Bomarzo The Monster Park Founded In 1552 As The Villa Of Marvels Also Called The Holy Wood

Ambroise Paré, born in France around 1510, was chief surgeon to both Charles IX and Henri III. In one of the first attempts to explain birth defects, Paré produced On Monsters and Marvels, an illustrated encyclopedia of curiosities, of monstrous human and animal births, bizarre beasts, and natural phenomena. Janice Pallister's acclaimed English translation offers a glimpse of the natural world as seen by an extraordinary Renaissance natural philosopher.

Dragons, Serpents, and Slayers in the Classical and Early Christian Worlds offers a comprehensive and easily accessible collection of dragon myths from Greek, Roman, and early Christian sources.

A profound understanding of the surrealists’ connections with alchemists and secret societies and the hermetic aspirations revealed in their works • Explains how surrealist paintings and poems employed mythology, gnostic principles, tarot, voodoo, alchemy, and other hermetic sciences to seek out unexplored regions of the mind and recover lost “psychic” and magical powers • Provides many examples of esoteric influence in surrealism, such as how Picasso’s Demoiselles d’Avignon was originally titled The Bath of the Philosophers Not merely an artistic or literary movement as many believe, the surrealists rejected the labels of artist and author bestowed upon them by outsiders, accepting instead the titles of magician, alchemist, or--in the case of Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo--witch. Their paintings, poems, and other works were created to seek out unexplored regions of the mind and recover lost “psychic” and magical powers. They used creative expression as the vehicle to attain what André Breton called the “supreme point,” the point at which all opposites cease to be perceived as contradictions. This supreme point is found at the heart of all esoteric doctrines, including the Great Work of alchemy, and enables communication with higher states of being. Drawing on an extensive range of writings by the surrealists and those in their circle of influence, Patrick Lepetit shows how the surrealists employed mythology, gnostic principles, tarot, voodoo, and alchemy not simply as reference points but as significant elements of their ongoing investigations into the fundamental nature of consciousness. He provides many specific examples of esoteric influence among the surrealists, such as how Picasso’s famous Demoiselles d’Avignon was originally titled The Bath of the Philosophers, how painter Victor Brauner drew from his father’s spiritualist vocation as well as the Kabbalah and tarot, and how doctor and surrealist author Pierre Mabille was a Freemason focused on finding initiatory paths where “it is possible to feel a new system connecting man with the universe.” Lepetit casts new light on the connection between key figures of the movement and the circle of adepts gathered around Fulcanelli. He also explores the relationship between surrealists and Freemasonry, Martinists, and the Elect Cohen as well as the Grail mythos and the Arthurian brotherhood.

Which authors were contemporaries of Charles Dickens? Which books, plays, and poems were published during World War II? Who won the Pulitzer Prize in the year you were born? Timetables of World Literature is a chronicle of literature from ancient times through the 20th century. It answers the question "Who wrote what when?" and allows readers to place authors and their works in the context of their times. A chronology of the best in global writing, this valuable resource lists more than 12,000 titles and 9,800 authors, includes all genres of literature from more than 58 countries, and covers 41 languages. It is divided into seven sections, spanning the Classical Age (to 100 CE), the Middle Ages (100–1500 CE), and the 16th through the 20th centuries. Comprehensive in scope, Timetables of World Literature provides students, researchers, and browsers with basic facts and a worldwide perspective on literature through time. Four extensive indexes by author, title, language/nationality, and genre make research quick and easy. Features include: Birth and death dates as well as nationalities of authors and other literary figures Winners of major literary prizes and awards, such as the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Pulitzer Prizes, for each year Brief discussions of literary developments in each period or century, and the relationship of literature to the social and political climate Timelines of key historical events in each century.

With 1,125 entries and 170 contributors, this is the first encyclopedia on the history of classical archaeology. It focuses on Greek and Roman material, but also covers the prehistoric and semi-historical cultures of the Bronze Age Aegean, the Etruscans, and manifestations of Greek and Roman culture in Europe and Asia Minor. The Encyclopedia of the History of Classical Archaeology includes entries on individuals whose activities influenced the knowledge of sites and monuments in their own time; articles on famous monuments and sites as seen, changed, and interpreted through time; and entries on major works of art excavated from the Renaissance to the present day as well as works known in the Middle Ages. As the definitive source on a comparatively new discipline - the history of archaeology - these finely illustrated volumes will be useful to students and scholars in archaeology, the classics, history, topography, and art and architectural history.

"This alphabetically arranged dictionary of artists known to have produced works depicting sexual imagery profiles the artists from ancient times to the present. Each entry offers biographical information, including the artist's name and any variants, birth and death dates, geographic focus, a description of the artist's media, training and the nature of their artistic output"--Provided by publisher.

Probably the most enigmatic garden in Europe, the Sacred Wood at Bomarzo in central Italy has been called extravagant, mysterious, unholy, surrealist, fascinating and good fun, but it has never been perfectly understood - which is possibly just as its creator intended. The recurring theme of the ornamentation in the garden is the struggle of man's soul to distinguish between earthly and divine love, to see what is real and what illusion. Drawing on familiar figures from classical literature and contemporary Italian works, Vicino poses challenges to his audience, forcing an intellectual as well as an aesthetic response to the complex landscape of Bomarzo.