Discovering the Many Worlds of Literature

Discovering the Many Worlds of Literature
Author: Stuart Hirschberg
Publisher: Longman Publishing Group
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2004
Genre: Academic writing
ISBN: 9780321102126

Discovering the Many Worlds of Literature is a new literature for composition text organized by theme, with readings from four genres (essays, short fiction, poems, and dramatic works) from around the world. "The range, quality, and freshness of this text's readings astonish me..This text has the finest range of readings..that I have seen in 25 years of teaching" Dr. Will Tomory, Southwestern Michigan College. Two introductory chapters on reading and writing about literature lead into seven chapters on the theme of human development, from family and cultural ties through considerations of class, race, and ethnicity, to the spiritual dimension of human life. Each thematic chapter is preceded by a brief introduction to the theme, and each chapter concludes with "Connections," questions that help students to see connections between different works in different genres, and "Filmography," an annotated list of suggested films. Each reading is followed by a set of questions to help students analyze the text, understand the author's techniques, and develop an interpretation of the work. The text emphasizes the development of an effective argument for an interpretation of a literary work, both in the introductory chapters and in "Arguing for an Interpretation" questions at the end of each reading. The extraordinary breadth of the reading selections, and the diversity of the authors represented in the text, are unique; students will find some classic works, such as Shakespeare's "Hamlet," along with many less well known writings from authors around the globe, representing Eastern as well as Western cultures. Students will be challenged to understand the cultural context of the readings, and stimulated to provide meaningful analysis and interpretation of the texts.

Into the Looking Glass

Into the Looking Glass
Author: Sarah Clarke Stuart
Publisher: ECW Press
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2011
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1770410511

Into the Looking Glass, an analytical guide for Fringe viewers and science fiction fans in general, explores the influence of these traditions on Fringe. It also reveals how the show reflects - and sometimes critiques - the society from which it emerges. Along with many other post-9/11 television shows, Fringe has demonstrated the West's collective paranoia about foreign invaders and domestic corruption. It also lays bare the spread of radical advances in technology and urges its viewers to ponder the ethical limitations of science.

A Discovery of New Worlds

A Discovery of New Worlds
Author: Bernard de Fontenelle
Publisher: Hesperus Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012
Genre: Plurality of worlds
ISBN: 9781843913665

In this charming and witty dialogue translated by the first professional woman writer in English, a 17th century astronomer staying at the chateau of a beautiful Marchioness accompanies her into her garden at night and introduces her to the new discoveries of astronomy Although more than 300 years old, Fontenelle's dialogues in a garden over five nights are still a surprisingly painless way to learn about the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars, even though new planets were later discovered and modern science has filled out many details Fontenelle could not have known. Only the confidence with which he discusses inhabitants of the planets, the moon, and even the sun is now seen as misplaced. This is no lecture, but a conversation with the cut and thrust of intelligent argument as the Marchioness challenges each of the astronomer's assertions and requires him to explain the evidence. Fontenelle's work has been through the hands of many different translators, but Aphra Behn's translation, one of the earliest, adds the feminine wit of a leading dramatist to the work, in the first modern edition of this translation.

The Many Worlds of Albie Bright

The Many Worlds of Albie Bright
Author: Christopher Edge
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2017-05-30
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1524713589

Fun science meets humor and heart in this adventure about a boy who is searching for his mother . . . in a parallel universe. Stephen Albie Bright leads a happy, normal life. Well, as normal as it gets with two astrophysicist parents who named their son after their favorite scientists, Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein. But then Albie’s mother dies of cancer, and his world is shattered. When his father explains that she might be alive in a parallel universe, Albie knows he has to find her. So, armed with a box, a laptop, and a banana, Albie sets out to do just that. Of course, when you’re universe-hopping for the very first time, it’s difficult to find the one you want. As Albie searches, he discovers some pretty big surprises about himself and our universe(s), and stumbles upon the answers to life’s most challenging questions. A poignant, funny, and heartwarming adventure, this extraordinary novel is for anyone who has ever been curious. Praise for The Many Worlds of Albie Bright: “A big book with a big brain, big laughs, and a big, big heart.” —FRANK COTTRELL BOYCE, New York Times bestselling author of Millions and Cosmic “Hilarious and full of heart.” —PIERS TORDAY, author of The Last Wild “I’d love this book in all the worlds. Heartbreaking, heartwarming, heartstopping. Amazing.” —HOLLY SMALE, author of the award-winning Geek Girl series “Heartwarming.” —The Guardian “Proves the theory that novels about science can be enormous fun.” —The Times Children’s Book of the Week (UK) “Moving, and exploding with scientific ideas and wonder.” —The Herald (UK)

A Gap in Nature

A Gap in Nature
Author: Tim Fridtjof Flannery
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2001
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780871137975

A short description of the extinct animal along with a color drawing.

