Download or read book Everyday Evil in Stephen King s America written by Jason S. Polley and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-06-03 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited collection variously interrogates how everyday evil manifests in Stephen King’s now-familiar American imaginary; an imaginary that increases the representational limits of both anticipated and experienced realism. Divided into three parts: I. The Man, II. The Monster, and III. The Re-mediator, the book offers rigorous readings of evil, realism, and popular culture as represented in a range of texts (and paratexts) from the King canon. Rich with images, a photo-essay, and appendices collecting classical texts and cultural detritus germane to King, this book moves away from viewing King’s work primarily through the lens of the “American gothic” and toward the realism that the suspense novelist’s voice (fictional and non-) and influence (literary and popular) indelibly continue to amplify, all the while complicating the traditional divide between serious literature and popular fiction. Stephen King remains perpetually popular. And he is finally receiving the academic treatment he has craved since the early 1980s. Yet still unexamined in the King critical canon is the suspense novelist’s fascination with “everyday evil.” Beyond rigorous interrogations of King’s fictional depictions of “everyday evil” by an array of scholars of different ranks living around the world (Canada, Finland, Hong Kong, the UK), the book, replete with 20 images, considers how King widens the parameters of literary production and appreciation. An integral part of the Americana that King’s five-decades-in-the-making canon configures, of course, includes King himself. King has long made use of self-referentiality in his fiction and nonfiction. Some of his nonfiction, several of our essays reveal, recirculates in paratextual form as “Prefatory Remarks” to new novels or new editions of older ones. The paratexts considered here (both across the volume and in the appendices) offer alternate ways by which to appreciate King and his sphere of influence (literary and popular). Said appendices are a grouping of King's paratexts on his writing as Bachman, appearing here, for the first time, as a cohesive collection. King's influence took off in the 1970s, as is further explored in the book-enveloping three-part photo-essay “King’s America, America’s King: Stephen King & Popular Culture since the 1970s.” About the transformative quality of “everyday evil,” the photo-essay tracks the cultural impacts of King first as an emerging author, then a pop culture phenomenon, and, finally, as an established American literary voice. Everyday Evil in Stephen King's America is designed to appeal to teachers and students of American literature, to Stephen King enthusiasts, as well as to acolytes of Americana since the Vietnam War.
Download or read book Evil in Africa written by William C. Olsen and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2015-08-30 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: William C. Olsen, Walter E. A. van Beek, and the contributors to this volume seek to understand how Africans have confronted evil around them. Grouped around notions of evil as a cognitive or experiential problem, evil as malevolent process, and evil as an inversion of justice, these essays investigate what can be accepted and what must be condemned in order to evaluate being and morality in African cultural and social contexts. These studies of evil entanglements take local and national histories and identities into account, including state politics and civil war, religious practices, Islam, gender, and modernity.
Download or read book Everyday Evil written by Monique Layton and published by . This book was released on 2020-02-20 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Instead of the epic, alien force of our imagination, anthropologist Monique Layton argues that evil is intrinsic to our humanity, constantly evolving with modern notions of morality. Much of the world's suffering, she argues, can be traced back to the individual actions of ordinary people trying--and failing--to maintain a static social order. Drawing on anthropology, history, philosophy and popular culture, Layton provides a new lens through which to view contemporary issues, establishing connections between such disparate phenomena as: medieval law enforcement and the Trump Baby blimp; the Salem witch trials and female genital mutilation; body-snatching and surrogacy; slavery and fast fashion."--
Download or read book Torture written by Manfred Nowak and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2018-04-20 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Torture, former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak recounts his experience visiting countries, reviewing documents, collecting evidence, and conducting interviews with perpetrators, witnesses, and victims of torture. His story offers vital insights for human-rights scholars and professionals.
Download or read book The Devil You Don t Know written by Louis J. Cameli and published by Ave Maria Press. This book was released on 2011-10-17 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With insight reminiscent of The Screwtape Letters, Rev. Louis J. Cameli challenges readers to reconsider what they've always believed about the devil. In some ways, it’s easy to believe in a devil who makes heads spin round and enables people to levitate. Many movies and books about possession and exorcism have trained spiritual seekers to identify evil by its expected Hollywood conventions. By contrast, in The Devil You Don't Know: Recognizing and Resisting Evil in Everyday Life, Cameli, nationally renowned pastoral leader and priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, paints a challenging, unsettling portrait of the devil as a formidable adversary who works great harm, often in quiet, less-seen ways. While remaining a fixture of popular culture, the devil has—until now—been largely ignored in contemporary spiritual writing. Cameli exposes the devil’s tactics of deception, division, diversion, and discouragement, in individuals and also in institutions. This thoroughly biblical, deft exploration considers the personal and social dimensions of sin, and offers both enlightenment and hope in the power of Christ to overcome evil.
