Average customer rating:
- Great Book
- Great book
- It's fun and easy!
- One of the best books on character design...
- Fantastic Instruction, Great Artwork
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Creating Characters with Personality: For Film, TV, Animation, Video Games, and Graphic Novels
Tom Bancroft
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0823023494
Release Date: 2006-02-01 |
Book Description
• Character design is the key in many industries—and they're all covered in this book
• Practical step-by-step exercises
• Contributors include Glen Keane, Supervising Animator, Disney
From Snow White to Shrek, from Fred Flintstone to SpongeBob Square-Pants, the design of a character conveys personality before a single word of dialogue is spoken. Creating Characters with Personality shows artists how to create a distinctive character, then place that character in context with a script, establish hierarchy, and maximize the impact of pose and expression. Practical exercises help readers put everything together to make their new characters sparkle. Lessons from the author, who designed the dragon Mushu (voiced by Eddie Murphy) in Disney's Mulan—plus big-name experts in film, TV, video games, and graphic novels—make a complex subject accessible to every artist.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-08-16
I teach character design and have found this book to be invaluable. My students love it. Its a really straight forward and practical book. Great drawings, fun assignments. Can't say enough good about it. My only complaint is the poorly designed cover which initially turned me off when I saw it on the shelf at the local bookstore. Animation books seem to make a habit of having aweful covers...but as the old saying goes...
Great book.......2007-08-12
I have been looking for a book on character design since a long time since I am a student of animation. I saw this book in a bookstore and started flipping pages and seeing what kind of lessons it has. My first impression for this book was really great and after reading reviews I confirmed that my impression was not wrong. The book also has assignments in each chapter and this is the best way to learn. The book shows you different aspects of character design and how different rules like shape, size etc could effect the design. The best part is that author never limits you to any particular idea, he wants us to experiment more and more and what to go beyond what is in the book. This is highly appreciated. I highly recommend this book.
It's fun and easy!.......2007-06-11
It's a fun book, with lots os useful information that will help you on creating or improving characters! I've already used some of the tips from the book and it really helped a lot!
One of the best books on character design..........2007-06-10
Tom Bancroft's "Creating Characters with Personality" provides a solid foundation for folks who are interested in creating and developing characters for sequential arts and animation. All the basics are explored here, with copious examples: simple shapes, line of action, appeal, etc.
One thing that sets this book apart from the rest is how several examples of the process of character design are shown. The book reiterates several times that the first design isn't always the best - that one should continue to explore other design possibilities before settling on the final look and feel of a character. If you are interested in refining or creating your own character, I would recommend purchasing this book along with Ben Caldwell's Action! Cartooning and Fantasy Cartooning.
While beginners can certainly appreciate this book, I think it's best suited for intermediate level artists who are looking to refine their technique. Highly recommended.
Fantastic Instruction, Great Artwork.......2007-05-03
This book is a terrific view of the craft of character design from someone doing it for a living. It's a great insight to the process, and really assists with sparking creativity.
It also shows various takes on the characters used as examples from working artists in various disciplines, and seeing the differences in how the characters are portrayed by each demonstrates the wide-open interpretation of a character's description and the limitless possibilities for variation.
The exercises are well-designed and really assist with reinforcement of the concepts, and the artwork is really fun too. A great book overall. Highly recommended, not just for character design, but for insights into interpreting your own creative processes and exploring it more fully.
Customer Reviews:
Really Bad.......2006-06-17
I'm surprised people actually enjoyed this...
I love the "For Beginners" series but this is by far the worst one I have read. The difference between this and, for example, Kierkegaard for Beginners is amazing. It's basically just a lack of real content. I'd still say it's alright as an introduction considering it's not wrong or anything, but honestly I expected much more from a book in this series.
Sartre, presented in a funny and easy way.......2005-12-16
This book is very easy to read. It consists of cartoons and some text. The text presents some of Sartre's ideas in a humorous way. For example:
"We are condemned to be free",
"Hell is other people",
"Nothingness lies coiled in the heart of a being, like a worm", etc.
I wish I had read this book in elementary school.
Buy this book and read it in one breath. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, as it will open your appetite to read more of Sartre.
