The nineteenth century was the great age of landscape painting in Europe and America. In an era of rapid industrialization and transformation of landscape, pictures of natural scenes were what people wanted most to display in their homes. The most popular and marketable pictures, often degenerating into kitsch, showed a wilderness with a pond or a lake in which obtrusive signs of industry and civilization had been edited out. Inspired by Romantic ideas of the uniqueness of the nation, pictorial and literary art was supposed to portray the «soul» of the nation and the spirit of place, a view commonly adopted by cultural and art historians on both sides of the Atlantic. Arcadian Waters and Wanton Seas argues that nationalistic or exceptionalist interpretations disregard deep-rooted iconological traditions in transatlantic culture. Depictions and ideas of nature go back to the classical ideas of Arcadia and Eden in which fountains, ponds, lakes, rivers, and finally the sea itself are central elements. Following their European colleagues, American artists typically portrayed the American Arcadia through the classical conventions. Arcadian Waters and Wanton Seas adopts the interdisciplinary and comparative methodological perspectives that characterize American studies. The book draws on art history, cultural history, literature, and the study of the production and use of visual images, and will serve well as a textbook for courses on American studies or cultural history of the Western world.

" . . . very readable, lucid, intriguing study . . . " —Spenser Newsletter " . . . a very thoroughgoing inventory of the cruel male fantasies and nightmares imposed on . . . female-gendered figures . . . " —Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 "Cavanagh has managed to give an almost entirely new reading of [The Faerie Queene]; it is the first feminist rereading of the entire epic, and it reshapes the contours of the huge poem in often startling and remarkable ways." —Maureen Quilligan, University of Pennsylvania

Inside: THE BALLAD OF SUE LOGUE by Hal Gibson Sue Logue's involvement in the revenge murder of Davis Timmerman after he killed her husband, Wallace, resulted in her being executed along with her brother-in-law, George, and hit-man Clarence Bagwell. Her nephew, Joe Frank, Junior, who aided Bagwell in the murder, served a life sentence. Sue's insatiable appetite for life included a purported love affair with young Edgefield SC teacher and politician Strom Thurmond, whom she believed would save her. "Ms. Flowers spins a great tale of juicy Southern hospitality, bodacious family feuds, insidious betrayals, and gunslinging, vigilante justice that makes the OK Corral dust-up look like a Sunday afternoon picnic in the park." -Carol Jose, co-author of Evil Web: A True Story of Cult Abuse and Courage "In Wanton Woman Anna Flowers is at the top of her game in the true crime genre. This case history of murder, which made headlines in the 1940s, has it all, human intrigue, wanton sex, and an ending that will hit the reader with the impact of a bullet. The attention to historical detail, coupled with the skill to tell a compelling, fast-paced story, make Flowers' account of murder and mayhem read like a novel." -Maynard Allington, author of critically acclaimed The Court of Blue Shadows

Wanton Windmill comprises, among other things, a curious and heady mixture of clerics, cultural celebrities; a bored cynic, extreme idealist, psychotherapist and behaviourist. This galaxy of characters assemble at Wanton Rectory for a weekend celebration of Sir Treadboards' 70th birthday. There are also two surprise arrivals. The extended conversations taking place over the weekend cover environmental issues, evolution, free-will; life on other planets and lead to a final, late Saturday night debate. Concerning the story-line, the well known thespian Sir Terence, is recovering after a breakdown. He has lately moved from London to live with his cousin, a retired Bishop, nicknamed 'Boffo'. The latter lives in a former Rectory at Lower Wanton End. The extensive grounds contain a windmill, and it is here that the out-of-sorts theatrical knight spends much of his time. On a Friday in August, invited guests travel to the Rectory by various forms of transport. In transit, we encounter the rabbit-faced poet, Edmund Edgy, who idolises the Anglo-Saxon era. We also meet a new political party leader, Ashley Dunce, whose sound-bites leaves everyone nonplussed. Other characters include an accident-prone cleric and celebrated woman artist. The various weekend guests arrive. Following supper, a recital is given by the nerve-ridden pianist, Julian Morbid. Afterwards, matters become complicated by Edmund Edgy being torn between the contrasting allures of Juniper and Esther. Mr. Morbid is also unhappily pursued by two quarrelling lady journalists. After a miniature train ride and picnic on Saturday, matters on Sunday morning move to a head with three male characters outside on the windmill's tower top, seeking to end their respective miseries. The overriding theme of this novel resides in the alliance of comedy with the fallibility of human idealism.

Wanton Ink is a short collection of around thirty poems the author has been writing since the last decade or so. It has been compartmentalized into four sections - Dream, Nature, Love and Woman. This is the author’s first publication and solely her own work including the landscape photography inside.