Tales of Literacy for the 21st Century

Tales of Literacy for the 21st Century PDF

Author: Maryanne Wolf

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016-07-21

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 0191036137

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The Literary Agenda is a series of short polemical monographs about the importance of literature and of reading in the wider world and about the state of literary education inside schools and universities. The category of 'the literary' has always been contentious. What is clear, however, is how increasingly it is dismissed or is unrecognised as a way of thinking or an arena for thought. It is sceptically challenged from within, for example, by the sometimes rival claims of cultural history, contextualized explanation, or media studies. It is shaken from without by even greater pressures: by economic exigency and the severe social attitudes that can follow from it; by technological change that may leave the traditional forms of serious human communication looking merely antiquated. For just these reasons this is the right time for renewal, to start reinvigorated work into the meaning and value of literary reading. Being Literate in the 21st Century wrestles with critical, timely questions for 21st-century society. How does literacy change the human brain? What does it mean to be a literate or a non-literate person in the present digital culture: for example, what will be lost in the present reading brain, and what will be gained with different mediums than print? What are the consequences of a digital reading brain for the literary mind and for writing itself ? Can knowledge about the reading brain and advances in technology offer new forms of literacy and new forms of knowledge to the peoples in remote regions of the world who would never otherwise become literate? By using both research from cognitive neuroscience, psycholinguistics, child development, and education, and considering literary examples from world literature, Maryanne Wolf plots a course that seeks to preserve the deepest forms of reading from the past, while developing the cognitive skills necessary for this century's next generation.

Fairy Tales Transformed?

Fairy Tales Transformed? PDF

Author: Cristina Bacchilega

Publisher: Wayne State University Press

Published: 2013-11-01

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 081433928X

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Fairy-tale adaptations are ubiquitous in modern popular culture, but readers and scholars alike may take for granted the many voices and traditions folded into today's tales. In Fairy Tales Transformed?: Twenty-First-Century Adaptations and the Politics of Wonder, accomplished fairy-tale scholar Cristina Bacchilega traces what she terms a "fairy-tale web" of multivocal influences in modern adaptations, asking how tales have been changed by and for the early twenty-first century. Dealing mainly with literary and cinematic adaptations for adults and young adults, Bacchilega investigates the linked and yet divergent social projects these fairy tales imagine, their participation and competition in multiple genre and media systems, and their relation to a politics of wonder that contests a naturalized hierarchy of Euro-American literary fairy tale over folktale and other wonder genres. Bacchilega begins by assessing changes in contemporary understandings and adaptations of the Euro-American fairy tale since the 1970s, and introduces the fairy-tale web as a network of reading and writing practices with a long history shaped by forces of gender politics, capitalism, and colonialism. In the chapters that follow, Bacchilega considers a range of texts, from high profile films like Disney's Enchanted, Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, and Catherine Breillat's Bluebeard to literary adaptations like Nalo Hopkinson's Skin Folk, Emma Donoghue's Kissing the Witch, and Bill Willingham's popular comics series, Fables. She looks at the fairy-tale web from a number of approaches, including adaptation as "activist response" in Chapter 1, as remediation within convergence culture in Chapter 2, and a space of genre mixing in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 connects adaptation with issues of translation and stereotyping to discuss mainstream North American adaptations of The Arabian Nights as "media text" in post-9/11 globalized culture. Bacchilega's epilogue invites scholars to intensify their attention to multimedia fairy-tale traditions and the relationship of folk and fairy tales with other cultures' wonder genres. Scholars of fairy-tale studies will enjoy Bacchilega's significant new study of contemporary adaptations.

