How have fairy tales from around the world changed over the centuries? What do they tell us about different cultures and societies? Drawing on the contributions of scholars working on Italian, French, English, Ottoman Turkish, and Japanese tale traditions, this book underscores the striking mobility and malleability of fairy tales written in the years 1450 to 1650. The essays examine how early modern scientific theories, debates on the efficacy of witchcraft, conceptions of race and gender, religious beliefs, the aesthetics of landscape, and censorial practices all shaped the representations of magic and marvels in the tales of this period. Tracing the fairy tale's swift movement across linguistic and geographic borders, through verse and prose versions, from the printed page to the early modern stage, this volume demonstrates the ways in which these fantastic literary texts explored the ideological borders constructed by different societies. An essential resource for researchers, scholars and students of literature, history and cultural studies, contributors explore themes including: forms of the marvelous, adaption, gender and sexuality, humans and non-humans, monsters and the monstrous, space, socialization, and power. A Cultural History of Fairy Tales (6-volume set) A Cultural History of Fairy Tales in Antiquity is also available as a part of a 6-volume set, A Cultural History of Fairy Tales, tracing fairy tales from antiquity to the present day, available in print, or within a fully-searchable digital library accessible through institutions by annual subscription or on perpetual access (see www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com). Individual volumes for academics and researchers interested in specific historical periods are also available digitally via www.bloomsburycollections.com.

"During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Europeans were captivated by the marvelous. This term was used to describe events or objects that were considered unusual, extraordinary, or rare and that aroused in the viewer a sense of wonder, which the French philosopher Rene Descartes regarded as "the first of all the passions."" "The taste for the marvelous was remarkably widespread during this period and found expression in the visual arts, literature, music and drama, the natural sciences, religion, and philosophy. Among the reasons for the growing interest in the marvelous were the recovery of ancient texts that commented on marvels and marvelous effects; the efforts of the Catholic church to convince the faithful of the truth of God's miracles; and the profound impact of great scientific achievements, such as the invention of the telescope, that revealed new and fascinating aspects of the physical world. Perhaps most significant was the exploration of hitherto unknown lands by Christopher Columbus and others, which exerted an enormous influence on the European imagination and literally reshaped the way the world was understood." "Published to accompany the exhibition The Age of the Marvelous, organized by the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, this catalogue offers the most thorough treatment of the subject to date. The essays were written by a team of scholars assembled by guest curator Joy Kenseth, Associate Professor of Art History at Dartmouth College and a specialist in Italian art of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Dr. Kenseth's introduction addresses both the criteria of the marvelous and the contemporary influences on this phenomenon. A second essay describes the cabinets of curiosities known as Kunst- und Wunderkammern (rooms of art and marvels), that flourished at the time. James Mirollo, Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, then examines the aesthetics of the marvelous in literature." "The following three essays, dealing with anthropological, zoological and botanical wonders, are written by James Welu, Director of the Worcester Art Museum; William Ashworth, Associate Professor of the History of Science at the University of Missouri; and Elisabeth MacDougall, former Director of Studies in the History of Landscape Architecture, Dumbarton Oaks." "The last three essays, describing marvels of art, are contributed by Mark Weil, Professor of Art History at Washington University, St. Louis; Arthur Wheelock, Curator of Northern Baroque Painting at The National Gallery of Art in Washington; and Zirka Filipczak, Professor of Art History at Williams College." "This book includes descriptive catalogue entries for 225 objects. These works range from paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, and illustrated books to maps and scientific instruments. The rich variety of objects in The Age of The Marvelous exhibition and in this catalogue celebrates the depth and breadth of this cultural phenomenon during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries." --Book Jacket.

The folktales and myths of the Iroquois and their Algonquian neighbors rank among the most imaginatively rich and narratively co-herent traditions in North America. Inspired by these wondrous tales, Anthony Wonderley explores their significance to Iroquois and Algonquian religions and worldviews. Mostly recorded around 1900, these oral narratives preserve the voice and something of the outlook of autochthonous Americans from a bygone age, when storytelling was an important facet of daily life. Grouping the stories around shared themes and motifs, Wonderley analyzes topics ranging from cannibal giants to cultural heroes, and from legends of local places to myths of human origin. Approached comparatively and historically, these stories can enrich our understanding of archaeological remains, ethnic boundaries, and past cultural interchanges among Iroquois and Algonquian peoples.

