Wayne State University Press - Böcker

This title considers the history of the American blockbuster - the large-scale, high-cost film - as it evolved from the 1890s to today. The pantheon of big-budget, commercially successful films encompasses a range of genres, including biblical films, war films, romances, comic-book adaptations, animated features, and historical epics. In ""Epics, Spectacles, and Blockbusters: A Hollywood History"", authors Sheldon Hall and Steve Neale discuss the characteristics, history, and modes of distribution and exhibition that unite big-budget pictures, from their beginnings in the late nineteenth century to the present. Moving chronologically, the authors examine the roots of today's blockbuster in the 'feature', 'special', 'superspecial', 'roadshow', 'epic', and 'spectacle' of earlier eras, with special attention to the characteristics of each type of picture. In the first section, Hall and Neale consider the beginnings of features, specials, and superspecials in American cinema, as the terms came to define not the length of a film but its marketable stars or larger budget. The second section investigates roadshowing as a means of distributing specials and the changes to the roadshow that resulted from the introduction of synchronized sound in the 1920s. In the third section, the authors examine the phenomenon of epics and spectacles that arose from films like ""Gone with the Wind"", ""Samson and Deliliah"", and ""Spartacus"" and continues to evolve today in films like ""Spider-Man"" and ""Pearl Harbor"". In this section, Hall and Neale consider advances in visual and sound technology and the effects and costs they introduced to the industry. Scholars of film and television studies as well as readers interested in the history of American moviemaking will enjoy ""Epics, Spectacles, and Blockbusters"".

This is the revised and updated 'tan book' of functional, easy-to-read exercises for spelling, writing, word retrieval, and reading comprehension skills. Since its original publication in 1984, the "Workbook for Language Skills" has sold thousands of copies to clinicians and individuals looking for quality rehabilitation material of moderate difficulty. Responding to changing trends in terminology and culture since the first edition, Susan Howell Brubaker has updated the 'tan book' inside and out to bring the straightforward drills of the original into the twenty-first century. Packaged in a tan ring binder with pockets, tabbed dividers, and sturdier paper, the new "Workbook for Language Skills" is fresh and easy to use. It also contains newly formatted pages with larger, clearer print, visual line aids, and example boxes that are designed to be user-friendly. Exercises in this book are divided into sections for Reading, Writing, and Word Retrieval and include target areas like sentence completions, reading comprehension, spelling, and sentence formulation.Two exercises have been omitted from the original version and two new exercises added, while extra pages have been added to twenty exercises. In addition, many questions in the book were rewritten with vocabulary updated to replace obsolete words or ideas, dated or politically incorrect references, and repeated words or concepts. "The Workbook for Language Skills" also contains a new user's guide to give instructions and helpful suggestions, an assignments page to help users keep track of what has to be done and record progress over time, and a new suggested answer key for most of the exercises. Speech and language pathology clinicians as well as individuals in need of self-study exercises will appreciate the updated "Workbook for Language Skills".

This is a critical and in-depth investigation of how virginity is represented in film. In ""Virgin Territory"" contributors consider virginity as it is produced and marketed in film. With chapters that span a range of periods, genres, and performances, this collection proves that although it seems like an obvious quality at first glance, virginity in film is anything but simple. The essays in ""Virgin Territory"" destabilize assumptions about virginity and connect moments of virginity in film to their larger social significance. Editor Tamar Jeffers McDonald has assembled a range of contributions by noted film scholars to consider virginity from numerous perspectives, including both the male and female quest to lose virginity, the role of virginity in horror film, issues of sexual agency and desire in both historic and contemporary depictions of virginity, and the complications of self-pleasure and masturbation. Films considered include classics of the Production Code era, like ""Marjorie Morningstar"", ""Pillow Talk"", and ""Bonjour Tristesse"", as well as more recent films like ""Porky's"", ""Losin' It"", ""Fast Times at Ridgemont High"", ""American Pie"", ""The 40-Year-Old Virgin"", and ""Scary Movie"". Contributors also consider particular stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Doris Day to investigate the positioning of virginity on an actor's physical body. Across different eras and genres, different films have different methods of representing virginity, relying on costume, mise-en-scene, and performance to convey the virgin status, while some film stars are associated with the quality to both the furtherance, and the frustration, of their careers. ""Virgin Territory"" explores the contrasts and continuities in films' attempts at representing this internal state to fascinating effect. Scholars of film and television history as well as cultural studies will enjoy this significant volume.

