In the Mirror of the Past

In the Mirror of the Past PDF

Author: Ivan Illich

Publisher: Marion Boyars Publishers

Published: 2021-04

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9780714531595

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During the 1980s, Ivan Illich added another dimension to his thought through the study of Medieval history. In this volume he aims to demonstrate the extent to which the groundwork for the institutions tht characterize our world today were laid in the twelfth century. Topics center on health, housing, school, language and literacy, peace and ethics.

In the Mirror of the Past

In the Mirror of the Past PDF

Author: Tomasz Ratajczak

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2014-09-26

Total Pages: 115

ISBN-13: 1443867675

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These days, we are ever more often confronted by overwhelming events. Searching for a way to understand them, we turn to mythic archetypes still present in our culture. The authors of these essays pose questions about the reliability of the archetypes found in tradition, history, and scattered mythologemes. The essays in this collection deal with the presence of mythic time in modern speculative fiction, such as fantasy and alternate histories, and discuss major mythologemes and their functions in popular literature and extra-literary reality. The authors show how mythopoeic fiction becomes a (genetically) modified mythic mirror in which we hope to see answers to vexing questions, or just a reality superior to the ordinary one. In the Mirror of the Past: Of Fantasy and History is a collection of seven essays by American and Polish authors, including Brian Attebery, Terri Doughty, and Marek Oziewicz, with Mircea Eliade’s concept of “return from history to History” as their underlying theme.

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror PDF

Author: Mark Pendergrast

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2009-04-28

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 0786729902

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Of all human inventions, the mirror is perhaps the one most closely connected to our own consciousness. As our first technology for contemplation of the self, the mirror is arguably as important an invention as the wheel. Mirror Mirror is the fascinating story of the mirror's invention, refinement, and use in an astonishing range of human activities -- from the fantastic mirrored rooms that wealthy Romans created for their orgies to the mirror's key role in the use and understanding of light. Pendergrast spins tales of the 2,500year mystery of whether Archimedes and his "burning mirror" really set faraway Roman ships on fire; the medieval Venetian glassmakers, who perfected the technique of making large, flat mirrors from clear glass and for whom any attempt to leave their cloistered island was punishable by death; Isaac Newton, whose experiments with sunlight on mirrors once left him blinded for three days; the artist David Hockney, who holds controversial ideas about Renaissance artists and their use of optical devices; and George Ellery Hale, the manic-depressive astronomer and telescope enthusiast who inspired (and gave his name to) the twentieth century's largest ground-based telescope. Like mirrors themselves, Mirror Mirror is a book of endless wonder and fascination.

The Mirror

The Mirror PDF

Author: Sabine Melchoir-Bonnet

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-06-03

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 113668753X

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This engaging and witty cultural history traces the evolution of the mirror from antiquity to the present day, illustrating its journey from wondrous object to ordinary trinket. With its earliest invention, the mirror allowed us to gaze upon ourselves, bestowing a power both fascinating and terrifying.

The Mirror of Magic

The Mirror of Magic PDF

Author: Kurt Seligmann

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2018-10-16

Total Pages: 512

ISBN-13: 1620557916

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A collector’s edition of the classic, illustrated, and comprehensive history of magic and the occult • Written by renowned Surrealist and magic scholar Kurt Seligmann (1900-1962) • Includes all 250 illustrations from the original 1948 edition • Explores magical practices and beliefs from their origins in the ancient world through the heyday of secret societies in the 18th century In the occult classic The Mirror of Magic, renowned Surrealist Kurt Seligmann (1900-1962) draws from his encyclopedic practitioner’s knowledge and extensive antiquarian collection to offer a comprehensive, illustrated history of magic and the occult from Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt through the 18th century. He explores the gods and divinatory arts of the legendary Sumerians and the star-wise Babylonians, including the birth of astrology. He examines the afterlife beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and the dream interpretation practices and oracles of ancient Greece, including the mysteries of Eleusis and the magical philosophy of Plato, Socrates, and other Greeks. He uncovers the origins of Gnosticism and the suppression and banishment of magic by the post-pagan, Christian emperors of Rome. Seligmann reviews the principles of alchemy, sharing famous transmutations and allegorical illustrations of the alchemical process and explores the Hermetica and its remarkable adepts. Investigating the Middle Ages, the author discusses the work of European magicians of the time, including Albertus Magnus, Roger Bacon, Agrippa, Nostradamus, and Pico Della Mirandola. He studies the medieval practices of devil worship, witchcraft, and black magic, as well as the “Cabala” in both its Hebrew and Christian forms. He also examines the art of the Tarot and many lesser known divination techniques. He explores the development of secret societies, including Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism, in the 17th century and the increase in occult publications and magical science in the 18th century. First published in 1948, this history of magic and the occult seeks to “mirror” the magical worldview throughout the ages. Beautifully illustrated with images from the author’s rare library, this collector’s edition features all of the artwork--more than 250 images--from the original 1948 edition.

