Download or read book Wit written by Margaret Edson and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2014-05-20 with total page 99 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Lucille Lortel Award, and the Oppenheimer Award. Adapted to an Emmy Award-winning television movie, directed by Mike Nichols, starring Emma Thompson. Margaret Edson's powerfully imagined Pulitzer Prize–winning play examines what makes life worth living through her exploration of one of existence's unifying experiences—mortality—while she also probes the vital importance of human relationships. What we as her audience take away from this remarkable drama is a keener sense that, while death is real and unavoidable, our lives are ours to cherish or throw away—a lesson that can be both uplifting and redemptive. As the playwright herself puts it, "The play is not about doctors or even about cancer. It's about kindness, but it shows arrogance. It's about compassion, but it shows insensitivity." In Wit, Edson delves into timeless questions with no final answers: How should we live our lives knowing that we will die? Is the way we live our lives and interact with others more important than what we achieve materially, professionally, or intellectually? How does language figure into our lives? Can science and art help us conquer death, or our fear of it? What will seem most important to each of us about life as that life comes to an end? The immediacy of the presentation, and the clarity and elegance of Edson's writing, make this sophisticated, multilayered play accessible to almost any interested reader. As the play begins, Vivian Bearing, a renowned professor of English who has spent years studying and teaching the intricate, difficult Holy Sonnets of the seventeenth-century poet John Donne, is diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. Confident of her ability to stay in control of events, she brings to her illness the same intensely rational and painstakingly methodical approach that has guided her stellar academic career. But as her disease and its excruciatingly painful treatment inexorably progress, she begins to question the single-minded values and standards that have always directed her, finally coming to understand the aspects of life that make it truly worth living.

Download or read book Essays One written by Lydia Davis and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2019-11-12 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A selection of essays on writing and reading by the master short-fiction writer Lydia Davis Lydia Davis is a writer whose originality, influence, and wit are beyond compare. Jonathan Franzen has called her “a magician of self-consciousness,” while Rick Moody hails her as "the best prose stylist in America." And for Claire Messud, “Davis's signal gift is to make us feel alive.” Best known for her masterful short stories and translations, Davis’s gifts extend equally to her nonfiction. In Essays One, Davis has, for the first time, gathered a selection of essays, commentaries, and lectures composed over the past five decades. In this first of two volumes, her subjects range from her earliest influences to her favorite short stories, from John Ashbery’s translation of Rimbaud to Alan Cote’s painting, and from the Shepherd’s Psalm to early tourist photographs. On display is the development and range of one of the sharpest, most capacious minds writing today.

Download or read book Style Wit and Word Play written by Tao Tao Liu and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2011-12-08 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of essays is dedicated to the memory of David Hawkes (1923–2009), who is remembered as a pre-eminent translator and interpreter of Chinese literature into English, his most famous work being the translation of the classic eighteenth-century Chinese novel, the Hongloumeng or The Story of the Stone. The first part of the collection consists of studies on him and his works; the second part on the art of translation into English from Chinese literature. All the essays are written by scholars in the field from Britain, America, Australia and Hong Kong.

Download or read book Of Genius in The Occasional Paper and Preface to The Creation written by Aaron Hill and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2019-12-17 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Of Genius" is an essay by the 18th-century English writer Aaron Hill that explores the nature of artistic genius. It discusses the qualities that makeup genius, the importance of imagination, and the connection between genius and hard work. Hill's insights into the creative process have made "Of Genius" a valuable resource for those interested in the arts.

Download or read book Essays on the Stage written by Thomas D'Urfey and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-09-16 with total page 61 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Essays on the Stage" (Preface to the Campaigners (1689) and Preface to the Translation of Bossuet's Maxims and Reflections on Plays (1699)) by Thomas D'Urfey. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Download or read book Wit s End What Wit Is How It Works and Why We Need It written by James Geary and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2018-11-13 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Entertaining, illuminating, and entirely unique, Wit’s End “convey[s] the power of wit to refresh the mind” (Henry Hitchings, Wall Street Journal). In “this inventive and playful book” (Tom Beer, Newsday), James Geary explores every facet of wittiness, from its role in innovation to why puns are the highest form of wit. Adopting a different style for each chapter—from dramatic dialogue to sermon, heroic couplets to a barroom monologue—Geary embodies wit in all its forms. Wit’s End agilely balances psychology, folktale, visual art, and literary history with lighthearted humor and acute insight, demonstrating that wit and wisdom are really the same thing.

Download or read book Some Account of the Life of Mr William Shakespear 1709 written by Nicholas Rowe and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2019-11-25 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As one can surmise from the title, this book is a biography of William Shakespeare. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. He remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.

Download or read book Voltaire s Alphabet of Wit written by Voltaire and published by . This book was released on 2013-10 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Full Enquiry into the Nature of the Pastoral 1717 written by Thomas Purney and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2019-12-24 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Full Enquiry into the Nature of the Pastoral (1717) is a literary guide written by Thomas Purney, here analyzing and researching the workings of pastoral literature, a genre encompassing both prose and poetry that reflects on the natural world, generally focusing on the human relationship to nature in rural environments and painting it in an idyllic light.

Download or read book The Gamester 1753 written by Edward Moore and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-11-22 with total page 115 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Gamester (1753)" is an 18th-century play by an English dramatist and writer Edward Moore. His "Gamester" is a domestic drama, highlighting how the problem of gambling can ruin family life. It tells of the Beverley family, in which the husband is a weak, easily manipulated, simple man who feels guilty about his ruining habit but does nothing to alter it. The wife is a typical woman allowing this all to happen. The scenes are full of suspense and drama, which makes the play an interesting read. Notably, "The Gamester" was the first play in the English drama depicting regular people rather than exalted subjects taken from history and mythology.

Download or read book De Carmine Pastorali written by René Rapin and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-08-01 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "De Carmine Pastorali" (Prefixed to Thomas Creech's translation of the Idylliums of Theocritus (1684)) by René Rapin. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Download or read book What Happened to the Bennetts written by Lisa Scottoline and published by Bedford Square Publishers. This book was released on 2024-01-18 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From #1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline comes a pulse-pounding new novel. Your family has been attacked. Now you have to choose between law... and justice. Jason Bennett is a suburban dad whose life takes a horrific turn. He is driving his family home when a pickup truck begins tailgating them. Suddenly two men jump from the pickup and pull guns on Jason, demanding the car. A horrific flash of violence changes his life forever. Later that awful night, Jason and his family receive a visit from the FBI. The agents tell them that the carjackers were members of a dangerous drug-trafficking organization — and now Jason and his family are in their crosshairs. The agents advise the Bennetts to enter the witness protection program. But WITSEC was not designed to protect law-abiding families. Trapped in an unfamiliar life, the Bennetts begin to fall apart at the seams. Then Jason learns a shocking truth and realizes that he has to take matters into his own hands. Sometimes justice is a one-man show.

Download or read book Some Remarks on the Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark Written by Mr William Shakespeare 1736 written by Sir Thomas Hanmer and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2023-08-12 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sir Thomas Hanmer's 'Some Remarks on the Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Written by Mr. William Shakespeare' (1736) is a seminal work that offers a critical analysis of Shakespeare's iconic tragedy. Hanmer's insightful commentary delves into the complex characters, themes, and narrative structure of Hamlet, highlighting the play's psychological depth and philosophical implications. Written in a lucid and articulate style, Hanmer's work sheds new light on the timeless appeal of Shakespeare's masterpiece within its literary context of the 18th century English theater. Sir Thomas Hanmer, a prominent literary figure and Member of Parliament, was renowned for his expertise in classical and English literature. His meticulous study of Shakespeare's works, coupled with his in-depth knowledge of contemporary literary trends, enabled him to provide a comprehensive and illuminating analysis of Hamlet. Hanmer's critical insights and scholarly approach underscore the enduring significance of Shakespeare's plays in shaping the literary canon. This book is highly recommended for scholars, students, and enthusiasts of Shakespearean literature who aim to deepen their understanding of Hamlet and elucidate its enduring relevance in the realm of English drama. Hanmer's nuanced commentary offers a compelling interpretation of one of Shakespeare's most enigmatic and compelling works.

Download or read book Thick written by Tressie McMillan Cottom and published by The New Press. This book was released on 2019-01-08 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FINALIST FOR THE 2019 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD Named a notable book of 2019 by the New York Times Book Review, Chicago Tribune, Time, and The Guardian As featured by The Daily Show, NPR, PBS, CBC, Time, VIBE, Entertainment Weekly, Well-Read Black Girl, and Chris Hayes, "incisive, witty, and provocative essays" (Publishers Weekly) by one of the "most bracing thinkers on race, gender, and capitalism of our time" (Rebecca Traister) “Thick is sure to become a classic.” —The New York Times Book Review In eight highly praised treatises on beauty, media, money, and more, Tressie McMillan Cottom—award-winning professor and acclaimed author of Lower Ed—is unapologetically "thick": deemed "thick where I should have been thin, more where I should have been less," McMillan Cottom refuses to shy away from blending the personal with the political, from bringing her full self and voice to the fore of her analytical work. Thick "transforms narrative moments into analyses of whiteness, black misogyny, and status-signaling as means of survival for black women" (Los Angeles Review of Books) with "writing that is as deft as it is amusing" (Darnell L. Moore). This "transgressive, provocative, and brilliant" (Roxane Gay) collection cements McMillan Cottom's position as a public thinker capable of shedding new light on what the "personal essay" can do. She turns her chosen form into a showcase for her critical dexterity, investigating everything from Saturday Night Live, LinkedIn, and BBQ Becky to sexual violence, infant mortality, and Trump rallies. Collected in an indispensable volume that speaks to the everywoman and the erudite alike, these unforgettable essays never fail to be "painfully honest and gloriously affirming" and hold "a mirror to your soul and to that of America" (Dorothy Roberts).

Download or read book Vectors written by James Richardson and published by Ausable Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our best-seller. The best bathroom book ever for serious readers.

Download or read book Sensus Communis written by Anthony Ashley Cooper Earl of Shaftesbury and published by . This book was released on 1709 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Political Biography of Richard Steele written by Charles A Knight and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-09-30 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richard Steele is famous as an early writer of sentimental drama and as half of the writing team, Addison and Steele. He is notable both for the indirect propaganda he developed with Addison and for the open partisanship of his own periodicals. He wrote extensively about responsible economics but was famously irresponsible in his own affairs.