Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ISBN: 1429956291
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 324
Book Description
From the author of Elsewhere and the Birthright trilogy, Gabrielle Zevin's Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is an imaginative YA novel all about love and second chances. If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn't have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn't have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn't have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her "Chief." She'd get all his inside jokes, and maybe he wouldn't be so frustrated with her for forgetting things she can't possibly remember. She'd know about her mom's new family. She'd know about her dad's fiancée. She wouldn't have to spend her junior year relearning all the French she supposedly knew already. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn't have wanted to kiss him back. But Naomi picked heads. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ISBN: 1429956291
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 324
Book Description
From the author of Elsewhere and the Birthright trilogy, Gabrielle Zevin's Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is an imaginative YA novel all about love and second chances. If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn't have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn't have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn't have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her "Chief." She'd get all his inside jokes, and maybe he wouldn't be so frustrated with her for forgetting things she can't possibly remember. She'd know about her mom's new family. She'd know about her dad's fiancée. She wouldn't have to spend her junior year relearning all the French she supposedly knew already. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn't have wanted to kiss him back. But Naomi picked heads. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ISBN: 1429956291
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 324
Book Description
From the author of Elsewhere and the Birthright trilogy, Gabrielle Zevin's Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is an imaginative YA novel all about love and second chances. If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn't have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn't have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn't have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her "Chief." She'd get all his inside jokes, and maybe he wouldn't be so frustrated with her for forgetting things she can't possibly remember. She'd know about her mom's new family. She'd know about her dad's fiancée. She wouldn't have to spend her junior year relearning all the French she supposedly knew already. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn't have wanted to kiss him back. But Naomi picked heads. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
AMNESIAC EX, UNFORGETTABLE VOWS
Author: Robyn Grady
Publisher: Harlequin / SB Creative
ISBN: 4596294348
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 128
Book Description
As a child, Laura appeared on the poster of a nonprofit, and her angelic looks captured the public's imagination. Now she’s an adult, and her beauty has captured the heart of millionaire Samual Bishop. But he’s overprotective of her. He treats Laura so delicately, she feels like a porcelain doll. She can’t tell if it’s love or pity that he feels for her…so she asks for a separation. Though she loves Samuel, she doesn’t know if there’s a future for them. While working through her concerns, Laura slips and hits her head and suffers a spell of amnesia…taking her back to the time when she and Samuel were madly in love!
Publisher: Harlequin / SB Creative
ISBN: 4596294348
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 128
Book Description
As a child, Laura appeared on the poster of a nonprofit, and her angelic looks captured the public's imagination. Now she’s an adult, and her beauty has captured the heart of millionaire Samual Bishop. But he’s overprotective of her. He treats Laura so delicately, she feels like a porcelain doll. She can’t tell if it’s love or pity that he feels for her…so she asks for a separation. Though she loves Samuel, she doesn’t know if there’s a future for them. While working through her concerns, Laura slips and hits her head and suffers a spell of amnesia…taking her back to the time when she and Samuel were madly in love!
