Confined Thoughts By: Gerald Griffin Some of us can only imagine the ominous thoughts of a prison inmate. But Gerald Griffin lives this life every day. Confined Thoughts is his way of mental escape from the prison walls. This collection of trials and tribulations based on personal experiences and struggles from a prison inmate will hopefully make us appreciate the freedoms we experience every day and never take them for granted.
"[A] man moves from a capital city to a remote town in the border country, where he intends to spend the last years of his life. It is time, he thinks, to review the spoils of a lifetime of seeing, a lifetime of reading. Which sights, which people, which books, fictional characters, turns of phrase, and lines of verse will survive into the twilight? A dark-haired woman with a wistful expression? An ancestral house in the grasslands? The colors in translucent panes of glass, in marbles and goldfish and racing silks? Feeling an increasing urgency to put his mental landscape in order, the man sets to work cataloging this treasure, little knowing where his 'report' will lead and what secrets will be brought to light"--Amazon.com.
Following the structure of other titles in the Continuum Introductions to Literary Genres series, Irish Fiction includes: A broad definition of the genre and its essential elements. A timeline of developments within the genre. Critical concerns to bear in mind while reading in the genre. Detailed readings of a range of widely taught texts. In-depth analysis of major themes and issues. Signposts for further study within the genre. A summary of the most important criticism in the field. A glossary of terms. An annotated, critical reading list. This book offers students, writers, and serious fans a window into some of the most popular topics, styles and periods in this subject. Authors studied in Irish Fiction include: Maria Edgeworth, Sydney Owenson, John and Michael Banim, Gerald Griffin, William Carleton, Charles Lever, Sheridan Le Fanu, Edith Somerville, Violet Martin, George Moore, James Stephens, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Flann O'Brien, Sean O'Faolain, Frank O'Connor, Liam O'Flaherty, Kate O'Brien, Elizabeth Bowen, Francis Stuart, Brian Moore, William Trevor, Edna O'Brien, Jennifer Johnston, Roddy Doyle, John McGahern, John Banville, Eoin McNamee, Colm Toibin, Anne Enright and Emma Donoghue>
Fifty-nine "Stern sonnets" of twenty or so lines from the 1998 National Book Award winner. This stunning collection moves from autobiography to the visionary in surges of memory and language that draw the reader from one poem to the next. "I was taken over by the writing of these poems," Stern says.
Introducing the second book in the The Enchanted Files! Told in diary entries and more, it's a new magical, modern-day comedy series by the master of funny fantasy and bestselling author of My Teacher is an Alien: Bruce Coville! Meet Gerald. Gerald is a griffin—a creature with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. According to the Code of the Griffins, that means he should be: 1. Brave and fierce in all situations! 2. A guardian of a great treasure! 3. Completely and totally hidden from the human realm! But what if a Griffin ISN’T brave or fierce? What if he’s NEVER found a great treasure (or ANY treasure for that matter)? What if he feels like such an embarrassment that the only thing left to do is run away? And what if the only place no one will look for him is . . . the human world? This laugh-out-loud adventure, full of humor and heart, is ideal for fans of Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library or Chris Grabenstein. "Hilarious. Middle-grade readers will be carried along by the buoyancy of the writing, the skillful design, and the humor on almost every page. Egg-ceptionally funny!"—Kirkus Reviews "Coville brings his signature wit and humor to this fantasy story. This second installment adds authentic and engaging, multidimensional characters to a strong series that finds heroes in outcasts." –School Library Journal Praise for Enchanted Files Book 1, Cursed: * “Smart, amusing, and a lot of fun” —Booklist, Starred “With magic, mischief, and mayhem to spare, this sweet story of an unlikely friendship ought to delight readers of any age.” —Publishers Weekly “A knee-slapper.” —Kirkus Reviews
In Animal Minds, Donald R. Griffin takes us on a guided tour of the recent explosion of scientific research on animal mentality. Are animals consciously aware of anything, or are they merely living machines, incapable of conscious thoughts or emotional feelings? How can we tell? Such questions have long fascinated Griffin, who has been a pioneer at the forefront of research in animal cognition for decades, and is recognized as one of the leading behavioral ecologists of the twentieth century. With this new edition of his classic book, which he has completely revised and updated, Griffin moves beyond considerations of animal cognition to argue that scientists can and should investigate questions of animal consciousness. Using examples from studies of species ranging from chimpanzees and dolphins to birds and honeybees, he demonstrates how communication among animals can serve as a "window" into what animals think and feel, just as human speech and nonverbal communication tell us most of what we know about the thoughts and feelings of other people. Even when they don't communicate about it, animals respond with sometimes surprising versatility to new situations for which neither their genes nor their previous experiences have prepared them, and Griffin discusses what these behaviors can tell us about animal minds. He also reviews the latest research in cognitive neuroscience, which has revealed startling similarities in the neural mechanisms underlying brain functioning in both humans and other animals. Finally, in four chapters greatly expanded for this edition, Griffin considers the latest scientific research on animal consciousness, pro and con, and explores its profound philosophical and ethical implications.
