Initially shunned by many in the Christian community when it made its television debut almost twenty years ago, after four hundred (and counting) episodes, and a feature-length film, few can deny that The Simpsons exhibits an astute understanding of Christianity in American culture. Its critiques of that culture are worth studying in detail. Jamey Heit's The Springfield Reformation investigates how The Simpsons blends important elements of contemporary American religious culture with a clear critique of the institutions and individuals that participate in and uphold...
Initially shunned by many in the Christian community when it made its television debut almost twenty years ago, after four hundred (and counting) e...
What is evil? How do we understand it in our culture? The thirteen essays in this critical volume explore the different ways in which evil is portrayed in popular culture, particularly film and novels. Iconic figures of evil are considered, as is the repeated use of classic themes within our intellectual tradition. Topics covered include serial killers in film, the Twilight series, the Harry Potter series, Star Wars, and more. Collectively, these essays suggest how vital the notion of evil is to our culture, which in turn suggest a need to reflect on what it means to value what is good.
What is evil? How do we understand it in our culture? The thirteen essays in this critical volume explore the different ways in which evil is portraye...
From 1985 to 1995, the syndicated comic strip Calvin and Hobbes followed the antics of a precocious six-year-old boy and his sardonic stuffed tiger. At the height of its popularity, the strip ran in more than 2,400 newspapers and generated a fan base that continues to run in the millions. This critical analysis of Calvin and Hobbes explores Calvin's world as an intertextual space, revealing a deep reservoir of meanings. Close readings of individual strips highlight the profundity of Calvin's world with respect to a number of life's big questions, including what an individual values,...
From 1985 to 1995, the syndicated comic strip Calvin and Hobbes followed the antics of a precocious six-year-old boy and his sardonic stuffed tiger. A...
Synopsis: When Jesus offers his body as a promise to his disciples, he initiates a liturgical framework that is driven by irony and betrayal. Through these deconstructive elements, however, the promise invites the disciples into an intimate space where they anticipate the fulfillment of what is to come. This anticipatory energy provides the common thread between Donne and Dickinson, who draw specifically on the unstable story that unfolds during the Last Supper in order to develop a liturgical poetics. By tracing the implications of the body as a textual presence, Liturgical Liaisons opens...
Synopsis: When Jesus offers his body as a promise to his disciples, he initiates a liturgical framework that is driven by irony and betrayal. Through ...
Moves and counter moves. The Hunger Games series follows the birth of a rebellion that takes on the Capitol's overbearing power. As we read about Katniss's journey from protecting her sister to embodying the hope of those long oppressed, political themes surface again and again. What does it mean to be a responsible political figure when living in a prison state? Who is the most effective political leader in the rebels' midst? This book explores these questions and others as it examines the ways that The Hunger Games series mirrors some of America's political questions. Is President Coin any...
Moves and counter moves. The Hunger Games series follows the birth of a rebellion that takes on the Capitol's overbearing power. As we read about Katn...
"When Jesus offers his body as a promise to his disciples, he initiates a liturgical framework that is driven by irony and betrayal. Through these deconstructive elements, however, the promise invites the disciples into an intimate space where they anticipate the fulfilment of what is to come. The Last Supper, symbol of unfinished life and sacrifice, becomes the common thread between John Donne and Emily Dickinson, whose poetics acquire liturgical - and therefore eschatological - features, and body and text become the same. By tracing the displacing and yet co-ordinating theme of the body...
"When Jesus offers his body as a promise to his disciples, he initiates a liturgical framework that is driven by irony and betrayal. Through these dec...
