Walter Benjamin, Religion and Aesthetics: Rethinking Religion through the Arts

Book Description

Walter Benjamin, Religion, and Aesthetics is an innovative attempt to reconceive the key concepts of religious studies through a reading with, and against, Walter Benjamin. Brent Plate deftly sifts through Benjamin's voluminous writings showing how his concepts of art, allegory, and experience undo traditional religious concepts such as myth, symbol, memory, narrative, creation, and redemption. Recasting religion as religious practice, as process and movement, Plate locates a Benjaminian materialist aesthetics, what the author calls an "allegorical aesthetics," in order to uncover sources and establish a new locus for the study of religion.

Placing the concept of an allegorical aesthetics into practice, Plate offers examinations of aesthetic productions such as Daniel Libeskind's architecture and Marcel Duchamp's ready-mades alongside religious developments such as the Hindu Bhakti movement and Jewish Kabbalistic thought.

Walter Benjamin, Religion, and Aesthetics will be necessary reading for those interested in religion and the arts, aesthetics, and material culture.

Customer Reviews:

Incredibly thorough.......2007-05-18

This is the most thorough book on ancient Roman costume. It shows off pictures of statues, mosaics, paintings, jewelry, and more, and examines all aspects of costume. The text is incredibly detailed, discussing class, gender, social influences, hierarchies, and the power of culture on dress. There is also discussion on the difference between Greek and Roman costume during the time.

Fantastic source for reenactors.......2007-05-16

I love this book. I recomment you buy it. Read it. Use it. You'll love it. You're asking yourself: WHY?

Answer: The section on reconstructing Roman clothing is extremely helpful. The photos of historical evidence in statues, museum finds, ect., are excellent.

The writing style is a little more scholarly than the other book by AT Croom, however, don't let that dissuade you.

Highly recommended by Legio XX--a Roman reenactment group. I bought it for use in the SCA.

Costume Study A Window into Ancient Rome.......2000-03-29

The World of Roman Costume outlines the components of Romandress and explains how knowledge of clothing can enhance ourunderstanding of Roman culture and civilization. The volume consists of thirteen chapters written by different authors (all in English); each covers a different ritual or social aspect of Roman dress using visual, archaeological, and literary evidence. In the Introduction, the authors give a short survey of the scholarly investigations into ancient dress. Chapters follow on different aspects and descriptions of Roman clothing: the changes in cut and draping of the toga throughout Roman antiquity, symbolism in the costume of the Roman woman, the clothing of the Roman bride, the colors and textiles of Roman costume, jewellry as a symbol of status in the Roman empire, even footwear. The book also contains evidence for costume using purely literary sources, such as the speeches of Cicero and Virgil's Aeneid. There are also chapters here which explore the geographical dimensions of Roman costume: the integration of Roman styles of clothing in Syro- Mesopotamia and Roman Palestine, for example, and the depiction of barbarians on Roman curiasses. The last chapter ("Reconstructing Roman Clothing") is the most interesting, as it contains patterns and instructions for making most of the clothing discussed in the book. The World of Roman Costume is a very valuable treatment of a subject too little examined, a thoroughly enjoyable book, and an intriguing study for general readers as well as scholars of antiquity.

Average customer rating:

Archaeologia Aeliana. [Offprint]
Eric Birley
Manufacturer: Northumberland Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007KBZ0C

Book Description

Chief Edwards retires from the Modesto Police Department a lonely man. On his way home, he hits a flying whale with his car, opening the beast's mouth to find a boy from a parallel universe named Jacobus. Chief discovers that a society of insect monsters want to kill this boy due to a mysterious virus that grows on his hand. He becomes a father figure to the boy and trains him how to survive insect monsters by becoming a great American ass-kicker.

Customer Reviews:

Earthboy Jacobus is a must read!.......2007-05-30

Doug TenNapel has outdone himself with this monster graphic novel, delivering endearing characters and action packed scenes that will keep you turning pages straight into multiple readings. The pacing is fast and furious, with a genuinely satisfying journey from the first page to the last. I am looking forward to more of this from Doug, and I hope that he is able to make these into movies someday. Well done, friend.

