Book Genre Research Articles

Webrary: the New Genre of Book

Webrary: the New Genre of Book

The Liturgical Environment: What the Documents Say 3rd Edition by Mark G. Boyer

Reviewed by: The Liturgical Environment: What the Documents Say 3rd Edition by Mark G. Boyer Duncan G. Stroik Mark G. Boyer The Liturgical Environment: What the Documents Say, 3rd Edition Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2015 276 pages. Paperback. $29.95. When did people start thinking that liturgical law was architectural law? In the past fifty years, this genre of book has been quite popular, assisting one to navigate the manifold documents of Vatican II in order to re-imagine churches in keeping with the spirit of the Council. On the one hand, Boyer tries to be thorough by combing liturgical documents for anything that might have relevance to the design of the ambry or the location of the tabernacle. On the other hand, the book suffers from the liturgical functional views of the famous little pamphlet Environment and Art in Catholic Worship (U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Liturgy, 1976), from which it quotes. Thus, rather than beginning with the representation of Christ’s one immemorial sacrifice, or the feeding on the Word of God and the Bread of Life, every chapter commences with the “the norm of active participation of the assembly in liturgical celebration.” In his introduction the author notes that Redemptionis Sacramentum “attempts to get at an interiority or spirituality that is an important part of active participation, insisting that not everyone must have something concrete to do beyond the usual actions and gestures of the assembly” (xii–xiii). Unfortunately, the rest of the book interprets “full and active participation” as everyone actively doing something, and architectural success is [End Page 352] judged by how much the liturgical elements foster activity. In Boyer’s treatment of the building shape he sees the basilica as historically enabling participation because there was no seating and “people could see and hear each other” (8). In the cruciform shape, participation was at a minimum due to the fact that people sat in pews and “saw only the backs of the heads of people” (8). Not only are these false conclusions, but the author shows his limited knowledge of Church history. It was in the Middle Ages that the cruciform plan developed, while pews did not come into popular use until the Reformation. Boyer sees the post-Vatican II “theater church” as a great improvement over the cruciform since worshippers can see each other and are closer to the action. Recognizing the problem of adapting an entertainment model for a church with active participation, Boyer criticizes the stage as encouraging passive watching. Even better and more participatory in his view is the elliptical sports stadium where “all are in full view of each other and interact with each other” (9). This leads us back to the so-called original environment, the house church or living room, beloved by liturgical design consultants, where furniture is arranged in a circle similar to a stadium. The modernist liturgical design consultant either likes, or has been trained to prefer, a minimalist northern European space and works at finding theological reasons why these preferences should be universal. To support this agenda Boyer offers five principles: suitability, simplicity, genuineness, audibility & visibility, and dignity. Simplicity means a clutter-free church, no distracting flowers on old high altars, and “a sufficient distance should separate the tabernacle and altar” (19–20). Even better is to employ lighting or some other device to separate the tabernacle during Mass so that one is not distracted by it. His minimalist interpretation of Church documents leads him to say in regard to genuineness that “wood should look like wood…stone should look like stone” (21) and that fake appointments (tube candles, silk flowers, faux marble) imply that the liturgy is fake. These false syllogisms and others run through the book. Visibility implies that the assembly can see the ministers at the altar, the ambo, and the chair, while ministers can see members of the assembly and make eye contact with them. The principle of visibility, one of the most insidious ideas in church architecture, [End Page 353] has led to the destruction of many historic churches and has led to a pseudo sacrament of proximity. One of the ways that modern church architecture has fostered...

The Engraving in the History of Book

The article is devoted to the significance of the engraving for the history of book and the development of science and culture. For the first time ever, the engraving is regarded as an invention equal in its importance to the invention of printing, as a specific book technique, existing not only in collaboration with the typographic printing, but also on its own. In the modern era, this technique enabled the creation of a special type of book, without which the progress in science and culture would have been impossible. The article reviews the methodological issues connected with writing of the history of book and its study in the modern period. What is new here - it is putting the question of studying the engraving through the historical process of book culture development, studying the engraving as a specific book technology, ensuring development of the specific, engraved, type of book, which played an important role in the book culture in almost every book genre (scientific, technical, medical, etc.) providing transmission of the data (knowledge) unattainable for verbal means of communication. This approach reveals new areas for research, some processes unstudied by bibliology; opens up new approaches and principles of writing the history of book and studying the history of book art.

