Garry Wills has spent a lifetime thinking and writing about Christianity. In What the Quran Meant, Wills invites readers to join him as he embarks on a timely and necessary reconsideration of the Quran, leading us through perplexing passages with insight and erudition. What does the Quran actually say about veiling women? Does it justify religious war? There was a time when ordinary Americans did not have to know much about Islam. That is no...

A collection of eight critical essays on the major novellas of James including "The Aspern papers," "Daisy Miller," and "The Turn of the screw."

"North India is home to a wealth of musical traditions composed of many different styles, genres, and practices. Music in North India provides a representative overview of this music, discussing rhythm and drumming traditions, song composition and performance styles, and melodic and rhythmic instruments. Drawing on his experience as a sarod player, vocalist, and music teacher, author George Ruckert incorporates numerous musical exercises to demonstrate...

"This book surveys two centuries of Ozarks literature, from an Osage creation story to contemporary poetry and fiction. This anthology presents writings from more than forty authors and connects these works to major literary movements while exploring their regional themes and their contributions to the social construction of the Ozarks"--

Such sayings as "Hard times make a monkey eat red pepper when he don't care for black," "The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice," and "Nothing ruins a duck but its bill" convey not only axiomatic impact but also profound contextual meanings. This study of African-American proverbs is the first to probe deeply into these meanings and contexts. Sw. Anand Prahlad's interest in proverbs dates back to his own childhood in rural Virginia when he listened...

"I was a devil in other countries, and I was a little devil in America, too." Inspired by these few words, spoken by Josephine Baker at the 1963 March on Washington, Hanif Abdurraqib has written a profound reflection on how Black performance is inextricably woven into the fabric of American culture. "A Little Devil in America is an urgent project that unravels all modes and methods of Black performance, in this moment when Black performers are coming...