The Importance of Being Odd: Nerdrum's Challenge to Modernism
Odd Nerdrum’s work calls into question all our customary narratives about art history, and especially the modernist dogma that the artist can be creative only by turning his back on the past. Essay
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Much Ado about Nothing in the Art Market
The recent sale of an invisible statue for £13,000 is symptomatic of the thoroughgoing financialization of our economy. Investors have become ever more obsessed with the symbols of economic reality and less concerned with underlying economic facts. Essay
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Science and Literature of the 19th Century Introduction
This course will study the impact of science on nineteenth-century literature and in particular the development of science fiction as a genre, with emphasis on the epoch-making works of H. G. Wells. We will examine the ways in which science posed a challenge to literature and called into question the very notion of artistic truth.
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Frankenstein
Paul Cantor analyzes and explains Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in this lecture series on 19th century Literature and Science. Lectures
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Tennyson's In Memoriam
Paul Cantor analyzes and explains Tennyson's In Memoriam in this lecture series from Science and Literature course. Lecture
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Darwin's Origin of Species Lectures
Paul Cantor analyzes and explains Darwin’s Origin of Species in this lecture series. Lecture
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Robert Browning Caliban upon Setebos
Paul Cantor analyzes and explains Robert Browning’s Caliban upon Setebos in this lecture series from Science and Literature course. Lecture
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Edwin Abbott's Flatland
Paul Cantor analyzes and explains Edwin Abbott's Flatland in this lecture series from Science and Literature course. Lecture
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Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Paul Cantor analyzes and explains Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in this lecture series from Science and Literature course. Lecture
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Elizabeth Gaskell Wives & Daughters
Paul Cantor analyzes and explains Elizabeth Gaskell’s Wives & Daughters in this lecture series from Science and Literature course. Lecture
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H.G. Wells's The Time Machine Lectures
Paul Cantor analyzes and explains H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine in this lecture series on 19th century Literature and Science. Lecture
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H.G. Wells's Island of Dr. Moreau Lectures
Paul Cantor analyzes and explains H.G. Wells’s Island of Dr. Moreau in this lecture series on 19th century Literature and Science. Lecture
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H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds Lectures
Paul Cantor analyzes and explains H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds in this lecture series on 19th century Literature and Science. Lecture
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Joseph Conrad The Secret Agent
Paul Cantor analyzes and explains Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent in this lecture series from Science and Literature course. Lecture
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The Invisible Man and the Invisible Hand: H.G. Wells’s Critique of Capitalism
The Invisible Man provides a vehicle for exploring a larger set of economic and political problems that preoccupied him throughout his career. Essay
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Macbeth of Meth
Breaking Bad and the tragedy of Walter White. Essay
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Can TV Be High Art
If Shakespeare were alive today, would he write for television? Cantor and Kristol discuss the medium of TV. Paul Cantor explains what can we learn about contemporary America from our popular TV shows. Conversation
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Pro Wrestling and the End of History
The state of professional wrestling today thus provides clues as to what living at the end of history means. It suggests how a large segment of American society is trying to cope with the emotional letdown that followed upon the triumph of capitalism and liberal democracy. Essay
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Mars Attacks!: Burton, Tocqueville, and the Self-Organizing Power of the American People
Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! comically subverts the ideology of the standard American flying saucer movies of the 1950s. They celebrated the federal government as the American people’s savior, portraying a military-scientific elite dealing effectively with extraterrestrial threats to the US. Burton’s film debunks elites and suggests that a motley assortment of ordinary people would be more successful in dealing with an invasion from Mars. Chapter 4
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Maverick Creators and Maverick Heroes
The introduction to Part Two of The Invisible Hand in Popular Culture, “Maverick Creators and Maverick Heroes” Introduction
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