Bradley Books

This set of essays by the master Shakespeare critic A.C. Bradley contains essays on :Poetry for Poetry's Sake, The Sublime, Hegel's Theory of Tragedy, Wordsworth, Shelley's View of Poetry, The Long Poem in the Age of Wordsworth, The Letters of Keats, The Rejection of Falstaff, Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare the Man, Shakespeare's Theatre and Audience.
I especially enjoyed the essay on Keats where Bradley focuses on the meaning of Beauty in Keats' letters. His appreciation of the remarkable character of Keats and how this is reflected both in the Letters and the Poems is instructive. The essay on Shakespeare the Man I found a bit speculative , yet another attempt to say something about the character of the character who mastered and made so many different characters. It is interesting that Bradley believes that Shakespeare is the poet who best exemplified Keats' prescription for what a poet ideally should be, one whose negative capability means he is within and without all the characters he creates. The essay on Wordsworth focuses on his originality especially in finding in the simplicities of daily life, and in simple characters the deepest expressions of human soul.
But there is much more than I have indicated here . This is a classic set of essays by one of the English literary traditions, most important critics.

Do you love mules? Do you own one or are you just curious about these intelligent, wonderful beings? Then you should check out this two volume set. It is full of valuable information and some of the most wonderful pictures I've ever seen.

Well written and very informative. A must for any long ears lover's library. Melvin Bradley has created an educational piece of work.

This saga is the most compelling book I've ever read. A retelling of the most famous story in the world. Four women of the Arthurian legend and their lives. The Mists of Avalon, a book with the power to speak to a women's soul, should be on your list of "must read". Well written and a fast read, despite it's size (876 pages), it is detailed and absorbing. Highly recommended

Hats off to Dr. Bradley, whose interpretive, integrative, and deductive abilities are obviously surging, at this early point in his career. Never before have I read anything about De Maistre that pierced so painfully, to the point of seeing his logic as it applies to us all. It made me proud, and ashamed. Compelling.

An execellent reference both for those interested in the history of harness racing and those dealing everyday with the geneology of present day trotters and pacers. The introductory material is well-organized, cogent and "reads" well. The documentation is complete and well-presented. Layout works well for research purposes.

This books wraps you in the arms of excitement and suspense because you don't figure out who the killer is until the end. The book just keep you wondering. A complicated story, yet keeps you wanting to read on. Great Book!

This book is a good book when you are all alone on a rainy night, or just want a chill. The stories are excellent and not gross and bloody like most scary stories now days. Although I do think it is chilling the pictures are so wonderful. They tell the story itself. I think this is a book I will read again and again

When I was trying to learn some Visual Basic programming, I did not know which book to get. So my friend recommended this to me, and I LOVE It. Every single step is accompanied by a figure, so you know exactly the interface you get when you select or click an item. There are only 14 chapters, and yet it's comprehensive. From program flow to database accessing to graphics, you name it, you got it. One thing I like the most is the hand-on programming examples at the end of each chapter and the solution is provided. And if you are looking for more chanllenge, there is case study (only hints are provided) that can help you better understand the material. So now I keep one handy and whenever my friend need some introduction to visual basic, this is the one I always recommend.

This very nice little book is filled with many great little prayers. It is not just a few pages, but many pages with many different contents of prayers. The prayers are cute and simple and true to the heart of a child and to God. They offer many circumstances and events and encourage communion with God.

:: Overview ::

Moving beyond the cliché title of this text, one is invited to join in at the heart of what is truly the oldest Christian conversation--maintaining faithful witness to Christ in ones context. John Franke's forward situates the book nicely in the whole of Church history emphasizing its particular form and relevance to our present situatedness in the postmodern turn.

The key for this text is its tasteful use of formatting, initializing with an article, called a blog, then followed by subsequent interactions and thought streams, called threads. This enables a nice interplay of the contributors with each other and those who participated from across the web. As a result, the book is sure to engage all levels of thinkers within the conversation who are each approaching from their own vantage point. The reader is methodically walked through eight blogs starting with the philosophical notions of postmodernity down to to their outworking in apologetics, ministry and spiritual formation.

:: Chapter by Chapter/Blog by Blog ::

In `Blog 1' Bruce Benson essentially establishes a postmodern centre, countering the most prevalent Christian objections and misconceptions, appropriately/cautiously directing them towards accepting necessary levels of critique and reception. The following `threads' shed light on many of the evangelical basis for approaching postmodernism while further articulating the proper understanding for Christian interaction. Brian McLaren, Myron Penner and Benson brilliantly interact with contributors enriching and refining the content of the first blog through historical and philosophical examples and clarifications.

