Author: Richard Stivers
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 9780826413673
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 260
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Book Description
What gives the mass media, particularly advertising and television, their extraordinary power over our lives, so that even the most jaded and sophisticated among us are troubled and fascinated by their allure? The secret, according to Richard Stivers, in this brilliant new book, lies in the curious relationship between technology and magic. Stivers argues the two are now related to one another in such a way that each has taken on important characteristics of the other. His contention is that our expectations for technology have become magical to the point that they have generated a multitude of imitation technologies that function as magical practices. These imitation technologies flourish in the fields of psychology, management administration, and the mass media, and their paramount purpose in human adjustment and control. Advertising and television programs, in particular, contain the key magical rituals of our civilization.In a fascinating analysis of television programming, Stivers shows how various genres--news, sports, game shows, soap operas, sitcoms, etc.--have their distinct mythological symbols. Through dramatized information, they symbolically connect consumer goods and services to desired outcomes--the utopian goals of success, happiness, and health--thus enveloping technology, both real and imitation, in a magical cocoon.
Author: Dennis R. Wier
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1888428392
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 223
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Book Description
This book describes a new model for trance as well as practical techniques to analyse and design trances. Writing from his personal experience, Wier suggests that some of these ideas might represent new practical precision tools for psychologists as well as for those who work with the occult. Practical suggestions for meditators, yogis, witches and others are included to deepen trance and to increase the trance force as well as techniques to terminate a trance. Pathological trance and trance abuse are also described with suggestions on how they may be recognized and prevented.
Author: Arthur C. Clarke
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 0575121823
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 190
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Book Description
An inquiry into the limits of the possible. Our problems on Jupiter, Mercury, Venus - conquering Time - transport in the future - overcoming gravity - communications across space - benevolent electronic brains. The range of this enthralling book is immense: from the re-making of the human mind to the vast reaches of the universe. Newly revised, even the remarkable events of the last decade have affected few of the exciting speculations by Arthur C. Clarke - a scientist whose expert and wide knowledge is matched only by his brilliant imagination.
Author: Kat Howard
Publisher: Vertigo
ISBN: 1779512414
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 248
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Book Description
John Constantine is back-and, unfortunately for Tim Hunter, he’s convinced the only way the human race can survive is if Tim is taken off the board. But from where Tim’s standing, he’s the only one with the power to save us all. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? And is there room in London for the both of them? That’s just the start of Tim’s troubles-because his evil doppelgänger has been unleashed on the world! Collects Books of Magic #14-23.
Author: Erik Davis
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
ISBN: 1583949305
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 457
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Book Description
TechGnosis is a cult classic of media studies that straddles the line between academic discourse and popular culture; it appeals to both those secular and spiritual, to fans of cyberpunk and hacker literature and culture as much as new-thought adherents and spiritual seekers How does our fascination with technology intersect with the religious imagination? In TechGnosis—a cult classic now updated and reissued with a new afterword—Erik Davis argues that while the realms of the digital and the spiritual may seem worlds apart, esoteric and religious impulses have in fact always permeated (and sometimes inspired) technological communication. Davis uncovers startling connections between such seemingly disparate topics as electricity and alchemy; online roleplaying games and religious and occult practices; virtual reality and gnostic mythology; programming languages and Kabbalah. The final chapters address the apocalyptic dreams that haunt technology, providing vital historical context as well as new ways to think about a future defined by the mutant intermingling of mind and machine, nightmare and fantasy.