Amazing in pretty much every way it can be........2007-05-29

This is a wonderfully spun story that involves parallel universes and things like Ectoids and Tera-Whales. While these sound odd, Doug TenNapel makes them completely believable and you won't second guess any of it. The characters are all incredibly unique and identifiable, and you'll love following each of them.
The Religious aspect of the story is built in well and not at all tagged on. This, along with the realism of the characters and the great humor, help to make this a very refreshing graphic novel that definitely stands out from the rest.

The art style TenNapel has created is so unique and well executed, it's hard not to love.

This is my favorite of Doug's work, and others are absolutely worth checking out. I would personally recommend starting with this one then moving on to Creature Tech.

Excellent characters, Odd situations, A large dose of Grace.......2007-01-05

After reading--and tremendously enjoying--TenNapel's CREATURE TECH, I ordered EARTHBOY JACOBUS.

Doug's official site has this blurb for EJ:

" Chief Edwards retires from the Modesto Police Department a lonely man. On his way home, he hits a flying whale with his car, opening the beast's mouth to find a boy from a parallel universe named Jacobus. Chief discovers that a society of insect monsters want to kill this boy due to a mysterious virus that grows on his hand. He becomes a father figure to the boy and trains him how to survive insect monsters by becoming a great American donkey-kicker."

That's the bare bones of a genuinely page-turning story,although you may not turn them as fast as you normally would because the artwork's of such good quality. I got hooked pretty fast.

The wide-eyed, displaced Jacobus (a misfit/outcast type of character, my favorite) and the aloof, wounded old Marine ex-cop (who grows on you with each panel and who never loses his gumption, thank God, even when the nightmare swallows him up)--these two form a rivetting double-forced bit of characterization. You care what happens to them.

As he did in CREATURE TECH, TenNapel mixes old-fashioned ideals and a spiritual component with vulnerable characters who need relationships and by grace find them. He doesn't let up on the action, but he mixes is with a storyline that will make your heart clench with empahty at the sheer human need for love (familial and romantic) and sharp recognition of the human condition that, sadly, includes suffering, alienation, loss and rebellion. He also highlights strength, persistence, loyalty, and second chances.

How would I describe the story to you? Take a man running from God (like Jonah the prophet, if you will) and take Jonah's whale. Now, add a misfit boy from a parallel Earth that's been taken over by insectoid superbeings. Shake the ingredients. Now brainstorm the weirdest scenario and add a dash of romance and some redemption of the spiritual sort. Don't forget a pinch of patriotism: Add that tiny stars-n-stripes parasol, and voila! Tasty!

Man meets boy; boy meets man. And a new sort of family is formed. Bad buys chase boy, boy flees or fights, and sometimes, you lose everything to do the right thing.

You can expect the good guys to win, yes. And you can expect much laughter and some throat-clogging apprehension and just a rowdy good time.

A review is up at Graphic Novels Info blog, which states:

"Although it was the early scenes that sold me on the book, the late scenes definitely closed the deal. By that time (they've had over 250 pages, you know) the characters have grown considerably, and I don't just mean in terms of Jacobus being taller. And TenNapel gives us a series of flashbacks that give them even more depth, simultaneously adding depth to what seemed fairly two-dimensional scenes early in the book. Suddenly the Chief, who seemed like a pretty coherent and understandable character all along, turns out to have additional facets. Brilliant."

I have to agree. Brilliant.

TenNapel offers another graphic novel of Christian speculative storytelling that is top-notch.

Mir of Mirathon blog and Speculative Faith team blog
Asst. Editor at Dragons, Knights & Angels webzine

Wicked art with substance.......2006-08-15

Doug TenNapel's Earthboy Jacobus is an excellent piece of work, showcasing his talents as both an illustrator/character designer and a storyteller. I was impressed by the amount of detail shown in the art and the themes, being a relative novice with graphic novels, it impressed me that Doug has fit so much into such a difficult medium.

