Saree Makdisi Book order

This book examines how a violent project of dispossession and discrimination in Israel is perceived as an embodiment of sustainability, multicultural tolerance, and democratic ideals. Despite documented evidence of racism and human rights abuses, Israel is embraced by liberal sectors in Europe and America as a manifestation of progressive values, which can be passionately defended. The author argues that this perception stems from a specific form of denial, where the Palestinian presence and claims to Palestine are not only ignored but negated in a way that the act of denial itself is denied. The resulting effects of destruction and repression are reframed as affirmations of liberal virtues. The author explores various acts of affirmation and denial, such as the forests concealing the ruins of depopulated Palestinian villages, the portrayal of Israel as a gay-friendly haven through 'pinkwashing,' and the Museum of Tolerance being constructed over a desecrated Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem. This work reveals the emotional investments and curated perceptions that sustain this cognitive dissonance, highlighting the complexities of how such a narrative is maintained in the face of conflicting realities.

William Blake (1757‒1827) is one of the most original and influential figures of the Romantic Age, known for his work as an artist, poet and printmaker. Grounding his ideas both in close reading and in the latest scholarship, Saree Makdisi offers an exciting and imaginative approach to reading Blake. By exploring some of the most important themes in Blake's work and connecting them to particular plates from Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Makdisi highlights Blake's creative power and the important interplay between images and words. There is a consistent emphasis on the relationship between the material nature of Blake's illuminated books, including the method he used to produce them, and the interpretive readings of the texts themselves. Makdisi argues that the material and formal openness of Blake's work can be seen as the very basis for learning to read in the spirit of Blake.

Focusing on the transformative years from 1790 to 1830, the book explores the intertwining of British imperialism and capitalism during a vibrant era of literary and artistic output. It examines how this cultural shift opened new possibilities, featuring original analyses of works by renowned poets and authors such as Wordsworth, Blake, Byron, Shelley, and Scott. Through these readings, it highlights the emergence of modernity and its impact on society and literature.