The book is not written by Sartre himself, but as the saying goes, "it is even better than the real thing".
A Good Start on Sartre.......2002-03-17
I have to agree with the Reader from New York below. _Sartre For Beginners_ from Writers and Readers Publishing was indeed a good place to start, unlike _Introducing Sartre_ from Totem Books.
The writing style was clear and concise, and the illustrations appropriately complemented the material. The book is well structured, with a short Biographical section, a lengthy section on Sartre's Existentialism (focusing primarily on Being and Nothingness), and ending with a short section on Sarte's Marxism. The Glossary was greatly appreciated as was the Sources of Quoted Passages and Bibilography.
While I don't agree with half of what Sartre has to say, Donald Palmer's introductory presentation of Sartre's Philosophy is first rate, and thus I gave it 5-Stars.
Existentially Simple Sartre.......2000-06-13
This book is a joy. I knew nothing about Sartre or Existentialism and found this book very clear and easy to follow. Unlike another Sartre book claiming to be an easily understood introduction, this one contains graphics and cartoons that aren't just caricatures of the people involved (how is knowing what they looked like going to help me follow the facts?). The graphics in this book are simple, funny visual descriptions and explanations of a rather complex subject. Not complex at all since I read this book. It's not a vastly detailed scientific study of Sartre's work. It is what it promises to be: A Beginner's Guide to Sartre. With no knowledge of philosophy, I found it fascinating and easy to follow, and it's whetted my appetite for further reading. There are others in this series, about other philosophers, and I'd recommend them all if you just want a little basic knowledge to enhance your knowledge of the world!
No Place to Begin But Here.......2000-02-19
Sartre for Beginners by Donald Palmer (whom wrote a few of the 'For Beginners' books) gives a fun look at the popularizer of existentialism. Drawing from Sartre's life experiences, biography and influences to show how Sartre came to his theories. An easy read, although one must still contemplate on some level the philosophies that are presented before them. A good beginning book for anyone who wants to learn more about Sarte and existentialism in general. A good addition to the For Beginners book series.
Customer Reviews:
Comprehensible.......2006-09-25
Written with humor and very concisely. I love the pictures (comics) Donald Palmer did a great job of introducing Kierkegaard and his philosophy to the masses.
Amazingly Accurate and Fun Portrayal for the Beginner.......2006-05-28
Author/illustrator Palmer brings out Kierkegaard's brilliance in a way accessible to all, simply conveying the complexity of Kierkegaard the person and Kierkegaard the writings while providing a continuous laugh fitting for SK's own serio-comic ironic style. Kierkegaard's the epitome of epigrammatic writing and living, a zealous genius misrepresented by both secularist existentialists as well as respected Christian theologians/teachers who wrongly accuse SK of throwing out objective Christian truth, when really SK's subjectivity IS the evangelical truth of personal relationship with God, not mere external religious tradition. As for the comics in this book, they (as is SK) are HILarious, though probably more so because of the Bible allusions. This book contains a glossary and bibliography, and after this SK intro I'd recommend 'The Essential Kierkegaard' by the editors Hong, then skipping 'Concept of Irony' and starting with 'Either/Or' reading thru the rest of SK's books, which from the outset were written on 2 parallel tracks, one being pseudonymous works (from which it is unfair to attribute quotes to SK) and the other being signed works. P.S.--it's ironic that SK is now associated with the existentialist all-about-self-and-living-in-the-moment philosophies when SK lived so dead to self (his name even means 'graveyard') and with vision, methodically poured himself out in a planned series of books so that his readers entrapped in dead state church religiosity might become aware that they're dead and need to get a life (a self).
Digestible Kierkegaard for Postmodern People.......2006-02-16
Few initially realize that the aesthetic slug which Kierkegaard often decried was he himself. Kierkegaard stuggled with determining, or rather willing, who he would be as a man in books like Either/Or. All of this is what makes him so relevant for postmoderns, existentialism students and even for card-carrying religionists.
The format of the For Beginners series is very inviting and helps make the subject matter less daunting and far from boring, which is the point, and a good reason to use this series' versions whenever getting to know a thinker for the first time. You will get a broad overview of the person's career without getting bogged down too quickly in any one particular life phase. Once you see what it is you appreciate in the career timeline, you can more easily zero in on that selection of books and go from there.