Download or read book Devil s Day written by Andrew Michael Hurley and published by Ecco Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A gripping and unsettling new novel by the award-winning author of The Loney that asks how much we owe to tradition, and how far we will go to preserve it"--
Download or read book A Philosophy of Evil written by Lars Fr. H. Svendsen and published by Dalkey Archive Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite the overuse of the word in movies, political speeches, and news reports, "evil" is generally seen as either flagrant rhetoric or else an outdated concept: a medieval holdover with no bearing on our complex everyday reality. In "A Philosophy of Evil," however, acclaimed philosopher Lars Svendsen argues that evil remains a concrete moral problem: that we're all its victims, and all guilty of committing evil acts. "It's normal to be evil," he writes--the problem is, we have lost the vocabulary to talk about it. Taking up this problem--how do we speak about evil?--"A Philosophy of Evil" treats evil as an ordinary aspect of contemporary life, with implications that are moral, practical, and above all, political. Because, as Svendsen says, "Evil should neither be justified nor explained away--evil must be fought."
Download or read book Becoming Evil written by James Waller and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2007-03-22 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Political or social groups wanting to commit mass murder on the basis of racial, ethnic or religious differences are never hindered by a lack of willing executioners. Social psychologist James Waller uncovers the internal and external factors which lead ordinary people to commit these acts of evil.
Download or read book Evil written by William Hart and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2014-07-15 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Today our nation saw evil." - President George W. Bush, September 11th 2001 Evil! Like a zombie back from the grave, it has arisen--a word many of us had long ago relegated to Sunday sermons, video games and horror flicks. But of course, evil is not old fashioned, nor has it ever gone away, and may be as robust as ever. So what is evil? Does it exist? Veteran journalist Bill Hart tries to drag evil out of the darkness and hold it up to the light. In doing so, he has written a very readable account of 5,000 years of philosophy, theology and human history as it reflects and refines its notion of evil. More than an explanation of why bad things happen, Evil: A Primer is a tour through the nether regions in search of what we really know.
Download or read book The Constant Choice written by Peter Georgescu and published by Sedona Publishing. This book was released on 2019-03-12 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We live in a most challenging time. Many of us struggle, emotionally, ethically, and spiritually. We seem headed toward less compassion and consideration, failing to overcome that basic instinct that often leads to evil in human behavior--self-preservation at all costs. Yet within each of us a new future is stirring. We can become better people and build a better world by opting for good over evil--one choice at a time. In The Constant Choice, Peter Georgescu offers a gripping narrative of his journey from childhood captivity in a Romanian labor camp to his role as CEO of the world-renowned advertising agency Young & Rubicam. His traumatic youth--his parents' exile from their homeland, his grandfather's murder in prison, his neighbors' betrayal of one another--led to a lifelong struggle to grasp humanity's moral nature. Despite his conviction when he arrived on American soil that he had reached the land of the good, he discovered a more subtle evil at work all around him. Yet he also thrived through the generosity of one benefactor after another. Goodness, he found, isn't inherent; it evolves from daily choice. Through decades of reflection on human behavior, as well as philosophical and spiritual exploration, Peter arrived at a new perspective on the significance of our habitual choices. Every decision we make alters our biological nature, for better or worse--a model that has been confirmed by recent science. The Constant Choice reveals a path for changing who we are and the future of humanity. It's up to each of us to become activists for good.
Download or read book Engaging Evil written by William C. Olsen and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2019-05-03 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Anthropologists have expressed wariness about the concept of evil even in discussions of morality and ethics, in part because the concept carries its own cultural baggage and theological implications in Euro-American societies. Addressing the problem of evil as a distinctly human phenomenon and a category of ethnographic analysis, this volume shows the usefulness of engaging evil as a descriptor of empirical reality where concepts such as violence, criminality, and hatred fall short of capturing the darkest side of human existence.
Download or read book Ordinary People and Extraordinary Evil written by Fred Emil Katz and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2010-03-31 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is it in the behavioral makeup of ordinary people, operating in the course of ordinary daily living, that lends itself to participating in horrendous activities — and doing so at times with zeal, at times with joy, at times without duress? Katz demonstrates that we do not need any special behavioral equipment for doing evil. The very same behaviors can take us in both directions for either living humanely and decently or for doing evil. This book demonstrates how some of these processes work, and sensitizes us to the potential for evil in our ongoing daily activities. This knowledge about ordinary behavior can empower us to take charge of our own direction, and help us turn away from beguilings of evil when they come our way.
