Download or read book Enchantments written by Kathryn Harrison and published by Random House Trade Paperbacks. This book was released on 2013-02-26 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK “Part love story, part history, this novel is a tour de force [told] in language that soars and sears.”—More St. Petersburg, 1917. After Rasputin’s body is pulled from the icy waters of the Neva River, his eighteen-year-old daughter, Masha, is sent to live at the imperial palace with Tsar Nikolay and his family. Desperately hoping that Masha has inherited Rasputin’s healing powers, Tsarina Alexandra asks her to tend to her son, the headstrong prince Alyosha, who suffers from hemophilia. Soon after Masha arrives at the palace, the tsar is forced to abdicate, and the Bolsheviks place the royal family under house arrest. As Russia descends into civil war, Masha and Alyosha find solace in each other’s company. To escape the confinement of the palace, and to distract the prince from the pain she cannot heal, Masha tells him stories—some embellished and others entirely imagined—about Nikolay and Alexandra’s courtship, Rasputin’s exploits, and their wild and wonderful country, now on the brink of an irrevocable transformation. In the worlds of their imagination, the weak become strong, legend becomes fact, and a future that will never come to pass feels close at hand. Praise for Enchantments “A sumptuous, atmospheric account of the last days of the Romanovs from the perspective of Rasputin’s daughter, [told] with the sensuous, transporting prose that is Kathryn Harrison’s trademark.”—Jennifer Egan “[A] splendid and surprising book . . . Harrison has given us something enduring.”—The New York Times Book Review “[Harrison delivers] this oft-told moment with shocking freshness. . . . Masha re-invents our ideas of Rasputin, and the world of Nicholas and Alexandra is imbued with a glow whose fierceness is governed by the imminence of its loss.”—Los Angeles Times “A mesmerizing novel.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “Bewitching . . . Harrison sets historic facts like jewels in this intricately fashioned work of exalted empathy and imagination, a literary Fabergé egg. . . . [A] dazzling return to historical fiction.”—Booklist (starred review) Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more.

Download or read book The Forest of Enchantments written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2019-01-07 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'One of the most strikingly lyrical voices writing about the lives of Indian women' -- Amitav Ghosh 'Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni turns the Ramayana around by telling it in the voice of Sita ... this inversion is a gift - it presents us a with a way to know an already well-known story better and to love an already beloved story more' -- Arshia Sattar 'This inspired evocation of the goddess Sita is an epic song of strength and solidarity told with joy and intensity. It brings to life the personalities and predicaments of the Ramayana' -- Namita Gokhale 'Among the many, many Ramayanas there are now even - thankfully - some "Sitayanas", but I know of none with the special magic that Chitra Divakaruni ... brings to the telling' -- Philip Lutgendorf 'Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Sita ... is an epitome of courage and self-respect, showing a path for all women. While weaving a familiar story, Chitra provides deep and surprising insights' -- Volga 'An incomparable storyteller' -- Denver Post 'Divakaruni's stories are irresistible' -- The New York Times Book Review 'Divakaruni's storytelling talents put her right up there with the best' -- Miami Herald 'In recasting the Ramayan as a love story Divakaruni accords Sita parity with Ram, revealing her innate strength. By giving primacy to her thoughts and feelings this also becomes the private tale of Shri and Shrimati Ramchandra Raghuvanshi, two wonderful people who loved each other but who broke up. To readers well-acquainted with that tragedy of modern times, the failed marriage, it will appeal. The ending, however, surpasses all expectations.' -- The Sunday Standard 'The success of both The Palace Of Illusions and The Forest Of Enchantments hinges acutely on the skill with which Divakaruni deploys the narratorial voice.' -- Mint 'The Forest of Enchantments is one of the simplest and most beautiful retellings of Sage Valmiki's epic.' -- Jetwings 'Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni does justice to the women of Ramayana ... The Forest of Enchantments is not just a retelling of a much-told epic, rather it is a book that tells it like it is - balanced and non-judgmental.' -- Huffpost 'A work ... of pluralities and possibilities ... This is the Sitayan we will give to our daughters, that they may imbibe Sita's strength, and even more proudly to our sons, who will learn how a woman is to be treated' -- The Wire 'Banerjee is markedly feminist ... Her spin on the most pivotal moment of Sita's life, the agnipariksha episode, is a moment of feminist brilliance. Her Sita answers all the questions we would have had when listening to the Ramayana while leaving us with plenty of food for thought.' -- The New Indian Express 'Divakaruni's retelling reminds her readers that the Ramayana, besides being a morality tale, is a love story at its heart' -- Huffpost 'Divakaruni and her women characters are a formidable pair' -- The Wire The Ramayana, one of the world's greatest epics, is also a tragic love story. In this brilliant retelling, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni places Sita at the centre of the novel: this is Sita's version. The Forest of Enchantments is also a very human story of some of the other women in the epic, often misunderstood and relegated to the margins: Kaikeyi, Surpanakha, Mandodari. A powerful comment on duty, betrayal, infidelity and honour, it is also about women's struggle to retain autonomy in a world that privileges men, as Chitra transforms an ancient story into a gripping, contemporary battle of wills. While the Ramayana resonates even today, she makes it more relevant than ever, in the underlying questions in the novel: How should women be treated by their loved ones? What are their rights in a relationship? When does a woman need to stand up and say, 'Enough!'

