Why is it that some writers struggle for months to come up withthe perfect sentence or phrase while others, hunched over akeyboard deep into the night, seem unable to stop writing? In TheMidnight Disease, neurologist Alice W. Flaherty explores themysteries of literary creativity: the drive to write, what sparksit, and what extinguishes it. She draws on intriguing examples frommedical case studies and from the lives of writers, from FranzKafka to Anne Lamott, from Sylvia Plath to Stephen King. Flaherty,who herself has grappled with episodes of compulsive writing andblock, also offers a compelling personal account of her ownexperiences with these conditions.
How do we know a cat is a cat? And why do we call it a cat? Howmuch of our perception of things is based on cognitive ability, andhow much on linguistic resources? Here, in six remarkable essays,Umberto Eco explores in depth questions of reality, perception, andexperience. Basing his ideas on common sense, Eco shares a vastwealth of literary and historical knowledge, touching on issuesthat affect us every day. At once philosophical and amusing, Kantand the Platypus is a tour of the world of our senses, told by amaster of knowing what is real and what is not.
《美国文化背景 第4版（汉英对照）》以阐释美国社会的传统基本价值观为出发点，将美国的发展历程、社会时事与大量研究结构、民调数据进行整合，阐释传统基本价值观的由来，以及这些价值观对美国的各种制度和生活，例如宗教、商业、政府、种族关系、教育、娱乐和家庭等方方面面的影响。 本书不仅介绍了美国文化的内涵、发展和变化，更具备精心设计的丰富学习内容，可提升读者的语言能力。在每一章前后都有注重词汇、阅读、写作、讨论等能力的练习，同时提供多种鼓励交流、创新的研究活动内容。参考译文、指导手册及参考答案的加入使阅读和学习过程更加得心应手。
美国南北战争前夕，南方农场塔拉种植园的千金斯嘉丽在得知自己一直爱慕的另一个农场主的儿子阿什利将要娶妻，于是勇敢向他示爱，遭到拒绝，为了报复，她嫁给了自己不爱的男人——阿什利妻子梅兰妮的弟弟查尔斯。？ 战争期间，斯嘉丽成为寡妇，生下幼子，在经历亚特兰大的城破被焚之日后，她带着刚生产完毕、身体虚弱的梅兰妮回到了塔拉，本以为是回到温馨的家，不想面前景象一派残破——母亲去世，父亲深受打击失智，两个妹妹也在死亡的边缘徘徊，棉花被毁——她挑起生活的重担，不再是当初的千金小姐。战争结束后，她为了种植园不落入他人之手，四处觅钱，甚至不惜抢了自己妹妹的未婚夫。同时，她为了撑死亚特兰大的小家，更为了塔拉的大家，她不得不在怀孕期间仍撑着办理锯木厂，却遭受他人口实。而在第二任丈夫被枪杀之后，她又再
The cowboy that enigmatic, larger-than-life icon of our culturehas long been considered a figure of fast hands, steel nerves, andfew words. But according to Ramon Adams, cowboys, once amongthemselves, enjoyed a vivid, often boisterous repartee. You mightsay that around a campfire they could make more noise than ajackass in a tin barn. Here in one volume is a complete guide tocowboy-speak. Like many of todays foreign language guides, thishandy book is organized not alphabetically but situationally, lestyou find yourself in Texas at a loss for words. There are sectionson the ranch, the cowboys duties, riding equipment, the roundup,roping, branding, even square dancing. There are words and phrasesyoull recognize because theyve filtered into everyday language bluelightnin, star gazin, the whole shebang plus countless others that,sadly, are seldom heard in current speech: lonely as a preacher onpay night, restless as a hen on a hot griddle, crooked as a snakein a cactus patch. As entertaining as it is authoritati
