Oxford University Press

Modern Enchantment and the Literary Prehistory of Virtual RealityMany people throughout the world "e;inhabit"e; imaginary worlds communally and persistently, parsing Harry Potter and exploring online universes. These activities might seem irresponsibly escapist, but history tells another story. Beginning in the late nineteenth century, when...

A new account of the social and political background to the notorious Sharpeville Massacre of March 1960, which looks both at the sequence of events that prompted the shootings and also their long-term consequences for South African politics, both domestically and in the country's relationship with the rest of the world....

Sophocles and the Language of Tragedy presents a revolutionary take on Sophocles' tragic language and how our understanding of tragedy is shaped by our literary past. Written by one of the best-known classicists working today, this book explores Sophocles' distinctive brilliance as a dramatist while investigating how the nineteenth-century critics...

A Journal of the Plague Year is Defoe's fictional reconstruction of the effects of the Great Plague of 1665 on London. He brings vividly to life the devastation and suffering wrought by the disease,and its effect on the city. This revised edition includes comprehensive notes, a complete topographical index, and a new introduction....

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A Very Short IntroductionFrom the trial of Galileo through to today's controversy over the teaching of 'Intelligent Design' in schools, there has been a long history of conflict between science and religion. This balanced and thought-provoking account avoids polemic, to explore the key philosophical arguments on both sides of this fascinating and...