Continuum Publishing Group
The aesthetic in Kant, a critique. (reprint, 2004)
Kant's Critique of the Power of Judgment is both seminal in the study of aesthetics and problematic in its assertions about taste and desire. Kirwan (Anglo-American studies, Kobe U.) re-examines Kant's text to find new solutions, working from recent research on the Critique and its contexts. He finds new relationships between the subjective and the universal in taste, the nature and the dependency of the sublime to the observer, and the issue of the "true" and "false" sublime, and the relationship of free or dependent beauty to what Kant called "fantastic desire." This is a paperbound reprint of a 2004 book. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Art and fear. (reprint, 2003)
This text was first published in France under the title La procédure silence (2000, Editions Galilee). The current publication is a reprint of the English version, with translation and a preface provided by Julie Rose, which was published in 2003 by Continuum. In the text, Virilio (director, École Spéciale d'Architecture, Paris) presents two essays on the development of art and science during the 20th century, which further develop his earlier theory on the "aesthetics of disappearance." Virilio reevaluates 20th-century theories of modern art and duration, the spoken word and the right to stay silent in an era that is increasingly shaped by the shrill sonority of contemporary art. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The Druids.
In contrast to the usual academic approach treating Druids only in the context of ancient history, Hutton (history, U. of Bristol, England) analyzes how this mysterious pagan group associated with Stonehenge was viewed in eras from the Roman to the present. In an account intended to be accessible to nonspecialists, he traces the motives behind several countries' appropriation of Druid ancestry. The only thing remotely "racy" about the book, as the publisher promotes it, is a movie still from The Viking Queen. Distributed in North America by Palgrave Macmillan. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Fredric Jameson; live theory.
Buchanan (critical and cultural theory, Cardiff U., UK) provides an introductory overview of the theoretical corpus of Marxist political and cultural theorist Fredric Jamison, whose best known works include Postmodernism: The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism (1991), The Political Unconscious (1981), and Marxism and Form (1971). In addition to addressing the above works, Buchanan discusses Jamison's theory of dialectical criticism; his writings on Jean-Paul Sartre, Theodor Adorno, Bertoldt Brecht, and Roland Barthes; and his concepts of cognitive mapping and utopia. An interview conducted by Buchanan with Jamison is included following the exegetical discussion. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Michel de Certeau; analysing culture.
Making a compelling case for the importance of de Certeau to the field of cultural studies, Highmore (cultural studies, U. of the West of England, Bristol) explores those aspects of de Certeau's work that both challenge and re-imagine cultural studies, highlighting the potential this work has for supplying a critical epistemology and a practical ethics for the study of culture within the arts and humanities more generally. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Teaching children to draw, rev. ed.
This book describes methods for teaching students how to draw, beginning with the basics, using shapes, and motivation. Those teaching do not need a drawing background. Portraits, animals, and natural scenes, as well as working with color, are explained. This edition contains new chapters on using sketching materials, painting skills, and more on drawing movement and people. Many examples are provided, including children's works. Ward has taught in primary and secondary schools for 40 years and has worked as an artist. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