"Broken Symmetry" is a collection drawn from the experiences of daily life and organized through the context of mathematics. Poet Jack Ridl uses remarkably clear and precise language to express a singular awareness of the world around us. Some of the poems in this volume deal with the universal human experience of loss, others discover a fresh perspective on what is easily overlooked, and many seek the goodness and joy that remain in a challenging world. Poems are grouped into chapters by mathematical themes, suggesting a commonality in these two separate worlds that is often overlooked. The straightforward language and universal subject matter make "Broken Symmetry" a profound collection of poetry that will appeal to readers of all backgrounds.

This title traces the legacy of Krzysztof Kieslowski in films made after his death using his scripts or ideas and in the work of other filmmakers. Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski died unexpectedly in March 1996 at precisely the moment he had reached the height of his career and gained a global audience for his work with the "Three Colors" trilogy (1993-94). Since his death he has been hailed as one of the greatest and most influential directors of all time, elevated to the elite of world cinema alongside Jean Renoir, Robert Bresson, Federico Fellini, Yasujiro Ozu, Max Ophuls, and Andrei Tarkovsky. In "After Kieslowski", leading contributors diverge from the typical analysis of Kieslowski's work to focus on his legacy in films made after his death, including those based on his scripts and ideas and those made entirely by other filmmakers. Kieslowski's rich legacy is rooted in not only a very significant body of early work made before his breakthrough films but another trilogy of films that he had been working on prior to his death, several of which have gone on to be produced.Furthermore, actors and assistant directors involved with Kieslowski also made films that develop his earlier, incomplete projects or that derive thematically and stylistically from his work. "After Kieslowski" considers Kieslowski's legacy from three broad perspectives - the Polish, the European, and the global. Contributors trace his direct influence on filmmakers in Poland and Europe, including Jerzy Stuhr, Krzysztof Zanussi, Emmanel Finkiel, Julie Bertucelli, and Tom Tykwer, as well as points of thematic coincidence between his work and that of Jean-Luc Godard, P. T. Anderson, David Lynch, Michael Haneke, Abbas Kiarostami, and Paul Haggis. This collection also traces the reemergence of Kieslowski's unique visual signature in films by Ridley Scott, Santosh Sivan, John Sayles, and Julian Schnabel, and his highly original use of television serial-narrative form that is echoed in at least two major American television series, HBO's "Six Feet Under" and ABC's "Lost". Examining Kieslowski's legacy is a way of thinking both about the unique features of Kieslowski's work and about issues that are now at the heart of contemporary filmmaking.Film scholars and students will appreciate this groundbreaking volume.

During Hitler's reign, the Nazis deliberately developed and exploited a youthful image and used youth to define their political and social hierarchies. After the war, with Hitler gone but still requiring cultural exorcism, many intellectuals, authors, and filmmakers turned to these images of youth to navigate and negotiate the most difficult questions of Germany's recent, nefarious past. Focusing on youth, education, and crime allowed postwar Germans to claim one last realm of sovereignty against the Allies' own emphatic project of reeducation. Youth, reeducation, and reconstruction became important sites for the occupied to confront not only the recent past, but to negotiate the present occupation and, ultimately, direct the future of the German nation."Disciplining Germany" analyzes a variety of media, including literature, news media, intellectual history, and films, in order to argue that youth and education played a central role in Germany's coming to terms with the Nazi past. Although there has been a recently renewed interest in Germany's coming to terms with the past, this attention has largely ignored the role of youth and reeducation.This lacuna is particularly perplexing given that the Allies' reeducation project became, in many ways, a cipher for the occupational project as a whole."Disciplining Germany" opens up the discussion and points toward more general conclusions not only about youth and education as sites for wider socio-political and cultural debates but also about the complexities of occupation and the intertwining of different national cultures. In this investigation, the study attends to both 'high' and 'low' cultural text - to specialized versus popular texts - to examine how youth was mobilized across the generic spectrum.With these interdisciplinary approaches and timely interventions, "Disciplining Germany" will find a diverse readership, including upper-division and graduate courses in German studies and German history as well as those general readers interested in Nazi Germany, cultural history, film and literary studies, youth culture, American studies, and post-conflict and occupational situations.

