A dazzling history of magical thinking, exploring the power of The Arabian Nights and its impact in the West, and retelling some of its wondrous tales. Magic is not simply a matter of the occult arts, but a whole way of thinking, of dreaming the impossible. As such it has tremendous force in opening the mind to new realms of achievement: imagination precedes the fact. It used to be associated with wisdom, understanding the powers of nature, and with technical ingenuity that could let men do things they had never dreamed of before. The supreme fiction of this magical thinking is The Arabian Nights, with its flying carpets, hidden treasure and sudden revelations. Translated into French and English in the early days of the Enlightenment, this became a best-seller among intellectuals, when it was still thought of in the Arab world as a mere collection of folk tales. For thinkers of the West the book's strangeness opened visions of transformation: dreams of flight, speaking objects, virtual money, and the power of the word to bring about change. Its tales create a poetic image of the impossible, a parable of secret knowledge and power. Above all they have the fascination of the strange -- the belief that true knowledge lies elsewhere, in a mysterious realm of wonder.
As part of her exploration into the prophetic enchantments of the Nights, Marina Warner retells some of the most wonderful and lesser known stories. She explores the figure of the dark magician or magus, from Solomon to the wicked uncle in Aladdin; the complex vitality of the jinn, or genies; animal metamorphoses and flying carpets. Her narrative reveals that magical thinking, as conveyed by these stories, governs many aspects of experience, even now. In this respect, the east and west have been in fruitful dialogue. Writers and artists in every medium have found themselves by adopting Oriental disguise. With startling originality and impeccable research, this ground-breaking book shows how magic, in the deepest sense, helped to create the modern world, and how profoundly it is still inscribed in the way we think today.
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MARINA WARNER spent her early years in Cairo, and was educated in Brussels and London, before studying Modern Languages at Oxford. She is an internationally acclaimed cultural historian, critic, novelist and short story-writer. From her early books on the Virgin Mary and Joan of Arc, to her bestselling studies of fairy-tales and folk-stories, From the Beast to the Blonde and No Go the Bogeyman, her work has explored different figures in myth and fairy tale and the art and literature they have inspired. She lectures widely in Europe, the United States and the Middle East, and is currently Professor in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, University of Essex. She was appointed CBE in 2008.
Stranger Magic is a large volume, and it can sometimes be difficult not to get disoriented . . . However, one of the merits of the book is that it teaches us why getting lost now and again can be salutary . . . Stranger Magic reveals that the fate of the human spirit hangs not by a single thread, but by an extravagant skein of fancy. —George Prochnik
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Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Magic is not simply a matter of the occult arts, but a whole way of thinking, of dreaming the impossible. As such it has tremendous force in opening the mind to new realms of achievement: imagination precedes the fact. It used to be associated with wisdom, understanding the powers of nature, and with technical ingenuity that could let men do things they had never dreamed of before. The supreme fiction of this magical thinking is the Arabian Nights, with its flying carpets, hidden treasure and sudden revelations. Translated into French and English in the early days of the Enlightenment, this Arabic collection of folk and fairy tales became a huge success with intellectuals, artists and composers. The book's strangeness opened visions of transformation: dreams of flight, speaking objects, virtual money and the power of the word to bring about change. Its tales create a poetic image of the impossible and an unexpectedly modern parable of knowledge and power. Above all they have the fascination of the strange - the belief that true knowledge lies elsewhere, in a mysterious realm of wonder. As part of her exploration into the prophetic enchantments of the Nights, Marina Warner retells some of the most wonderful and lesser-known stories. She explores the figure of the dark magician or magus, from Solomon to the wicked uncle in 'Aladdin'; the complex vitality of the jinn, or genies; animal metamorphoses and flying carpets. Her narrative reveals that magical thinking, as conveyed by these stories, governs many aspects of experience, even now. In this respect, the East and West have been in fruitful dialogue. Writers and artists in every medium have found themselves by adopting Oriental disguise. With startling originality and impeccable research, this groundbreaking book shows how magic, in the deepest sense, helped to create the modern world, and how profoundly it is still inscribed in the way we think today. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR004761661
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Hardcover. Condition: USED_NEARFINE. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. 1st 2011 hardback. Illustrated. Near fine. A dazzling history of magical thinking, exploring the power of The Arabian Nights and its impact in the West, and retelling some of its wondrous tales. Magic is not simply a matter of the occult arts, but a whole way of thinking, of dreaming the impossible. As such it has tremendous force in opening the mind to new realms of achievement: imagination precedes the fact. It used to be associated with wisdom, understanding the powers of nature, and with technical ingenuity that could let men do things they had never dreamed of before. The supreme fiction of this magical thinking is The Arabian Nights, with its flying carpets, hidden treasure and sudden revelations. Translated into French and English in the early days of the Enlightenment, this became a best-seller among intellectuals, when it was still thought of in the Arab world as a mere collection of folk tales. For thinkers of the West the book's strangeness opened visions of transformation: dreams of flight, speaking objects, virtual money, and the power of the word to bring about change. Its tales create a poetic image of the impossible, a parable of secret knowledge and power. Above all they have the fascination of the strange -- the belief that true knowledge lies elsewhere, in a mysterious realm of wonder. Seller Inventory # 240610
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Hardback. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First edition. 1st 2011. Nearly fine condition in a nearly fine dustwrapper. A dazzling history of magical thinking and storytelling, its power to cross boundaries and its enduring legacy. As part of her exploration into the prophetic enchantments of Arabian Nights, the author retalls some of the most wonderful and lesser-known stories. Her narrative reveals that magical thinking, as conveyed by these stories, governs many aspects of experiences, even now. Blue cloth boards, gilt title to spine. Colour & b/w illustrations. Text block browned, contents clean. Pictorial dustwrapper is lgithly rubbed at edges and lightly scuffed to rear panel. Packaged with care and promptly dispatched!. Seller Inventory # 1826782
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Hard Cover. Condition: USED_FINE. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First. xx, 540 pp. Fine Condition. Colour plates and b/w illustrations in the text. List of Illustrations, Glossary, Abbreviations, The Stories, Notes, Bibliography, Index. "A dazzling history of magical thinking and storytelling, its power to cross boundaries and its enduring legacy." Size: Octavo. Seller Inventory # 005197
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Hardback. Condition: UNSPECIFIED. First Edition. Hardback. First edition. A substantial study of The Arabian Nights and the history of magical thinking within storytelling. Two selections of colour plates. 540pp. Indexed. First edition, first printing with complete numberline. Very clean, bright and neat. Near fine, bright copy in like dust jacket Near fine, bright copy in like dust jacket. Seller Inventory # 24904
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