Kierkegaard For Beginners covers the Either/Or argument, the felial Abraham sacrifice delimma and explores Soren's own Christian commitment in a way that will charm and attract even nonchristians as it did me. His inspired figure of the "Knight of Faith" is a fascinating hook and resolves his existentialist concerns heroically.
At the bottom of his writing is the need to account for and deal productively with the bitter anxiety bedrock of the human psyche, and how to resolve that energy and bring it into a sort of freeing self-affirmation by resolving one's will on the issues on which it brings anxiety to bear (thus the "Either/Or" theme elsewhere in title by same name). The comical critique of this is "which breakfast cereal ought I to eat today?!" but the practical application is more in line with "should I renounce playing bridge with the back-stabbing cretins at the moose lodge and take up philosophy/working with kids/see Tibet.") The concern is on changing those things that make one anxious so that they no longer cause anxiety. This said, there is a positive spin on anxiety as the doorbell that "God" rings when he is ready to visit. The feeling of dread, thus, is the threshold over which one comes into contact again with the Divine or whatever makes your life unquestionably, profoundly worthwhile.
This book, as typically the series does, makes the full nature of the life and work roughly, excitingly intelligible in the space of about an hour. No small feat. Definite MUST for Kierkegaard beginners.
Profound Book with Funny Illustrations.......2004-12-29
I don't consider this a comic because the content is too profound to be called a comic. If you understand the content of this book well, the illustrations make you laugh heartily. I find them entertaining.
I would have never understood what Kierkegaard's work is all about if I didn't start with this book because Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) is said to have used more ink than anyone on Earth, having written more than what an average person can read in one lifetime. I would have understood nothing if I had to read several of his major books and try to figure out what they are all about. The author did a great job in summarizing his philosophy.
Though Christianity pervades his work, I do not think his philosophy is about Christianity. Instead I would say that he established a universal philosophy by using concepts of Christianity. In other words, his philosophy can be applied to any area of life in any culture.
One can spend money on a book and let that book sit somewhere, but this type of book becomes valuable when digested with effort. It becomes something money cannot buy.
Didn't Sartre Get his Own Book in this Series?.......2004-09-20
This is a serviceable introduction to the writings and life of Soren Kierkegaard (SK). It hits several of his major works and emphases and does a pretty good job unpacking some difficult concepts (dread, despair, irony etc..). Palmer falls into a common trap, however, of interpreting SK through the lens of the twentieth century existentialists that utilize him. There was a point in the text where I had serious questions whether he had quoted Sartre more than SK himself (it is of note that Palmer also wrote Sartre for Beginners). This leads at times to anachronism in Palmer's presentation and less than full treatment of those ideas that were important to SK but dismissed by those who followed (namely passionate, ironic and devotional theological prose). The illustrations were typical of what I have come to expect from this series: helpful aids for visual learners, occasionally comical (there is a great one on Woody Allen's take on the intro to Sickness Unto Death), but usually a little disappointing, particularly considering the vast reservoir of ironic and comical material availed by SK's sharp wit and various pseudonyms.
Book Description
The comic book superheroes — Superman, Batman, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and many others — have proved to be a powerful and enduring thread in popular culture, a rich source of ideas for moviemakers, novelists, and philosophers. Superheroes and Philosophy brings together 16 leading philosophers and some of the most creative people in the world of comics, from storywriters to editors to critics, to examine the deeper issues that resonate from the hyperbolic narratives and superhuman actions of this heroic world. The comic book narratives of superheroes wrestle with profound and disturbing issues in original ways: the definitions of good and evil, the limits of violence as an efficacious means, the perils of enforcing justice outside the law, the metaphysics of personal identity, and the definition of humanity. The book also features original artwork specially commissioned from some of the most popular of today's comic book artists.
Customer Reviews:
It's a bird, It's a plane...It's a philospher?.......2007-07-03
This is the first book in this series that I've read, and I have to say I'm impressed. It's nice to see someone take comic books seriously, and really superheroes are a perfect topic for philosophers, as any serious reader of comic books will tell you. The essays were great, though there were a few topics I would have liked to have seen them cover.
