Escapism

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"Who," writes the distinguished geographer Yi-Fu Tuan, "hasn't--sometime--wanted to escape? But from what?" In his fascinating look at the idea of escape, Tuan suggests that all human culture is really a kind of flight, an evasive mechanism, a means of not facing facts: our shelters give us refuge from the weather, our cities give us protection against nature red in tooth and claw, our religion and institutions give us solace against the certainty of death. "A human being," he says wryly, "is an animal who is congenitally indisposed to accept reality as it is." Tuan examines the artifacts of our present civilization to buttress his argument. The cornucopia of the modern supermarket, for instance, with its "dazzling pyramids of fruits and vegetables, its esplanades of meat," which promises ceaseless abundance, and the growth of escape-to-nature ideas, which, he insists, depend on an antithetical escape from nature (nature being, in his definition, "what remains or what can recuperate over time when all humans and their works are removed"). That escape to nature, he suggests, relies on an unfortunate abstraction, one of simplicity. Images of nature, he continues, are often formed from wishful thinking and not from direct experience, and they tend therefore to lack the complexity of reality. Tuan's vigorous essay is provocative, challenging, and a pleasure to read. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

In prehistoric times, our ancestors began building shelters and planting crops in order to escape from nature's harsh realities. Today, we flee urban dangers for the safer, reconfigured world of suburban lawns and parks. According to geographer Yi-Fu Tuan, people have always sought to escape in one way or another, sometimes foolishly, often creatively and ingeniously. Glass-tower cities, suburbs, shopping malls, Disneyland -- all are among the most recent monuments in our efforts to escape the constraints and uncertainties of life -- ultimately, those imposed by nature. "What cultural product," Tuan asks, "is not escape?" In his new book, the capstone of a celebrated career, Tuan shows that escapism is an inescapable component of human thought and culture.

Customer Reviews:

Culture as an escape from animality.......2003-11-15

We tend to think of the way we live as "reality". Yet all human culture - from the smallest object to the grandest ideological-religious system - is a form of escape. Indeed, argues Tuan, it may well be the defining feature of humans, as a species, that we have this capacity to imagine and implement transformative projects; that we can turn the world to our will (or try to), rather than remaining the victim of Nature or of our own natures. "Escape" or "the imagination" is value-neutral, argues Tuan, as he explores the methods by which we attempt to escape from animality, and how it can lead us into both the grotesque and the sublime. What's incredibly satisfying about this book is that Tuan approaches his topic not from the position of philosopher or psychologist, but from the perspective of "human geography" which, in practice, becomes a helpful blend of sociology and anthropology grounded in history and science, but with enough gaps to allow for fruitful speculation. My only complaint is that the sheer breadth of Yi-Fu Tuan's knowledge leaves you feeling slightly dissatisfied, as if this book is only scratching the surface of an immense topic - which, of course, it necessarily is. So I suppose my dissatisfaction is only with myself. Thankfully, Tuan provides detailed notes and an excellent bibliography to point the way forward.

Cure for a figurative head cold.......2002-04-04

Yi-Fu Tuan says that "a human being is an animal who is congenitally indisposed to accept reality as it is." He says ESCAPISM is the strategy we employ to rid ourselves of the humdrum of daily life which he likens to suffering a head cold. The book itself is a good head-clearing remedy. Tuan covers a wide range of topics in human cultural history and gives us a lot to think about.

He gives an "unusual" perspective on nature and culture, looking at the very meaning of reality and exploring why, traditionally, "myths", "daydreaming", and "fantasy" have such negative connotations. This is especially puzzling he says in light of escapism being not only a historical human impulse but also a universal one. He shows this with examples from Eastern and Western culture. Another puzzle is why, if it's so intrinsic to our nature, do we choose to make some explorations of it so painful? His chapter on "Hell" looks at the less-than-pleasant escapes that we have inflicted on ourselves.

Book Description

As the media becomes more sophisticated and lifelike we spend more and more time in front of television screens. Distinguished psychologist Andrew Evans examines this warping of reality and asks where such a path will lead us. Our children are growing up thinking the world can be saved by super-heroes and people come back to life for the next round. Evans examines humor, comedy, science fiction, computer games and all the latest distractions that take our minds off the daily grind. How does this new media affect today's children? What will be their future?

