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The Plays and Films of Bahram Beyzaie: Origins, Forms and Functions (British Institute of Persian Studies)
by Saeed TalajooyBahram Beyzaie is one of Iran's leading playwrights and auteur filmmakers. This book examines several of Beyzaie's films and plays and their preoccupation with the modalities and transformations of Iranian contemporary, historical and mythical identity from different perspectives. The chapters analyse Beyzaie's influential plays such as Arash and So Dies Pahlevan Akbar and his filmic magnum opuses such as The Crow, Bashu, the Little Stranger and Killing Mad Dogs from a range of critical perspectives including ecofeminist, sociopolitical, new-historicist, archetypal and psychoanalytical readings. They also explore Beyzaie's dialogue with filmic genres such as noir, different Iranian languages such as Gilaki, Iranian epics and ritual practices such as ta'ziyeh plays and javanmardi chivalry cults. Together, the chapters show how Beyzaie's works negotiate narratives of belonging and undermine the dominant exclusionist discourses in Iran, and how they use the resources of Iranian folk and performance traditions to comment on the position of women, children, intellectuals, and minorities in society.
Podcast or Perish: Peer Review and Knowledge Creation for the 21st Century (Bloomsbury Podcast Studies)
by Lori Beckstead Ian M. Cook Hannah McGregorPodcasting scholarship is still in its nascent stages. The use of podcasting as a tool for scholarly and intellectual inquiry is a relatively new idea, to think about the medium as an alternative outlet for research output. Podcast or Perish maps out not simply a rationale for the deployment of podcasting as an outlet for open peer review, but also explores some real-world workflows for such a practice.At the forefront of merging these exciting fields, Lori Beckstead, Ian M. Cook, and Hannah McGregor have taken a novel approach to expanding the boundaries of scholarly knowledge by considering podcasting as a focal point for intellectual discussion, engagement, and exploration. By investigating the historical development of the norms of scholarly communication, the unique affordances of sound-based scholarship, and the transformative potential of new modes of knowledge production, Podcast or Perish is the call to action academia needs, by asking how podcasting might change the very ways we think about scholarly work.
Podcasting in a Platform Age: From an Amateur to a Professional Medium (Bloomsbury Podcast Studies)
by John L. SullivanPodcasting in a Platform Age explores the transition underway in podcasting by considering how the influx of legacy and new media interest in the medium is injecting professional and corporate logics into what had been largely an amateur media form. Many of the most high-profile podcasts today, however, are produced by highly-skilled media professionals, some of whom are employees of media corporations. Legacy radio and new media platform giants like Google, Apple, Amazon, and Spotify are also making big (and expensive) moves in the medium by acquiring content producers and hosting platforms. This book focuses on three major aspects of this transformation: formalization, professionalization, and monetization. Through a close read of online and press discourse, analysis of podcasts themselves, participant observations at podcast trade shows and conventions, and interviews with industry professionals and individual podcasters, John Sullivan outlines how the efforts of industry players to transform podcasting into a profitable medium are beginning to challenge the very definition of podcasting itself.
Political Entertainment in a Post-Authoritarian Democracy: Humor and the Mexican Media (Routledge Studies in Media, Communication, and Politics)
by Martin Echeverria Frida V. RodeloThe book offers an analytical and empirical account of the specificities of political entertainment in post-authoritarian democracies. Centered around Mexico as a case study, the book explores the production of political entertainment in post-authoritarian legacy media and how political and economic conditions constrain the range and edge of discourse; how political entertainment in social media is shaped by the structure of platforms, as creators are encouraged to conform to specific norms such as constant publication; and the impacts of these media on attitude formation among the population. The book proposes a theoretical framework for identifying the specific conditions of post-authoritarian democracies that constrain the production of political entertainment, as well as its outcomes in terms of content and effects. This framework can be applied to the analysis of similar case studies, particularly in the Global South at large. With an analysis drawing on hard data, historical accounts, and anecdotal evidence, this volume will resonate within academic communities interested in political communication, media studies, transitional democracies, and popular culture.
Political Entertainment in a Post-Authoritarian Democracy: Humor and the Mexican Media (Routledge Studies in Media, Communication, and Politics)
by Martin Echeverria Frida V. RodeloThe book offers an analytical and empirical account of the specificities of political entertainment in post-authoritarian democracies. Centered around Mexico as a case study, the book explores the production of political entertainment in post-authoritarian legacy media and how political and economic conditions constrain the range and edge of discourse; how political entertainment in social media is shaped by the structure of platforms, as creators are encouraged to conform to specific norms such as constant publication; and the impacts of these media on attitude formation among the population. The book proposes a theoretical framework for identifying the specific conditions of post-authoritarian democracies that constrain the production of political entertainment, as well as its outcomes in terms of content and effects. This framework can be applied to the analysis of similar case studies, particularly in the Global South at large. With an analysis drawing on hard data, historical accounts, and anecdotal evidence, this volume will resonate within academic communities interested in political communication, media studies, transitional democracies, and popular culture.
Popular Music in Spanish Cinema (Ashgate Popular and Folk Music Series)
by Lidia López GómezPopular Music in Spanish Cinema analyses the aesthetics and stylistic development of soundtracks from national productions, considering how political instability and cultural diversity in Spain determined the ways of making art and managing culture. As a pioneering study in this field, the chronologically structured approach of this book provides readers with a complete overview of Spanish music and connects it to the complex historical events that conditioned Spanish culture throughout the 20th century to the present day, from the Second Republic, the Spanish Civil war, and the dictatorship through to democracy. The book enables an understanding of the relationships between the recording and film production industries, the construction of collective imagination, the formulation of new stereotypes, semiotic meanings within film music and the musical exchanges between national and international cinema. This volume is an essential read for students and academics in the field of musicology, ethnomusicology and history as well as those interested in the study of diverse musical styles such as copla, zarzuela, flamenco, jazz, foxtrot, pop and rock and how they have been used in Spanish films throughout history.
Popular Music in Spanish Cinema (Ashgate Popular and Folk Music Series)
Popular Music in Spanish Cinema analyses the aesthetics and stylistic development of soundtracks from national productions, considering how political instability and cultural diversity in Spain determined the ways of making art and managing culture. As a pioneering study in this field, the chronologically structured approach of this book provides readers with a complete overview of Spanish music and connects it to the complex historical events that conditioned Spanish culture throughout the 20th century to the present day, from the Second Republic, the Spanish Civil war, and the dictatorship through to democracy. The book enables an understanding of the relationships between the recording and film production industries, the construction of collective imagination, the formulation of new stereotypes, semiotic meanings within film music and the musical exchanges between national and international cinema. This volume is an essential read for students and academics in the field of musicology, ethnomusicology and history as well as those interested in the study of diverse musical styles such as copla, zarzuela, flamenco, jazz, foxtrot, pop and rock and how they have been used in Spanish films throughout history.
The Prop Building Guidebook: For Theatre, Film, and TV
by Eric HartNow in its third edition, The Prop Building Guidebook: For Theatre, Film, and TV walks readers through techniques used in historical and contemporary prop making and demonstrates how to apply them to a variety of materials. Experienced prop maker Eric Hart covers the tools and techniques used by professional prop makers throughout the entertainment industry. He outlines a construction process that gives readers the foundational knowledge to choose the best materials and methods for each prop and the background information to know the advantages of these choices. This new edition includes updated information and techniques throughout, including: Over a hundred new images and diagrams Updated terminology, products, and brands used internationally Expanded sections on 3D printing, vacuum forming, foam patterning, and more A new chapter on prop design New information on international safety standards, cleaning, and sanitation More recipes and step-by-step instruction for various finishes Illustrated by hundreds of full-color photographs, this is the most comprehensive guide to prop construction available for professional and student prop makers in theatre, film, and tv. For additional how-to videos, instructional documents, and supplemental information, visit www.propbuildingguidebook.com.