"A Pocketful of Passage" is based on the memories of Annie Bowen Hoge, whose father was a lighthouse keeper on the Great Lakes for many years. Every summer until she was nine, Annie went with her brother, sister, and mother to live at Passage Island, where her father tended the signal that guided ships through an important shipping lane between Passage Island and Isle Royale in Lake Superior. "A Pocketful of Passage" is told from the point of view of nine-year-old Annie, who loved living in the old, secluded lighthouse amid the breathtaking scenery of northern Michigan. Her surroundings provide a wonderland of places to play and explore. Annie's stories include boat trips to nearby Isle Royale ("the big island"), tales of mischief with visiting children, and a visit from the crew of a fishing boat lost in the lake. She also describes the day-to-day life of the lighthouse keepers, giving simple explanations about the purpose and the procedure of her father's job. Yet Annie's parents see beyond the adventures of Passage Island to recognize the danger for their young children, living isolated from doctors, stores, churches, and schools.When they tell Annie that this will be their final summer at Passage Island, her stories take on a new significance. Loraine Campbell has combined Annie's recollections with extensive research about lighthouse keeping to present an informative and enjoyable account of Michigan history for young readers. Maps are also included to illustrate the locations mentioned in the book.

Chauncey H. Cooke enlisted in the Union army in 1862 at only sixteen, after lying about his age. Like many soldiers, Cooke saw only limited action in battle, but his letters to family members paint a realistic and compelling picture of daily life in the Civil War. Alongside dramatic descriptions of encounters with Indians, comrades, rebel prisoners, slaves, and southern whites, Cooke also describes the boredom of camp, the chaos of battle, and the suffering caused by illness. Cooke's emotional closeness to his family, especially his mother, also comes across strongly in his letters, and readers will feel an instant connection to the young soldier through his words. Among other collections of Civil War writings, "A Badger Boy in Blue" stands out because of the wealth of rich detail included in Cooke's letters. Readers are presented with an accurate picture of a soldier's daily life through Cooke's commentary on everything from the food he ate, to the weather, to the kind of paper that he used for writing. In addition, Cooke's descriptions of battle are valuable in offering fresh insight into the often-overlooked midwestern armies and campaigns.His descriptions of the siege of Vicksburg and the Atlanta Campaign are especially thoughtful and unique. The letters also present empathetic and colorful portraits of the frightened, defiant, and curious civilians that the army encountered along the way. William Mulligan, Jr., provides an introduction and annotations in "A Badger Boy in Blue" to add expert commentary and context for Cooke's letters. Four maps are also included to clarify locations mentioned in the text. History buffs, scholars, and general readers interested in the Civil War will appreciate this thorough volume.

This is a revealing collection of correspondence between Chester Himes and John A. Williams, two prominent twentieth-century African American novelists.Chester Himes and John A. Williams met in 1961, as Himes was on the cusp of transcontinental celebrity and Williams, sixteen years his junior, was just beginning his writing career. Both men would go on to receive international acclaim for their work, including Himes' Harlem detective novels featuring Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson and Williams' major novels "The Man Who Cried I Am", Captain Blackman, and Clifford's Blues. "Dear Chester, Dear John" is a landmark collection of correspondence between these two friends, presenting nearly three decades worth of letters about their lives and loves, their professional and personal challenges, and their reflections on society in the United States and abroad.Prepared by John A. Williams and his wife, Lori, this collection contains rare and personal glimpses into the lives of Williams and Himes between 1962 and 1987.As the writers find increasing professional success and recognition, they share candid assessments of each others' work and also discuss the numerous pitfalls they faced as African American writers in the publishing world. The letters offer a window into Himes' and Williams' personalities, as the elder writer reveals his notoriously difficult and suspicious streak, and Williams betrays both immense affection and frustration in dealing with his old friend. Despite several rifts in their relationship, Williams' concern for Himes' failing health ensured that the two kept in touch until Himes' death."Dear Chester, Dear John" is a heartfelt and informative collection that allows readers to step behind the scenes of a lifelong friendship between two important literary figures. Students and teachers of African American literature will enjoy this one-of-a-kind volume.

For fifteen years before his untimely death, Andrew Britton produced a body of undeniably brilliant film criticism that has been largely ignored within academic circles. Though Britton’s writings are extraordinary in their depth and range and are closely attuned to the nuances of the texts they examine, his humanistic approach was at odds with typical theory-based film scholarship. Britton on Film demonstrates that Britton’s humanism is also his strength, as it presents all of his published writings together for the first time, including Britton’s persuasive readings of such important Hollywood films as Meet Me in St. Louis, Spellbound, and Now, Voyager and of key European filmmakers such as Sergei Eisenstein, Jean-Luc Godard, and Bernardo Bertolucci.Renowned film scholar and editor Barry Keith Grant has assembled all of Britton’s published essays of film criticism and theory for this volume, spanning the late 1970s to the early 1990s. The essays are arranged by theme: Hollywood cinema, Hollywood movies, European cinema, and film and cultural theory. In all, twenty-eight essays consider such varied films as Hitchcock’s Spellbound, Jaws, The Exorcist, and Mandingo and topics as diverse as formalism, camp, psychoanalysis, imperialism, and feminism. Included are such well-known and important pieces as "Blissing Out: The Politics of Reaganite Entertainment" and "Sideshows: Hollywood in Vietnam," among the most perceptive discussions of these two periods of Hollywood history yet published. In addition, Britton’s critiques of the ideology of Screen and Wisconsin formalism display his uncommon grasp of theory even when arguing against prevailing critical trends.An introduction by influential film critic Robin Wood, who was also Britton’s teacher and friend, begins this landmark collection. Students and teachers of film studies as well as general readers interested in film and American popular culture will enjoy Britton on Film.