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ESCAPISM
J. E. T. SHIRLEY
Manufacturer: KENT COUNTRY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S3474Y

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Escapism
Jim Adduci
Manufacturer: BookSurge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Inspirational & Religious | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

These writings reflect my feelings from 1990 to 1993 of lost freedom and loves; and how I dealt with my new world. I crawled inside my head and found someone that I forgot was there.

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Escapism

Manufacturer: John Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0965786374

Product Description

Who," writes the distinguished geographer Yi-Fu Tuan, "hasn't--sometime--wanted to escape? But from what?" In his fascinating look at the idea of escape, Tuan suggests that all human culture is really a kind of flight, an evasive mechanism, a means of not facing facts: our shelters give us refuge from the weather, our cities give us protection against nature red in tooth and claw, our religion and institutions give us solace against the certainty of death. "A human being," he says wryly, "is an animal who is congenitally indisposed to accept reality as it is." Tuan examines the artifacts of our present civilization to buttress his argument. The cornucopia of the modern supermarket, for instance, with its "dazzling pyramids of fruits and vegetables, its esplanades of meat," which promises ceaseless abundance, and the growth of escape-to-nature ideas, which, he insists, depend on an antithetical escape from nature (nature being, in his definition, "what remains or what can recuperate over time when all humans and their works are removed"). That escape to nature, he suggests, relies on an unfortunate abstraction, one of simplicity. Images of nature, he continues, are often formed from wishful thinking and not from direct experience, and they tend therefore to lack the complexity of reality. Tuan's vigorous essay is provocative, challenging, and a pleasure to read.

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The Escapism of Operations Research
Niels Warrer
Manufacturer: Aarhus Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Operations Research | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 8772884029

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ESCAPISM.

Manufacturer: Kent Country Nurseries
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HJ0TRI

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Fantasy: A Practical Guide to Escapism
William Davis
Manufacturer: Sidgwick & Jackson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0283989491

Neptune: Spirituality or Escapism : The Choice Is Your Unlock Your Capacity

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Neptune

Neptune: Spirituality or Escapism : The Choice Is Your Unlock Your Capacity
Joyce Levine
Manufacturer: Vizualizations
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Stress Management | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1885856059

Book Description

Integrating Astrological Cycles with Meditation

Neptune - Spirituality or Escapism. The Choice is Yours. Unlock Your Capacity for Spirituality, Creativity, and Love.

Side 1 gives you an understanding of what you experience during Neptune cycles. It helps you enhance your capacity for love and spirituality.

Side 2, the meditation, guides you through a journey that enables you to create your own images of beauty and spirituality.

Customer Reviews:

Neptune.......2003-07-19

This tape helped me understand Neptune cycles. It also helped me to meditate and tune in spiritually. Joyce's voice is soothing and the harp music in the background is wonderful.

Russia's European Economic Integration: Escapism and Realities (Discussion Paper No.3840)

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Russia's European Economic Integration: Escapism and Realities (Discussion Paper No.3840)
Carl B. Hamilton
Manufacturer: Centre for Economic Policy Research
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HAZE4K

Book Description

Studying and gathering mushrooms, avoidance of poisoning, simplified key for identification of best common species, mushroom lore from Europe, Russia, and China, gourmet recipes, illustrations.

Book Description

A strikingly illustrated guide to twenty of the world's most exciting long- distance hikes.

The twenty hikes featured in this lavishly illustrated guide cover every inhabited continent and range from a daring passage along the glaciers of the Karakorum to an age-old pilgrimage route through northern Spain, but they do have one thing in common: adventure. All the treks are of at least five days' duration and present formidable challenges, like the hazards of extreme terrain or the need for self-sufficiency in landscapes traversed only by hardy locals. Hikers who successfully meet these challenges are rewarded with the sights and experiences of a lifetime: a breathtaking vista of the ruins of Machu Picchu, a delicious meal in a remote Greek mountain village, or even an encounter with New Zealand's kea, the world's only species of alpine parrot.