The Tropoholic's Guide to Internal Romance Tropes
Author: Cindy Dees
Publisher: Cynthia Dees Publishing Inc
ISBN: 195065138X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 224
Book Description
NYT and USAT bestselling author and screenwriter, Cindy Dees, brings her formidable skills as a master storyteller and master writing teacher to this encyclopedic series analyzing the major tropes used in modern commercial fiction. In this volume, Cindy explores 33 iconic internal romance tropes, the stories of personal affliction, wounds, fears, and personality traits that form obstacles to love inside the hearts and minds of your characters. Written by a working writer for working writers, this is a comprehensive reference guide and brainstorming tool to help you quickly generate ideas, create characters and plot, revise and edit, brand and market your story. You’ll write faster, cleaner, and deliver your audience a story they’ll recognize and love. If you’re writing a novel, script, play, comic, graphic novel, video game script, or any other story format, this book is for you. If you’re writing a love story specifically, or you’re writing any genre of fiction in which you’d like to include a romantic relationship, this book is for you. Each trope entry includes: · a detailed definition and analysis · descriptions of all obligatory scenes necessary to structure this trope correctly · lists of additional key scenes important to this trope · an extensive list of questions to think about when writing this trope · an extensive list of traps to avoid when writing this trope · reasons why audiences love this trope · a list of similar tropes · a list of examples of each trope in action taken from television, film, and novels …every kind of writer in every genre of fiction is going to want these guides in their go-to reference books… …a tour de force how-to on creating stories audiences adore… …the books every writer has been waiting for—a comprehensive walk-through by an industry pro of everything to think about when building a story of pretty much any kind…
Publisher: Cynthia Dees Publishing Inc
ISBN: 195065138X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 224
Book Description
NYT and USAT bestselling author and screenwriter, Cindy Dees, brings her formidable skills as a master storyteller and master writing teacher to this encyclopedic series analyzing the major tropes used in modern commercial fiction. In this volume, Cindy explores 33 iconic internal romance tropes, the stories of personal affliction, wounds, fears, and personality traits that form obstacles to love inside the hearts and minds of your characters. Written by a working writer for working writers, this is a comprehensive reference guide and brainstorming tool to help you quickly generate ideas, create characters and plot, revise and edit, brand and market your story. You’ll write faster, cleaner, and deliver your audience a story they’ll recognize and love. If you’re writing a novel, script, play, comic, graphic novel, video game script, or any other story format, this book is for you. If you’re writing a love story specifically, or you’re writing any genre of fiction in which you’d like to include a romantic relationship, this book is for you. Each trope entry includes: · a detailed definition and analysis · descriptions of all obligatory scenes necessary to structure this trope correctly · lists of additional key scenes important to this trope · an extensive list of questions to think about when writing this trope · an extensive list of traps to avoid when writing this trope · reasons why audiences love this trope · a list of similar tropes · a list of examples of each trope in action taken from television, film, and novels …every kind of writer in every genre of fiction is going to want these guides in their go-to reference books… …a tour de force how-to on creating stories audiences adore… …the books every writer has been waiting for—a comprehensive walk-through by an industry pro of everything to think about when building a story of pretty much any kind…
Tempting the Bride
Author: Sherry Thomas
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0425251020
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 305
Book Description
ONE OF LIBRARY JOURNAL'S BEST ROMANCES OF THE YEAR In this new masterpiece of historical romance from the acclaimed, USA Today bestselling Sherry Thomas, a headstrong beauty is rescued by the notorious rake she has always despised... Helena Fitzhugh understands perfectly well that she would be ruined should her secret love affair be discovered. So when a rendezvous goes wrong and she is about to be caught in the act, it is with the greatest reluctance that she accepts help from David Hillsborough, Viscount Hastings, and elopes with him to save her reputation. Helena has despised David since they were children—the notorious rake has tormented her all her life. David, on the other hand, has always loved Helena, but his pride will never let him admit the secrets of his heart. A carriage accident the day after their elopement, however, robs Helena of her memory—the slate is wiped clean. At last David dares to reveal his love, and she finds him both fascinating and desirable. But what will happen when her memory returns and she realizes she has fallen for a man she has sworn never to trust?
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0425251020
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 305
Book Description
ONE OF LIBRARY JOURNAL'S BEST ROMANCES OF THE YEAR In this new masterpiece of historical romance from the acclaimed, USA Today bestselling Sherry Thomas, a headstrong beauty is rescued by the notorious rake she has always despised... Helena Fitzhugh understands perfectly well that she would be ruined should her secret love affair be discovered. So when a rendezvous goes wrong and she is about to be caught in the act, it is with the greatest reluctance that she accepts help from David Hillsborough, Viscount Hastings, and elopes with him to save her reputation. Helena has despised David since they were children—the notorious rake has tormented her all her life. David, on the other hand, has always loved Helena, but his pride will never let him admit the secrets of his heart. A carriage accident the day after their elopement, however, robs Helena of her memory—the slate is wiped clean. At last David dares to reveal his love, and she finds him both fascinating and desirable. But what will happen when her memory returns and she realizes she has fallen for a man she has sworn never to trust?