Download or read book The Enchantment of Gardens written by Ruth Ammann and published by Daimon. This book was released on 2008 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ancient wisdom tells us that gardens have a healing, nourishing effect on the human soul and body. The garden belongs to the great archetype of life and is one of the few big archetypal images that are experienced primarily as positive. This positive experience is significant because the garden is a part of the natural and cultural human environment, and thus, is particularly influential in the interaction between human beings and their environment.

Download or read book Enchantment in the Garden written by Shirley Hughes and published by HarperCollins Publishers. This book was released on 1997 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Valerie, a lonely little girl, whispers into the ear of a statue boy and brings him to life.

Download or read book Garden Enchantments written by Angelika Scudamore and published by Southwater. This book was released on 2016-05 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A mystical colouring-in book. Relax and unwind by colouring in these beautiful nature compositions packed full of intricate detail. Use pens, pencils or paints to complete your own magical garden scenes. High-quality art paper will ensure no show-through. Suitable for all ages and all abilities.

Download or read book Enchantments written by Marci Kwon and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-04-06 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first major work to examine Joseph Cornell's relationship to American modernism Joseph Cornell (1903–1972) is best known for his exquisite and alluring box constructions, in which he transformed found objects—such as celestial charts, glass ice cubes, and feathers—into enchanted worlds that blur the boundaries between fantasy and the commonplace. Situating Cornell within the broader artistic, cultural, and political debates of midcentury America, this innovative and interdisciplinary account reveals enchantment's relevance to the history of American modernism. In this beautifully illustrated book, Marci Kwon explores Cornell's attempts to convey enchantment—an ephemeral experience that exceeds rational explanation—in material form. Examining his box constructions, graphic design projects, and cinematic experiments, she shows how he turned to formal strategies drawn from movements like Transcendentalism and Romanticism to figure the immaterial. Kwon provides new perspectives on Cornell's artistic and graphic design career, bringing vividly to life a wide circle of acquaintances that included artists, poets, writers, and filmmakers such as Mina Loy, Lincoln Kirstein, Frank O’Hara, and Stan Brakhage. Cornell's participation in these varied milieus elucidates enchantment's centrality to midcentury conversations about art's potential for power and moral authority, and reveals how enchantment and modernity came to be understood as opposing forces. Leading contemporary artists such as Betye Saar and Carolee Schneemann turned to Cornell's enchantment as a resource for their own anti-racist, feminist projects. Spanning four decades of the artist's career, Enchantments sheds critical light on Cornell's engagement with many key episodes in American modernism, from Abstract Expressionism, 1930s "folk art," and the emergence of New York School poetry and experimental cinema to the transatlantic migration of Symbolism, Surrealism, and ballet.

Download or read book Afoot in the Garden of Enchantments written by Ewing Campbell and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fiction. AFOOT IN THE GARDEN OF ENCHANTMENTS uncovers the charm of human folly, the hopes and doubts of ordinary individuals, but its revelations unfold amid marvelous, implausible events, which are treated as everyday occurrences by the characters who experience them, whether in the Islands of the Blest or in the larger world discovered by those who passed through the islands on their way to the New World.

Download or read book Book of Enchantments written by Patricia C. Wrede and published by Turtleback Books. This book was released on 2005-10-01 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ten short stories include the tale of Queen Cimorene's Frying Pan of Doom, a yarn about a magical blue chipmunk with a passion for chestnuts, and a story about an enchanted wizard's daughter.

