Productions Of Time

Science fiction-roman.

Myth criticism flourished in the mid-twentieth century under the powerful influence of Canadian thinker Northrop Frye. It asserted the need to identify common, unifying patterns in literature, arts, and religion. Although it was eclipsed by postmodern theories that asserted difference and conflict, those theories proved incapable of inspiring solidarity or guiding social action. The Productions of Time argues for a return to myth criticism in order to refine and extend its vision. With the aim of rehabilitating myth criticism for our time, Michael Dolzani sketches an anatomy of the imagination as demonstrated in the total body of its productions, including literature, mythology, the arts, popular culture, and religious and political texts. Dolzani situates a vast panoply of images, character types, plot structures, themes, and genres to better understand their purposes, their recurrences across broad spans of history, and their interrelations. Illustrating the relationship between mythology and history, The Productions of Time proposes a symbolic language as a way of enabling dialogue across ideological and individual differences. Arguing for the ethical and intellectual necessity of conceiving a unifying pattern that transcends differences, The Productions of Time demonstrates that imagination is part of the human inheritance, common to all, not just to poets and mystics.

A down-on-his-luck actor finds himself directed toward self-sabotage in this science fiction thriller from the award-winning author of Stand on Zanzibar. In The Productions of Time, Murray Douglas has beaten his alcohol addiction, needs a new acting job and can't be choosy. Then he ends up in an isolated country estate with every move being recorded by what appear to be alien instruments, every deviant desire and weakness constantly prodded and encouraged and self-destruction the order of the day, every day. What is the goal of the production? Who (or what) will ever see the show? Will he (or anyone) survive the ordeal? The show must go on . . . “One of the most important science fiction authors. Brunner held a mirror up to reflect our foibles because he wanted to save us from ourselves.” —SF Site

Challenging the idea that a writer’s work reflects his experiences in time and place, Andrew M. Cooper locates the action of William Blake’s major illuminated books in the ahistorical present, an impersonal spirit realm beyond the three-dimensional self. Blake, Cooper shows, was a formalist who exploited eighteenth-century scientific and philosophical research on vision, sense, and mind for spiritual purposes. Through irony, dialogism, two-way syntax, and synesthesia, Blake extended and refined the prophetic method Milton forged in Paradise Lost to bring the performativity of traditional oral song and storytelling into print. Cooper argues that historicist attempts to place Blake’s vision in perspective, as opposed to seeing it for oneself, involve a deeply self-contradictory denial of his performativity as a poet-artist. Rather, Blake’s expansion of linear reading into a space of creative, self-conscious collaboration laid the basis for his lifelong critique of dualism in religion and science, and anticipated the non-Euclidean geometrics of twentieth-century Modernism.

Until he became an alcoholic, Murray Douglas was one of Britain's leading actors. Now, after treatment, he's ready to resume his career, but his first come-back part isn't exactly what he thought it would be. The idea was to create an avant-garde play where the actors made up the script as they rehearsed. Unusual but hardly frightening. What was frightening was the rest of the cast. Like Murray, they all had some kind of craving. And each of them was given access to whatever had addicted them. It was doubtful if the play would ever entertain the public. But it seemed to entertain the director . . . (First published 1967)

The universalist view that acquisition of phonology is guided by universal principles has been the dominant position for decades. More recently, an alternative view has brought into focus the relationship between developmental markedness and language-specific input frequencies. With entirely original chapters on non-ambient-like productions by typically and atypically developing children, and second language learners, Unusual Productions in Phonology delves deeply into these competing explanations to show that patterns observed do not uniquely lend themselves to one or the other explanations. Rather, they point towards the need for both universal markedness and statistical input considerations in any attempted explanation. Containing contributions from leading researchers from around the world, this impressive collection is a must-have resource for any researcher, practitioner, or advanced student specializing in phonology, cognitive psychology, applied linguistics, and communication disorders.

"A thrilling sea-faring fantasy packed with swords, magic, inhuman foes, and endearing heroes." -BookLife (by Publishers Weekly) Captain Murdoch has the chance of a lifetime in his grasp…or is it just a fool’s errand? Zale “the Gale” Murdoch, one of the greatest seafaring merchants in the kingdom of Tuscawny, is at the top of his game. No one has reached the guild’s grandmaster status in generations, and he’s but one job away, with his biggest rival right on his heels. When a mysterious stranger approaches him with information that will seemingly ensure his success, Zale is tempted. The mission: to retrieve the Grimstone, a mythical artifact obscured by the shadows of history and religious folklore…an object of immeasurable value…if it’s real. The journey to find out could cost him more than his reputation and a leisurely retirement. He’ll have to battle dark magic on a perilous voyage to the hostile land where the Grimstone is reportedly hidden…a land very few sailors return from alive. Starlina Murdoch, Zale’s estranged daughter, wants nothing to do with the sea. But Jensen, the boy she loves, is a member of her father’s crew and determined to make a career as a sailor. As she becomes unexpectedly entangled with her father’s voyage, she must find her bearings amongst the crew and decide for herself where her dreams truly lead. Join Zale, Starlina, and the rest of the crew on an epic adventure of daring, danger, and magic! This is just the first installment of the “Heroes of Time” series, and you won’t want to miss the rest! Get it now! "Unique magic system...pirate and heist theme.... It's Mistborn on a boat." -Alex McHaddad, News Director at EOAlive.TV

Immersed in the vivid sensory details of a woman's everyday life, Martha Heyneman ponders the great questions of our place in the universe and our purpose here on the earth.