Compiled by passionate trekkers who know their respective regions intimately, these accounts reveal the best routes and side trips along the world's most exciting trails, from the lofty, rugged spine of America's Continental Divide to the snowy craters of Mount Kilimanjaro. Supplementary descriptions with detailed maps, equipment recommendations, and contact addresses will give enterprising hikers all the information they need to plan their own expeditions, while more than 200 full-color photographs of lush valleys, windswept plains, and jagged peaks will thrill armchair travelers. Whether you intend to undertake an adventure trek yourself or just relish one vicariously, this book will extend the limits of your experience with nature and bring you closer to the great outdoors.

Customer Reviews:

Understanding Language For Children, or why my daughter is seriously interested in majoring in language in college.......2006-06-30

At first it might appear I rather like to review books no one is ever going to read again but actually I am trying to slowly pay homage to teaching books and books that "made a difference" in the life of our family. This book is one of those rare books where achild in around 5th to 9th grade(or an adult like myself that usually does "better" reading children's writers) actually learns something. The book talks about languages, their development, historical perspectives, interestingly on dialects, morphology, syntax, and how we use and evolved writing systems. For Me this material as I read it with my daughter was the basis for hours and sometimes months of dialog on cultures and beliefs, fundamentally encouraging both of us to learn more and seek out ways to further our understanding of communication. I think the book is "scholarly" which I appreciate. I am an elementary teacher and this information should be the "least" I was taught in educational training. But you know...it wasn't really presented in a very disciplined way. Of course I took other things which did introduce me to much here, but this book would be excellent for anyone who wants to teach. You will learn much about language that will be useful when teaching in an America increasingly diverse with rich language backgrounds...and it will be good in other ways too. I know much came to the fore teaching "civilizations" to my 6th grade two years ago.
My daughter Sylvia has reread this book so often its clearly one that she found terrifically important. If I want to know about languages I do ask her first-she has supplemented this initial book with many texts including Chomsky but this was a place she started. If you have a child that is an absorbant sponge and loves to learn and read I recommend this book. There are rich references and bibliograpy too. So enjoy and Paalaam na po.

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Illustrated genera of imperfect fungi
H. L Barnett
Manufacturer: Burgess Pub. Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Plants | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
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Introductory Mycology

ASIN: B0007DS188

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Illustrated Genera of Imperfect Fungi
H L Barnett
Manufacturer: Burgess Publishing Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KL7JFS

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Illustrated Genera of Imperfect Fungi
H.L. Barnett
Manufacturer: Burgess Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000PFD49O

Book Description

The exponential distribution is one of the most significant and widely used distributions in statistical practice. It possesses several important statistical properties and yet it exhibits great mathematical tractability. This volume seeks to provide a systematic and comprehensive synthesis of the diverse literature on the theory and applications of the exponential distribution. To accomplish this feat, the most knowledgeable and eminent statisticians with special expertise in the areas covered were brought together to produce a well-organized and executed multi-contributed work. In addition to the conventional areas, the volume also includes discussions on exponential regression, models and applications of mixtures which includes the especially relevant bootstrapping method, and applications to survival analysis.

Amazon.com

Slan is legendary science fiction author A. E. Van Vogt's first and best-known novel, back in print from Tor Books's Orb imprint. The story is classic golden age science fiction: Jommy Cross is a slan, a genetically bred superhuman whose race was created to aid humanity but is now despised by "normal" humans. Slans are usually shot on sight, but that doesn't stop Jommy's mother from bringing him to see the world capital of Centropolis, the seat of power for Earth's dictator, Kier Gray. But on their latest trip to Centropolis, the two slans are discovered, and Jommy's mother is killed. Jommy, only 9 years old, unwittingly becomes caught up in a plot to undermine Gray, who may be more sympathetic to slans than the public suspects. The nonstop action and root-for-the-underdog plot has made Slan a science fiction favorite.

Book Description

In the 1940s, the Golden Age of science fiction flowered in the magazine Astounding. Editor John W. Campbell, Jr., discovered and promoted great new writers such as Isaac Asimov in New York, Robert A. Heinlein in California, and A.E. van Vogt in Canada, whose novel Slan was one of the basic works of the era. Throughout the forties and into the fifties Slan was considered the single most important SF novel, the one great book that everyone had to read. Many SF fans rallied to the cry, "Fans are slans."Today it remains a monument to pulp SF adventure, filled with constant action and a cornucopia of ideas. And maybe fans really are slans. Read it and see for yourself.