Large-scale log analysis of digital reading

In this paper, we address daily reading practices of the general public in Russia analyzing 10 months of log data from the commercial ebook site Bookmate. We study different reading characteristics with ebooks, i.e. the reading volume and preferences, reading schedule, reading speed and reading style (including parallel reading patterns and book abandonment rates), with respect to reader gender, book length and genre of the book. We find that book genres impact certain reading behaviors, while gender differences or book length seem to play less of a role in ebook reading. Parallel book reading and book abandonment occur very frequently, possibly pointing towards changing reading behaviors in the ebook environment. The obtained insights demonstrate the high potential of log analysis for book reading studies.

Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas e sua adaptação à HQ (possíveis) implicações para os jovens leitores

This article aims to study the adaptation of Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas into História em Quadrinhos, whose objective is to analyze the (possible) implications of this adaptation for young readers, starting from the assumption that literature is art laden with elements socio-historical-cultural. This is a comparative and interpretative study developed from the analysis of convergent and divergent points between the Brazilian literary work adapted to the comic book genre by Escala Educacional and the original work. The results point to some changes in the essence of the original work that make it impossible for the young reader to appropriate the mentioned elements.

Journey to the Wilderness: War, Memory, and a Southern Family’s Civil War Letters by Frye Gaillard (review)

Reviewed by: Journey to the Wilderness: War, Memory, and a Southern Family’s Civil War Letters by Frye Gaillard Mike Bunn Journey to the Wilderness: War, Memory, and a Southern Family’s Civil War Letters. By Frye Gaillard. Montgomery: NewSouth Books, 2015. 128 pp. Hardcover. ISBN 9781588383129. If there is any genre of book that seems to consistently fall short of its potential in American historiography, it is the published collection of Civil War letters. We seem to have thousands of these volumes floating [End Page 370] about, each loaded with buried nuggets of golden quotes surrounded by layers of tedious recounting of the monotony of camp life in bad grammar, all introduced by authors with rather formulaic overviews of the progression of the Civil War. While these books have their place as reference resources regardless of their eloquence and have certainly been invaluable to generations of historians in understanding the conflict through the eyes of the men who fought it, as narratives they usually leave much to be desired. Frye Gaillard’s provocative and refreshingly brief book, Journey to the Wilderness, happily rises above that stereotype. It is an enlightening and readable chronological story focusing on one family’s experience during and memory of one of our nation’s defining events. Gaillard’s success in weaving fragmented correspondence and memories together into a compelling narrative should come as no surprise, as he is currently Writer-in-Residence at the University of South Alabama and author of nearly two dozen acclaimed books, including Cradle of Freedom: Alabama and the Movement that Changed America (Tuscaloosa, 2004) and The Books That Mattered: A Reader’s Memoir (Montgomery, 2012). While this is his first foray into Civil War history specifically, he has a wealth of experience in writing about the cultural heritage of the South in general. He is ably assisted in the undertaking via a superb foreword by colleague Steven Trout, director of the Center for the Study of War and Memory at USA, which sets the tone for the book by asking how the grisly reality of the war could have so long been downplayed in place of more romantic remembrances. Gaillard features a carefully selected and closely edited batch of his family’s correspondence in the book which he combines with his own lucid commentary, providing both historical context and background on the way the experiences of the writers were collectively remembered by their descendants. In the letters he finds many of the usual expressions of initial optimism for the war as some sort of grand adventure fade into a grim determination to survive its horrors; evidence of both the thrill of participation in epoch–defining events and the drudgery of camp life; attempts to deal with separation from loved ones and heartrending loss; bitter racism; and even cowardice. While this is the Civil War we as historians are familiar with today, as Gaillard candidly observes, it is [End Page 371] not necessarily the Civil War he remembered hearing about as a child. Gaillard notes that his generation (he was born in 1946) was perhaps the last to be raised with stories of unequivocal southern gallantry during the affair but also the first to be forced to square that veneration with the glaring inequities in southern history forcefully brought to light by the Civil Rights movement. The experience of being caught in that cultural whiplash challenged his notions of what the South he grew up in and was taught to love and respect was all about, indeed by extension what he himself was all about, and prompted this objective look into what it was really like to live through the Civil War. The unusually compelling result both sheds light on the lives of otherwise largely forgotten individuals and, on a small scale, illuminates how southerners’ visceral connection with the war has often blurred the lines between history and regional identity. As Gaillard thoughtfully illustrates, that blend of past and present has been a powerful force in southern culture for a long time and continues to have meaning to us today. Journey to the Wilderness is an entertaining and insightful book that those interested in the Civil War and the broader...

Readers' Advisory: There Seem to be More SEALs in Romance Fiction than in the US Navy, and if so, Why Does it Matter?

