Title search results
Showing 1 - 4 of 4 items
Comedy: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
By Matthew Bevis. 2013
Scholar examines comedy, from the ancient Greeks to the present, through recurring elements and themes: the physical body, marriage, pain,…
the humdrum of existence, death. Discusses the idea that comedy and tragedy are not true opposites; comedy presupposes rather than precludes tragedy. 2013.
Dreaming: a very short introduction (Very Short Introductions)
By J. Allan Hobson. 2005
Psychiatrist demystifies dreaming, describing the paradigm shift from content and Freudian psychoanalysis to the study of characteristics distinguishing dreaming from…
waking. Discusses neurobiological discoveries made possible by brain imaging technology, allowing brain- in-action observation, and showing that waking and dreaming are two states of consciousness determined by brain chemistry. 2002
Theatre: a very short introduction (Very Short Introductions)
By Marvin Carlson. 2014
Professor of comparative literature offers a broad overview of the evolution and varieties of theatrical performance, from origins in ancient…
Egypt, Greece, and Rome; to classical India and China; to medieval England and Japan; and to contemporary America and Europe. Explores complex association of dramatic performance and religion. 2014
Witchcraft: a very short introduction (Very Short Introductions)
By Malcolm Gaskill. 2010
Professor of early modern history explores the origins and history of witchcraft, from prehistory to present day paganism and popular…
media, asking why it still features so heavily in our culture. Considers the classic period (1500-1900) of witchcraft trials and witch-hunting, including the infamous Salem panic of 1692. 2010