"Learning to Cook in 1898" is more than just a cookbook or a collection of nostalgic recipes. While the volume does contain treasured family recipes, the book's primary focus is on the efforts Irma Rosenthal took to educate herself about cooking, nutrition, health, and household management as a young, American-born, middle class Chicago bride of Jewish heritage at the turn of the century.In this volume, author Ellen Steinberg analyzes primary material found in Irma's "First Cook Book" and memoirs. She focuses on approximately one year in Irma's life during which the bride-to-be collected recipes for a variety of entrees, vegetable dishes, soups, salads, tea sandwiches, baked goods, and desserts. Though many of these recipes have obvious German roots, some were clipped from local newspapers and women's magazines, demonstrating Irma's efforts to combine her family's culinary traditions with modern American foodways. Eleanor Hanson, a culinary professional, worked with Steinberg to adapt more than eighty of the recipes for modern cooks."Learning to Cook in 1898" offers insights into everyday life of the era, the sphere of women's experience, and the customs of German and German-American communities in the Midwest. The text and recipes together will give readers interested in culinary history an opportunity not only to step back into the past but also to sample the rich tastes of those times.

This is a definitive history of Bob-lo Island, a Canadian amusement park in the mouth of the Detroit River and a favorite recreation spot for generations of Detroit-area residents. Located twenty miles south of Detroit where the Detroit River meets Lake Erie, Bob-lo Island was the ultimate summer playground for families from Detroit and Windsor for nearly one hundred years. In its heyday, the island housed an amusement park with one of the world's largest dance halls, an elegant restaurant, and a hand-carved carousel. It also employed two large Frank Kirby - designed ferry steamers - complete with dancing and other entertainment - to transport patrons to and from the island, which was not accessible by car. In "Summer Dreams", author Patrick Livingston tells the story of Bob-lo from its discovery by French explorers to its subsequent use by missionaries, British military men, escaped slaves, farmers, and finally the wealthy class, who developed the island as a summer resort.It was not until the Detroit, Belle Isle, and Windsor Ferry Company, looking to expand its business ventures, bought the island in 1898 that Bob-lo became known as a destination for Detroit's burgeoning middle class.The park provided the perfect place for Detroiters to dance and play and simply escape the whirlwind of what was rapidly becoming an industrial and mechanized city. Livingston notes that operation of the park presented special challenges to management teams over the course of the century, particularly in the running of its U.S. - based steamers and competition with modern amusement parks that could be reached by car. Livingston chronicles the island's recent history, including the final closure of the park in 1993, the auctioning of its steamers and rides, and its redevelopment as a community of multimillion-dollar homes.With illustrations and personal profiles added to its historical narrative, "Summer Dreams" recounts the phases of Bob-lo's history and its importance to natives of Detroit, Windsor, and Amherstburg. Local historians and anyone with roots in Detroit and the Border Cities will enjoy this informative volume.

This is a memoir of respected Detroit civic and civil rights leader Arthur L. Johnson. "Race and Remembrance" tells the remarkable life story of Arthur L. Johnson, a Detroit civil rights and community leader, educator, and administrator whose career spans much of the last century. In his own words, Johnson takes readers through the arc of his distinguished career, which includes his work with the Detroit branch of the NAACP, the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, and Wayne State University.A Georgia native, Johnson graduated from Morehouse College and Atlanta University and moved north in 1950 to become executive secretary of the Detroit branch of the NAACP. Under his guidance, the Detroit chapter became one of the most active and vital in the United States. Despite his dedicated work toward political organization, Johnson also maintained a steadfast belief in education and served as the vice president of university relations and professor of educational sociology at Wayne State University for nearly a quarter of a century.In his intimate and engaging style, Johnson gives readers a look into his personal life, including his close relationship with his grandmother, his encounters with Morehouse classmate Martin Luther King, and the loss of his sons."Race and Remembrance" offers an insider's view into the social factors affecting the lives of African Americans in the twentieth century, making clear the enormous effort and personal sacrifice required in fighting racial discrimination and poverty in Detroit and beyond. Readers interested in African American social history and political organization will appreciate this unique and revealing volume.