Few of us are lucky enough to write about what we love. In particular, what we love to read and why it’s so popular. But, Mary K. Chelton was able to do just that. We, the readers of this column are able to dive right into this article and read Chelton’s thoughts on a book genre dear to her: Navy SEALs. Why we do love our military men? What is it with the strong, handsome type that often need “fixing” by intelligent, beautiful ladies in need of love that has our readers so transfixed? Chelton provides excellent insight into a genre that she, too, loves to read. In her own words, Chelton states that this article suggests reasons for popularity of military romance, from the type of hero and appeal factors to familiar story lines and authors. Whether you’re a readers’ advisor familiar with this reading trend, or new to the genre, this article is a great introduction or “go to” resource in your everyday RA world.—Editor

Literacy Environments of Preschool Education Classrooms in Turkey: The Case of Muğla

This study examined the quality of the literacy environments of 17 public preschool classrooms in Mugla, Turkey through detailed observations using the OMLIT-CLOC, an inventory of classroom literacy resources that identifies and rates 11 aspects of the literacy environment on a scale from 1 (low) to 3 (high). The results indicated the literacy environments of preschool classrooms in Mugla–including print displays, books, writing and reading areas and listening materials – to be of low-to-moderate quality. Based on the findings of this study, other ways of improving preschool education classrooms can be pinpointed, such as enriching the book genres accessible to children, providing more supplementary print material in the classroom and integrating literacy materials, toys and props into other classroom learning centers.

A national discovery and loss of a landscape – photographic images of the Curonian Spit

The Curonian Spit, formerly part of East Prussia and divided today between Lithuania and the Kaliningrad Oblast (Russian Federation), is one of the iconic landscapes in the German collective memory of the territories lost after the Second World War. Using examples from the popular genre of photographic books (Bildbände) from the 1930s to the 1960s, this article discusses to what extent previous representations (textual and visual) informed the photographic reservoir of images of the Curonian Spit as the ‘most famous landscape of East Prussia’ and explores how in the environment of the homeland societies the Curonian Spit finally transformed from an image of a national discovery into an icon of loss.

Why do we read sad books? Eudaimonic motives and meta-emotions

While it is commonsensical that we read stories to generate pleasant emotions (enjoyment), the fact that we also read stories which generate sadness had been deemed more puzzling. Recent studies have stressed the potential role of “eudaimonic” (meaning-making) motives in preferences for sad media, particularly sad films. The current survey study (N=343) explored the role meaning-making motives (insight and personal growth) play in a preference for sad books relative to other motives, like catharsis beliefs and wanting to experience emotions (meta-emotions). The study also took into account gender and age. Results indicate that both meaning-making motives and meta-emotions predict a preference for sad books. This pattern was compared to preferences for specific book genres. A preference for thrillers was associated with meta-emotions, while a preference for poetry was associated with a need for insight. However, no specific genre was associated with both meta-emotions and insight. As sad books appear to address both needs for feeling and meaning-making, they serve a unique function for readers.

Breaking a tradition: Hester Pulter and the English emblem book

The emblem book genre has long been dismissed as unworthy of serious critical study. But the recently discovered mid-seventeenth century manuscript of Hester Pulter, and the generic existential crisis figured therein, imply otherwise. A vehement royalist, Pulter suggests that the events of the English civil wars have broken established emblem form by defying analogy in their horror; according to her, emblems cannot continue as they were after the deposition and regicide of Charles I. Yet, rather than succumbing along with the monarchy, Pulter’s emblems formally reimagine emblem structure, adopting a new devotionalism at odds with conventional emblem form. Thus, even while Pulter’s poems register political crisis, they prepare for a political order beyond that of the Commonwealth and demonstrate emblems’ ability to comment upon their own contemporary world.

Renaissance: Series of problems asvarietas

In the present paper I wish to discuss three texts published by two mathematical authors, Oronce Fine and his student Jean Borrel. These three texts are typical of the time and are examples of the transformation occurring in the genres of mathematical books. This had direct consequences on the ways and the purpose of presenting series of problems followed by further mathematical authors. Oronce Fine's contribution has been to present commercial problems as Euclidean problems on proportions, as well as to replace the university quadrivium by four practical disciplines: practical arithmetic, practical geometry, cosmography, sundials. The two books by his disciple Borrel reflect the view on mathematics promoted by Oronce Fine: we can recognize mathematics in every aspect of the world. Borrel is also very concerned with distinctions in the human world: variety in the Opera geometrica and in the Logistica corresponds to redefinition of professional roles according to Fine's program. In particular, Borrel wants to stress the role of a new category of mathematicians, specialized in the practical disciplines Fine taught at the College Royal, the g eometers. They dealt with practical problems by using classical humanistic education and practical mathematics, exactly what jurists did: Through the crucial rhetorical notion of varietas he is able to illustrate, in the Opera geometrica, the multifarious mathematical competence required for jurists. Among geometers, Borrel distinguishes a group of people, the logisticians, dealing in particular with the computational side. The readership of his Logistica was also, by and large, constituted by jurists. In fact many jurists were logisticians or needed competence in this art, and many logisticians had a training in law. The texts by the two authors examined here show a use of series of problems as varieties at two levels: the level of the presentation of examples for a rule, mostly in the main part of the text, and the level of a list of cases at the end on the book.