The illustration is nothing short of fantastic - if you're a fan of his more popular work with video games in the 90's, specifically Earthworm Jim and The Neverhood - chances are you will love this.

The story itself is a slightly different kettle of fish, with TenNapel touching on more serious themes aside from alien insect races and giant whales with no eyeballs. TenNapel's oft-criticised religious tangents will frustrate some readers who prefer a more secular approach to their tongue-in-cheek literature. However, the religious stuff is appropriately minimal and restrained, not straying from the story very much, and the scene in the bunker should please the atheists (as long as they're not fanatical). I did find some of the commentary in regards to religion slightly confusing...the stance seemed to modulate a bit as the story developed, but I have only read the book once so far, and haven't invested much thought in the Jonah & The Whale undercurrent.

Overall, Earthboy Jacobus is a major success in my eyes, and even if the story does nothing for you, the artwork will hopefully inspire you and maybe even blow your mind.

Another job well done from Mr. Doug TenNapel and I look forward to reading Earthboy Jacobus again and again.

---

Post-script (A minor criticism): My copy which I purchased from Amazon actually fell apart a bit - I don't know how graphic novels are usually made, but the glue solution as binding didn't hold together so well. It's not a major issue but I will have to glue back some of the pages myself (who's going to waste their time shipping back the old and getting a new one?)

I'll Never Recover My Good Looks.......2006-06-14

Yes, ladies and gentleman.. my face has been horribly disfigured by the sucking action of this book... WAIT, LET ME FINISH! Hold the business end of a vaccuum cleaner hose up to your cute little mug and turn the dadgum contraption on - only then will you understand what I mean when I say that Earthboy Jacobus hauls you by the lapels into Tennapels graphically rendered world and doesn't let go until its done with you.
The art itself moves so naturally from one panel to the next that I often forget I am reading - so it is possible to say that this graphic novel reads like a feature film :^)
And as per usual Tennapel's characters have an unexpected realness - a very naked quality that makes one able to care about the hero, and even sometimes the villain, despite the dissapointing shortness of the novel itself.
And also as expected, Tennapel treats the females of his storyline with respect and taste. Far from the sassy, feminist bodysuit-babes gracing the cover of every other graphic novel today, Earthboy Jacobus' first female character undergoes a believeable process of maturity. The end result is very romantic.

What are you waiting for? Just make sure you hold the book at arms length when you crack it open for the first time...

Book Description

A few delightful inhabitants of Cut Plug include Aunt Irma, who is the very heart, soul, and conscience of Uncle Bubba; Skeeter, Bubba's ever-present, skinny little friend who would follow him into the fires of hell; and Buck, a big fellow who brings a little sanity to the group. You can't read about Uncle Bubba's exploits without recognizing someone you know and love.

Customer Reviews:

Unique Idea.......2006-04-21

I love this book. I bought it several years ago and want to re-read it.

The story is adorable, as are the characters.

Caution: As another reviewer mentioned, it can be torture to read the book on an empty stomach, because you will soon be craving the wings in the story. I would recommend whipping up a batch or two before you settle down for a good read.

Fantasic Book .......2006-01-22

It is really two books in one. There is the story about Uncle Bubba and his quest to open a wing restuarant and then there is the recipes for his wings throughout the book. The story turned out to be a much more touching story than I thought it would be. I even teared up a couple of times.

I have tried several of the recipes in the book and they have been wonderful.

I really thought the book did need something else at the end. Perhaps it will be coming someday. I would love to hear how everyone is doing in Cut Pug and how the restuarant is doing. Maybe even some pictures of the restuarant :o)

Excellent recipes with a bonus.......2005-07-26

I bought this book just to see what all the positive reviews were about. I've got to admit I agree with the other reviewers here in giving this book a very positive review. Kind of a cook book with narrative, you get a good number of well thought out recipes(60-80 I think) that are used as a center point to a very funny story about Uncle Bubba and his friends. It really is two books in one, as the story of Uncle Bubba could have sold by itself.