Download or read book Evil written by Julia Shaw and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2019-02-26 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An expert in criminology and psychology uses science to understand evil in today’s society. What is it about evil that we find so compelling? From our obsession with serial killers to violence in pop culture, we seem inescapably drawn to the stories of monstrous acts and the aberrant people who commit them. But evil, Dr. Julia Shaw argues, is largely subjective. What one may consider normal, like sex before marriage, eating meat, or working on Wall Street, others find abhorrent. And if evil is only in the eye of the beholder, can it be said to exist at all? In Evil, Shaw uses an engrossing mix of science, popular culture, and real-life examples to break down timely and provocative issues. How similar is your brain to a psychopath’s? How many people have murder fantasies? Can artificial intelligence be evil? Do your sexual proclivities make you a bad person? Who becomes a terrorist? If you could travel back in time, would you kill baby Hitler? In asking these questions, Shaw urges readers to discover empathy and to rethink and reshape what it means to be bad. Evil is a wide-ranging exploration into a fascinating, darkly compelling subject from wickedly smart and talented writer. Praise for Evil “A brilliant panorama that elucidates humanity’s dark side. . . . This science-based foundation for studying the minds of sadists, mass murderers, freaks and creeps, as well the new role of tech in promoting evil is presented in a totally engaging fashion.” —Philip Zimbardo, PhD; Professor Emeritus, Stanford University; author of The Lucifer Effect “This overview of various kinds of aberrant behavior grouped under the umbrella term evil is well backed up by the expertise of Shaw. . . . Shaw’s work will be particularly appropriate for college and high school libraries for its sober-minded, academically rigorous examination of an oft-sensationalized subject.” —Publishers Weekly “Capably written with a smooth mix of scientific insight and theoretical thought, the book will hopefully inspire empathy and understanding rather than hysteria and condemnation. A consistently fascinating journey into the darker sides of the human condition that will push on the boundaries of readers’ comfort zones.” —Kirkus Reviews
Download or read book Explaining Evil written by J. Harold Ellens and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2011-02-18 with total page 1046 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this three-volume set, international scholars from across a broad spectrum of scholarly fields examine the concept of evil throughout history and world cultures from religious, scientific, psychological, and political perspectives. The manifestation of evil has provided a convenient theme for popular culture entertainment, ranging from the classic film The Exorcist, to almost all of Stephen King's horror novels, to video games such as Resident Evil. Unfortunately, dealing with—and attempting to overcome—the forces of evil is a pervasive problem in the real world as well. Explaining Evil addresses incidents of evil from ancient times to modern day around the globe. Concepts of evil within the big three religions—Christianity, Judaism, and Islam—are examined, as well as in Chinese philosophy and Native American beliefs. The political or national expressions of evil are explored, such as the "axis of evil" that culminated in World War II. These volumes identify the causes and effects of evil, and suggest possible remedies to humanity's inescapable flaw.
Download or read book Evil Plans written by Hugh MacLeod and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-02-17 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The acclaimed author of Ignore Everybody is back with more irreverent wisdom, wit, and original cartoons. "It has never been easier to make a great living doing what you love. But to make it happen, first you need an EVIL PLAN. Everybody needs to get away from lousy bosses, from boring, dead-end jobs that they hate, and ACTUALLY start doing something they love, something that matters. Life is short." -Hugh MacLeod Freud once said that in order to be truly happy people need two things: the capacity to work and the capacity to love. Evil Plans is about being able to do both at the same time. The sometimes unfortunate side effect is that others will hate you for it. MacLeod's insights are brash, wise, and often funny.
Download or read book To Flourish Or Destruct written by Christian Smith and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2015-03-23 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christian Smith is a force to conjure with in sociology, both in its empirical forays (studies of youth and religious life) and in its higher reaches of theory, where his work sets out to move culture, morality, and identity to the center of social thought. We published his 2011 book, What Is a Person?, to critical plaudits and healthy sales. Striking a middle path between extremes of positivist science and relativism, Smith’s theory of personhood teased out how we can know what is good in personal and social life, and what sociology can tell us about human rights and dignity. To Flourish or Destruct is a sequel. It builds on the earlier book to explore the question of human motivations for action. In arguing for a sociological turn in a more humanist direction, he sets up a scaffolding for a philosophy of moral realism that makes human flourishing (the realization of basic human goods) a centerpiece of social science. Smith’s Aristotelian account of flourishing argues that genuinely investing in the flourishing of other people is a necessary condition for personal flourishing--in short, learning to love others. The guiding assumption is that flourishing is the natural aim of all human life. He then turns to the question of evil (the absence or privation of what is good), with extended consideration of Stalin and Hitler and totalitarianism in general, in contrast to his inventory of basic human goods, motivations, and interests. The title poses the question: will I flourish or will I destruct? On which path is my life moving?
Download or read book Becoming Evil written by James Waller and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2002-06-27 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Political or social groups wanting to commit mass murder on the basis of racial, ethnic or religious differences are never hindered by a lack of willing executioners. In Becoming Evil, social psychologist James Waller uncovers the internal and external factors that can lead ordinary people to commit extraordinary acts of evil. Waller debunks the common explanations for genocide- group think, psychopathology, unique cultures- and offers a more sophisticated and comprehensive psychological view of how anyone can potentially participate in heinous crimes against humanity. He outlines the evolutionary forces that shape human nature, the individual dispositions that are more likely to engage in acts of evil, and the context of cruelty in which these extraordinary acts can emerge. Illustrative eyewitness accounts are presented at the end of each chapter. An important new look at how evil develops, Becoming Evil will help us understand such tragedies as the Holocaust and recent terrorist events. Waller argues that by becoming more aware of the things that lead to extraordinary evil, we will be less likely to be surprised by it and less likely to be unwitting accomplices through our passivity.