Repeat
Author: Kylie Scott
Publisher: Kylie Scott LLC
ISBN: 0995434387
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 258
Book Description
"A page-turning romantic feast that will have you desperate for more. I was immediately hooked." —#1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken From New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott comes an irresistible new romance. When a vicious attack leaves 25-year-old Clementine Johns with no memory, she's forced to start over. Now she has to figure out who she was and why she made the choices she did - which includes leaving the supposed love of her life, tattoo artist Ed Larsen, only a month before. Ed can hardly believe it when his ex shows up at his tattoo parlor with no memory of their past, asking about the breakup that nearly destroyed him. The last thing he needs is more heartache, but he can't seem to let her go again. Should they walk away for good, or does their love deserve a repeat performance? "Kylie Scott delivers an utterly unputdownable, unique rendering of true love and second chances."—Natasha is a Book Junkie "A beautiful, realistic tale of one woman's courage, and strength, and the man that's brave enough to love her. Truly amazing." —Audrey Carlan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the International Guy series "Kylie Scott has long been one of my favorite authors, and oh, did she crush it with Repeat! I loved every page. Witty, swoony, sexy romance weaved in a mystery that will have you hooked. This one goes to the top of my 2019 favorite reads." —A.L. Jackson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author "This book. You need this book. Repeat is everything I wanted in a romance. I was not expecting the delicious intensity, the amazing heroine, the delicious hero, and the banter only Kylie Scott can write. This book is pure magic." —L.J. Shen, USA Today bestselling Author "Kylie Scott's vivid characters, amazing writing, and a plot to keep you glued to the pages makes Repeat a must read!" —Donna Grant, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author "Repeat is a totally intriguing and captivating story. I loved every word!! This was such a unique story about forgiveness and second chances. You will be sucked in right from the first page." –Jennifer, Book Bitches Blog “Sexy, sweet, and suspenseful, Repeat is everything I expected it to be and so much more! A top read of 2019!” —KL Grayson, USA Today bestselling author "Repeat is an outstanding imaginatively and sexy read that had me spellbound! Kylie Scott clearly outdid herself with her twist on a second chance romance." —Heather, Audio Loves "The perfect mix of comedy, suspense, and be still my swooning heart! Repeat is unique, addictive, and oh so hot!" —Monica James, International Bestselling Author "It's breathtaking watching these two deal with their issues and fall in love all over again." –Verna Loves Books
Publisher: Kylie Scott LLC
ISBN: 0995434387
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 258
Book Description
"A page-turning romantic feast that will have you desperate for more. I was immediately hooked." —#1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken From New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott comes an irresistible new romance. When a vicious attack leaves 25-year-old Clementine Johns with no memory, she's forced to start over. Now she has to figure out who she was and why she made the choices she did - which includes leaving the supposed love of her life, tattoo artist Ed Larsen, only a month before. Ed can hardly believe it when his ex shows up at his tattoo parlor with no memory of their past, asking about the breakup that nearly destroyed him. The last thing he needs is more heartache, but he can't seem to let her go again. Should they walk away for good, or does their love deserve a repeat performance? "Kylie Scott delivers an utterly unputdownable, unique rendering of true love and second chances."—Natasha is a Book Junkie "A beautiful, realistic tale of one woman's courage, and strength, and the man that's brave enough to love her. Truly amazing." —Audrey Carlan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the International Guy series "Kylie Scott has long been one of my favorite authors, and oh, did she crush it with Repeat! I loved every page. Witty, swoony, sexy romance weaved in a mystery that will have you hooked. This one goes to the top of my 2019 favorite reads." —A.L. Jackson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author "This book. You need this book. Repeat is everything I wanted in a romance. I was not expecting the delicious intensity, the amazing heroine, the delicious hero, and the banter only Kylie Scott can write. This book is pure magic." —L.J. Shen, USA Today bestselling Author "Kylie Scott's vivid characters, amazing writing, and a plot to keep you glued to the pages makes Repeat a must read!" —Donna Grant, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author "Repeat is a totally intriguing and captivating story. I