The Prop Building Guidebook: For Theatre, Film, and TV
by Eric HartNow in its third edition, The Prop Building Guidebook: For Theatre, Film, and TV walks readers through techniques used in historical and contemporary prop making and demonstrates how to apply them to a variety of materials. Experienced prop maker Eric Hart covers the tools and techniques used by professional prop makers throughout the entertainment industry. He outlines a construction process that gives readers the foundational knowledge to choose the best materials and methods for each prop and the background information to know the advantages of these choices. This new edition includes updated information and techniques throughout, including: Over a hundred new images and diagrams Updated terminology, products, and brands used internationally Expanded sections on 3D printing, vacuum forming, foam patterning, and more A new chapter on prop design New information on international safety standards, cleaning, and sanitation More recipes and step-by-step instruction for various finishes Illustrated by hundreds of full-color photographs, this is the most comprehensive guide to prop construction available for professional and student prop makers in theatre, film, and tv. For additional how-to videos, instructional documents, and supplemental information, visit www.propbuildingguidebook.com.
Psychoanalysis and Film: Methodical Approaches to Latent Meaning (essentials)
by Timo StorckThis essential is dedicated to the connection between psychoanalysis and film. Psychoanalysis is suitable for a methodically guided film viewing. This is not an application of psychoanalytical theory, but rather an application of its method of a reflected relationship to a counterpart. In this way, latent meanings can be taken into consideration and an interpretation can be developed. This essential reconstructs the possibilities of such an approach and presents existing approaches. Finally, a guideline for carrying out a film psychoanalytical interpretation is proposed. Numerous film examples serve to illustrate this.The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence. A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content.
Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Sergei M. Eisenstein's Work: Cinema and Psychoanalysis in Soviet Russia
by Alberto AngeliniIn this insightful book, Alberto Angelini shows the influence of psychoanalysis and psychology on Sergei M. Eisenstein, one of the most celebrated Russian directors, and his cinematic output. Angelini situates Eisenstein’s life and oeuvre in the history and culture of twentieth-century Russia, drawing clear parallels between his networking with key figures such as Lev Vygotsky and Aleksandr Luria. He utilises the tools of psychology with the insight of psychoanalysis to illuminate the ways in which Eisenstein understood art as an anthropological enterprise while maintaining the same dialectical philosophy as the director in highlighting the many disciplines and figures that he drew inspiration from. Angelini also looks in depth at the influence psychoanalytic theories of regression had on Eisenstein’s approach to art, while examining the impact Stalinism had directly on both Eisenstein and psychoanalysis at large from the 1930s onwards. This book is an essential resource for psychoanalysts, students, and scholars of film studies, as well as those interested in the intersection between psychoanalytic theory, cinema, and the arts.
Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Sergei M. Eisenstein's Work: Cinema and Psychoanalysis in Soviet Russia
by Alberto AngeliniIn this insightful book, Alberto Angelini shows the influence of psychoanalysis and psychology on Sergei M. Eisenstein, one of the most celebrated Russian directors, and his cinematic output. Angelini situates Eisenstein’s life and oeuvre in the history and culture of twentieth-century Russia, drawing clear parallels between his networking with key figures such as Lev Vygotsky and Aleksandr Luria. He utilises the tools of psychology with the insight of psychoanalysis to illuminate the ways in which Eisenstein understood art as an anthropological enterprise while maintaining the same dialectical philosophy as the director in highlighting the many disciplines and figures that he drew inspiration from. Angelini also looks in depth at the influence psychoanalytic theories of regression had on Eisenstein’s approach to art, while examining the impact Stalinism had directly on both Eisenstein and psychoanalysis at large from the 1930s onwards. This book is an essential resource for psychoanalysts, students, and scholars of film studies, as well as those interested in the intersection between psychoanalytic theory, cinema, and the arts.
Punchdrunk on the Classics: Experiencing Immersion in The Burnt City and Beyond
by Emma ColePunchdrunk on the Classics: Experiencing Immersion in The Burnt City and Beyond draws attention to Punchdrunk’s use of ancient Greek literature in their creation of immersive theatre. The book documents and analyses the effects of utilising Greek tragedy within both Punchdrunk’s creative development windows, and the company’s final staged productions. It features material stretching from The House of Oedipus (2000) right through to The Burnt City (2022-23), on which the author worked as dramaturg. Chapters include rehearsal studies, explorations of how Greek literature can shape an audience’s experience in immersive theatre, and considerations of how The Burnt City might change our understanding of the poetics of immersion in antiquity. Overall, Punchdrunk on the Classics provides an unparalleled depth of insight into an individual Punchdrunk production, and highlights the until-now overlooked significance of antiquity within Punchdrunk’s practice.
Quebec Cinema in the 21st Century: Transcending the National (Contemporary French and Francophone Cultures #95)
by Michael Gott and Thibaut SchiltThis collection of ten chapters and three original interviews with Québécois filmmakers focuses on the past two decades of Quebec cinema and takes an in-depth look at a (primarily) Montreal-based filmmaking industry whose increasingly diverse productions continue to resist the hegemony of Hollywood and to exist as a visible and successful hub of French-language – and ever more multilingual – cinema in North America. This volume picks up where Bill Marshall’s 2001 Quebec National Cinema ends to investigate the inherently global nature of Quebec’s film industry and cinematic output since the beginning of the new millennium. Through their analyses of contemporary films (Une colonie, Avant les rues, Bon cop, bad cop, Les Affamés, Tom à la ferme, Uvanga, among others), directors (including Xavier Dolan, Denis Côté, Sophie Desrape, Chloé Robichaud, Jean-Marc Vallée, and Monia Chokri) and genres (such as the buddy comedy and the zombie film), our authors examine the growing tension between Quebec cinema as a “national cinema” and as an art form that reflects the transnationalism of today’s world, a new form of fluidity of individual experiences, and an increasing on-screen presence of Indigenous subjects, both within and outside the borders of the province. The book concludes with specially conducted interviews with filmmakers Denis Chouinard, Bachir Bensadekk, and Marie-Hélène Cousineau, who provide their views and insights on contemporary Quebec filmmaking.
Queering W. B. Yeats and Gabriele D’Annunzio: Modernist Playwrights (New Directions in Irish and Irish American Literature)
by Zsuzsanna BalázsQueering W. B. Yeats and Gabriele D’Annunzio: Modernist Playwrights challenges the general resistance in scholarship and queer studies to approach Yeats and D’Annunzio through a queer lens because of their controversial affiliations with fascism and elitism, their heterosexuality and their venerated canonical status. This book provides the first fully theorised queer and comparative reading of Yeats’s and D’Annunzio’s drama. It offers the novel contention that due to their increasing involvement in queer and feminist subcultures, their plays feature feelings that are associated with queer historiography and generate ideas that began to be theorised by queer studies more than half a century after the composition of the plays. Moreover, it uncovers an alert, subversive and often coded social commentary in eight key dramatic texts by each playwright and at the same time highlights the thus far neglected commonalities between the plays and the queer historical as well as cultural contexts of these two prominent modernists.
Quiet Pictures: Women and Silence in Contemporary British and French Cinema
by Dr. Sarah ArttQuiet Pictures approaches the films of Joanna Hogg, Lynne Ramsay, Céline Sciamma, and Lucile Hadžhalilovicthrough the lens of silence as a motif and texture.This book takes up the question of different uses of silence in the work of these directors and how this creates a space for foregrounding innovative practices that establish new ways of looking, staring, and gazing. Sarah Artt discusses how the deliberate deployment of silence creates space for the formation of reciprocal gazes that counteract the typically gendered and binary ways in which women and femme-presenting people tend to be portrayed on screen. Quiet Pictures draws on the political legacy of feminist film theory to explore and conceptualise what it means to not just look back, but to share the gaze. This book discusses several films, including: Unrelated (Hogg, 2007), Archipelago (Hogg, 2010), Exhibition (Hogg, 2013), The Souvenir Part I and II (Hogg, 2019 and 2021), Morvern Callar (Ramsay, 2002), We Need to Talk About Kevin (Ramsay, 2011), Innocence (Hadžhalilovic 2004), Evolution (Hadžhalilovic 2015), Waterlilies/Naissance des Pieuvres (Sciamma, 2007), Tomboy (Sciamma, 2011), Girlhood/Bande des Filles (Sciamma, 2014), Portrait of a Lady on Fire/Portrait d'une jeune fille en feu (Sciamma, 2019), and Petite Maman/Little Mother (Sciamma, 2021).
