Standing always at the edge of society's consciousness is a group of artistic works that repel as they fascinate: the grotesque. Dismissed by the "respectable," and often condemned for their absurdity, incongruity, and perceived immorality, they nonetheless hold powerful sway in the popular imagination. Sordid pagan tales of incest and bloodletting, the medieval carnival, commedia dell'arte--these popular uprisings of the grotesque imagination reveal, through their marginalized position in the cultural scene, deep seated impulses that polite society has suppressed.

Yates surveys four major theoretical approaches to the grotesque-Wolfgang Kayser's grotesque as demonic "other," Mikhail Bahktin's edenic carnival, Geoffrey Harpham's notion of the grotesque as the process of becoming, and Ewa Kuryluk's feminist interpretation of the grotesque as an expression of subdued or oppressed "anti-worlds." Yates uses these theorists to identify major themes in grotesque art that speak to religious impulses: bafflement over the meaning of human existence; the dread of non-existence; man's ability to create; and our perception of the world as fallen.

Roger Hazelton's "The Grotesque, Theologically Considered" seems to express the central insight of this book: that the grotesque, like theology, forces us to reflect on mystery properly conceived. As Hazelton says:

Mystery is not a synonym for residual ignorance which will be dispelled when the sciences get around to it. Neither can it simply be equated with the unknown or unknowable. . . . Theology and grotesque art . . . find a certain affinity in a common persuasion that mystery remains a real and radical feature of our existing in the world-something not reducible to the aims and methods of technical expertise . . . thus compelling other kinds of human response and acknowledgment.

For Hazelton, the grotesque, in expressing the mystery of Being recalls to us theology's enunciation of "that abiding, confiding trust and loyalty called faith."

Also notable in this collection is Wolfgang Stechow's consideration of Hieronymus Bosch, whose Garden of Earthly Delights was placed by Spain's King Philip II at the altar of the Escorial. Bosch has long been a puzzle to art critics and the faithful alike. Praised by a Spanish monk at the time of its completion as a bold representation of man "as he is on the inside," the painting, with Dante's Inferno, ranks among the best commentaries of the grotesque nature of sin. The book also boasts an excellent examination of the gravedigger's scene from Hamlet and a previously unpublished play by Robert Penn Warren, Ballad of a Sweet Dream of Peace: A Charade for Easter.

The only disappointment in the collection is the essay that James Luther Adams wrote in the '70s before abandoning the project for a quarter century. "The Grotesque and Our Future" studiously avoids discussion of the deeper insights about man and religion the grotesque affords, instead confining himself to banal policy pronouncements. He quotes approvingly the call for a "revitalized United Nations" as the antidote to 20th century violence, a suggestion that gains a grotesque irony in the post-Sarajevo era. Surveying the cultural scene, he finds nothing more "typically and pathetically grotesque" than the spectacle of "the president's daughter tutoring two inner-city children at the White House." (One feels Dr. Adams has not looked hard enough.) Given the fact that we seem to be experiencing a uprising of the grotesque in popular music and movies--notice for example, Quentin Tarantino--this essay is a missed opportunity to discuss what the grotesque may say about our culture's future.

Still, in all, The Grotesque in Art and Literature is fascinating reading: well written, insightful, synthesizing various disciplinary approaches in an attempt to gain a view of the whole subject. Moreover, the subject of the grotesque may well become one of great interest to believers in the postmodern era. As American culture itself becomes more and more grotesque, there may be much insight to gain from art and literature that stands on the cultural edge and gazes back to the center.

This fascinating book is a biography of that first and most famous of the Reformers, Martin Luther. However, it is much more than a biography. In this book, the author traces the evolution of Luther's theology, as he moved from being a faithfully conforming monk, to being a loyal reformer, to being a violent opponent of the Roman Catholic Church. Along the way, the author explains Luther's opinions, where they came from, and how they evolved.

I must say that I found this to be an absolutely riveting book. At first, I was somewhat worried that the author, a Lutheran professor, was taking far too biased of a look at Luther. However, this book is not intended to be an exposé, but a look at Luther's theology. All people, from all sides, presented in this book are covered in a sympathetic way, accepting them as they appeared, and not attributing any spurious attitudes or motives to them.

Overall, I found this book to be quite interesting and informative. If you are interested in Lutheran theology, or just reading about Martin Luther, then I highly recommend this book to you.

what did god say not man?? do i have my answers? no. sorry.

So much caution needs to be exercised if this book is used as a resource, because of the subtle distortions of truth. After studying the issue of different bible versions for many years, I am now understanding how important it is to meditate upon the precise words God would have His children to remember. If this dictionary is not studied with discernment, it will have the effect of causing a person to have doubts about the integrity of the King James Bible. To give a balanced viewpoint of understanding the language used in the King James Version, I HIGHLY recommend a better dictionary with MANY more "archaic" words in it. It is written by Laurence M. Vance and is titled, "Archaic Words and the King James Bible." Amazon.com sells this book. ....

This is a reprint of The Bible Word Book originally written in 1960. It gives interesting background on many Old English words and points out the many bloopers in the King James translation. Most famous of these is the "unicorn" which occurs 9 times and which is properly corrected to "wild ox" in modern versions. If you would like to compare the KJV to 5 contemporary versions, read THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE BOOK OF PROVERBS by Cody Jones. Besides an in-depth commentary, it features 6 translations of Proverbs side-by-side: New King James (1982), New Revised Standard (1990), New Century (1991), New International Version (1983), King James (1611) and New Living Translation (1996).

My father was in the Army during my childhood. He retired as a Lt. Colonel and spent 22 years defending this country. I have a strong patriotic leaning and support our troops anytime they are deployed. I cannot support Peccant Luther and A Tale Told By A Sleeper by James Mintz even though it was written in response to the events on September 11. It is a collection of random, uncollected thoughts tied together with hate and bigotry. The blatant racism and overall intolerance of every character in this book was pointless and disgusting.

If there was a greater theme in this book, I missed it. If there was a point to writing this type of garbage, I missed it. If there was a moral to this story, I missed it. I would strongly advise against anyone reading this book.

The first section of this book tells the story of a terrorist agent / English professor whose simple plan to detonate nuclear weapons with the aid of cellphone technology fails, and how the assassination of his daughter as revenge for his failure drives him to reveal his secret after the slaying of the man who got his daughter pregnant, and his own suicide.

The remaining two thirds of the book is the failed agent's story in the form of a masterful work of fiction, with the addition of pre-suicide notes. This is set up as an assemblage of paperwork discovered by the campus police officer who had been investigating the killing of the agent's daughter and the subsequent killing and suicide, and the college's English Department.

The quality of prose in this section was highly reminiscent of Alfred Bester's - Golem 100, Iain M Banks' - Use of Weapons, and Nicholson Baker's - The Fermata. So I would be keen to read more of James W. Mintz's work, when it becomes available, since writing of this quality is all too rare.

James Ralph's account of the Chicago Freedom Movement was very informative, yet just lacked something...interesting details, perhaps, photos maybe...the language is very understandable, yet I still found my self falling asleep after every 10 pages or so. It's valuable for academia, but not a candidate for a "weekend read."