Download or read book Charmcaster s Handbook Enchantments For Witches And Seekers written by Dayanara Blue Star and published by Dayanara Blue Star. This book was released on 2020-07-27 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Delve into the world of enchantments and magick with the captivating "Charmcaster's Handbook: Enchantments For Witches And Seekers." This comprehensive guide takes readers on a journey through various facets of enchantments, providing them with the knowledge and tools to harness mystical powers. In this book, readers will learn the fundamentals of enchantments, including understanding their power and creating a magickal circle. They will explore the elemental energies of earth and work with herbs, crystals, candles, and moon phases to enhance their enchantments. Divination techniques, protection spells, love and attraction enchantments, as well as the ethics of curse work, are also explored. Creating a magickal home altar, choosing materials for talismans and amulets, enhancing rituals, and aligning one's energy with intent are other valuable topics covered in this handbook. With each chapter, readers will deepen their understanding of enchantments, empowering themselves to engage in enchanting practices.

Download or read book The Floral World and Garden Guide written by Shirley Hibberd and published by . This book was released on 1867 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Enchantments of Technology written by Lee Bailey and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2010-10-01 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Enchantments of Technology, Lee Worth Bailey erases the conventional distinction between myth and machine in order to explore the passionate foundations concealed in technological culture and address its complex ethical, moral and social implications. Bailey argues that technological society does not simply disenchant the world with its reductive methods and mechanical metaphors, then shape machines with political motives, but is also borne by a deeper, subversive undertow of enchantment. Addressing examples to explore the complexities of these enchantments, his thought is full of illuminating examinations of seductively engaging technologies ranging from the old camera obscura to new automobiles, robots, airplanes, and spaceships. This volume builds on the work of numerous scholars, including Jacques Ellul and Jean Brun on the phenomenological and spiritual aspects of technology, Carl Jung on the archetypal collective unconscious approach to myth, and Martin Heidegger on Being itself. Bailey creates a dynamic, interdisciplinary, postmodern examination of how our machines and their environments embody not only reason, but also desires.

Download or read book A Cultural History of Gardens in the Medieval Age written by Michael Leslie and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2015-04-02 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Middle Ages was a time of great upheaval - the period between the seventh and fourteenth centuries saw great social, political and economic change. The radically distinct cultures of the Christian West, Byzantium, Persian-influenced Islam, and al-Andalus resulted in different responses to the garden arts of antiquity and different attitudes to the natural world and its artful manipulation. Yet these cultures interacted and communicated, trading plants, myths and texts. By the fifteenth century the garden as a cultural phenomenon was immensely sophisticated and a vital element in the way society saw itself and its relation to nature. A Cultural History of Gardens in the Medieval Age presents an overview of the period with essays on issues of design, types of gardens, planting, use and reception, issues of meaning, verbal and visual representation of gardens, and the relationship of gardens to the larger landscape.

Download or read book Garden written by and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first four and last four pages of each issue of Garden will be local information for the members in each region.

Download or read book The Enchantments of Mammon written by Eugene McCarraher and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2019-11-12 with total page 817 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An extraordinary work of intellectual history as well as a scholarly tour de force, a bracing polemic, and a work of Christian prophecy...McCarraher challenges more than 200 years of post-Enlightenment assumptions about the way we live and work.” —The Observer At least since Max Weber, capitalism has been understood as part of the “disenchantment” of the world, stripping material objects and social relations of their mystery and magic. In this magisterial work, Eugene McCarraher challenges this conventional view. Capitalism, he argues, is full of sacrament, whether one is prepared to acknowledge it or not. First flowering in the fields and factories of England and brought to America by Puritans and evangelicals, whose doctrine made ample room for industry and profit, capitalism has become so thoroughly enmeshed in the fabric of our society that our faith in “the market” has become sacrosanct. Informed by cultural history and theology as well as management theory, The Enchantments of Mammon looks to nineteenth-century Romantics, whose vision of labor combined reason, creativity, and mutual aid, for salvation. In this impassioned challenge to some of our most firmly held assumptions, McCarraher argues that capitalism has hijacked our intrinsic longing for divinity—and urges us to break its hold on our souls. “A majestic achievement...It is a work of great moral and spiritual intelligence, and one that invites contemplation about things we can’t afford not to care about deeply.” —Commonweal “More brilliant, more capacious, and more entertaining, page by page, than his most ardent fans dared hope. The magnitude of his accomplishment—an account of American capitalism as a religion...will stun even skeptical readers.” —Christian Century