What makes us human? In recent decades, researchers have focused on innate tendencies and inherited traits as explanations for human behavior, especially in light of groundbreaking human genome research. The author thinks this trend is misleading. As he shows in great detail in this engaging, thought-provoking, and highly informative book, what makes our species unique is our marvelous ability to learn, which is an ability that no other primate possesses. In his exploration of human progress, the author reveals that the immensity of human learning has not been fully understood or examined. Evolution has endowed us with extremely versatile bodies and a brain comprised of one hundred billion neurons, which makes us especially suited for a wide range of sophisticated learning. Already in childhood, human beings begin learning complex repertoires—language, sports, value systems, music, science, rules of behavior, and many other aspects of culture. These repertoires build on one another in special ways, and our brains develop in response to the learning experiences we receive from those around us and from what we read and hear and see. When humans gather in society, the cumulative effect of building learning upon learning is enormous. The author presents a new way of understanding humanness—in the behavioral nature of the human body, in the unique human way of learning, in child development, in personality, and in abnormal behavior. With all this, and his years of basic and applied research, he develops a new theory of human evolution and a new vision of the human being. This book offers up a unified concept that not only provides new ways of understanding human behavior and solving human problems but also lays the foundations for opening new areas of science.

Children have a spontaneous interest in the world around them - whether the workings of the earth, sun, and stars, the nature of number, time and space, or the functioning of the body. Yet what is there in children's minds that is the key to their knowledge? This book examines what children can and do know, based on extensive studies from a range of different cultures. Topics include 'theory of mind' - the knowledge that others may have beliefs that differ from one's own and from reality, astronomy and geography, food, health and hygiene, processes of life and death, number and arithmetic, as well as autism and brain research on language and attention. Since what children say and do may not really reflect the depth of their knowledge of the world around them, our goal should be to discover new methods to accurately test children's knowledge, instead of trying to understand the range of failing answers they might give on the many tests that have been devised to determine what they know. Contrary to earlier studies, it is now established that in many areas considerable knowledge is within the grasp of young children with benefits for their later development. For example, although certain number concepts - in particular, fractions, proportions, and infinity - can be difficult to grasp, children generally do not need to undergo a fundamental change in their thinking and reasoning to master these. What the author of this book proposes is that children often display a capacity for understanding that we simply overlook. Written by a reknowned developmental psychologist, this book presents a fascinating exploration of children minds, and how we can better understand them.

A Drop from the Marvelous Ocean of History, written by Lelung Tuklu Rinpoche XI, the current reincarnation of Lelung Jedrung, chronicles the history of this important lineage. Using varied Tibetan resources and biographies, Rinpoche begins with the source of the reincarnations, Olkha Jedrung, known as Lelung Pema Zhepai Dorje, who was the first human manifestation of the Buddhist deity Vajrapani, the powerful Lord of Secrets. He is the compiler and protector of the profound Tantras, which are the ultimate vehicle of the Buddha’s teachings. From the origin of the lineage, Rinpoche moves through time until the mid 1900s, tracing the lives of each Lelung reincarnation, beginning with Lhodrak Namkha Gyaltsen, who was born in 1326, and moving through to his predecessor Thubten Lungtok Choekyi Wangchuk, who passed away in 1962. This wonderful compilation will be a valuable resource about this essential part of Tibetan history.

Enigmatic mediums, murders, monsters, and more are all part of Michigan's mysterious and sometimes supernatural history. The will of Detroit's first millionaire, Eber B. Ward, was hotly contested because he took the financial advice of spirits. Marian Spore Bush, Bay City's first female dentist, moved to New York City, where she became a psychic wonder--and a secret philanthropist. Old witchcraft superstitions drove a Mount Morris family insane and caused another man to murder his godmother in Trenton. Researcher Amberrose Hammond brings to light strange and unusual tales from Michigan's colorful and exciting past.