Immersive theater calls upon audience members to become participants, actors and “others.” It traditionally offers binary roles—that of oppressor or that of victim—and thereby stands the risk of simpl
?? Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekhov and August Strindberg—innovators of modern drama—created characters whose reckless pursuits of irrational objectives blind them to better options. Ibsen’s protagonists
British literature often refers to pagan and classical themes through richly detailed landscapes that suggest more than a mere backdrop of physical features. The myth-inspired writings of Alfred, Lord
Sherman explores time travel in television and movies through a variety of lenses. Each chapter has a particular theme, such as becoming lost in time, or travelers visiting our time, or time travel
Consumers today are invested in reality-based media, such as reality television and social media, which in theory draw content from somewhere off-screen in our lived experience. This is seen as more "
This philosophical look at friendship and happiness begins with a review of Aristotle's three categories of friendship—friends of utility, friends of pleasure and friends of the good. Modern variation
[In the years leading up to the World Wars, Germany and Austria saw an unprecedented increase in the study and depiction of the criminal. Criminology, journalism and crime fiction obsessed about delin
Despite censorship and revision by Christian redactors, the early medieval manuscripts of Ireland and Britain contain tantalizing clues to the cosmology, religion and mythology of native Celtic cultur
Boxing was phenomenally popular in 18th and 19th century Britain. Aristocrats attended matches and patronized boxers, and the most important fights drew tens of thousands of spectators. Promoters of t
Newton had an interest in the Temple of Solomon that lasted more than 50 years, says Morrison, and wrote an unpublished manuscript A Treatise or Remarks on Solomon's Temple, Introduction to the Lexico
[In a changing world, with multiple and often conflicting voices, the library’s important role as a location of safety and inclusion as well as the crusader for knowledge cannot be overstated. It can
D. Joshua Taylor, host of Genealogy Roadshow and president of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, notes: “The increasing popularity of the topic requires that any librarian who encount
Winston Churchill, indispensable when liberty was in peril, died in 1965. Yet he is still accused of numerous sins, from alcoholism and racism to misogyny and warmongering. On the Internet, he simmers
Corruption is a chronic public concern affecting America's cities. Greed, ethical lapses and lack of accountability have drained untold millions in tax dollars. Corrupt practices range from embezzle
Can a video game make you cry? Why do you relate to the characters and how do you engage with the storyworlds they inhabit? How is your body engaged in play? How are your actions guided by sociocultur
During the era commonly known as McCarthyism, many motion picture and television creators were blacklisted for supposed communist ties. There remained, however, a creative outlet that still welcomed t
Since 1881, isolated prototypes of electric tricycles and bicycles were patented and sometimes tested. Limited editions followed in the wartime 1940s, but it was not until the lithium-ion battery beca
[The idea of heaven and hell is one of the oldest and most widespread religious beliefs of human civilization. In the history of western literature, this spiritual concept was frequently embedded in s
British author and essayist George Orwell shot to fame with two iconic novels—the anti-Stalinist satire Animal Farm and the dystopian masterpiece Nineteen Eighty-Four. A few years after his death in 1
Eminent domain is integral to a government’s legal ability to take private property for a public purpose. If used correctly, the owners are paid the fair market value for their property, few citizens
Historically, zombies have been portrayed in films and television series as mindless, shuffling monsters. In recent years, this has changed dramatically. The undead are fast and ferocious in 28 Days L
When the BBC’s Sherlock debuted in summer 2010—and appeared in the U.S. on PBS a few months later—no one knew it would become an international phenomenon. The series has since gathered a diverse and e
This collection of new essays focuses on The CW network’s hit television series Arrow—based on DC Comic’s Green Arrow—and its spin-offs The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl. Comic book ad
In the heroine’s journey, the young woman protagonist confronts her dark side and emerges stronger. This quest is a recurring theme in comic books and their screen adaptations. Batgirl, Wonder Woman a
With more than 400 illustrations, and detailed maps, this immense and deeply researched account of the history of chess covers not only the Persian and Arab game familiar to most Westerners for the pa
Thousands have run afoul of Britain’s Obscene Publications Act—from Victorian erotica presses to 21st century dominatrices. At a time when the Internet has made sexually explicit material ubiquitous,
In the literature of World War II, the relative military effectiveness of the United States and German forces was a lively debate until the last decade of the 20th century, when a handful of American
Egypt's lack of a common national identity is the basis for much of its internal conflict—Coptic Christians have been particularly affected. Once major contributors to Christian civilization, their in
"A Scottish immigrant to Illinois, Joseph Brown made his pre-Civil War fortune as a miller and steamboat captain who dabbled in riverboat design and small-town politics. When war erupted, he used his
This volume traces the role of Robert Koch in establishing American bacteriology, as American researchers enrolled in his course in Germany since the field of study was absent in early US medical
Conrad discusses policies surrounding prison libraries. The first chapter explores the history of prison libraries, the reason they came into existence and those first policies of use. The second p
"Disabled characters are often represented as aberrant or evil and are isolated or incarcerated. This book examines language in film and fiction that perpetuates the representation of the disabled as
[From the beginning, controversies have swirled around the ways in which both Robert Kirkman’s comics and AMC’s series of The Walking Dead represent race, gender, and sexuality. This collection of ess
Frank and Jesse James, the infamous brothers from Missouri, rode with marauding Confederate guerrillas during the Civil War. Having learned to kill and raid without compunction, they easily transition
"In its revised and updated fourth edition, this exhaustive encyclopedia provides a record of casualties of war from the last five centuries through 2015, with new statistical and analytical informati
Simkins looks at the capacity for myth building in the works of several twentieth century science fiction authors. She covers evolution, morality, and religion in the works of H. G. Wells; materialism
Edmund Spenser's vast epic poemÊThe Faerie Queene is the most challenging masterpiece in early modern literature and is praised as the work most representative of the Elizabethan age. In it he fused t
"Rock music today is universal and its popular history is well known. Yet few know how and why it really came about. Taking a fresh look at events long overlooked or misunderstood, this book tells how