loved every word!! This was such a unique story about forgiveness and second chances. You will be sucked in right from the first page." –Jennifer, Book Bitches Blog “Sexy, sweet, and suspenseful, Repeat is everything I expected it to be and so much more! A top read of 2019!” —KL Grayson, USA Today bestselling author "Repeat is an outstanding imaginatively and sexy read that had me spellbound! Kylie Scott clearly outdid herself with her twist on a second chance romance." —Heather, Audio Loves "The perfect mix of comedy, suspense, and be still my swooning heart! Repeat is unique, addictive, and oh so hot!" —Monica James, International Bestselling Author "It's breathtaking watching these two deal with their issues and fall in love all over again." –Verna Loves Books
Forget You
Author: Jennifer Echols
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1471118045
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 260
Book Description
A sexy romance that fans of Simone Elkeles and Jamie McGuire will fall in love with… There's a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked-up his twenty-four-year-old girlfriend. Like her mom's nervous breakdown. Like Doug, the darkly handsome bad boy, who taunts her at school… Worried that her life is becoming a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, by making sure that she's perfect - the perfect daughter, the perfect student and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player, Brandon. But then Zoey is in a car crash and can't remember anything about the night it happened. She should have been with Brandon, but he doesn't seem to know anything about the accident - and, more confusingly, doesn't seem to care. Only Doug, who saved her from the wreckage, has the answers Zoey so desperately needs, but he's the last person she wants to rely on, especially as he's acting like something happened between them that night. Which can't be true, can it? But with her thoughts full of Doug and strangely empty of Brandon, Zoey starts to question her feelings for the two boys and whether being perfect is more important than following your heart.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1471118045
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 260
Book Description
A sexy romance that fans of Simone Elkeles and Jamie McGuire will fall in love with… There's a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked-up his twenty-four-year-old girlfriend. Like her mom's nervous breakdown. Like Doug, the darkly handsome bad boy, who taunts her at school… Worried that her life is becoming a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, by making sure that she's perfect - the perfect daughter, the perfect student and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player, Brandon. But then Zoey is in a car crash and can't remember anything about the night it happened. She should have been with Brandon, but he doesn't seem to know anything about the accident - and, more confusingly, doesn't seem to care. Only Doug, who saved her from the wreckage, has the answers Zoey so desperately needs, but he's the last person she wants to rely on, especially as he's acting like something happened between them that night. Which can't be true, can it? But with her thoughts full of Doug and strangely empty of Brandon, Zoey starts to question her feelings for the two boys and whether being perfect is more important than following your heart.
Forever Today
Author: Deborah Wearing
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1446488136
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 404
Book Description
Clive Wearing has one of the most extreme cases of amnesia ever known. In 1985, a virus completely destroyed a part of his brain essential for memory, leaving him trapped in a limbo of the constant present. Every conscious moment is for him as if he has just come round from a long coma, an endlessly repeating loop of awakening. A brilliant conductor and BBC music producer, Clive was at the height of his success when the illness struck. As damaged as Clive was, the musical part of his brain seemed unaffected, as was his passionate love for Deborah, his wife. For seven years he was kept in the London hospital where the ambulance first dropped him off, because there was nowhere else for him to go. Deborah desperately searched for treatments and campaigned for better care. After Clive was finally established in a new special hospital, she fled to America to start her life over again. But she found she could never love another the way she loved Clive. Then Clive's memory unaccountably began to improve, ten years after the illness first struck. She returned to England. Today, although Clive still lives in care, and still has the worst case of amnesia in the world, he continues to improve. They renewed their marriage vows in 2002. This is the story of a life lived outside time, a story that questions and redefines the essence of what it means to be human. It is also the story of a marriage, of a bond that runs deeper than conscious thought.