`Blog 2' builds upon the first, moving towards an evangelical centre in which Myron Penner offers some necessary critiques and clarifications of what evangelical represents and ought to be--all the while maintaining a generally upbuilding tone and good aftertaste. Penner enables evangelicals to recontextualize our historical identity in being about the gospel, personal piety and scripture's authority while shedding a number of modernity's distortions--yet he is careful to leave open what exactly a `postmodern evangelical' may be. The ensuing dialog is priceless, as those of various generations and understandings begin to reveal their own reservations and experiences with modernism and postmodernism; this is exactly why this book was written and its format is virtually flawless paired with this content.

`Blog 3' is marked with the return of Benson, taking the conversation in to the realm of postfoundaitonal theology. The discussion quickly moves into semantics, however, it does not remain there and opens to a number of clarifications and difficulties in the realm of foundationalism and belief. There is some discussion on the nature of scripture as our authority and its interpretation, which although it does not necessarily add to the argument, it shows the concerns that are all related to this conversation.

`Blog 4' brings scripture to centre stage as Penner approaches modern evangelical understandings of inerrancy and interpretation in light of the postures and approaches that postmodernism presents. The `postpropositional' attitude put forth allows us to see God's speech acts beyond modern concerns while still recognizing the texts ability to speak. The subsequent discussion, including remarks from Scot McKnight (cool NT scholar), opens up understandings of how the text is known and teaches us. One of the most useful aspects of this is a thread on what sola scriptura might look like as we hold true to the intent of the reformers in light of our own situatedness.

`Blog 5' marks the introduction of Mabiala Kenzo, an African theologian, who expands the horizon of the conversation beyond the west and postmodernism to its ally and flourishing in postcolonial contexts. Postmodernism, for us in the West, is seemingly the lessons of deconstructing modernity as it presented itself in the colonial and emerging postcolonial context applied back on the West. These lessons, however, are not only for the West, but also, as the conversation shows, need to be a balanced and appropriated interaction in all contexts.

Penner in `Blog 6' brings the conversation into the realm of apologetics. He clearly articulates our current method of apologetics as being intricately connected with modernity (both the positives and negatives). Postmodern apologetics, however, maintains a level of rationality but it is necessarily personal and gospelcentric/holistic in its context and concern. The discussion intensely interacts with some of Penner's viewpoints, subsequently highlighting common misconceptions and supposed dichotomies of postmodernity and old/common readings of those who might offer a way through.

`Blog 7' calls the conversation into the congregation and the ministry that takes place there with Ellen Haroutunian. She calls us to an incarnational orthodoxy, which is essentially a heartfelt neo-pragmatism for our own era, formed around relationships while still holding onto a core conception of Jesus. The conversation talks about moving from talking about loving others into action, with some qualifying statements about how far we can and ought to take postmodernism and in what contexts.

Brian McLaren in `Blog 8' brings the book to a close in perhaps one of the most opening topics, Spiritual Formation or that which makes us more like Christ. He presents some of the confines that modernity placed on Christian development, which brought about the systems in which many of us have `matured' into our faith. He introduces some of the beneficial directions in Spiritual Formation that we can consider some long-term investments in (so to speak). The conversation peels away some concern over specific directions and very tightly/openly presents some ways deeper as individuals intricately integrated in community (the church) and in the world.

:: Analysis & Uses ::

First Off: I went to book the book on my book shelf and was seriously perplexed if it should go with my philosophy books or theology or spiritual growth... so I put it back on my desk, I guess the conversation continues on.

Secondly: This book seems to have its upbuilding uses for anyone who has joined the reality of maintaining faithful witness to Christ in ones context (that is, who is a Christian). Furthermore, in the classroom, no Christian introduction to critical thinking, philosophy, ministry or theology in this day should be taught without the accompaniment of this text.

Thirdly: This book brings to the table a number of significant points. However, as these authors show, it is not simply the words these contributors write but the lives that they live which transubstantiate this conversation into the reality of Christ--love of God and neighbour.

Lastly: Myron Penner has, yet again, successfully brought together some leading contributors of contemporary thought and it's outworking on the intricacies of postmodernism and Christianity as we adventure and thrive though the Holy Spirit and in Christ through this turn.