19.YÜZYILA AİT EL YAZMA BİR DUA KİTABI BAĞLAMINDA BÜYÜ-DİN İLİŞKİSİ

The practical and transcendental aspects of religion have caught much attention in the works of social sciences. These aspects tried to be understood and explained in the context of the dichotomies such as sacred-profane. The most widespread of these comprehensions is the equation of practical to the magical hence differentiating it from the religious completely. This differentiation is likely to be seen much more applicable to the traditional societies. This comprehension is also applied to the culture of Turkey in spite of the transformation process which Turkey has been in. The practical aspect of religion in the Turkish culture poses a rich and plentiful characteristic despite the changes. The ever growing number of several religious books in the market regarding magical aspects displays this richness in the modern era. It is easy to find the renowned older examples of this genre of books in the libraries (as manuscripts) and in the market (as printed exact copies). However these examples are in line with the urban, literate, elite culture and it is much harder to find examples monitoring the situation in the ordinary people lived in the past. In this regard this paper aims to scrutinize the relationship between magic and religion and the relationship between traditional re­ligiosity and magical logic in special reference to a manuscript consisting of some religious invocations and magical talismans. The main argument of the paper is that the relationship between religion and magic is not a simple one to be described as a dichotomy despite this its very complicated and sophisticated.

Introduction About Islam for Toddlers Through Visual Graphic in Storybooks or Digital Medium as a Foundation for Early Childhood Development

The first five years matter and last a lifetime (P.Winther, 2007). However having a formal curriculum on Islamic education for children at this age are not necessary but nonetheless the researcher strongly believe an introduction about Islam are highly encourage as a foundation. Neuroscience - the scientific study of the nervous system had provided compelling evidence that early experiences impact on brain development, and can have a long-term effect on well being, this includes physical and mental health, learning and behavior. (Shore, 2001) Therefore this would mark a great age to introduce about Islam.There are several books or digital medium exist on promoting formal and informal Islamic education however the variations are still limited to compare with miscellaneous genre or topic of story books that are available on the major bookstore in Malaysia. This research would answer on the parent’s awareness about the foundation on Islamic for toddler, the common & current practices on educating about Islam and finally to observes the potentials of educating Islam through storybook or alternatives electronic medium (tablet pc).

“The Thyroidectomy Story”: Comic Books, Graphic Novels, and the Novel Approach to Teaching Head and Neck Surgery Through the Genre of the Comic Book

As surgical education changes, an instructive need arises to complement the complexity of hands-on manual and visuospatial skills acquired as a result of apprenticing in the operating room (OR) and adjusting to new technologies and robotics. Novel and innovative methods must be employed, not to replace the OR experience but rather to enhance it. Here, we present a fine arts merger with surgical education in the genre of the comic book and graphic novel to address visuospatial skills, motor skills (practice-based learning and improvement), and the narrative, humanistic component (patient care) necessary for a well-rounded surgical education. We examine the important goals of training residents with the development of an "experimental" comic book on the thryoidectomy procedure to enhance textbook and lecture material, where residents and nurses are introduced to technique, narrative, and medical illustration skills (interpersonal communication skills) to assist them in anticipating, reflecting, and potentially facilitating the very proficiency necessary to be successful in the OR while remaining curious and engaged in their craft.

Storybooks aren't just for fun: narrative and non-narrative picture books foster equal amounts of generic language during mother-toddler book sharing.