This is a biography of Detroit philanthropist Tracy McGregor and his wife, Katherine Whitney McGregor, that details their support of charities and social movements in the first decades of the twentieth century.In the turbulent era from 1890 to the late 1930s, Detroit emerged as a leading industrial and urban center and endured the crushing social and economic challenges of the Great Depression. It was during these years that Tracy W. McGregor, with the assistance of his wife, Katherine Whitney McGregor, established himself as a philanthropist and community leader. Though public buildings and a charitable foundation bear their names, relatively little is known about the private-minded McGregors, who avoided newspaper interviews or public exposure whenever possible.In "Tracy W. McGregor", Philip P. Mason scours the archival collections of the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, the State of Michigan, the Burton Historical Collection of the Detroit Public Library and the Library of Congress to provide a comprehensive look at the remarkable work of the McGregors.Mason examines McGregor's successful campaigns to reform the political, judicial, and educational institutions in Detroit, as well as his establishment of mental health, correctional, and health care facilities in Michigan. In addition, Mason surveys McGregor's work as president of the prestigious Merrill-Palmer Institute and his major collection of Americana books, which now serves as the core of the University of Virginia Research Library.In all, Mason shows how Tracy McGregor was able to establish a mission for homeless men, permanently endow a major foundation, and lead in the creation and support of a variety of charitable agencies without governmental assistance and with only the support of nascent philanthropic and business networks. For Detroit historians and those interested in philanthropy and social activism, "Tracy W. McGregor" will be enlightening reading.

This is the third edition of a favorite guide to major examples of public art in metropolitan Detroit, updated for the first time since 1999. The Detroit area is home to numerous significant works of public art in its parks, libraries, schools, and hospitals. This new and updated edition of a classic guidebook considers over 150 pieces organized by section into six geographical districts of metropolitan Detroit. Each of these sections is accompanied by a comprehensive street map for easy planning of walking or driving tours, and the artworks in it are presented with individual descriptive histories and photographs. With our artistic and architectural heritage always under threat from new development and sprawl, Art in "Detroit Public Places" show-cases the rich tradition of public art already in our community and also raises awareness of the need for its preservation.The vast collection of public art in metropolitan Detroit includes works by such important national and international figures as Alexander Calder, Gutzon Borglum, Sam Gilliam, Robert Graham, Carl Milles, Louise Nevelson, Isamu Noguchi, and Auguste Rodin, as well as fine pieces by many noteworthy area artists.City founders, corporations, commercial developers, and private citizens have all contributed to this rich legacy, and many of the newly built public spaces in the area have been enlivened with artwork in recent years. This new and updated version of "Art in Detroit Public Places" adds more than thirty works to those considered in the previous edition, including Babcock and Ernstberger's Monroe and Woodward Monument Markers in the city's Campus Martius Park and Barr and De Giusti's Transcending in Hart Plaza.As downtown Detroit and the surrounding areas continue to evolve and grow, "Art in Detroit Public Places" serves as a record of public art already in existence and a fitting justification for its protection. Art and architecture enthusiasts, along with anyone interested in the cityscape of Detroit, will enjoy this useful volume.

This title explores the relationship between Judaism, state, and education in France from the establishment of the Jewish Consistory in 1808 until the separation of church and state in 1905.Historians have typically characterized nineteenth-century French Jewry as largely eager to assimilate, or, at the very least, passively accommodating to assimilation, with only the most traditional Jews rejecting the trappings of French culture. Through the lens of Jewish primary and rabbinical education, author Jeffrey Haus shows that even integrated French Jews sought to set limits on assimilation and struggled to preserve a sense of Jewish distinctiveness in France. "Challenges of Equality" argues that Jewish leaders couched their views in terms that the government could understand and accept, portraying Judaism consistent with the goal of cultural and political unification of the French nation. At the same time, their educational activities asserted the existence of distinctively Jewish cultural space.Haus shows how French government officials repeatedly used political and financial pressure to advance their own vision of an integrated French Judaism.In response, Jewish leaders focused on the concepts of 'utility' and 'equality' to erect and manage the boundaries between their institutions and the state, as these were key elements of governmental policy toward religious and educational establishments. Haus examines these issues by comparing the financial and curricular histories of Jewish primary schools run by the Consistory and the central French rabbinical school. Utilizing a variety of sources - including school curricula, rabbinical ordination examinations, government documents and correspondence, state jurisprudential decisions, and the French Jewish press - "Challenges of Equality" paints a picture of a resilient and persistent French Judaism that adapted, integrated, but nevertheless survived.Scholars of Jewish history, French history, European history, and the history of education will appreciate the detailed look at Jewish integration in France that Haus provides.

