Author: Karen Sullivan File Type: pdf The curious paradox of romance is that, throughout its history, this genre has been dismissed as trivial and unintellectual, yet people have never ceased to flock to it with enthusiasm and even fervor. In contemporary contexts, we devour popular romance and fantasy novels like The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones, reference them in conversations, and create online communities to expound, passionately and intelligently, upon their characters and worlds. But romance is unrealistic, critics say, doing readers a disservice by not accurately representing human experiences. It is considered by some to be a distraction from real literature, a distraction from real life, and little more. Yet is it possible that romance is expressing a truthand a truth unrecognized by realist genres? The Arthurian literature of the Middle Ages, Karen Sullivan argues, consistently ventriloquizes in its pages the criticisms that were being made of romance at the time, and implicitly defends itself against those criticisms. The Danger of Romance shows that the conviction that ordinary reality is the only reality is itself an assumption, and one that can blind those who hold it to the extraordinary phenomena that exist around them. It demonstrates that that which is rare, ephemeral, and inexplicable is no less real than that which is commonplace, long-lasting, and easily accounted for. If romance continues to appeal to audiences today, whether in its Arthurian prototype or in its more recent incarnations, it is because it confirms the perceptionor even the hopeof a beauty and truth in the world that realist genres deny. **Review The Danger of Romance is written with beautiful clarity and the elegant erudition one associates with Sullivans work. I do not know of any other book that moves among so many medieval writers to detail theological and moral understandings of the nature of the marvelous and the miraculous, the relationship between truth and imagination, and the value of exemplarity. Sullivans book shows that such questions are part of medieval literary history and that they can articulate broad understandings of literary culture and of what literature does and can do. The range of this book is truly impressive. (Peggy McCracken, University of Michigan) Sullivan shifts the terms of the debate in arguing that fiction is not about the suspension of disbelief but an exercise of belief. In her masterful and airtight defense of literature, the Middle Ages come off as the true Age of the Enlightenment compared to our own Age of the Internet. (Zrinka Stahuljak, University of California, Los Angeles) Zeroing in with philosophical precision on the bond between truth and trust, Sullivan offers a spirited defense of romance against realists who spurn its vain fictions and romantics who may love it too blindly. The Danger of Romance achieves its finest insights by following Merlin, Arthur, Lancelot, and the Grail to reveal how Arthurian romance contains its own critique even as it exuberantly represents the power of imagination. (Matilda Bruckner, Boston College) About the Author Karen Sullivanis the Irma Brandeis Professor of Romance Culture and Literature at Bard College.She is the author ofThe Interrogation of Joan of Arc and ofTruth and the HereticCrises of Knowledge in Medieval French Literature,the winner of the Modern Language Associations Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for French and Francophone Studies.

Author: J. D. Bernal File Type: epub A pioneering book proposing a transhumanist vision of the future, from one of the most influential visionary scientists of the twentieth century. **Review The most brilliant attempt at scientific prediction ever made. Arthur C. Clarke About the Author John Desmond Bernal was one of the United Kingdoms best-known and most controversial scientists. He published extensively on the history of science.

Author: Hannah Wangeci Kinoti File Type: pdf African Ethics Gikuyu Traditional Morality by Hannah Kinoti was prompted by the authors concern about the decline of moral standards among the Gikuyu in modern Kenya. Western education and increased interaction with other cultures had made the society more complex and sophisticated. At the same time, social evils like corruption, robbery, prostitution, broken homes and sexual promiscuity were on the increase. While this is happening, says the author, African culture is often referred to in the past tense as if it is no longer relevant. She wished to discover what were the virtues that, prior to the introduction of western civilization, held society together and formed the basis of its morality. She decided to examine some of the key virtues (honesty, generosity, justice, courage and temperance) that were highly valued in traditional Gikuyu culture. She then compared the understanding and practice of these virtues by three groups old people (who had had first-hand experience of traditional life), middle-aged people and young people. The results of this study should appeal to researchers and teachers of African traditions, culture, religion and ethics. Equally, students of comparative ethics should find this a valuable source of information on traditional ways of maintaining behaviour that made for harmony in society. Young Africans wishing to get a deeper understanding of their roots should also find this work of great interest. **

Author: Satinder Dhiman File Type: pdf This book suggests that the solution to the current leadership crisis lies in leaders self-cultivation process, emanating from their deepest values and culminating in their contribution to the common good. Traditional approaches to leadership rarely provide any permeating or systematic framework to garner a sense of higher purpose or nurture deeper moral and spiritual dimensions of leaders. Learning to be an effective leader requires a level of personal transformation on the continuum of self, spirit, and service.Synthesizing the best of contemporary approaches to leadership in a holistic manner, this book presents a unique model of leadership that is built on the sound principles of Self-Motivation, Personal Mastery, Creativity and Flow, Emotional Intelligence, Optimal Performance, Appreciative Inquiry, Authentic Leadership, Transformational Leadership, Positive Psychology, Moral Philosophy, and Wisdom Traditions of the world. This broad interdisciplinary approach is well-suited to effectively address the multifaceted issues faced by contemporary organizations and leaders.It will be of great interest to graduate business and organizational leadership students and faculty as well as corporate leaders.