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1446488136
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 404
Book Description
Clive Wearing has one of the most extreme cases of amnesia ever known. In 1985, a virus completely destroyed a part of his brain essential for memory, leaving him trapped in a limbo of the constant present. Every conscious moment is for him as if he has just come round from a long coma, an endlessly repeating loop of awakening. A brilliant conductor and BBC music producer, Clive was at the height of his success when the illness struck. As damaged as Clive was, the musical part of his brain seemed unaffected, as was his passionate love for Deborah, his wife. For seven years he was kept in the London hospital where the ambulance first dropped him off, because there was nowhere else for him to go. Deborah desperately searched for treatments and campaigned for better care. After Clive was finally established in a new special hospital, she fled to America to start her life over again. But she found she could never love another the way she loved Clive. Then Clive's memory unaccountably began to improve, ten years after the illness first struck. She returned to England. Today, although Clive still lives in care, and still has the worst case of amnesia in the world, he continues to improve. They renewed their marriage vows in 2002. This is the story of a life lived outside time, a story that questions and redefines the essence of what it means to be human. It is also the story of a marriage, of a bond that runs deeper than conscious thought.
Love Water Memory
Author: Jennie Shortridge
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451684851
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 352
Book Description
A bittersweet masterpiece filled with longing and hope, Jennie Shortridge’s emotional novel explores the raw, tender complexities of relationships and personal identity. Who is Lucie Walker? Even Lucie herself can’t answer that question after she comes to, confused and up to her knees in the chilly San Francisco Bay. Back home in Seattle, she adjusts to life with amnesia, growing unsettled by the clues she finds to the selfish, carefully guarded person she used to be. Will she ever fall in love with her handsome, kindhearted fiancé, Grady? Can he devote himself to the vulnerable, easygoing Lucie 2.0, who is so unlike her controlling former self? When Lucie learns that Grady has been hiding some very painful secrets that could change the course of their relationship, she musters the courage to search for the shocking, long-repressed childhood memories that will finally set her free.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451684851
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 352
Book Description
A bittersweet masterpiece filled with longing and hope, Jennie Shortridge’s emotional novel explores the raw, tender complexities of relationships and personal identity. Who is Lucie Walker? Even Lucie herself can’t answer that question after she comes to, confused and up to her knees in the chilly San Francisco Bay. Back home in Seattle, she adjusts to life with amnesia, growing unsettled by the clues she finds to the selfish, carefully guarded person she used to be. Will she ever fall in love with her handsome, kindhearted fiancé, Grady? Can he devote himself to the vulnerable, easygoing Lucie 2.0, who is so unlike her controlling former self? When Lucie learns that Grady has been hiding some very painful secrets that could change the course of their relationship, she musters the courage to search for the shocking, long-repressed childhood memories that will finally set her free.
A Cowboy to Remember
Author: Rebekah Weatherspoon
Publisher: Dafina Books
ISBN: 1496725433
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 278
Book Description
An Oprah Magazine Best Romance Novel of 2020 In this brand-new series from award-winning author Rebekah Weatherspoon, a charming cowboy and his sleeping beauty find their modern-day happily ever after . . . With a headline spot on a hit morning show and truly mouth-watering culinary skills, chef Evie Buchanan is perched on the edge of stardom. But at an industry party, a fall lands Evie in the hospital—with no memory of who she is. Scrambling to help, Evie’s assistant contacts the only “family” Evie has left, close friends who run the luxury dude ranch in California where Evie grew up. Evie has no recollection of them—until former rodeo champion Zach Pleasant walks into her hospital room, and she realizes his handsome face has been haunting her dreams . . . Zach hasn’t seen Evie in years—not since their families conducted a campaign to make sure their childhood friendship never turned into anything more. When the young cowboy refused to admit the feelings between them were real, Evie left California, making it clear she never wanted to see Zach again. Now he refuses to make the same mistake twice. Starting fresh is a risk when they have a history she can’t recall, but Zach can’t bear to let go of her now. Can he awaken the sleeping beauty inside her who might still love him?
