Set against the backdrop of Scarborough in the early 18th century, the narrative explores the impact of a devastating plague on the town. It delves into themes of fear, societal collapse, and human resilience as the community grapples with the pestilence that disrupts their lives. The story captures the atmosphere of a town in turmoil and the darker aspects of human nature that emerge in times of crisis.
The book explores the paradox of education as a violent act masked by its benevolent intentions. It challenges the widely held belief that education is inherently beneficial, suggesting that even its most vocal critics often overlook its underlying violence. By examining the complexities of educational practices, it reveals how the notion of improvement can obscure the darker implications of teaching and learning.
'The Sick List operates on the far side of literature.' John SchadIn this novel, an unnamed academic in an unnamed contemporary university, relates his obsession with his tutor, Gordon. He pores over the increasingly bizarre mis-readings in Gordon's annotations in a strange selection of stolen library books. Is Gordon unraveling a mystery? Or is his own mind unraveling? Meanwhile, an epidemic of catatonia breaks out; academics are found slumped and unconscious at their desks. Is reading itself the cause of this sickness? Is the only escape to return to illiteracy?Witty, moving, and beautifully written, The Sick List plays with the dividing line between deploring and exemplifying what it most despises. Inspired by the work of the Austrian novelist Thomas Bernhard, it considers how the minds of educated people are moulded by both the breadth of literary culture and the narrowness of academic institutions.'The Sick List is about menace, about a menace (Gordon), and is written in the voice of a menace. It reads like one of the pen-portraits of surreal ultra-violence in Bernhard's Gargoyles, where education turns out to be the most deceitful panacea of all.' Katharine Craik
In this brooding and obsessive novel, Ansgar Allen recounts the story of a nameless man who attends a funerary wake with no other distraction than papers that once belonged to the body on display. The deceased considered the papers to be his magnum opus, a text that unraveled everything he had been educated to accept, beginning with the spectre of religion-namely The Church of Christ, Scientist-and ending with the very fabric of educated, civilized thought. Allen's protagonist thinks he's above the conclusions drawn in the titular manuscript, but the blurred lines between what he reads and what he sees in himself incite an apocalypse of introspection. The result is a dark, labyrinthine attempt to diminish (and eventually annihilate) the memory of the man who came to rest on the table before him. Literary and existential, The Wake and the Manuscript explores the vagaries of death, identity, desire, and indoctrination as it (un)buries a history of delusion that speaks volumes about the human condition.
A short history of cynicism, from the fearless speech of the ancient Greeks to the jaded negativity of the present.
Exploring the theme of cynicism in education, this book argues for a revival of militant cynicism as a response to the disillusionment felt by educators. It critiques the current state of education, portraying a workforce drained of passion and pleasure, and suggests that embracing a more profound cynicism can invigorate rather than exhaust. By examining historical and philosophical contexts, it challenges educators to confront their complacency and the shortcomings of the educational system, urging a reclamation of their commitment to meaningful change.
An intro-level textbook that provides a core understanding of often difficult philosophical concepts in relation to Education.