The Quizmaster: From Life on the Streets to a Global Quizzing Sensation
by Jay Flynn** Available to pre-order now **THE HEART-WARMING, REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF THE QUIZMASTER JAY FLYNN, WHOSE VIRTUAL PUB QUIZ BECAME AN ONLINE SENSATION DURING COVID.Jay Flynn was down on his luck when the Covid pandemic struck. He had just lost the tenancy of the pub he ran in Lancashire - and with it the loyal community of locals who loved his quirky weekly quiz.As the world closed down, he sensed the quiz could now be a lifeline both for him and the locals - so he sent them invites to an online version. But he had forgotten to mark the event 'private', and on the night, a disbelieving Jay played quizmaster to half a million teams, from Kenya to Canada, New Zealand to the Ukraine. This was to be the start of a global online quiz sensation, earning more than £1 million for charity and Jay an MBE, as well as his own slot on Zoe Ball's BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show.It was all the more incredible because, as a lost and troubled young man, Jay had spent two years homeless, sleeping on a bench on the Embankment in London, almost taking his own life. Rescued by a homeless charity, he'd learnt how a simple community can save lives. It proved a priceless lesson.Now, in his inspiring memoir, Jay shows how, sometimes, you can find the answers you're seeking in the most unexpected places.
Raising the Curtain: Technology Success Stories from Performing Arts Leaders and Artists
by Brett Ashley Crawford Paul HansenLearn how emerging technologies benefit artists and performing arts organizations Raising the Curtain: Technology Success Stories from Performing Arts Leaders and Artists focuses on empowering artists and performing arts organizations in theater, dance, and music to grow audiences and to increase impact through smart and strategic uses of technology. This book will help you effectively increase your artistic and administrative reach in order to expand your outreach to diverse audiences, without breaking the bank. In fact, you’ll be more efficient by choosing multi-function technologies that work for you. You’ll also see how advanced software can extend your donor reach—and ensure that you’re contacting donors at the right time. You can also maximize your organization’s brand by incorporating social media, AI tools, media streaming platforms, and more. Inside, you’ll learn about the most useful tech tools out there, including a wide breadth of technology, from Tessitura to A.I., from the success stories of artists such as Emmet Cohen and Jane Monheit, and organizations such as Attack Theatre and The Kennedy Center. Even more importantly, you’ll gain the confidence you need to incorporate technology into all areas of your organization in order to define your path to greater success. Discover software platforms, online tools, and other interactive technologies useful to designers, artists, and arts organizations Save money, expand your reach, and future-proof your performing arts organization or career Lead conversations about technologies and digital opportunities with staff, board members, or donors Get an overview of technology that addresses the unique opportunities and challenges facing the performing arts industry This book is a great resource for performing arts administrators and artists to learn new ideas about technology solutions. Administrators, leaders, and performers alike will appreciate the opportunity to bring art to audiences using today’s latest innovations.