This is a groundbreaking study on the impact of Jewish day schools in the lives of parents and children.Beyond the walls of their synagogues, Jewish adults are creating religious meaning in new and diverse ways in a range of unconventional sites. In "Back to School", authors Alex Pomson and Randal F. Schnoor argue that the Jewish day school serves as one such site by bringing adults and children together for education, meeting, study, and worship-like ceremonies. Pomson and Schnoor suggest that day school functions as a locus of Jewish identity akin to the Jewish streets or neighborhoods that existed in many major North American cities in the first half of the twentieth century."Back to School" began as an ethnographic study of the Downtown Jewish Day School (DJDS) in Toronto, a private, religiously pluralistic day school that balances its Jewish curriculum with general studies. Drawing on a longitudinal study at DJDS, and against the backdrop of a comparative study of two other Toronto day schools as well as four day schools from the U.S.Midwest, Pomson and Schnoor argue that when parents choose Jewish schools for their children they look for institutions that satisfy not only their children's academic and emotional needs but also their own social and personal concerns as Jewish adults.The authors found an uncommon degree of involvement and engagement on the part of the parents, as genuine friendships and camaraderie blossomed between parents, faculty, and administrators. In addition, the authors discovered that parents who considered themselves secular Jews were introduced to or reacquainted with the depth and meaning of Jewish tradition and rituals through observing or taking part in school activities.Sitting on the cusp between the disciplines of education and the sociology of contemporary Jewish life, "Back to School" offers important policy implications for how Jewish day schools might begin to re-imagine their relationships with parents. Jewish parents, Jewish studies scholars, as well as researchers of educational and social trends will enjoy this evocative volume.

New from accomplished poet Anthony Butts, this is a collection of modern free verse with an attention to formal syntax and a keen religious sensibility. "The Golden Underground" takes its title from a section of Wallace Stevens' poem "Sunday Morning". Like "Sunday Morning", "The Golden Underground" offers a blend of the mythic and the religious as award-winning poet Anthony Butts records his search for meaning and understanding in everyday life. In this profound volume, Butts observes the relationships around him, including those of families and larger communities, to give a fittingly down-to-earth interpretation of the golden rule. "The Golden Underground" continues Butts' tradition of presenting spiritual ideas to the forefront of American letters with classicism and complexity. Butts' roots as a native Detroiter are evident as a great number of poems take place in various Michigan locales, including metro Detroit, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids. There is a mythic section that revolves around a recurring character known as the Lady of the Lake, with the particular lake being Lake Michigan.The religious portion of the book concerns itself with ancient Celtic spirituality, when the Irish were some of the foremost thinkers in the early Catholic Church. In fact, each poem in the final section of the book, 'Pygmalion', was written after meditating at sung Taize services as the poet became involved with Celtic spirituality in the months following the September 11 tragedy. The Gospel According to John also finds its way into "The Golden Underground" in terms of the philosophy of good living found in each poem. "The Golden Underground" is a book of peace, which continues Butts' tradition of drawing seemingly disparate congregations of readers together in the enjoyment of verse. Fans of Butts' previous work as well as general readers of poetry will enjoy this vital and insightful volume.

This is a landmark collection of essays by prominent academics in modern Jewish and German-Jewish history, honoring Michael A. Meyer, a pioneer in those fields.In "Mediating Modernity", contemporary Jewish scholars pay tribute to Michael A. Meyer, scholar of German-Jewish history and the history of Reform Judaism, with a collection of essays that highlight growing diversity within the discipline of Jewish studies. The occasion of Meyer's seventieth birthday has served as motivation for his colleagues Lauren B. Strauss and Michael Brenner to compile this volume, with essays by twenty-four leading academics, representing institutions in five countries."Mediating Modernity" is introduced by an overview of modern Jewish historiography, largely drawing on Meyer's work in that field, delineating important connections between the writing of history and the environment in which it is written. Meyer's own areas of specialization are reflected in essays on Moses Mendelssohn, German-Jewish historiography, the religious and social practices of German Jews, Reform Judaism, and various Jewish communities in America.The volume's field of inquiry is broadened by essays that deal with gender issues, literary analysis, and the historical relationship of Israel and the Palestinians. Scholars of Jewish studies, German history, and religious history will appreciate this timely volume.

