Lost in the Elysian Fields, Volume I

Lost in the Elysian Fields, Volume I
Author: Craig Bell
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 578
Release: 2002-07-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1469122006

This opening novel of a projected tetralogy called The Masters of Destiny examines the recurrent American conundrum, the issue of race. At the core stands two families related first by ownership and then, because of the infidelity of a plantation master, by blood, - establishing on a familial level an anguished, disorderly, and insoluble relationship paralleling the great forces of the historical. Fully engaging a social, sexual, and even violent milieu, the story portrays the clash of opposing cultures in scenes ranging from the American South to New England and Europe. The Civil War is made vivid by the sheer terror, horror, and confusion of both civilian and soldier. The book culminates with the journey made by a plantation 'heroine' and her aged slave through the collapse of the white Southern world - and the corollary release of the black - to Washington in search of her imprisoned Confederate husband. Part social mosaic, psychological analysis, historical study, and of course romance and drama, Lost in The Elysian Fields reveals the characters' personality by their response to these epical events which either compel them into action or sweep them into oblivion.

Milton's Earthly Paradise

Milton's Earthly Paradise
Author: Joseph Ellis Duncan
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
Total Pages: 349
Release: 1972-01-01
Genre: Eden in literature
ISBN: 1452910847

Elysian Fields

Elysian Fields
Author: Mark Gregory LaFlaur
Publisher:
Total Pages: 399
Release: 2013
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780615729862

Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2013. * Winner of rare "double crown" of starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. * Publishers Weekly Featured Fiction selection. Simpson Weems is a 36-year-old aspiring poet whose life has been on hold -- to the breaking point. All he needs to fulfill his potential is to move to San Francisco, but he's torn between his long-held dream of being a great artist and obligations to his aged, ailing mother and his emotionally volatile brother, the all-demanding Bartholomew. Will someone in his family have to die before he can get to California? And how might that be arranged?Written "on location" in New Orleans and set shortly before Hurricane Katrina, Elysian Fields combines menace, the comic strangeness of Flannery O'Connor, and hints of magical realism to convey vivid, original characters and a Crescent City that is both recognizable and more offbeat and seductive than visitors usually see.PRAISE FOR "ELYSIAN FIELDS""A wholly involving story with Faulknerian characters in a fully realized setting. [A] tale of brotherly love and menace. . . . LaFlaur's descriptive talent shines. Fertile imagery drips like Spanish moss: the old buildings collapsing, 'as though the humidity-sodden bricks were returning to mud,' while 'cloud stacks glowed like the battlements of heaven.' [Main character] Simpson's mental landscape is equally vivid, drawn with such empathy and depth that readers will forgive his perpetual indecision and may even root for him to carry out the removal of his near-deranged brother." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"[R]eaders will find the author's portrayal of New Orleans convincing and his characters fascinating and fully developed. . . . Life in the Weems family of 1999 New Orleans is anything but Elysian in this engrossing Southern Gothic snapshot." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)"A stunning debut . . . shades of Tennessee Williams, Faulkner and John Kennedy Toole. . . . LaFlaur gently and expertly pulls readers along with his characters, never flinching in the face of their foibles . . ." --Antigravity magazine (New Orleans)"[A] wonderful debut novel, a southern gothic that is at times comedic, at times heartbreaking . . . In places Elysian Fields is as heavy as summer air in New Orleans, but it most definitely has a sense of humor. . . . [A]n impressive debut that will leave readers looking forward to LaFlaur's next offering." --Self-Publishing Review

Getting Off at Elysian Fields

Getting Off at Elysian Fields
Author: John Pope
Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi
Total Pages: 484
Release: 2015-10-19
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1496803760