Raising the Curtain: Technology Success Stories from Performing Arts Leaders and Artists
by Brett Ashley Crawford Paul HansenLearn how emerging technologies benefit artists and performing arts organizations Raising the Curtain: Technology Success Stories from Performing Arts Leaders and Artists focuses on empowering artists and performing arts organizations in theater, dance, and music to grow audiences and to increase impact through smart and strategic uses of technology. This book will help you effectively increase your artistic and administrative reach in order to expand your outreach to diverse audiences, without breaking the bank. In fact, you’ll be more efficient by choosing multi-function technologies that work for you. You’ll also see how advanced software can extend your donor reach—and ensure that you’re contacting donors at the right time. You can also maximize your organization’s brand by incorporating social media, AI tools, media streaming platforms, and more. Inside, you’ll learn about the most useful tech tools out there, including a wide breadth of technology, from Tessitura to A.I., from the success stories of artists such as Emmet Cohen and Jane Monheit, and organizations such as Attack Theatre and The Kennedy Center. Even more importantly, you’ll gain the confidence you need to incorporate technology into all areas of your organization in order to define your path to greater success. Discover software platforms, online tools, and other interactive technologies useful to designers, artists, and arts organizations Save money, expand your reach, and future-proof your performing arts organization or career Lead conversations about technologies and digital opportunities with staff, board members, or donors Get an overview of technology that addresses the unique opportunities and challenges facing the performing arts industry This book is a great resource for performing arts administrators and artists to learn new ideas about technology solutions. Administrators, leaders, and performers alike will appreciate the opportunity to bring art to audiences using today’s latest innovations.
Raising the Dead: The Work of George A. Romero
by Adam Charles HartGeorge A. Romero never intended to become a master of horror, but Night of the Living Dead made him a legend of the genre. Raising the Dead dives into the expansive, extraordinary body of work found in Romero's archive, going beyond his iconic zombie movies into a deep and varied collection of writings that never made it to the big screen. From the early 1960s until his death in 2017, Romero was a hugely prolific writer, producing scripts in every conceivable genre, from arty medieval allegories to wacky comedies to grand-scale science fiction epics. Though he had difficulty funding non-horror projects, he continued to write in whatever mode his imagination dictated, and he rarely abandoned his ideas. Themes, story ideas, and even characters were re-purposed for new scripts, evolving and transforming with each new iteration and, sometimes, finding a home in a horror film. But in order to accommodate ideas that began in such different contexts, Romero would have to change the horror genre itself: a zombie movie could become a savage satire of consumerism or an excoriating critique of militaristic or capitalist hierarchies. The horror genre became what Romero made of it. Based on years of archival research, the book moves between unfilmed scripts and familiar classics, showing the remarkable scope and range of Romero's interests and the full extent of his genius. Raising the Dead is a testament to an extraordinarily productive and inventive artist who never let the restrictions of the film industry limit his imagination.
Ram Gopal: Interweaving Histories of Indian Dance
by Ann R. DavidBoth a biography and a history, this book explores the significant role that Indian dancer Ram Gopal (1912-2003) played in bringing Indian dance to international audiences from the 1930s to the late 1960s. Almost single-handedly, Gopal changed the perception of Indian dance abroad, introducing a global audience to specificity of movement, classically trained dancers, live musicians and exquisitely detailed costumes, modelled from Indian iconography. In this much-needed study of an often-neglected figure, the author unearths a fascinating narrative about Ram Gopal, the individual and the dancer, drawing on interviews with his remaining family, costume-makers, friends, dance partners, fellow dancers and audience members. More broadly, we come to understand the culture of Indian dance at the time, including the politics of the nomenclature and of the nationalist and orientalist discourses, the rapid changes created by the demise of colonialism and the influence of Western styles of dance, such as ballet and modern, in its development.
Reappraising Cult Horror Films: From Carnival of Souls to Last Night in Soho
by Lee BroughtonIdentifies key – and in some cases previously overlooked – cult horror films from around the world and reappraises them by approaching and interrogating them in new ways.New productions in the horror genre occupy a prominent space within the cinematic landscape of the 21st century, but the genre's back catalogue of older films refuses to be consigned to the motion picture graveyard just yet. Interest in older horror films remains high, and an ever-increasing number of these films have enjoyed an afterlife as cult movies thanks to regular film festival screenings, television broadcasts and home video releases. Similarly, academic interest in the horror genre has remained high. The frameworks applied by contributors to the collection include genre studies, narrative theory, socio-political readings, aspects of cultural studies, gendered readings, archival research, fan culture work, interviews with filmmakers, aspects of film historiography, spatial theory and cult film theory. Covering a corpus of films that ranges from recognised cult horror classics such as The Wicker Man, The Shining and Candyman to more obscure films like Daughters of Darkness, The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, Shivers, Howling III: The Marsupials and Inside, Broughton has curated an international selection of case studies that show the diverse nature of the cult horror subgenre. Be they star-laden, stylish, violent, bizarre or simply little heard-of obscurities, this book offers a multitude of new critical insights into a truly eclectic selection of cult horror films.