Download or read book Out of Nowhere Into Nothing written by Caryl Pagel and published by Fiction Collective 2. This book was released on 2020-09-15 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essays on the apparitional, the incomprehensible, and the paranormal in conversation with art, travel, and storytelling The ghosts—literal and figurative—that drive our deepest impulses, disturb our most precious memories, and haunt the passages of our daily lives are present in this collection of sublime meditations on the unbelievable, the coincidental, and the apparitional. Often containing reflections on the art of storytelling, Caryl Pagel’s essays blend memoir, research, and reflection, and are driven by a desire to observe connections between the visual and the invisible. The narrator of Pagel’s essays explores each enigma or encounter (a football coach’s faked death, the faces of women walking, historical accounts of hallucinations, a city’s public celebration gone wrong) as an intellectual detective ascending a labyrinthine tower of clues in pursuit of a solution to an unreachable problem: always curious, and with a sense of profound wonder. Out of Nowhere Into Nothing is a sprawling, highly associative consideration of the ways in which the observed material world recalls us to larger narrative and aesthetic truths. Interspersed with documentary-style photographs, Pagel’s first collection of prose is a radiant, obsessive investigation into the mysteries at the center of our seemingly mundane lives.

Download or read book Enchant written by Tameri Etherton and published by Teacup Dragon Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2023-02-16 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Enjoy this Snow White fairy tale retelling by USA Today Bestselling fantasy romance author Tameri Etherton... Indulge in a mesmerizing tale of passion and danger, where an enchanted apple holds the key to forbidden desires. Lady Eira Cannaid, blessed with unparalleled beauty, conceals the scars of her abusive past. Longing for escape, she is enticed to the grand palace, where a glittering ball promises a respite from the uncertainty of her days. But beneath the dazzling facade lies a treacherous plot woven by her scheming stepmother, who seeks to elevate her own status by sacrificing Eira's innocence to the king. Lurking in the shadows is the king’s heir, a prince willing to court the ire of his father to claim what he believes is rightfully his—and he’ll do anything to ruin Eira before his father has the chance. To evade the prince's threats, the shackles of an unwanted marriage, and her stepmother's malicious machinations, Eira must place her trust in a mysterious stranger. A captivating huntsman, whose intentions remain as enigmatic as his alluring presence. He could be her savior, or the instrument of her downfall. Eira's journey towards a blissful ending is fraught with treachery, deceit, and betrayal at every turn. She will risk everything to claim her freedom, embarking on a perilous path that starts with an enchanted apple destined to seal her fate. Enchant plunges readers into a spellbinding series of courtly intrigue, concealed royalty, and an intoxicating enemies-to-lovers romance. Immerse yourself in this enchanting tale, perfect for fans of fairytale retellings, where passion and peril intertwine in an irresistible dance. But beware, within these pages, mature content awaits, exploring profound and sensual encounters that will leave you breathless.

Download or read book Modern Enchantments written by Simon During and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A history of “secular,” or non-supernatural, or entertainment magic as an important but neglected constituent of modern culture” (Nicholas Daly). Magic, Simon During suggests, has helped shape modern culture. Devoted to this deceptively simple proposition, During’s superlative work, written over the course of a decade, gets at the aesthetic questions at the very heart of the study of culture. How can the most ordinary arts—and by “magic,” During means not the supernatural, but the special effects and conjurings of magic shows—affect people? Modern Enchantments takes us deeply into the history and workings of modern secular magic, from the legerdemain of Isaac Fawkes in 1720, to the return of real magic in nineteenth-century spiritualism, to the role of magic in the emergence of the cinema. Through the course of this history, During shows how magic performances have drawn together heterogeneous audiences, contributed to the molding of cultural hierarchies, and extended cultural technologies and media at key moments, sometimes introducing spectators into rationality and helping to disseminate skepticism and publicize scientific innovation. In a more revealing argument still, Modern Enchantments shows that magic entertainments have increased the sway of fictions in our culture and helped define modern society’s image of itself. Praise for ModernEnchantment “During documents the extent to which magic and magical thinking have pervaded, and continue to pervade, secular life . . . the author examines 19th- and 20th-century theatrical magic and “commercial conjuring” with great sensitivity to the social and cultural context in the Western world. Equally fascinating is the analysis of magic and early film.” —R. Sugarman, Choice “A richly informed, warmly argued addition to the growing number of books in which writers worry at the pervasive blurring of distinctions between act and appearance, organic consciousness and artificial intelligence, imagination and empirical experience, illusion and thought, reality TV and real life, dreams and money.” —Marina Warner, Financial Times “During moves confidently across three centuries of magic (and covers aspects of a few more besides). The sheer wealth of historical detail he provides is impressive, but no less impressive is the subtlety of his argumentation, and the suggestiveness of his claims . . . This extremely significant piece of work will appeal to literary critics, historians, and not least, devotees of magic.” —Nicholas Daly, author of Modernism, Romance, and the Fin de Siècle: Popular Fiction and British Culture, 1880–1914