No city in America knows how to mark death with more funerary panache than New Orleans. The pageants commemorating departed citizens are often in themselves works of performance art. A grand obituary remains key to this Stygian passage. And no one writes them like New Orleanian John Pope. Collected here are not just simple, mindless recitations of schools and workplaces, marriages, and mourners bereft. These pieces in Getting Off at Elysian Fields: Obituaries from the New Orleans “Times-Picayune” are full-blooded life stories with accounts of great achievements, dubious dabblings, unavoidable foibles, relationships gone sour, and happenstances that turn out to be life-changing. To be sure, there are stories about Carnival monarchs, great philanthropists, and a few politicians. But because New Orleans embraces eccentric behavior, there are stories of people who colored way outside the lines. For instance, there was the doctor who used his plasma to make his flowers grow, and the philanthropist who took money she had put aside for a fur coat to underwrite the lawsuit that desegregated Tulane University. A letter carrier everyone loved turned out to have been a spy during World War II, and a fledgling lawyer changed his lifelong thoughts about race when he saw blind people going into a Christmas party through separate doors—one for white people and another for African Americans. Then there was the punctilious judge who got down on his hands and knees to edge his lawn—with scissors. Because New Orleans funerals are distinctive, the author includes accounts of four that he covered, complete with soulful singing and even some dancing. As a popular, local bumper sticker indisputably declares, “New Orleans—We Put the Fun in Funeral.”

Unmasked: Poetry of Self Expression

Unmasked: Poetry of Self Expression
Author: Paul Kachoris
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 303
Release: 2012-01-08
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 1300086459

Paul J. Kachoris has given poetic voice to his deeply felt feelings, thoughts and dreams. His poetry is always inspired by the impact of significant events in his life. Paul has chronologically placed each of his poems under one of nine facets.

Lost Gardens of the World

Lost Gardens of the World
Author: Sandra Lawrence
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2024-10-01
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1836003870

A romantic illustrated journey through forty captivating gardens lost to time. All over the world, once-flourishing horticultural spaces have been abandoned and forgotten. From the once-crumbling grandeur of the Villa d’Este and the magic of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, to the sculptural surrealism of Las Pozas and the colourful rebirth of Le Jardin Majorelle, there are countless gardens around the world with fascinating stories to tell. Author and journalist Sandra Lawrence takes readers on a tour of 40 horticultural gems from around the world that have been lost either through neglect, abandonment or destruction. Many have been consigned to history, never to be seen again, while others have been revived and restored by the care and dedication of new owners and communities. These marvels of horticulture take many forms: stately homes, floating allotments, roof gardens and more. But all of them have one thing in common: the romance of paradise lost. Featuring commissioned illustrations of each garden by renowned artist Lucille Clerc, this book is a celebration of our love of nature, and the importance of keeping these oases of green alive and well – if not in reality, then at least on the page. These charming gardens are brought back to life, including: The Lost Gardens of Heligan, England Las Pozas, Mexico Le Jardin Majorelle, Morocco The Garden of Dreams, Nepal Villa d’Este, Italy Paleis Het Loo, Netherlands Crowninshield Garden, USA Discover the remarkable stories behind the creation, decline and occasional rebirth of these astonishing spaces, and meet the people and societies that first created and enjoyed them. The perfect gift for garden lovers, armchair travellers and cultural enthusiasts.

A Streetcar Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire
Author: Tennessee Williams
Publisher: Dramatists Play Service Inc
Total Pages: 118
Release: 1953
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 9780822210894

THE STORY: The play reveals to the very depths the character of Blanche du Bois, a woman whose life has been undermined by her romantic illusions, which lead her to reject--so far as possible--the realities of life with which she is faced and which s

The Facts On File Dictionary of Classical and Biblical Allusions

The Facts On File Dictionary of Classical and Biblical Allusions
Author: Martin H. Manser
Publisher: Infobase Publishing
Total Pages: 465
Release: 2003
Genre: Allusions
ISBN: 0816048681

This indispensable work is a comprehensive resource offering abundant information that students and general readers of all ages will find clear and to the point. A useful companion to The Facts On File Dictionary of Cultural and Historical Allusions explains the meanings and origins of allusions from the Bible and classical mythology, including Greek, Roman, Norse, Celtic, and Egyptian. It features approximately 2,000 entries, from Abelard and Heloise to Zeus. It covers biblical and mythological figures (Narcissus, Athena, Daniel), places (Mount Olympus, Gesthemane, Elysian Fields), key concepts (doomsday, utopia), and other references with biblical and mythological origins (judgment of Solomon, salt of the earth, patience of Job, labors of Hercules). It also includes a pronunciation key for difficult words or terms; examples of usage; and extensive cross-references.