Publisher: Dafina Books
ISBN: 1496725433
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 278
Book Description
An Oprah Magazine Best Romance Novel of 2020 In this brand-new series from award-winning author Rebekah Weatherspoon, a charming cowboy and his sleeping beauty find their modern-day happily ever after . . . With a headline spot on a hit morning show and truly mouth-watering culinary skills, chef Evie Buchanan is perched on the edge of stardom. But at an industry party, a fall lands Evie in the hospital—with no memory of who she is. Scrambling to help, Evie’s assistant contacts the only “family” Evie has left, close friends who run the luxury dude ranch in California where Evie grew up. Evie has no recollection of them—until former rodeo champion Zach Pleasant walks into her hospital room, and she realizes his handsome face has been haunting her dreams . . . Zach hasn’t seen Evie in years—not since their families conducted a campaign to make sure their childhood friendship never turned into anything more. When the young cowboy refused to admit the feelings between them were real, Evie left California, making it clear she never wanted to see Zach again. Now he refuses to make the same mistake twice. Starting fresh is a risk when they have a history she can’t recall, but Zach can’t bear to let go of her now. Can he awaken the sleeping beauty inside her who might still love him?
The Woman Who Pretended to Be Who She Was
Author: Wendy Doniger
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195347773
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 285
Book Description
Many cultures have myths about self-imitation, stories about people who pretend to be someone else pretending to be them, in effect masquerading as themselves. This great theme, in literature and in life, tells us that people put on masks to discover who they really are under the masks they usually wear, so that the mask reveals rather than conceals the self beneath the self. In this book, noted scholar of Hinduism and mythology Wendy Doniger offers a cross-cultural exploration of the theme of self-impersonation, whose widespread occurrence argues for both its literary power and its human value. The stories she considers range from ancient Indian literature through medieval European courtly literature and Shakespeare to Hollywood and Bollywood. They illuminate a basic human way of negotiating reality, illusion, identity, and authenticity, not to mention memory, amnesia, and the process of aging. Many of them involve marriage and adultery, for tales of sexual betrayal cut to the heart of the crisis of identity. These stories are extreme examples of what we common folk do, unconsciously, every day. Few of us actually put on masks that replicate our faces, but it is not uncommon for us to become travesties of ourselves, particularly as we age and change. We often slip carelessly across the permeable boundary between the un-self-conscious self-indulgence of our most idiosyncratic mannerisms and the conscious attempt to give the people who know us, personally or publicly, the version of ourselves that they expect. Myths of self-imitation open up for us the possibility of multiple selves and the infinite regress of self-discovery. Drawing on a dizzying array of tales-some fact, some fiction-The Woman Who Pretended to Be Who She Was is a fascinating and learned trip through centuries of culture, guided by a scholar of incomparable wit and erudition.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195347773
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 285
Book Description
Many cultures have myths about self-imitation, stories about people who pretend to be someone else pretending to be them, in effect masquerading as themselves. This great theme, in literature and in life, tells us that people put on masks to discover who they really are under the masks they usually wear, so that the mask reveals rather than conceals the self beneath the self. In this book, noted scholar of Hinduism and mythology Wendy Doniger offers a cross-cultural exploration of the theme of self-impersonation, whose widespread occurrence argues for both its literary power and its human value. The stories she considers range from ancient Indian literature through medieval European courtly literature and Shakespeare to Hollywood and Bollywood. They illuminate a basic human way of negotiating reality, illusion, identity, and authenticity, not to mention memory, amnesia, and the process of aging. Many of them involve marriage and adultery, for tales of sexual betrayal cut to the heart of the crisis of identity. These stories are extreme examples of what we common folk do, unconsciously, every day. Few of us actually put on masks that replicate our faces, but it is not uncommon for us to become travesties of ourselves, particularly as we age and change. We often slip carelessly across the permeable boundary between the un-self-conscious self-indulgence of our most idiosyncratic mannerisms and the conscious attempt to give the people who know us, personally or publicly, the version of ourselves that they expect. Myths of self-imitation open up for us the possibility of multiple selves and the infinite regress of self-discovery. Drawing on a dizzying array of tales-some fact, some fiction-The Woman Who Pretended to Be Who She Was is a fascinating and learned trip through centuries of culture, guided by a scholar of incomparable wit and erudition.