The Mirror of Confusion

The Mirror of Confusion PDF

Author: Andrew M. Kirk

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-12-22

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 131794562X

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How did English dramatists portray the neighboring domain of France and its history in their plays? The study examines a selection of Shakespearean and other history plays, the French tragedies of George Chapman, Christopher Marlowe's revealing historical tragedy The Massacre at Paris, and several literary and nonliterary historical texts. The result is a unique and timely contribution to our understanding of how cultural differences influenced the historical perspectives of English dramatists as well as how Renaissance plays shaped, and were shaped by, their historical material. Drawing on the insights of cultural studies, historiography, and ethnography, this study re-examines the historical representation of a neglected yet influential part of early modern Europe and the paradoxical relationship between English writers and their French subject matter. Although information about France and French history was becoming increasingly available in England at the end of the sixteenth century, for English writers France remained a distant land, its history and people misunderstood and misrepresented.

Medusa

Medusa PDF

Author: David Leeming

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Published: 2013-06-01

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 1780231334

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With her repulsive face and head full of living, venomous snakes, Medusa is petrifying—quite literally, since looking directly at her turned people to stone. Ever since Perseus cut off her head and presented it to Athena, she has been a woman of many forms: a dangerous female monster that had to be destroyed, an erotic power that could annihilate men, and, thanks to Freud, a woman whose hair was a nest of terrifying penises that signaled castration. She has been immortalized by artists from Leonardo da Vinci to Salvador Dalí and was the emblem of the Jacobins after the French Revolution. Today, she’s viewed by feminists as a noble victim of patriarchy and used by Versace in the designer’s logo for men’s underwear, haute couture, and exotic dinnerware. She even gives her name to a sushi roll on a Disney resort menu. Why does Medusa continue to have this power to transfix us? David Leeming seeks to answer this question in Medusa, a biography of the mythical creature. Searching for the origins of Medusa’s myth in cultures that predate ancient Greece, Leeming explores how and why the mythical figure of the gorgon has become one of the most important and enduring ideas in human history. From an oil painting by Caravaggio to Clash of the Titans and Dungeons and Dragons, he delves into the many depictions of Medusa, ultimately revealing that her story is a cultural dream that continues to change and develop with each new era. Asking what the evolution of the Medusa myth discloses about our culture and ourselves, this book paints an illuminating portrait of a woman who has never ceased to enthrall.

A Distant Mirror

A Distant Mirror PDF

Author: Barbara W. Tuchman

Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks

Published: 1987-07-12

Total Pages: 738

ISBN-13: 0345349571

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A “marvelous history”* of medieval Europe, from the bubonic plague and the Papal Schism to the Hundred Years’ War, by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Guns of August *Lawrence Wright, author of The End of October, in The Wall Street Journal The fourteenth century reflects two contradictory images: on the one hand, a glittering age of crusades, cathedrals, and chivalry; on the other, a world plunged into chaos and spiritual agony. In this revelatory work, Barbara W. Tuchman examines not only the great rhythms of history but the grain and texture of domestic life: what childhood was like; what marriage meant; how money, taxes, and war dominated the lives of serf, noble, and clergy alike. Granting her subjects their loyalties, treacheries, and guilty passions, Tuchman re-creates the lives of proud cardinals, university scholars, grocers and clerks, saints and mystics, lawyers and mercenaries, and, dominating all, the knight—in all his valor and “furious follies,” a “terrible worm in an iron cocoon.” Praise for A Distant Mirror “Beautifully written, careful and thorough in its scholarship . . . What Ms. Tuchman does superbly is to tell how it was. . . . No one has ever done this better.”—The New York Review of Books “A beautiful, extraordinary book . . . Tuchman at the top of her powers . . . She has done nothing finer.”—The Wall Street Journal “Wise, witty, and wonderful . . . a great book, in a great historical tradition.”—Commentary

A Different Mirror

A Different Mirror PDF

Author: Ronald Takaki

Publisher: eBookIt.com

Published: 2012-06-05

Total Pages: 787

ISBN-13: 1456611062

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Takaki traces the economic and political history of Indians, African Americans, Mexicans, Japanese, Chinese, Irish, and Jewish people in America, with considerable attention given to instances and consequences of racism. The narrative is laced with short quotations, cameos of personal experiences, and excerpts from folk music and literature. Well-known occurrences, such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, the Trail of Tears, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Japanese internment are included. Students may be surprised by some of the revelations, but will recognize a constant thread of rampant racism. The author concludes with a summary of today's changing economic climate and offers Rodney King's challenge to all of us to try to get along. Readers will find this overview to be an accessible, cogent jumping-off place for American history and political science plus a guide to the myriad other sources identified in the notes.

