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"Stewart uncovers what is subversive in novels that apparently followed the conventions of the time. Her scholarship is irreproachable." - Elizabeth J. MacArthur, author of "Extravagant Narratives: Closure and Dynamics in the Epistolary Form". ... Read more

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Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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The Harvard University Art Museums hold one of the world's finest collections of early 19th-century drawings. The nearly 500 works reproduced in this catalogue include the most significant groups of drawings outside France by the masters of the age - David, Gericault, Ingres, Delacroix and Prud'hon. Drawing is the most direct and spontaneous of all artistic media, and many studies in the collection vividly evoke the genesis of some of the period's enduring images. A design by Jacques-Louis David marks a stage in the development of his major revolutionary composition, "The Oath of the Tennis Court", while two precious sketchbooks, consisting of more than 100 drawings, document the painstaking evolution of David's greatest Imperial project, the massive canvas depicting "The Coronation of Napoleon". Of parallel significance is a large-scale and beautifully rendered drawing for what is arguably the peerless masterpiece of Romantic painting, Gericault's "Raft of the Medusa". While many sheets derive their importance from their association with key paintings, others stand out as independent works in their own right.These include several of the portraits by Ingres - among them "The Family of Lucien Bonaparte", his largest and most prestigious work in this genre - as well as watercolours by Gericault and Delacroix. Although familiar to scholars, the collection has never been the subject of a comprehensive catalogue, and many of the drawings are published here for the first time. In addition to the major holdings of works by the artists mentioned above, the catalogue features a selection of drawings by Barye, Corot, Chasseriau, David d'Angers, Decamps, Delaroche, Girodet, Huet, Hugo, Eugene Isabey, and other masters of the period. ... Read more

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In a West End synagogue, three septuagenarians, Sophie, Hetty and Magda meet every Tuesday to play the card game Kaluki. Loretta, a youthful forty-seven year-old, keeps the score. But all this is about to change when their synagogue is to be sold to a strip club owner. These intrepid ladies decide to take direct action and barricade themselves in their fated synagogue. Can they succeed or will their constant bickering put paid to their plan? ... Read more

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Varua Tupu strenghthens the ancient ties between Hawai'i and the islands of French Polynesia by translating the voices of an emerging Ma'ohi (Polynesian) literary community into English and showcasing the cultural arts of the region in general.This volume features translations of a variety of locally celebrated genres, including poetry, memoir, and fiction.Though this work is focuses on the current moment, it includes fresh translations of poet Henri Hiro, who served as a spark to the tinder of the Tahitian cultural renaissance in the 1960s and 1970s and who continues to inspire the current generation of literary activists.since the eighteenth century, a mythic and misleading image of Tahiti has become familiar to the world at large.Varua Tupu represents the first opportunity for the international community to experience the many islands of Te Ao Ma'ohi through their own voices and visual arts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A glimpse at the new literature and art of French Polynesia emerging after decades of cultural suppression
`Polynesians must write...they must write and express themselves. It doesn't matter what language they use...' These were the words of Henry Hiro, one of the inspirational figures behind the early resurgence of Ma'ohi culture in French Polynesia during the 1960s and 1970s. Sadly, he was to die in his forties, as was Bobby Holcomb, the Hawaiian artist-singer, many of whose wonderfully spontaneous tableaux depicting the people and the islands that he adopted and loved are reproduced in this anthology of new writing from French Polynesia. The objective of this book is to give air to the literature and art of the territory isolated linguistically (literally rather than orally) from all other major Polynesian island groups by virtue of its French colonial heritage.
Discouragement of Tahitian (the Polynesian lingua franca of French Polynesian) by the authorities was intense up until the 1970s, often resulting in punishment for its use by children in schools. This meant that a large part of the population became economically, politically and culturally disenfranchised. It was a long period of silence. That was why Henry Hiro stressed the need to write. However, there was a body of unfavourable criticism of indigenous writing. This was largely because indigenous writers had the temerity to cast doubt on the myth that everything European was progressive and everything Polynesian was backward. And needless to say they were especially critical of the bloody-minded continuation of nuclear testing on two atolls up until 1996. Even during the making of this compilation the University of French Polynesia effectively denied the existence of an indigenous literature as late as 2002.
This volume is an attempt to correct that misconception. It includes contrasting excerpts from Celestine Hitiura Vaite's rather feel-good Matarena Mahi trilogy (written in English), and Titaua Peu's `Mutismes', a more disturbing take on Tahitian life, with its unflinching portrayal of domestic violence. Other highlights include an interview with Henry Hiro followed by three of his poems, an excerpt from Taaria Walker's autobiography in which she relates her experience of coming from the outer island of Rurutu to Papeete as a schoolgirl in the 1930s, Louise Peltzer's fictionalised version of the arrival of the London Missionary Society on Tahiti, and Michel Chansin's evocative collection of black and white photos from the troubled district of Fa'a'a, centre of immigration from the outer islands and of the movement for independence. However, the point of entry for anyone genuinely interested in literature from a Ma'ohi point of view (in French Polynesia) should be Chantal Spitz's angry but heartfelt `Îles des rêves écrasés', now available in English as `Island of Shattered Dreams', a work not included in this anthology and which I consider a serious omission.
This is a beautifully presented and illustrated book and, though rather brief in actual text, should achieve its aim of introducing English speakers to the new literature and art of French Polynesia, emerging after decades of cultural suppression.
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Customer Reviews (1)

A miniature masterpiece
I wish I could persuade every reader of refined tastes to read Ernestine. There's something quite magical about this short novel (first published in 1765). A literary historian called it "Riccoboni's jewel," because of its jewel-like perfection of style. It must be exquisite in the original French, which is also available from MLA texts.

The heroine is a gifted painter of miniature portraits. The novelist, likewise, shows consummate skill in this miniature portrait of an intensely romantic relationship.

Ernestine is an unprotected orphan. Her mother, adoptive mother and professional mentor all die, leaving her under the care of a frivolous woman of dubious morals. Meanwhile the marquis de Clémengis has met and admired Ernestine while she's touching up his portrait.

Her attention to her work entrances the marquis, as does her unaffected beauty. They become friends and can hardly bear to spend a day apart. They're in love without daring to admit it. He is too generous to seduce her, she too pure to be seduced. They are both inherently noble, but his literal nobility separates them. He has too many obligations to marry her.

A lot happens in a few pages. I was on pins and needles wondering where it would all end. Enraptured by the author's elegant prose, spare narration and deft psychological subtleties, I cherished my suspense as wholeheartedly as Ernestine and her lover cherished their love.

Like Ernestine, Marie Riccoboni was a workingwoman. After a long acting career, she took up literature - one of the first women to support herself by writing. Certain feisty remarks by Ernestine's friend Henriette reveal Ricconboni's feminist views on male-dominated society.

This book is a keeper. As the excellent introduction suggests, Ernestine will be enjoyed even more in the rereading, since on the first reading one devours it all too quickly. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more