Record of an Ancient Mirror

Record of an Ancient Mirror PDF Author: Jue Chen
Publisher: Harrassowitz
ISBN:
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
Jue Chen's "Record of an Ancient Mirror" is a study on the "Gujing ji", one of the few extant texts of the early Tang dynasty (618-907) "chuanqi" fiction. It presents concrete research on the textual history and close reading of the work, against the background of detailed informational material regarding the historical careers of Wang Du and Wang Ji, as well as the intellectual context of Sui-Tang politics, philosophy, and religion. Based on that, Chen's analysis illuminates a broad range of fields: art history and the lore of medieval Buddhism and Daoism; the spiritual geography of China's "sacred mountains"; ancient Chinese medicine and occult arts; and other related topics. Like the text on which it is based, this study deals with a wide variety of seemingly disjointed elements. Yet they all come together in a comprehensive view of the workings of Tang "tales of the strange", and traditional Chinese fictional and historical narrative in general, with their frequent adumbration of historical and religious implications beyond the specific episodes presented.

Record of an Ancient Mirror

Record of an Ancient Mirror PDF Author: Jue Chen
Publisher: Harrassowitz
ISBN:
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 236

Get Book Here

Book Description
Jue Chen's "Record of an Ancient Mirror" is a study on the "Gujing ji", one of the few extant texts of the early Tang dynasty (618-907) "chuanqi" fiction. It presents concrete research on the textual history and close reading of the work, against the background of detailed informational material regarding the historical careers of Wang Du and Wang Ji, as well as the intellectual context of Sui-Tang politics, philosophy, and religion. Based on that, Chen's analysis illuminates a broad range of fields: art history and the lore of medieval Buddhism and Daoism; the spiritual geography of China's "sacred mountains"; ancient Chinese medicine and occult arts; and other related topics. Like the text on which it is based, this study deals with a wide variety of seemingly disjointed elements. Yet they all come together in a comprehensive view of the workings of Tang "tales of the strange", and traditional Chinese fictional and historical narrative in general, with their frequent adumbration of historical and religious implications beyond the specific episodes presented.

A Different Mirror

A Different Mirror PDF Author: Ronald Takaki
Publisher: eBookIt.com
ISBN: 1456611062
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 787

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Book Description
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.

A Translucent Mirror

A Translucent Mirror PDF Author: Pamela Kyle Crossley
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520234243
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 423

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Book Description
A Translucent Mirror explores the origins of nationalism and cultural identity in China, revealing how the Qing dynasty incorporated neighbouring but disparate political traditions into a new style of imperialism.

History and Fiction in the Gujing Ji (Record of an Ancient Mirror)

History and Fiction in the Gujing Ji (Record of an Ancient Mirror) PDF Author: Chen (Jue.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 37

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Book Description


The Mirror of Magic

The Mirror of Magic PDF Author: Kurt Seligmann
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1620557916
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 715

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Book Description
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.

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror PDF Author: Mark Pendergrast
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0786729902
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 452

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Book Description
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 Cloudy Mirror

The Cloudy Mirror PDF Author: Stephen W. Durrant
Publisher: SUNY Press
ISBN: 9780791426555
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
Sima Qian's writings have influenced the Chinese for over 2,000 years and still serve as a fiscal source of historical information about China.

The Mirror

The Mirror PDF Author: Sabine Melchoir-Bonnet
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 113668753X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
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.

Martyrs Mirror

Martyrs Mirror PDF Author: David Weaver-Zercher
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421418827
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 434

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Book Description
Cover -- Half-Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- PART I: The Prehistory and Production of The Bloody Theater -- CHAPTER 1. Anabaptism: Origins, Spread, and Persecution -- CHAPTER 2. Memorializing Martyrdom before The Bloody Theater -- CHAPTER 3. Thieleman van Braght and the Publication of The Bloody Theater -- CHAPTER 4. The Bloody Theater: Martyr Stories and More -- PART II: Van Braght's Martyrology through the Years -- CHAPTER 5. The Bloody Theater Illustrated: The 1685 Martyrs Mirror -- CHAPTER 6. A North American Edition: The 1748-49 Ephrata Martyrs Mirror

The Mirror Thief

The Mirror Thief PDF Author: Martin Seay
Publisher: Melville House
ISBN: 1612195156
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 592

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Book Description
A globetrotting, time-bending, wildly entertaining masterpiece hailed by the New York Times Book Review as "Audaciously well written...the book I was raving about to my friends before I'd even finished it." Publishers Weekly raved that "with near-universal appeal . . . Seay’s debut novel is a true delight, a big, beautiful cabinet of wonders that is by turns an ominous modern thriller, a supernatural mystery, and an enchanting historical adventure story." Set in three cities in three eras, The Mirror Thief calls to mind David Mitchell and Umberto Eco in its mix of entertainment and literary bravado. The core story is set in Venice in the sixteenth century, when the famed makers of Venetian glass were perfecting one of the old world's most wondrous inventions: the mirror. An object of glittering yet fearful fascination—was it reflecting simple reality, or something more spiritually revealing?—the Venetian mirrors were state of the art technology, and subject to industrial espionage by desirous sultans and royals world-wide. But for any of the development team to leave the island was a crime punishable by death. One man, however—a world-weary war hero with nothing to lose—has a scheme he thinks will allow him to outwit the city's terrifying enforcers of the edict, the ominous Council of Ten . . . Meanwhile, in two other Venices—Venice Beach, California, circa 1958, and the Venice casino in Las Vegas, circa today—two other schemers launch similarly dangerous plans to get away with a secret . . . All three stories will weave together into a spell-binding tour-de-force that is impossible to put down—an old-fashioned, stay-up-all-night novel that, in the end, returns the reader to a stunning conclusion in the original Venice . . . and the bedazzled sense of having read a truly original and thrilling work of art.