21 Lessons for the 21st Century

21 Lessons for the 21st Century PDF

Author: Yuval Noah Harari

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2019-01-29

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 0593132815

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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In Sapiens, he explored our past. In Homo Deus, he looked to our future. Now, one of the most innovative thinkers on the planet turns to the present to make sense of today’s most pressing issues. “Fascinating . . . a crucial global conversation about how to take on the problems of the twenty-first century.”—Bill Gates, The New York Times Book Review NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY FINANCIAL TIMES AND PAMELA PAUL, KQED How do computers and robots change the meaning of being human? How do we deal with the epidemic of fake news? Are nations and religions still relevant? What should we teach our children? Yuval Noah Harari’s 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is a probing and visionary investigation into today’s most urgent issues as we move into the uncharted territory of the future. As technology advances faster than our understanding of it, hacking becomes a tactic of war, and the world feels more polarized than ever, Harari addresses the challenge of navigating life in the face of constant and disorienting change and raises the important questions we need to ask ourselves in order to survive. In twenty-one accessible chapters that are both provocative and profound, Harari builds on the ideas explored in his previous books, untangling political, technological, social, and existential issues and offering advice on how to prepare for a very different future from the world we now live in: How can we retain freedom of choice when Big Data is watching us? What will the future workforce look like, and how should we ready ourselves for it? How should we deal with the threat of terrorism? Why is liberal democracy in crisis? Harari’s unique ability to make sense of where we have come from and where we are going has captured the imaginations of millions of readers. Here he invites us to consider values, meaning, and personal engagement in a world full of noise and uncertainty. When we are deluged with irrelevant information, clarity is power. Presenting complex contemporary challenges clearly and accessibly, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is essential reading. “If there were such a thing as a required instruction manual for politicians and thought leaders, Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari’s 21 Lessons for the 21st Century would deserve serious consideration. In this collection of provocative essays, Harari . . . tackles a daunting array of issues, endeavoring to answer a persistent question: ‘What is happening in the world today, and what is the deep meaning of these events?’”—BookPage (top pick)

21st Century Ghost Stories

21st Century Ghost Stories PDF

Author: Paul Guernsey

Publisher:

Published: 2021-08-10

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 9781105772214

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This vibrant collection of award-winning supernatural stories from around the world offers something for every taste in the uncanny. Yes, there are ghosts. But you'll also find pieces involving revenants or reanimated corpses of different sorts, including-but not limited to-zombies, as well as stories that make literary use of fairies, vampires, demons, The Devil Himself, snakes (talking, and otherwise), time slips (aka unintentional time travel), mystery animals, ancient curses, contemporary curses, a plague even scarier than the coronavirus, Santería, and a number of haunted objects, including fine dinnerware, some smoky panes of old window glass, and a stuffed rabbit with a bad attitude. We've got several stories that fit the category of magic realism, a couple that are just plain hard to categorize, and one that has to do with dragons. Each of these 30 stories, in addition to providing the reader with a thrill, a chill, a laugh, or a new perspective on life and death, is also a small literary gem that you'll want to revisit again and again.

Fairy Tale

Fairy Tale PDF

Author: Marina Warner

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 019953215X

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Marina Warner guides us through the rich world of fairy tale, from Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel to Snow White and Pan's Labyrinth. Exploring pervasive themes of folklore, myth, the supernatural, imagination, and fantasy, Warner highlights the impact of the genre on human understanding, history, and culture.

Fairy Tales Of The 21st Century

Fairy Tales Of The 21st Century PDF

Author: Mardus Öösaar

Publisher: Creative Arts Management Ou

Published: 2020-11-29

Total Pages: 74

ISBN-13: 9789916622070

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Do you remember a Fairy Tale that you still think of fondly? If you want your kids to have the same fuzzy feeling, then keep reading... The Fairy Tales that our children read and hear are the very stories that lay the foundation for their CREATIVITY and SUCCESS.These are the stories that they reference their experiences back to. These are also the stories that they TEACH Your GRANDCHILDREN. This is why it is IMPORTANT for the stories to be not only entertaining but also Educational, moreover, teach the right mindset to ACHIEVE SUCCESS in Life. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and a thousand words can build an experience worth remembering. All inclusive. Mardus Öösaar's mission in writing is to empower the youth by giving them Universal Secrets so that every book is dedicated to understanding one side of Life. "Mardus Öösaar not only writes to entertain, but his message is filled with life and the truths that even most adults don't understand. His books are written in a wonderfully simple way. They move children and, in the long run, help them to move mountains!" - Anna-Maria Rebane primary school educator & pedagogist Within this Book, your kids will discover: The #1 skill that is crucial to DREAMING big. The magic words to being Kind and Compassionate to others. A Fantastic world of stimulating Stories to keep them hooked for days. Pictures and Characters they will accompany them well into adulthood. The 3 Secrets to start getting what they wish for in Life. Hone their ability to tell captivating stories - from a young age! The building blocks to form a Strong FAMILY LEGACY. Have you been looking for a book that will ensure that your child knows how to achieve success? "Fairy Tales Of The 21st Century" will teach your children to go about modern-day life successfully even if they have forgotten about every other book since now. If you want your child to learn the most important parts of becoming successful, then scroll up and click the ADD TO CART button. Copyright (c) 2020 Creative Arts Management Company