Author: Tanya Huff
Publisher: Titan Books
ISBN: 1781169594
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 599
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Book Description
“A seamless mix of steampunk, epic fantasy, and paranormal romance.” Publishers Weekly The ancient mountain kingdom of Aydori is governed by were Packs and their mage spouses, while the nearby Kresentian Empire is ruled by a power-hungry emperor, prejudiced against magic in all its forms. When a prophecy warns that the empire may be destroyed by an unborn were-mage child, the imperious emperor invades Aydori and kidnaps a group of top-level mages, including the Pack leader's wife. With the Pack defending the border, it falls to Mirian Maylin, a low-level mage, and Tomas Hagen, younger brother of the Pack leader, to liberate the captives. Together they race deep into enemy territory, but with every step, the odds against their survival grow steeper... “A brilliant example of high fantasy adventure in a fully realized world.” Book Yurt “A mesmerizing fantasy novel.” Night Owl Reviews
Author: Kiyoshi Miki
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 135044992X
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 273
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Book Description
The Japanese philosopher Miki Kiyoshi opens doors to all those interested in rethinking the problem of imagination, myth, and technology. Miki Kiyoshi is one of the central figures in the Kyoto School, often spoken of as the heir of Kitaro Nishida. Born in Japan in 1897, he died in prison shortly after the end of World War II in 1945 at the age of 48. Miki's The Logic of Imagination first appeared in the journal Thought in 1937 under the themes of Myth, Institution, and Technology. The next part, Experience, was serialized in the same journal and Miki continued to work on the final part, but was never completed it due to his arrest. This translation makes this seminal work available in English for the first time. Featuring an introduction and accompanied throughout by contextual notes, it includes essential information about Miki's life and work. Miki's philosophy of the imagination anticipated later theories found first in Hannah Arendt, and then in Paul Ricoeur and most recently in Charles Taylor. The connection Miki makes of the imagination with technology anticipates ideas of the technological imagination in Don Ihde and Bernard Stiegler. Miki's thinking about the imagination illuminates our understanding of technology and how we behave in the world. This accessible, critical edition of his work does justice to one of the most unfairly underrated authors of Japanese philosophy.
Author: Brent A. Stypczynski
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476693633
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 244
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Book Description
In fantastic worlds like Gondor, Westeros, Ankh-Morpork, Waterdeep, and Hogsmeade, the societies that inhabit them play important roles in capturing the feel of their settings. Societies create characters and plots, provide space for action, and reflect history. Building vibrant and interesting societies is a core element of worldbuilding in the fantasy genres. This guide walks the reader through different aspects of societies to help construct fictional worlds with greater ease. Examples of societies built by numerous authors in the fantasy, urban/modern fantasy, and paranormal romance genres are interwoven to illustrate concepts. Throughout, this book is descriptive and suggestive rather than prescriptive, and is intended to inform as well as inspire the worldbuilder.
Author: Elizabeth E. Heilman
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135891540
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 367
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Book Description
For over a decade, the Harry Potter books have become ubiquitous early texts for children, and are also a popular choice for many adults. Indeed, an entire generation of children has now grown up in the midst of "Pottermania." But beyond the books, movies, web sites, and more, this significant cultural phenomenon also constitutes a powerful form of social text, and speaks volumes about the intersections of ideology, popular culture, and childhood. Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter provided the first sustained analyses of the iconic status of the Potter books, bringing together scholars from various disciplines to examine the impact of the series. This thoroughly revised edition includes updated essays on cultural themes and literary analysis, and its new essays analyze the full scope of the seven-book series as both pop cultural phenomenon and as a set of literary texts. Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter, Second Edition draws on a wider range of intellectual traditions to explore the texts, including moral-theological analysis, psychoanalytic perspectives, and philosophy of technology. The Harry Potter novels engage the social, cultural, and psychological preoccupations of our times, and Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter, Second Edition examines these worlds of consciousness and culture, ultimately revealing how modern anxieties and fixations are reflected in these powerful texts. ("DISCLAIMER: This book is not authorized, approved, licensed, or endorsed by J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., or anyone associated with the Harry Potter books or movies.")
Author: Howard Caygill
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000158756
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 188
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Book Description
This book analyzes the development of Walter Benjamin's concept of experience in his early writings showing that it emerges from an engagement with visual experience, and in particular the experience of colour. It represents Benjamin as primarily a thinker of the visual field.