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The Slans, a superior race of telepaths, are isolated and persecuted by the "normal" humans. The young Jommy Cross's mother dies in a pogrom and he struggles to survive. With its obvious evocation of the Holocaust, this novel, first published in 1941, made an enormous impression. Van Vogt (1912-2000) was an SFFWA Grand Master.

Customer Reviews:

Inventive, but dated story.......2007-09-11

I first read 'Slan' when I was about 15. I thought it was a fantastic story and kept borrowing it from my brother and re-reading it. I bought it recently to see if it stood up to my memory of it. Ok, it is a bit dated, the conversations are more lengthy than we are used to in today's faster paced novels, but I found it very exciting all the same. It's about a boy who has the ability to read minds and knows that if the normal humans find out that he can, they will try to kill him. Obviously he has to use all his abilities to stay one move ahead of the game. Part of the fun in this book is recognising where Star Wars etc. got their ideas from! Now I want to read the sequel (Slan Hunter) to see if I think the next book carries on in the spirit of the first as it has a different writer.

reprint of a WW II classic .......2007-07-08

Jommy Cross's mom Patricia knew the danger to both of them if they were discovered as Slans whenever she brought her son to the world capital of Centropolis, home to Earth dictator Kier Gray. The "normals" hate the super human genetically engineered Slans whose telepathic powers and other skills make them a superior race. Still this does not prevent the single mom from taking her Jommy periodically to the city.

Their latest trip turns tragic. Sensing the others were coming for them, Patricia informs her beloved son to find the catacombs of his late father if they catch up to her. She knows her time on earth is over as the law allows instant killing of Slans. While his mom is legally murdered nine year old Jommy escapes by leaping on to the bumper of a moving vehicle, but overhears an odd conversation that makes no sense to him as the killing of Slan female Kathleen Lawton could not undermine the Great Dictator, or could it somehow?. Jommy knows he must find this woman, but is not sure why or how she will receive a visit from an orphaned nine year old Slan.

This is a reprint of a WW II classic that many insist changed science fiction from pure action to pure action with a social message that in the 1970s remained required reading in college level Sci Fi literary classes. The story line has obvious links to the Holocaust, but also holds true today with genocides in Darfur, Rwanda, Cambodia, etc as the late great A.E. Vogt condemns racism in any form and not just the extreme final solution, but does so inside a great youth on the run thriller. The story line is fast-paced and will excite a horde of new fans to this landmark thriller that easily passes the test of time. Readers will also rejoice that Kevin J. Anderson, who wrote the Introduction to this edition, shortly will finish a Mr. Vogt's manuscript, SLAN HUNTER.

Harriet Klausner

Important Work that Falls Victim to the Conventions of the Period.......2006-01-23

Centuries in the future, a new mutation has appeared in the human species. Known as the slans, this mutant group is physically stronger, smarter, and telekinetic via the tendrils that grow out of their hair. They are also hunted down and killed on sight by the dictatorship of Keir Gray. It seems, in the deep murky past, that the slans attempted to conquer the human race, and war began. But slans still live among humans, hiding in plain sight. One such slan is John Thomas "Jommy" Cross, who, after watching his parents' murder as a boy, is taken in by a greedy old woman, as he bides his time until he such time when he claim the inherited knowledge left by his father. Another slan is Kathleen Layton, a ostensible science project in the custody of Keir Gray himself, but in fact a pawn in the chess game of the Gray dictatorship.

A.E. Van Vogt's "Slan" is a historical piece of science fiction. It's easy to trace numerous concepts back to "Slan" (e.g. Marvel Comics "X-Men"). It is also an interesting allegory on human nature and the theme of "Man's inhumanity to man." It's probably no coincidence that this book was published in 1946, when WW II was over, and the genocide that it entailed was known. However, much like its contemporaries, "Slan" frequently falls victim to the conventions of science fiction of the time, and so a reader will almost certainly feel star-crossed.