This title examines the cultural, historical, and artistic significance of the Honeymooners in the context of postwar American values. "The Honeymooners" chronicles the lives of New York City bus driver Ralph Kramden and his wife, Alice, as they search for domestic happiness inside a confining Brooklyn apartment. As a stand-alone television program, it ran for just thirty-nine weeks from 1955 to 1956, but its characters appeared in long-running sketches on Calvalcade of Stars and The Jackie Gleason Show and the program has lived on for generations in reruns and home video releases. David Sterritt investigates "The Honeymooners" as an enduring and valuable index of societal norms and televisual tastes in the 1950s - a project made all the more intriguing by the diverse ways in which "The Honeymooners" both reaffirms and diverges from the typical broadcast idioms of its day. With chapter headings borrowed from Honeymooners episode titles, this volume considers the program's cultural, historical, and artistic dimensions in connection with the values of postwar America at large.Sterritt traces the roots of The Honeymooners within the context of the golden age of television, demonstrating that the show was central to early television history in ways that surpassed most of its rivals. He also details the many distinctive features, relating to both comedy style and ideological import, that set "The Honeymooners" apart from other shows and made it profoundly influential on family-based situation comedies in later decades. Ultimately, Sterritt shows that the program's treatment of race, class, and gender was a revealing mirror of its time and that its characters, aesthetic qualities, and plot devices were more complex and sophisticated than they may have seemed. Scholars of film and television studies, fans of "The Honeymooners", and readers interested in 1950s American culture and television history will enjoy Sterritt's analysis of "The Honeymooners".

This title considers the films of Michael Haneke, who has emerged as a major figure in world cinema over the last fifteen years. Austrian director Michael Haneke is recognized for films that explore the most pressing social questions of our time while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of style with innovative visual and sonic practices. ""On Michael Haneke"" is one of the very first and most extensive considerations of Haneke's work. Editors Brian Price and John David Rhodes have gathered contributors whose own work combines critical inquiry and close formal analysis to explore the philosophical, historical, and stylistic complexity of Haneke's films. This volume is divided into three parts, beginning with 'Violence and Play', in which contributors explore the relation in Haneke's films between violence and playfulness that complicates questions of media, representation, and morality. Essays in part 2, 'Style and Medium', investigate Haneke's stylistic innovation and the ways in which he can be seen as indebted to previous traditions and filmmakers, including the Italian neorealists, Alfred Hitchcock, Antonioni, and Robert Bresson. Part 3 addresses questions of 'Culture and Conflict' by looking at the cultural and historical problems suggested by Haneke's films and exploring the relation between culture and film style. ""On Michael Haneke"" is both an introduction to the work of a major figure in world cinema and a model for modern media criticism. Scholars of film and television studies, cinephiles, and anyone interested in contemporary film culture will enjoy ""On Michael Haneke"".

A masterpiece of modern Yiddish literature, the first volume of memoirs by Yekhezkel Kotik, translated into English and annotated.Originally published in Warsaw in 1913, this beautifully written memoir offers a panoramic description of the author's experiences growing up in Kamieniec Litewski, a Polish shtetl connected with many important events in the history of nineteenth-century Eastern European Jewry. Although the way of life portrayed in this memoir has disappeared, the historical, cultural, and folkoric material it contains will be of major interest to historians and general readers alike.Kotik's story is the saga of a wealthy and influential family through four generations. Masterfully interwoven in this tale are colorful vignettes featuring Kotik's family and neighbours, including rabbis and zaddikim, merchants and the poor, hasidim and mitnaggedim, scholars and illiterates, believers and heretics, matchmakers and informers, and teachers and musicians. Stories of personal warmth and despair intermingle with descriptions of the rise and decline of Jewish communal institutions and descriptions or the relationships between Jews, Russian authorities, and Polish lords.Such events as the brutal decrees of Tsar Nicholas I, the abolishment of the Jewish communal board known as the Kahal, and the Polish revolts against Russia are reflected in the lives of these people.The English edition includes a complete translation of the first volume of memoirs and contains notes elucidating terms, names, and customs, as well as bibliographical references to the research literature. The book not only acquaints new readers with the talent of a unique storyteller but also presents an important document of Jewish life during a fascinating era.