Parents and children encounter a variety of animals and objects in the early picture books they share, but little is known about how the context in which these entities are presented influences talk about them. The present study investigated how the presence or absence of a visual narrative context influences mothers' tendency to refer to animals as individual characters or as members of a kind when sharing picture books with their toddlers (mean age 21.3 months). Mother-child dyads shared both a narrative and a non-narrative book, each featuring six animals and matched in terms of length and quantity of text. Mothers made more specific (individual-referring) statements about animals in the narrative books, whereas they provided more labels for animals in the non-narrative books. But, of most interest, the frequency and proportion of mothers' use of generic (kind-referring) utterances did not differ across the two different types of books. Further coding of the content of the utterances revealed that mothers provided more story-specific descriptions of states and actions of the animals when sharing narrative books and more physical descriptions of animals when sharing non-narrative books. However, the two books did not differ in terms of their elicitation of natural facts about the animals. Overall, although the two types of books encouraged different types of talk from mothers, they stimulated generic language and talk about natural facts to an equal degree. Implications for learning from picture storybooks and book genre selection in classrooms and home reading are discussed.

Athletes confessions: The sports biography as an interaction ritual

Commercialization of emotions is not a new phenomenon but in Denmark there is a new general trend to tell and sell personal stories in the media. Personal deprivation and crises are also major topics in sports media. This paper focuses on sports biographies as a book genre that is reviving in popularity. The paper approaches the topic through the biographies of one Danish athlete: the former professional cyclist, Jesper Skibby, who writes about his doping disclosure and shares his personal dilemmas as a former elite sportsman. The thematic text analysis orientates around social interactions, emotions, and personality constructions. Inspired by microsociology with a Durkheimian flavor of Goffman and Hochschild, themes including "face work," "interaction rituals," and "emotions management" are discussed. The analysis claims that sharing personal information in the media is not only a means of confession and reclaiming status but is also business and management - on an intimate level. Telling the story of the corrosion of a sporting character has become a hot issue, an entertainment, and not least a commercial commitment.

Captain America and the nationalist superhero: metaphors, narratives, and geopolitics

Nationalist superheroes-such as Captain America, Captain Canuck, and Union Jack-often signify the nation-state for readers, but how do these characters and comic books address issues of multiculturalism and geopolitical order? In his engaging book Captain America and the Nationalist Superhero, geographer Jason Dittmer traces the evolution of the comic book genre as it adapted to new national audiences. He argues that these iconic superheroes contribute to our contemporary understandings of national identity, the righteous use of power, and the role of the United States, Canada, and Britain in the world. Tracing the nationalist superhero genre from its World War II origins to contemporary manifestations throughout the world, Captain America and the Nationalist Superhero analyzes nearly one thousand comic books and audience responses to those books. Dittmer also interviews key comic book writers from Stan Lee and J. M. DeMatteis to Steve Englehart and Paul Cornell. At a time when popular culture is saturated with superheroes and their exploits, Captain America and the Nationalist Superhero highlights the unique relationship between popular culture and international relations. Copyright © 2013 by Temple University. All rights reserved.

The Impact of Hidden Advertising on Consumers Purchase Behaviour of Books

ABSTRACTCovert advertising is a form of illegal marketing when a text is published as editorial content although it is ordered and paid for by the advertiser. Covert advertising has an increasing influence on book consumption and on book consumers whose choices are often made unconsciously. They are frequently affected by various psychological factors such as motives, perceptions, attitudes and personality. The aim of the survey was to find out purchasing habits of book consumers, reasons for buying books and the amount of money they are willing to spend on books. We were interested whether consumers know that covert advertising is illegal and that it influences their behaviour. A web questionnaire accessible for three months was completed by 470 respondents. The results show that most respondents like to purchase books. Most often they buy books that are classified as the light reading (novels, thrillers, etc.). When buying books they usually pay attention to the book genre, its title and author. The survey results also point to the poor understanding of the term “covert advertising”. Thus, they could be an incentive to raise consumers awareness of this form of advertising. More stringent control of media editors and tougher penalties for offenders are suggested as well as a public list of all those who in any way contribute to misleading the public.

Making History in Q Henry V [with illustrations

This essay argues that The Chronicle History of Henry the Fifth (published in quarto in 1600, 1602, and 1619) was an abbreviated version of Shakespeare's play prepared for a readership interested in chronicle abridgments and other genres of history books. Critical consensus now identifies the Quarto, less than half the length of the Folio version we read and see performed today, as a reduced text prepared for the theater. This essay considers a range of materials that contest this performance hypothesis: abridged chronicles, popular histories, news reports, as well as title‐pages and paratextual matter from other books based on British history. By situating the early quartos of Henry V with these lesser known products of the London book market, I show that early modern publishers and authors shaped a variety of play texts as “chronicle histories” in order to introduce them to a broader market of readers. What emerges from analysis of this evidence is a different view of Q Henry V: a playbook that owes its existence not to theatrical abridgment, but to reader demand for history books, a genre that Q Henry V helped to redefine. (C. M.)