The Bird in the Bush presents an idealistic account of the way in which our world is constituted. We encounter the world as a system of ideas because our consciousness cannot get out of the body and encounter it directly. This book suggests that the world is basically nothing other than ideas and that our consciousness has existed within it for aeons. This gives rise to an explanation of creation and explanations for many (if not all) of the enigmas of human experience and behaviour.

Mise-en-scene: Film Style and Interpretation explores and elucidates constructions of this fundamental concept in thinking about film. In uncovering the history of mise-en-scene within film criticism, and through the detailed exploration of scenes from films as Imitation of Life and Lone Star, John Gibbs makes the case for the importance of a sensitive understanding of film style, and provides an introduction to the skills of close reading. This book thus celebrates film-making as well as film criticism that is alive to the creative possibilities of visual style.