This is an inspiring examination of young survivors of the Holocaust and their role in the creation of the state of Israel. Although they represented only a small portion of all displaced persons after World War II, Jewish displaced persons in postwar Europe played a central role on the international diplomatic stage. In fact, the overwhelming Zionist enthusiasm of this group, particularly in the large segment of young adults among them, was vital to the diplomatic decisions that led to the creation of the state of Israel so soon after the war. In Finding Home and Homeland, Avinoam J. Patt examines the meaning and appeal of Zionism to young Jewish displaced persons and looks for the reasons for its success among Holocaust survivors. Patt argues that Zionism was highly successful in filling a positive function for young displaced persons in the aftermath of the Holocaust because it provided a secure environment for vocational training, education, rehabilitation, and a sense of family.One of the foremost expressions of Zionist affiliation on the part of surviving Jewish youths after the war was the choice to live in kibbutzim organized within displaced persons camps in Germany and Poland, or even on estates of former Nazi leaders. By the summer of 1947, there were close to 300 kibbutzim in the American zone of occupied Germany with over 15,000 members, as well as 40 agricultural training settlements (hakhsharot) with over 3,000 members. Ultimately, these young people would be called upon to assist the state of Israel in the fighting that broke out in 1948. Patt argues that for many of the youth who joined the kibbutzim of the Zionist youth movements and journeyed to Israel, it was the search for a new home that ultimately brought them to a new homeland. Finding Home and Homeland consults previously untapped sources created by young Holocaust survivors after the war and in so doing reflects the experiences of a highly resourceful, resilient, and dedicated group that was passionate about the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine.Jewish studies, European history, and Israel studies scholars will appreciate the fresh perspective on the experiences of the Jewish displaced person population provided by this significant volume.

This is a history of representations of American Indians in Jewish literature and popular media. In ""Members of the Tribe: Native America in the Jewish Imagination"", author Rachel Rubinstein examines interventions by Jewish writers into an ongoing American fascination with the 'imaginary Indian'. Rubinstein argues that Jewish writers represented and identified with the figure of the American Indian differently than their white counterparts, as they found in this figure a mirror for their own anxieties about tribal and national belonging. Through a series of literary readings, Rubinstein traces a shifting and unstable dynamic of imagined Indian-Jewish kinship that can easily give way to opposition and, especially in the contemporary moment, competition. In the first chapter, 'Playing Indian, Becoming American', Rubinstein explores the Jewish representations of Indians over the nineteenth century, through narratives of encounter and acts of theatricalization. In chapter 2, 'Going Native, Becoming Modern', she examines literary modernism's fascination with the Indian-poet and a series of Yiddish translations of Indian chants that appeared in the modernist journal Shriftn in the 1920s. In the third chapter, 'Red Jews', Rubinstein considers the work of Jewish writers from the left, including Tillie Olsen, Michael Gold, Nathanael West, John Sanford, and Howard Fast, and in chapter 4, 'Henry Roth, Native Son', Rubinstein focuses on Henry Roth's complicated appeals to Indianness. The final chapter, 'First Nations', addresses contemporary contestations between Jews and Indians over cultural and territorial sovereignty, in literary and political discourse as well as in museum spaces. As Rubinstein considers how Jews used the figure of the Indian to feel 'at home' in the United States, she enriches ongoing discussions about the ways that Jews negotiated their identity in relation to other cultural groups. Students of Jewish studies and literature will enjoy the unique insights in Members of the Tribe.

Investigates why, of all the British Romantic poets, Byron is the most frequently translated into Hebrew and Yiddish and how Jews used translations of Byron's works to help construct a new Jewish identity. Scholars of Byron, Jewish identity, and those interested in translation and reception studies will appreciate this insightful volume.

This book explores the business history of three major independent American automakers - Nash Motor Company, the Hudson Motor Car Company, and the American Motors Company - that faced fierce competition from the 'Big Three'. With roots extending back to the first decade of the twentieth century, Nash Motor Company and the Hudson Motor Car Company managed to compete and even prosper as independent producers until they merged in 1954 to form the American Motors Company, which itself remained independent until it was bought in 1987 by the Chrysler Corporation. In "Storied Independent Automakers", renowned automotive scholar Charles K. Hyde argues that these companies, while so far neglected by auto history scholars, made notable contributions to automotive engineering and styling and were an important part of the American automobile industry. Hyde investigates how the relatively small corporations struggled in a postwar marketplace increasingly dominated by the giant firms of Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler, which benefited from economies of scale in styling, engineering, tooling, marketing, and sales.He examines the innovations that kept the independents' products distinctive from those of the Big Three and allowed them to survive and sometimes prosper against their larger competitors. Hyde also focuses on the visionary leaders who managed the companies, including Charles Nash, Roy D. Chapin, Howard Coffin, George Mason, George Romney, and Roy D. Chapin Jr., who have been largely unexamined by other scholars. Finally, Hyde analyzes the ultimate failure of the American Motors Company and the legacy it left for carmakers and consumers today. "Storied Independent Automakers" is based on extensive research in archival collections generated by the three companies. Residing in large part in the DaimlerChrysler Corporate Collection, these sources have been seldom tapped by other scholars before this volume. Auto historians and readers interested in business history will enjoy "Storied Independent Automakers".