Laugh Out Loud--Touching, Too.......2000-08-23

This book is more than about chicken wings, it's a darn-good read that makes you laugh out loud and touches your heart at the same time. There are only two problems--the book makes you crave chicken wings and there's sadness when your visit to Cut Plug, Texas is over. Well written. I highly recommend it.

Life in a small town in Texas - with lots of sauce!.......2000-01-31

I fell in love with Cut Plug, Texas - with Skeeter and Uncle Bubba and Irma and even with Banker Trinkle and his wife. Who could resist the members of the Book of Ruth Bible Class, the Garden Club or the Order of the Armadillo? Most of all, who could possibly resist trying the recipe for Garlic Wings? Or Bourbon Wings? Or Honey Tequilla Wings?

"Uncle Bubba" is full of small-town southern charm, with lots of garlic and pepper sauce on the side. You'll never look at chicken wings again without reaching for your apron and your copy of "Uncle Bubba!"

Book Description

The phenomenal success of film like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Dances With Wolves and JFK, have made Kevin Costner the Hollywood success story of the nineties. In this first extensively researched, illustrated biography of Costner, journalist Kelvin Caddies explores the unique charisma of this self-effacing star whilst also revealing the darker side of 'the boy next door'.

Customer Reviews:

Kevin Costner is really the prince of Hollywood.......1999-07-01

Kevin Costner (The Academy award winning actor and Director) reconized for his academy award winning Epic of all time "Dances with Wolves". The star of films "Bull Duram" "Field of Dreams" "Waterworld" "Message in a bottle" And "The Postman" is truly one of the classic princes of Hollywood of all time. This book goes through Kevin's life, from graduating from College, appearing in 80's motion pictures, and going through the best year of his life 1990 for his film "Dances With Wolves" and appearing in "Robin Hood" and all kind of films. With color pics of him and his motion pictures. This book has the low down on Costner.

Average customer rating:

Kevin Costner : prince of Hollywood
Kelvin Caddies
Manufacturer: Angus & Robertson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0207180709

Average customer rating:

"Absolutely" Awesome

Pojo's Unofficial Absolute Dragonball Z: Gt Episode Reviews (Absolute (DC Comics))
Pojo
Manufacturer: Triumph Entertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Role Playing & Fantasy | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Dragonball Z | TV | Series | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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Total Dragon Ball Z

Pojo's Unofficial Dragonball Z Cards Simplified: A Player's Guide : How to Play, How to Get Started, Killer Decks, Top 10 Lists : Covers Tuff Enuff, Standard & Sealed Deck Strategies

Dragonball Z: An Unauthorized Guide

Dragonball Z Extreme (Dragonball Z)

ASIN: 1572435550

Customer Reviews:

"Absolutely" Awesome.......2003-09-08

Pojo's first book, "Total Dragon Ball Z" was simply the best informational DBZ Book on the market ..... until now!

Their first book came out in 2000. Three years later they have followed it up with another great informational book. This book has detailed bios for over 500 characters that appear in DB, DBZ and Dragon Ball Gt! About 50 pages of this book are the bios, and most of the characters have good images.

Other cool stuff includes:

Complete Dragon Ball GT Episode Guide, with summaries of all the GT episodes.

Complete DB Movie Guide, with summaries of all the DB/Z/GT movies.

They also complete the DBZ episode guide that they started in their first book. The first book stopped at like episode 125. This one picks up from their, and has summaries of all the episodes through the end of Dragon Ball Z.

There's also a cool Dragon Ball Z Toy Collectors Guide ... showing cool stuff from the U.S. and Japan.

The book has a lot more stuff too. If you are a DBZ fan, I can't think of a better book for the price!!!

Average customer rating:

Unconventional ideas that not everyone will find useful, but great book . . .

Choose service over self interest

Yes!