Rebel Rising: A Memoir
by null Rebel WilsonFrom the scene-stealing star of Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids comes a refreshingly candid, hilarious and inspiring book about an unconventional journey to Hollywood success and self-celebration. For decades, Rebel Wilson single-mindedly focused on her career, forgoing relationships in favour of making a name for herself. In her revealing and authentic memoir, Rebel chronicles the emotional and physical lessons she has learned, as well as her most embarrassing experiences. A malaria-induced Oscars hallucination? An all-style martial-arts fighting tournament? Junior handling at dog shows? And this was all before she moved to Hollywood! Rebel Rising follows Rebel from her Aussie upbringing as the daughter of parents who sold pet products at dog shows, to making millions as LA’s favourite funny girl, always questioning "Am I good enough?”, "Will I ever find love?" and "Will I ever change and become healthy?". Rebel writes for the first time about the most personal and important moments in her life – from fertility issues, weight gain and loss to sexuality, overcoming shyness and dealing with rejection (and there's at least one story thrown in about Brad Pitt!). This brave and honest memoir shows us how to love ourselves while always remembering the value of laughing.
Rediscovered Classics of Japanese Animation: The Adaptation of Children’s Novels into the World Masterpiece Theater Series
by Maria Chiara OltoliniRediscovered Classics of Japanese Animation is the first academic work to examine World Masterpiece Theater (Sekai Meisaku Gekijô, 1969-2009), which popularized the practice of adapting foreign children's books into long-running animated series and laid the groundwork for powerhouses like Studio Ghibli.World Masterpiece Theater (Sekai Meisaku Gekijô, 1969-2009) is a TV staple created by the Japanese studio Nippon Animation, which popularized the practice of adapting foreign children's books into long-running animated series. Once generally dismissed by critics, the series is now frequently investigated as a key early work of legendary animators Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki. In the first book-length examination of the series, Maria Chiara Olitini analyzes cultural significance of World Masterpiece Theater, and the ways in which the series pioneered the importance of children's fiction for Japanese animation studios and laid the groundwork for powerhouses like Studio Ghibli.Adapting a novel for animation also means decoding (and re-coding) socio-cultural patterns embedded in a narrative. World Masterpiece Theater stands as a unique example of this linguistic, medial, and cultural hybridisation. Popular children's classics such as Little Women, Peter Pan, and Anne of Green Gables became the starting point of a full-fledged negotiation process in which Japanese animators retold a whole range of narratives that have one basic formula in common: archetypal stories with an educational purpose. In particular, the series played a role in shaping the pop culture image of a young girl (shôjo).Examining the series through the lens of animation studies as well as adaptation studies, Olitini sheds new light on this long-neglected staple of Japanese animation history.
Relationship Status: My survival guide to love, dating and heartbreak
by Anastasia KingsnorthThe world of dating has never been more complicated, from situationships to soft launches, red flags, beige flags and everything in between. Let’s face it, it’s a lot of fun, but it can also be confusing! I’ve recently re-entered my single girl era and want to take you along for the ride as I dive into the world of modern relationships and how to navigate them, sharing the awkward, the cute and the cringey moments that come with it. I’ve held nothing back, spilling my dating secrets, funny stories and top tips. You’ll also get to hear from some familiar faces serving the tea on their dating experiences.Whether it’s getting the ick or being ghosted, holiday flings or becoming friends with benefits, I’ve been through it all and I’m here to help you with the lessons I’ve learned along the way. The main one being, whatever your status, the most important relationship is the one you have with yourself. So get ready girlies, let’s do this!Anastasia x