Initially, Van Vogt starts his novel on a thrill, as Jommy is on the run from the humans. Images of a boy of nine running for his life, surrounded by hatred and greed and fear are chilling and gripping. Alternatively, Kathleen's observations of an attempted coup against Gray, and Gray's violent response, while perhaps not so frenzied as a chase, are however just as engrossing.

However, after initial rush, the pace slackens considerably, as Jommy lives a life as a thief, biding his time. While Van Vogt piques our curiosity with the revelation of slans who are not telekinetic, he spends a good deal of time with a contemplative Jommy, spectacularly loquacious secondary characters, and progressively neglected and underdeveloped Kathleen.

It certainly doesn't help that Van Vogt injects several dozen mysteries into his book without ever satisfactorily dealing with any of them. Are the slans really evil? How did the come to be, and how did that cause the war? What's the deal with the non-telekinetic slans? Why does Keir Gray seem so intent on holding on to Kathleen? What will Jommy do about any of it? With so many plot lines to juggle, Van Vogt never seems to give any one of them satisfactory time to develop. The end result is something of a disappointment.

While there is plenty to like about this book, I never felt completely satisfied with it. It tantalizes, but only rarely gratifies. It's historical value in the science-fiction is inarguable, and it's allegorical aspect is always important. Unfortunately, it's aesthetic is never quite able to live up to its potential. However, that doesn't diminish its value. It's absolutely worth reading.

A Forgotten Classic That Should Be Remembered.......2004-06-15

"Slan" is A. E. van Vogt's first novel. It was published in book form in 1946 by Arkham House, but the story originally appeared in the pages of Astounding Magazine in 1940. It was a highly rated classic of Science Fiction for more than 25 years after it originally appeared, but today it is often forgotten along with many of the early classics. In 1949 it was tied for 4th on the Arkham Survey of 'Basic SF Titles'. It ranked 2nd on the Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll in 1952, 5th, in 1956, and 3rd in 1966.

It is the story of a mutant race of humanity (Slan) who are stronger, smarter, and are telepathic. In the story we are told that the name Slan is derived from Samuel Lann who is purported to be the creator of the race. At the start, the Slan are hunted by humanity to be destroyed, and through the course of events we learn the history of the race, as well as the truth behind the crimes of which they are accused.

The story is told through the eyes of two of the Slan. The first is Jommy Cross who is nine years old when the story commences, and who is becomes isolated from any other Slan when his mother is captured. The second Slan is Kathleen Layton, who is a prisoner of the government and being held for observation.

This is an excellent book, which holds up well 60+ years later. It is fast paced, and definitely worth reading.

A revelation to me as a teen.......2004-06-06

I first read Slan in my early teens, and (this is going to get a little personal here, folks) I really identified with the struggle against persecution because at the time I was an adolescent struggling with my own sexuality and the realization that I am gay - something that in my youth (and to a *slightly* lesser extent today) was something to hide, something to fear, lest you suffer persecution.

I re-read the book along with a few other Van Vogt novels as an adult, and it still gave me that feeling of empowerment - that being different was not necessarily "bad."

I doubt Van Vogt had gay people or any specific minority group in mind when he wrote the novel. It was, after all, 1940, and there was no such thing as political correctness and we as a society saw no harm whatsoever in persecuting entire groups of peoples, subcultures, etc.

Which just proves that as a writer, Van Vogt was ahead of his time.

The book holds up; it is still a great story, still has great action, mystery and intrigue. A few of the "science fiction" elements are a little cliched today, but they were of course *new* when Van Vogt wrote them.

I would have to call Slan one of my all time favorites.

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Triad - Three Complete Science Fiction Novels: The World of A, The Voyage of the Space Beagle, Slan
A. E. Van Vogt
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster, New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IVR1WQ

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Arkham house novels of fantasy and terror. 3
A. E Van Vogt
Manufacturer: Arkham House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007DYHCC

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Triad, Three Complete Science Fiction Novels by A.E. Van Vogt (The World of A, The Voyage of the Space Beagle, and Slan)
A.E. Van Vogt
Manufacturer: Simon and Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PFN5RK

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