Deming All Over Again - We Never Learn

weLEAD Book Review by the Editor of leadingtoday.org

Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self Interest
Peter Block
Manufacturer: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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The Answer to How Is Yes: Acting on What Matters

The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work

Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness 25th Anniversary Edition

Leadership Is an Art

Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used

ASIN: 1881052869

Book Description

As a successful managing strategy for corporate. governmental, and nonprofit organizations, "stewardship" is, fundamentally, the spirit of partnership and service. Stewardship explains how to integrate the management of work and the doing of work to redistribute purpose and power within an organization.

Customer Reviews:

Unconventional ideas that not everyone will find useful, but great book . . . .......2006-12-05

I read this for an MBA class. Most of my classmates did not like this book and did not like the whole concept of servant leadership at all. Block's ideas and the changes he advocates are unconventional, however the book is written very well. I found the book easy to understand, easy to relate to and quite compelling as a result of Block's good use of concrete examples and mini "case studies" within the chapters. He does an effective and commendable job of demonstrating how to implement his ideas into an organization, a piece that is often lacking in books like this. The beginning is a little slow -- it was very theoretical and rather preachy for me.

However, it is a must read for anyone interested in leadership or management. Block's ideas present specific challenges to the old "command and control" corporate mentality that any maverick will find interesting to say the least. In the information age where knowledge workers are becoming an increasingly interesting challenge for leaders/managers, this is a great book in helping someone navigate the changing times.

Overall, the book is quite good -- I'm looking forward to reading more of Block's work as a result!

Choose service over self interest.......2006-08-10

This is from my blog which is why it reads this way.

I also read "Stewardship" by Peter Block. This is an excellent business book. The thesis of the book is empower people to make decisions. It also speaks about serving as a method of leadership. It talks about team interests as opposed to self interest (the belief being that a strong team is the best for self interest)

Interesting thesis. Choose serving over self interest because this is in your best self interest.

I agree with much of the thesis of the book although it is somewhat counter culture to our current culture at SYNNEX (and perhaps more close to the EMJ culture, the company I started in 1979 and sold to SYNNEX). A large part of my role at SYNNEX is to help mould culture.

Good culture can make a company succeed or fail. We are not quite where we want to be yet but are moving in the right direction. I know there are frustrations with where we are but I think if people really look at where we are relative to where we came from, they will appreciate that we are moving to where we need to go.

Yes!.......2004-04-23

I sat at the bookstore reading this book and nodding, saying "Yes, this author knows! He gets it, he gets it!"

Peter Block asks the important questions, gives pearls of wisdom highlighted among the content. He clearly understands what he is facing and moves the reader easily into seeing solutions which work and those which are simply adding more of the "old ways" of coercion, patriarchy and adding more "disease" to the organization instead of the RECREATION which will move the organization to its highest level possible.

This quote from Chapter 15 Sums up Block's attitude and approach... and had me want to stand on the table and applaud.

"If we took responsibility for our freedom, committed ourselves to service and had faith that our security lay within ourselves, we could stop asking the question, "HOW?" we would see that we have the answer. In every case the answer to the question, "How" is YES. It plays the location and the solution in the right place - with the question.

When will I finally choose adventure and accept the fact that there is no safe path?

I even smiled at Block's titling of the Bibliography as "Lost and Found."

Chapter 13: Recreating Our Organization Through Leadership is exceptionally strong as is Block's approach to the Cynics which inhabit (and have the ability to very simply destroy and dismantle ) positive growth.

Deming All Over Again - We Never Learn.......2002-10-20

Although he captured me with his initial quote from Shakespeare's Richard III as rationale for a practical means to insure corporate survival, I found Peter Block to be the most refreshing thinker I've yet had the privilege to study. I used this book in a Doc course where we included a fairly lengthy conference call with Block, thus giving our rather small cohort (12 of us) a good opportunity to quiz him on some of the gritty application details. I must admit that I finished the course with a distinct impression that Block may well be the next Deming. Unfortunately, the mistakes of the past seem to be repeating in that although a new generation of managers understands his philosophy and may be buying into it at a fairly respectable pace, the bulk of corporate thinkers are just not willing to jeopardize the thinking that got them into place. The problem is typical....one of my earliest lessons in administrative thinking was a CEO who told us to use that new CQI process because he was going to foster change in our org.....right up to where he told us to find a way to make sure the results of the process met his goals for the org.