The Mirror of Memories

The Mirror of Memories PDF

Author: AQEEL AHMED

Publisher: AQEEL AHMED

Published: 2024-02-01

Total Pages: 28

ISBN-13: 1998240495

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A house used to stand in a quiet, beautiful town. Inside, the Mirror of Memories, a one-of-a-kind treasure, was kept. This amazing mirror was different from all the others because it could show the most moving memories of the people who looked at it instead of their images. Lily is the main character of the story. She is a small, curious girl who finds this magical mirror while exploring her grandmother's attic. Without realizing it, she starts an amazing trip into her family's past. When Lily looks in the mirror, she is taken back in time to see the important events that shaped the lives of her ancestors. In the first memories she finds, her mother as a child is shown in great detail, which makes her amazed and interested in the past. As Lily learns more about her family's past and finds out long-lost stories and secrets, the mirror changes into a way for people to connect and understand each other. Thoughts, struggles, and successes of her ancestors come to life in the mirror, along with the events themselves. Lily has never seen her father act so bravely as he does when she sees him as a child. Lily learns from the mirror that her family has a long history of being strong and determined. A moving high point in Lily's journey is when she gets her grandma to look at herself in the mirror and sees her early goals and experiences. In addition to bringing people of different ages together, this experience gives Lily a sense of excitement and determination, which she sees in herself and in her goals. Lily's lessons from the mirror are becoming more and more important as she gets bigger. She knows that learning from the past is important, but so is living in the present and making plans for the future. By giving the mirror to her children with this knowledge, she makes sure that the Mirror of Memories' tradition lives on. As a result, the mirror becomes a treasured family heirloom that represents the power of remembering and the continuing of life. The Mirror of Memories is an interesting story that makes us think about how much our past has affected who we are now. It shows how important it is to hold on to memories, good and bad, because they shape who we are and help us live our lives. Through Lily's trip, the story masterfully shows how important learning is, how traditions are important, and how family ties last forever. Introduction: There was a wonderful mystery and wonder object called the Mirror of Memories in the middle of a quiet, peaceful town. Time seemed to move more slowly there, and the air was thick with whispers of the past. This wasn't like any other mirror. It was hidden in the dusty attic of an old house and had a feature that made it different from the other mirrors the locals knew. Someone looked into it and saw not only their own image, but also their deepest memories. It was a mysterious object with a lot of power and attraction. The story presents Lily, a young, active girl who is very curious and has a good heart. Lily lived in a quiet town with her family. Like most kids, she had lots of small adventures and enjoyed the simple things that life had to offer. But when she found the Mirror of Memories in her grandmother's attic, it was the start of an amazing trip that would take her far beyond her village and into the narrow paths of her family's past. Lily accidentally found the mirror in her grandmother's old house because she was interested and liked to find secret treasures. As soon as she saw the mirror, with its complicated frame and strange aura, she knew she had found something very strange. She didn't fully understand how magical the mirror was until she looked into it. Instead of seeing a mirror of herself, she saw vivid memories of her ancestors, one after the other, coming back to her like pages from a long-lost book. Lily starts to learn more about herself as the story goes on by looking at her ancestors' memories and learning about the stories that made her family who they are. In the mirror, she sees the joys, pains, wins, and tragedies of her relatives. Each memory teaches her something important about life, love, and how time moves on. This trip isn't just about learning about the past; it's also about making sense of the present, shaping the future, and realizing how important memories are in shaping who we are and how we live our lives. Lily's trip with the Mirror of Memories is magical; it seamlessly weaves together the past and the present, showing how she has grown and how her ancestors lived. Chapter 1: Finding something in the attic wasn't just a lucky find for Lily; it was the start of a journey into her family's past and into herself. When she looked into the beautiful old mirror, her eyes got really big. With its elaborate designs that looked like they were hiding decades of secrets, the frame spoke history with every carving. The dim glow from the mirror, which worked like a beacon, drew her in to get a better look. Everyday glass turned into a doorway to a different place and time as she did this. She looked in the mirror and instead of seeing herself, she saw this very real and vivid scene: In a sunny field, her mother laughed happily as she thought about her childhood. Although the sounds were dull, Lily had never seen colors that were so bright. It was almost like she could reach out and touch the grass or feel the sun's warmth on her skin. Lily had never seen her mother's early years, but this memory, frozen in time in the mirror, gave her a personal and telling look into those years. Lily knew that this mirror wasn't your average antique; it held memories, and many of them were probably just as powerful and moving as the one she had just seen. She felt her heart race at the thought of what other secrets it might hold. What did her ancestors do for a living? What happiness and sadness had they felt? The mirror has changed from a strange thing to a way to connect and understand. There were stories, successes, and tragedies in every family, but Lily knew that not many people could see them so clearly. This mirror did more than just show her image. It also let her go back in time and see the world through the eyes of her ancestors. She thinks that this will help her understand her place in the story of her family's past. As a child, hearing her mother laugh in that sunny field was more than just a nice memory. It showed the strength and joy that had been passed down through generations and were now resting with Lily, ready to be carried into the future.