High Time

LEIGH, DAVID

HarperCollins, Publishers

David J. Leigh explores the innovative influences of the Book of Revelation and ideas of an end time on fiction of the twentieth century, and probes philosophical, political, and theological issues raised by apocalyptic writers from Walker Percy, C. S. Lewis, and Charles Williams to Doris Lessing, Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo.Leigh tackles head on a fundamental question about Christian-inspired eschatology: Does it sanction, as theologically sacred or philosophically ultimate, the kind of “last battles” between good and evil that provoke human beings to demonize and destroy the other? Against the backdrop of this question, Leigh examines twenty modern and postmodern apocalyptic novels, juxtaposing them in ways that expose a new understanding of each. The novels are clustered for analysis in chapters that follow seven basic eschatological patterns—the last days imagined as an ultimate journey, a cosmic battle, a transformed self, an ultimate challenge, the organic union of human and divine, the new heaven and new earth, and the ultimate way of religious pluralism. For religious novelists, these patterns point toward spiritual possibilities in the final days of human life or of the universe. For more political novelists—Ralph Ellison, Russell Hoban, and Salman Rushdie among them—the patterns are used to critique political or social movements of self-destruction. Beyond the twenty novels closely analyzed, Leigh makes pertinent reference to many more as well as to reflections from theologians Jürgen Moltmann, Zachary Hayes, Wolfhart Pannenberg, and Paul Ricoeur. Both a guidebook and a critical assessment, Leigh’s work brings theological concepts to bear on end-of-the-world fiction in an admirably clear and accessible manner.“David J. Leigh’s lucid and informative book conducts a lively travelogue among novels, modern and postmodern, as well as a dialogue between literature, literary theory, and contemporary theology, and philosophy. His shrewd and humane account reminds us how fundamental and pervasive in cultural representation is the perception and creation of an ‘end’—as activating goal, as pleasurable climax, and as a meaning-laden, values-confirming ‘ultimate’.” —Judith Wilt, Newton College Alumnae Chair in Western Culture, Department of English, Boston College “In his new book, David J. Leigh uses an interdisciplinary lens to scrutinize the place of eschatology and apocalypse in literature. He mines a wonderfully diverse array of case studies—from science fiction, to fantasy, to postmodernism, to postcolonial genres—to find rich theological readings bearing on twentieth-century concerns.” —Mark Bosco, S.J., Loyola University Chicago “David Leigh brings his impressive background in philosophy, theology, and literary theory to bear on twenty writers of the twentieth century who, through apocalyptic imagery and motifs, explore ultimate reality and end time. While painstakingly aware of the many differences among these writers, he convincingly argues that these texts use a variety of genres to embody in concrete and imaginative ways human experiences of ultimacy." —Philip Rule, S.J., Holy Cross College “David Leigh has made a major contribution to our understanding of the apocalyptic tradition in 20th century fiction. Along the way, Leigh introduces us to a remarkable array of fiction—from science fiction to literature of death, to specific African American works like Frederick Douglass’s Narrative, Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man, and to examples from Post-Colonial fiction like Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children and Shusaku Endo’s Deep River. Leigh’s work is required reading for students interested in connections between religion and literature.” —John L. Mahoney, Rattigan Professor of English, Boston College

Apocalyptic Patterns in Twentieth-Century Fiction

Literature & Fiction

United States

University of Notre Dame Press

Orchids exert a compelling fascination. The source of many myths and legends, the maker of fortunes for some, and misfortunes for others, the orchid family is probably the largest family of flowering plants, with anywhere between 15,000 and 30,000 species, classified into 750 or so genera. The special beauty of orchids is recorded in detail in this new Cassell Monograph, together with the full horticultural information necessary for their care and cultivation. The various types of orchid, and their native habitats, are discussed, hybrids and species are examined and the history of the orchid and its rise to great popularity in the 19th century told in detail. Propagation, hybridization, pest and diseases are also discussed, with special attention paid to the needs of the indoor orchid grower. The book includes lists of societies, journals and gardens to visit.

Orchids Their Care and Cultivation

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Gardening & Landscape Design

Sterling*+ Publishing Company

Orchids - Their Care and Cultivation (Cassell Illustrated Monographs)

Cassell Illustrated*

Traces the events leading to the accusation that Harold Wilson, head of Britain's Labour government, was a spy.

THE WILSON PLOT

History

Americas

Pantheon

Traces the events leading to the accusation that Harold Wilson, head of Britain's Labour government, was a spy.

The Wilson plot: the intelligence services and the discrediting of a prime minister

Politics & Social Sciences

Politics & Government

Heinemann

For centuries wine has been served at table out of expensive and often elaborate serving vessels. The unrivalled transparency of lead crystal, invented in late seventeenth-century England, led to glass, rather than silver or ceramics, increasingly being used as the favoured material. Although initially influenced by the contemporary wine bottle, from the middle of the eighteenth century the design of decanters became more subject ot changing fashions.This book traces the developments and changing styles of these most elegant and useful pieces of glass tableware from the mid Georgian period to the Art Deco period of the 1930s.

Decanters 1760-1930 (Shire Library)

Antiques & Collectibles

Shire

A practical and instantly applicable guide to training in groups, regardless of size, this book is divided into two parts. In part one, Course Development, objectives and lesson plans are drawn up, teaching methods examined, and the importance of the training environment and available visual aids are discussed. Part two, Course Delivery, concentrates on effectively delivering the course and assessing its success. Throughout the book, sections on advantages, disadvantages, checklists and do's and don'ts deliver succinct, sound advice.

Designing and Delivering Training for Groups (Kogan Page Practical Trainer Series)

Business & Money

Human Resources

Kogan Page.

Training people in groups has all sorts of benefits: it disseminates information to a large number of people all at once and it allows interactive learning exercises. In order for a training session to be effective, however, the trainer must develop a course of action that will engage the group and hold their interest. Leigh breaks down each stage of designing and developing a successful training course and all the skills essential to effective group training, with concise chapter summaries and trainer’s tips to reinforce each concept.

The Group Trainer's Handbook: Designing and Delivering Training for Groups

Management & Leadership

Born of Iraqi parents, Dhul or Duzza, to his mates, is a West Australian. He drinks alcohol, eats pork and his best friend is Jewish. He is Islamic by faith but not practicing and in the lay back world of the Perth suburbs, nobody cares. He works as a scientist, on genetically modified proteins and has discovered a rogue protein that will increase the nutritional value of foods such as rice. He is an idealist and believes he can feed the starving third world with his discovery. He also abhors violence of any kind. Set over a backdrop of ethnically populated Northbridge and with the unlikely regular meetings of four middle-aged men of varying faiths, what turns this mild-mannered pacifist into a terrorist?

Eucharist

Ecobard Productions

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Books by LEIGH, DAVID