There is no doubt that Block is challenging the big thinkers to have the guts to give up the power while still holding the responsibility. Like Deming before him, he's a prophet with a message everybody believes in but few are willing to sacrifice adequately to reap the enlightenment. I'm not a CEO, but I've used his principles fairly successfully the past 4 years, occasionally I can't make it work, but when it does, the results have been spectacular. What's important for me is that I think of myself as a steward entrusted with a valuable resource. There are some great lessons on how to do this in any serious biography of Henry II of England's administrative structure - which established the concept of English Common Law, among other achievements. (By no stretch of imagination could Henry II be considered a modern manager, but his concept of stewardship certainly was as radical in his day as Block and Deming in ours - the lessons of history are worthwhile.)

It's the subtitle of the book that provides the clue to the difficulty of the concept.....Choosing Service over Self-Interest....it's extremely hard to carry this out. Block himself tends to simply inform those who challenge him that he cannot provide assurances of security, that if the outcome were a sure thing there would be no need for commitment, and then he sometimes talks about installing living democracy in organizations in place of autocracy. This is radical.....so radical that the cost of believing is more than most of today's administrators can afford to risk, so perhaps the philosophy will take root in those who are listening now in anticipation of their time. When it finally happens, the world will once again become a better place.

weLEAD Book Review by the Editor of leadingtoday.org.......2002-02-13

Business consultant Peter Block is no stranger to controversy. A number of his previous works explored the reaches of transformational management, including his bestselling book The Empowered Manager. In an even bolder way, Stewardship - Choosing Service over Self-Interest offers a dynamic new organizational structure for our young century. Block defines stewardship as "the means of achieving fundamental change in the way we govern our institutions." He believes that stewardship is a choice "to preside over the orderly distribution of power." This means giving individuals at the bottom of the organizational structure the choice on how to best serve their customers, citizens and community". It also means accepting accountability at all levels. Block continues to define stewardship as being accountable to the larger organization by "operating in service, rather than in control, of those around us." His philosophy is centered on a need and commitment to service rather than self-interest.

Peter Block challenges the modern notion of strong leadership and suggests replacing the term with stewardship. His problem with leadership is that he does not believe it has the capability to create fundamental changes in our organizations. He also believes that leadership "inevitably becomes self-congratulatory and over-controlling. We expect leaders to choose service over self-interest, but it seems the choice is rarely made." Perhaps Block would have better made his point by discussing the various philosophies that pass as leadership rather than neatly collecting them all in one term. Indeed, leadership is often a vague and misunderstood term.

Stewardship - Choosing Service over Self-Interest is a book with three parts. The first part discusses the basic concept of stewardship. It highlights the promises offered by developing a passion toward stewardship in contrast to what we experience in traditionally managed organizations. The second part of the book discusses the redistribution of power in a practical way. This controversial section of the book butchers many managerial "sacred cows" and offers a vision of what stewardship can be like in action! Part three examines the reform process and explores how you and your organization can get from where it is today to an environment of stewardship.

If you are one who is not satisfied with the status quo, you will find this book exciting and refreshing. Sometimes written in almost theological terms, Block inspires the reader to expect more from our institutions and ourselves. This book should find itself on the bookshelf of every person interested in the study of leadership.

Average customer rating:
Stewardship - Choosing Service Over Self-Interest
Peter Block
Manufacturer: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, San Francisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VZEP14

Average customer rating:
Stewardship - Choosing Service Over Self-interest
Peter Block
Manufacturer: Berrett-koehler Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RJ2QBU

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