New Worlds, Ancient Texts

New Worlds, Ancient Texts
Author: Anthony Grafton
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 300
Release: 1995-03-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 0674254120

Describing an era of exploration during the Renaissance that went far beyond geographic bounds, this book shows how the evidence of the New World shook the foundations of the old, upsetting the authority of the ancient texts that had guided Europeans so far afield. What Anthony Grafton recounts is a war of ideas fought by mariners, scientists, publishers, and rulers over a period of 150 years. In colorful vignettes, published debates, and copious illustrations, we see these men and their contemporaries trying to make sense of their discoveries as they sometimes confirm, sometimes contest, and finally displace traditional notions of the world beyond Europe.

The Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

The Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
Author: Bryce Seligman Dewitt
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2015-03-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 140086805X

A novel interpretation of quantum mechanics, first proposed in brief form by Hugh Everett in 1957, forms the nucleus around which this book has developed. In his interpretation, Dr. Everett denies the existence of a separate classical realm and asserts the propriety of considering a state vector for the whole universe. Because this state vector never collapses, reality as a whole is rigorously deterministic. This reality, which is described jointly by the dynamical variables and the state vector, is not the reality customarily perceived; rather, it is a reality composed of many worlds. By virtue of the temporal development of the dynamical variables, the state vector decomposes naturally into orthogonal vectors, reflecting a continual splitting of the universe into a multitude of mutually unobservable but equally real worlds, in each of which every good measurement has yielded a definite result, and in most of which the familiar statistical quantum laws hold. The volume contains Dr. Everett's short paper from 1957, "'Relative State' Formulation of Quantum Mechanics," and a far longer exposition of his interpretation, entitled "The Theory of the Universal Wave Function," never before published. In addition, other papers by Wheeler, DeWitt, Graham, and Cooper and Van Vechten provide further discussion of the same theme. Together, they constitute virtually the entire world output of scholarly commentary on the Everett interpretation. Originally published in 1973. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

On Literary Worlds

On Literary Worlds
Author: Eric Hayot
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2012-11-29
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0199926697

On Literary Worlds develops new strategies and perspectives for understanding aesthetic worlds.

The Space Between Worlds

The Space Between Worlds
Author: Micaiah Johnson
Publisher: Del Rey
Total Pages: 351
Release: 2020-08-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0593135067

NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • An outsider who can travel between worlds discovers a secret that threatens the very fabric of the multiverse in this stunning debut, a powerful examination of identity, privilege, and belonging. WINNER OF THE COMPTON CROOK AWARD • FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AWARD • “Gorgeous writing, mind-bending world-building, razor-sharp social commentary, and a main character who demands your attention—and your allegiance.”—Rob Hart, author of The Warehouse ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—NPR, Library Journal, Book Riot Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s just one catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying—from disease, turf wars, or vendettas they couldn’t outrun. Cara’s life has been cut short on 372 worlds in total. On this dystopian Earth, however, Cara has survived. Identified as an outlier and therefore a perfect candidate for multiverse travel, Cara is plucked from the dirt of the wastelands. Now what once made her marginalized has finally become an unexpected source of power. She has a nice apartment on the lower levels of the wealthy and walled-off Wiley City. She works—and shamelessly flirts—with her enticing yet aloof handler, Dell, as the two women collect off-world data for the Eldridge Institute. She even occasionally leaves the city to visit her family in the wastes, though she struggles to feel at home in either place. So long as she can keep her head down and avoid trouble, Cara is on a sure path to citizenship and security. But trouble finds Cara when one of her eight remaining doppelgängers dies under mysterious circumstances, plunging her into a new world with an old secret. What she discovers will connect her past and her future in ways she could have never imagined—and reveal her own role in a plot that endangers not just her world but the entire multiverse. “Clever characters, surprise twists, plenty of action, and a plot that highlights social and racial inequities in astute prose.”—Library Journal (starred review)