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century PDF

Author: Kim Fu

Publisher: Tin House Books

Published: 2022-02-01

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 1953534066

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"The strange and wonderful define Kim Fu’s story collection, where the line between fantasy and reality fades in and out, elusive and beckoning." —The New York Times Book Review A LitHub, ALTA, and PureWow Best Book of the Month A BuzzFeed and WIRED Pick for a Book You Need to Read This Winter In the twelve unforgettable tales of Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, the strange is made familiar and the familiar strange, such that a girl growing wings on her legs feels like an ordinary rite of passage, while a bug-infested house becomes an impossible, Kafkaesque nightmare. Each story builds a new world all its own: a group of children steal a haunted doll; a runaway bride encounters a sea monster; a vendor sells toy boxes that seemingly control the passage of time; an insomniac is seduced by the Sandman. These visions of modern life wrestle with themes of death and technological consequence, guilt and sexuality, and unmask the contradictions that exist within all of us. Mesmerizing, electric, and wholly original, Kim Fu’s Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century blurs the boundaries of the real and fantastic, offering intricate and surprising insights into human nature.

Inviting Interruptions

Inviting Interruptions PDF

Author: Cristina Bacchilega

Publisher: Wayne State University Press

Published: 2021-02-23

Total Pages: 311

ISBN-13: 0814347010

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Fairy-tale texts and images that address contemporary issues in unsettling, intersectional, and wondrous ways.

Neil Gaiman in the 21st Century

Neil Gaiman in the 21st Century PDF

Author: Tara Prescott

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2015-03-19

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0786494778

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Neil Gaiman has emerged as one of the most influential literary figures of the 21st century. To borrow a phrase from his viral 2012 University of the Arts commencement speech, Gaiman "makes good art," from his graphic novels to his social media collaborations, award-winning fantasy fiction and beloved children's books. This collection of new essays examines a range of Gaiman's prolific output, with readings of the novels American Gods, Anansi Boys, The Graveyard Book and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Children's books The Wolves in the Walls and Blueberry Girl and the online short story collection A Calendar of Tales are discussed. Gaiman's return to the serial comic book form with Sandman: Overture is covered, and artist JH Williams III contributes an exclusive interview about his collaboration with Gaiman on Overture. Cartoonist Judd Winick offers a personal essay on his connection to Gaiman's work.

Borg Like Me

Borg Like Me PDF

Author: Gareth Branwyn

Publisher: Sparks of Fire Press

Published: 2014-07-01

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 9780692233238

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A comprehensive collection of cyberculture pioneer Gareth Branwyn's best work, Borg Like Me spans a 30-year writing career. The book covers Branwyn's coming of age in a commune, his involvement in the 90s zine publishing scene, his tenure at influential cyber arts and culture mags Mondo 2000, bOING bOING, Wired, and his eight years at MAKE, spearheading the growing maker movement. Previously published material is woven throughout with Branwyn's unabashedly honest commentary, personal anecdotes, and original essays. Read about the smart-druggies behind Mondo 2000, impersonating Billy Idol in cyberspace (for Billy Idol), the making of the iconic early 90s hypermedia book, Beyond Cyberpunk!, and Branwyn going positively Phillip K. Dick after a heart attack and a bad blood transfusion. Borg Like Me is a smart, passionate, intense trip along the bleeding edges of art, technology, and culture at the turn of the 21st century.