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Tilting Cervantes examines several contemporary texts -- Fight Club, Brazil, The Matrix, and The Moor's Last Sigh, among others -- by reflecting them against a cluster of early modern Spanish and Latin American literary works, principally Don Quixote.Through a deliberate juxtaposition of these cross-cultural and cross-epochal texts, this book explores the notion that each of these varied cultural products can be read -in a very Borgesian manner- as precursors to each other, especially for contemporary readers who may not come to them in their Â"properÂ" chronological order.At the same time, and within this larger juxtaposition, this book examines the interrelated baroque and postmodern preoccupation with mirrors and self-reflexivity, and thus argues that many postmodern writers and performers do not so much break new ground as simply rediscover terrain already explored by such baroque literary figures as Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Francisco de Quevedo, and Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. ... Read more

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These essays describe the diffusion of hydraulic isntitutions and techniques from the Islamic world into medieval Spain and, later, on to the Canaries and to America. The author's concern is both with technical aspects of water use, such as mills and flow measurement, and with the social basis of the technology; and it is this latter aspect that he would see as the key to success. Given the critical importance of water for agriculture, and also often competing urban and industrial uses, means to ensure equitable distribution and the management of disputes were essential. The mechanisms used to achieve this are analyzed in the light of the objectives of local irrigation communities. ... Read more

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This guide to Spanish film documents the film industry's interpretation of the isolating effects of the cultural traditionalism of the early twentieth century to the expanding international popularity of such films as Trueba's Belle Epoque, Aranda's Amantes, and Bigas Luna's Jamon, Jamon, and such actors as Victoria Abril, Carmen Maura, and Antonio Banderas. This is the first volume in a new Greenwood series that historically and critically discusses films, directors, and actors in film industries throughout the world. Each volume will include a detailed historical introduction and will provide an in-depth treatment of the most important films and individuals involved in the industry. End-of-entry bibliographies provide sources for further reading and appendixes provide additional useful information. The Guides will be valuable to scholars, students, and film buffs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Well-thought & written, but for cinephiles of Spain only!
Much information in this expensive volume regarding films, directors, actors, etc. but not one still from any of these categories and for$75! Author's audience is definitely high brow--not for the general public. Even his bibliography is incomplete, not mentioning Ronald Schwartz' GREAT SPANISH FILMS or SPANISH FILM DIRECTORS (Scarecrow Press) which contain marvellous stills and popularize this wonderful national cinema. ... Read more

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Spanish popular culture is one of the richest in the world. The absence of an efficient ruling class has allowed the people to stamp their personality on all major aspects of the country's life. This book describes the peculiar Spanish feeling for death and tragedy in popular religious practices, music and the bullfight; the "fiesta sense of life," so foreign to the work ethic of other Western countries; the oral tradition that has managed to survive into the post-industrial age with its creative use of slang, proverbs and obscenity; popular literature, the press, radio, television and the movies. A familiarity with Spanish popular culture is essential to understanding Spain. ... Read more

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Well-written, Succinct, Informative
For some reason that is interesting to contemplate but difficult to quantify, some cultures seem to attract more attention from foreigners, or a certain type of foreigner, than others do. Russian culture is one such; so is Japanese, and so is Spanish. Perhaps it is the sense of irony and tragedy that seems to permeate the history of these cultures.

At any rate, there is no shortage of books on Spanish culture; indeed, one can almost speak of the field as a literary subgenre. The French and the English have probably produced more books on the subject than others have, but the subject has attracted its share of Americans too, from Washington Irving to James Michener.

So one might legitimately question the need for another book on Spanish culture. In this case, there definitely is. With the exception of Russia, there is probably no nation in Europe that has undergone more change in the last century than Spain, and not just due to the Civil War. Not very many people are aware of how much Spanish society has changed since Franco died twenty-eight years ago, reinventing itself from a medieval enigma to a valid member of the European community.

This book deals with Spanish popular culture by topic, reviewing in turn religion, music, sports, popular literature and several other topics. While it reviews the history of these fields summarily, the book's major purpose is to document and shed light on how Spanish popular culture has evolved in the last three decades. While Professor Stanton makes use of statistics, this book is not an essay in sociological analysis; the book is eminently readable and enlightening, despite its relatively short (238 pages) length.

If it's such a good book, why only four stars? Simple: the price. At this price the publisher is virtually ensuring that the only buyers for this book will be institutional libraries. This is a real shame, since this is not some scholarly effort that would appeal to an extremely limited audience, but rather a book that should be required reading for anybody interested in Spanish culture. I can only hope that a less expensive version will eventually appear. ... Read more

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Box set: Includes 3 student books, 1 adult/teacher guide, music CD,and videotape.

A lively and entertaining journey in video, story, song andactivity through Mediterranean Jewish history and culture. Includesthe story of the Jews in the Caribbean and Renaissance Europe, theearliest Jews in colonial America, the crypto-Jews of Spain andPortugal and Jewish life in pre-expulsion Spain. Video stars TheodoreBikel. CD includes sing-along and festival songs. Suited to childrenaged 10-12 years in class settings or at home. ... Read more

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James I "the Conqueror", king of Araga-Catalonia, conquered Mediterranean Spain from Islam during 50 crusading years (1225-1276). From his many surrender treaties, only two survive in their interlinear bilingual originals, both presented in this volume. Each reflects the fragmentation of post-Almohad Islam, the warrior heroes of Islam carving recalcitrant principalities out of the confusion, the hard-fought local negotiations and the confrontation between two radically opposed mentalities. The full meaning of these battered and deteriorated bits of parchment emerges only from minute reconstruction of the Arabic and Latinate texts and especially from ever-widening circles of changing contexts in each world, an historical kaleidoscope. ... Read more

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An introduction to Spain, highlighting the country's geography, people, foods, schools, recreation, celebrations, and language. ... Read more

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This book is for those foreigners who feel the need to relate to what they see and hear around them every day in Spain. Not an encyclopedia or text book on Spanish culture, it presents 34 topics of interest in a readable way-giving an inside look into the country's politics, history, arts, traditions, cuisine and folklore. ... Read more

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"Over the past several years, a series of extraordinary cutting edge developments have taken place in Golden Age Spanish studies. Important new issues have been addressed--and conceived--in innovative ways: questions of gender and sexuality; concepts of self and other; political and social contexts of literary production and reception. While these investigations have already begun to have a significant impact on our current reconceptualization of culture in general and Spanish culture in particular, they have until now been somewhat overly dispersed, even fragmented--in large part because of their very nature as rethinkings, as experimental. The present volume constitutes a collective examination of these kinds of key cultural issues within the historically specific context of Golden Age Spain, configured around the central question of authority."--Marina S. Brownlee, from the Preface.

In a wide-ranging series of essays, the contributors to this volume bring recent critical and theoretical perspectives to bear on our understanding of culture in Golden Age Spain, focusing on the related notions of authority, authorship, selfhood, and tradition in Spanish culture. This book will appeal to Hispanists and comparatists interested in contemporary perspectives on the literature and culture of medieval and Renaissance Spain as well as to medievalists and Renaissance specialists interested in Spanish literature.

Contributors: Lía Schwartz Lerner, Josè Regueiro, Edward H. Friedman, Mary Malcolm Gaylord, Marina S. Brownlee, Paul Julian Smith, Harry Sieber, Robert ter Horst, Ruth El Saffar, Anthony J. Cascardi, Diana de Armas Wilson, Walter Cohen, Joan Ramón Resina, Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht.