Contains an introductory section that examines Shakespeare's life and reveals why his works are so universally appealing. Subsequent parts examine each of his 38 plays, explaining their themes, contexts, and literary and cultural significance.

With the vast majority of Facebook users caught in a frenzy of 'friending', 'liking' and 'commenting', at what point do we pause to grasp the consequences of our info-saturated lives? What compels us to engage so diligently with social networking systems? Networks Without a Cause examines our collective obsession with identity and self-management coupled with the fragmentation and information overload endemic to contemporary online culture. With a dearth of theory on the social and cultural ramifications of hugely popular online services, Lovink provides a path-breaking critical analysis of our over-hyped, networked world with case studies on search engines, online video, blogging, digital radio, media activism and the Wikileaks saga. This book offers a powerful message to media practitioners and theorists: let us collectively unleash our critical capacities to influence technology design and workspaces, otherwise we will disappear into the cloud. Probing but never pessimistic, Lovink draws from his long history in media research to offer a critique of the political structures and conceptual powers embedded in the technologies that shape our daily lives.

Children's literature takes many forms - works adapted for children in antiquity, picture books and pop-ups - and now includes the latest online games and eBooks. This vast and amorphous subject is both intimately related to other areas of literary and cultural investigation but also has its own set of concerns, issues and challenges. From familiar authors including Beatrix Potter and Roald Dahl, classic books such as Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, and The Secret Garden, to modern works including Harry Potter and the Twilight series, thisVery Short Introduction provides an overview of the history.

This exuberant celebration of 80 unforgettable rock songs spanning the history of the genre will strike chords of personal and collective memory while it relives the spirit, fashion, and tenor of our times.

"In the Christian life, spiritual formation is hugely influenced by devotional reading. Whether its Augustine's Confessions or C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity, books greatly shape your beliefs and actions. Renovare has long been a proponent of the importance of being well-versed in the spiritual classics. Now they have polled leaders and thinkers in the field to present the twenty five books every Christian must read. These are the books that should be shaping the church, your faith, and your engagement with the world. From timeless classics like Dietrich Bonheoffer's Life Together to contemporary works, 25 BOOKS EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD READ will gather the most important books along with historical background, why they made the cut, how to read them, and an excerpt"--

Analyzes every song and album of Jackson's solo career, from 1979's groundbreaking "Off the Wall" to his yet-to-be released material, placing the music in its social, historical, and cultural context.