Idle Pursuits

Idle Pursuits PDF

Author: Virginia Krause

Publisher: University of Delaware Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9780874138351

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"Throughout this study, idleness is shown to be a key element of self-presentation beginning with the figure of the idle aristocrat. The extravagant display of a life of leisure made Gilles de Rais the icon of aristocratic idleness. But even the hardworking humanist was anxious to assume a studied posture of idleness. If both figures were eager to display idleness, it was because oisivete was an important source of what modern theorists have termed symbolic capital. Finally, the Renaissance also saw the birth of a new figure of the "idler": the consumer of leisure. For it was leisure itself along with chivalric and amorous adventure that was consumed by the readers of the popular Amadis series. At once a commodity and form of capital, idleness (otium) clearly belonged to the realm of social exchanges ostensibly reserved for affairs (negotium)."--BOOK JACKET.

Religions in Play

Religions in Play PDF

Author: Philippe Bornet

Publisher: Theologischer Verlag Zürich

Published: 2012-01-01

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 3290220109

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Often dismissed as "not serious", the notion of play has nevertheless been at the centre of classical theories of religion and ritual (Huizinga, Caillois, Turner, Staal, etc.). What can be retained of those theories for the contemporary study of religions? Can a study of "play" or "game" bring new perspectives for the study of religions? The book deals with the history of games and their relation to religions, the links between divination and games, the relations between sport and ritual, the pedagogical functions of games in religious education, and the interaction between games, media and religions. Richly illustrated, the book contributes to the study of religions, to ritual, game and media studies, and addresses an academic as well as a general public. Philippe Bornet, Dr. Phil., born in 1977, is Lecturer in the Study of Religion at the Faculty of Lettres of the University of Lausanne, with focus on the history of interrelations between India and Europe. Maya Burger is Professor of Indian Studies and History of Religions at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lausanne, Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations.

Prayers for the Assassin

Prayers for the Assassin PDF

Author: Robert Ferrigno

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 500

ISBN-13: 1416567372

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SEATTLE, 204. The Space Needle lies crumpled. Veiled women hurry through the streets. Alcohol is outlawed, replaced by Jihad Cola, and mosques dot the skyline. New York and Washington, D.C., are nuclear wastelands. At the edge of the empire, Islamic and Christian forces fight for control, and rebels plot to regain free will....

Orwell's Luck

Orwell's Luck PDF

Author: Richard W. Jennings

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published: 2006-04-12

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 9780618693351

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While caring for an injured rabbit which becomes her confidant, horoscope writer, and a source of good luck, a thoughtful seventh grade girl learns to see things in more than one way.