Diaspora: Jews amidst Greeks and Romans

Gruen, Erich S.
Gruen (history and classics, Berkeley) explores four centuries of Jewish life within the dominant classical civilization, from Alexander the Great's conquest of the Near East to the Roman destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 C.E. He begins with an investigation of "the conspicuous absence of a philosophy of Diaspora" and attempts very capably to identify the traces of the concept among Jews ... More under Roman rule. He looks at the cultures of the Jews living in Rome, Asia, and Alexandria, finding very vibrant communities in all three places. In exploring Jewish views of the Diaspora, Gruen offers up two chapters on Diaspora humor, one about the way biblical tales were retold and the lessons they could convey and the other about creating fanciful yet didactic stories. Then the author looks at the evidence about the Jewish image of the Greeks and Romans, a subject usually investigated from the opposite viewpoint. This leads into his final chapter on the Jewish view of the homeland during the period, a view not much different from today's. Gruen admits that his work is far from exhaustive, but it is certainly substantial, fascinating, and scholarly
Harvard University Press 2004-10-25 400 pages

Musical Composition

Kohs, Ellis B.
How To Play Ukulele by Larry McCabe published by Santorella Publications, is a beginner’s guide to the soprano ukulele, C tuning. This best selling acoustic string method features easy-to-read tablature with helpful diagrams and a “quick source” chord dictionary. This simple step-by-step approach from Santorella Publications will not only teach you numerous ukulele solos, but how to accompany songs with many different accompaniment patterns with standard, “most commonly used”, chord progressions. Songs for Strumming & Singing; Juanita • Aloha Oe • Gentle Annie • All the Pretty Little Horses • Careless Love • The Sidewalks of New York • Five Foot Two • In the Good Old Summertime • I’ll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time • Indiana Solos; Green Grow the Lilacs • Steal Away • La Cucaracha • Corrine, Corrina • Michael, Row the Boat Ashore • Cripple Creek • The Minstrel Boy
Scarecrow Press 1995-05-23 248 pages