Awesome read for anybody taking a philosiphy course!.......2007-01-12
As the title states, basically an all around good book for anybody looking to right an ethics paper or a duty paper.
A Sophisticated and Entetaining Masterpiece.......2007-01-09
This collection of essays by philosophers, comic writers, and other brilliant people does not sacrifice intelligence or fun. This is not one of those pop-culture and philosophy/theology books where trite little metaphors from pop-culture are stretched into cliched little feel-good sermons. This is a serious examination of some of the most powerful stories and images in modern America. The essay on "God the Devil and Matt Murdock" is especially good. This is a great tool for ministers, philosophers, theologians, and comics fans looking for insights into the characters and stories they love. If the title sounds even slightly interesting to you, pick this book up. If it doesn't, pick it up anyway.
Super Fascinating!.......2006-07-06
I might be biased, since I did major in Philosophy and Religion...but I loved this book. Each essay was interesting and well-written, providing just enough background on the philospohies being discussed that it was easy to follow. Philosophy can be stodgy and dizzying at times, but pairing it with the themes found in popular comic books (and movie counterparts) makes it a much easier read. Thought-provoking and fun, this collection of essays will have you not only analyzing the lives of your favorite heroes, but your own life as well.
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Philosophy!.......2006-05-21
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It With the concepts of the selfless fight for others, the need and use of secret identities for personal protection and the tendency of wearing one's underwear on the outside in your costume, the area of superheroes is a rich vein of topics for the discussion of philosophy. Anyone who has read comics as a kid (or an adult), watched the cartoons or movie exploits of super heroes can relate to the topics presented in these essays. Using "everyday life" of these heroes the authors look at why heroes would use powers for good, or even why be costumed heroes at all instead of using abilities for personal gain. And are the heroes and their everyday identities the same person, or are the secret identity and the superhero two distinct entities? The examinations cover the "zap" "pow" of classic superheroes like Superman, to the darker and more questionable "heroes" of more recent work such as The Watchmen. With such a broad and rich area to work with, it is refreshing to see so many essays mining different examples of superherodom to examine. Not all essays are great, but overall the book is interesting and fun reading, and yet again helps examine philosophical ideas through more popular arenas's Philosophy.
Customer Reviews:
The Best in its Genre.......2003-05-04
So many introductions to postmodernism are boring, or even unreadable simply because they are written by people who cannot write. These "writers" simply parrot the same pomobabble that so many postmodern thinkers indulge in--as if they were all members of some wierd cult. Powell--who CAN actually write--frys them for this, but then goes on to present excellent overviews of several important writers. One would not expect to find such depth in a comic book. The summary of Baudrillard's work, for instance, is often more insightful than those found in much weightier and intentionally serious volumes. Powell, explains the evoultion of Baudrillard's thoughts from its Marxist roots. Powell is especially good when it comes to the enigmatic Derrida, and his 'deconstruction.' Although Postmodernism for Beginners does not tackle Derrida's major works--as does Powell's Derrida for Beginners--it does make Derrida less mercurial, so that readers can then go on to read Derrida's works forewarned and forearmed. Powell really brings postmodernism to light, however, in his presentation of postmodern artifacts: Madonna, Bladerunner, cyberpunk, etc. Joe Lee's illustrations often present subtle asides to Powell's Proustian prose. All-in-all, one of the best I've read in the For-Beginners series.
Don't forget Foucault!.......2002-09-06
This book is a good introduction to the introductions of various postmodern thinkers, and is as good only as far as that can go. My major problem, like the Nietzsche reader below, was a mis/nonrepresentation of the subject brought on by the ultimate brevity of the complete work. Foucault, for instance, is given a paragraph or two of treatment and then is immediately dismissed by a nonsensical (possibly just unexplained) assumption that because power/sexuality are everywhere they are also nowhere, and therefore Foucault's works are essentially meaningless in the postmodern landscape. And yet, that critique ultimately becomes a meaningless one as gender, race, sexual orientation and other cultural constructs could be subjected to the same analysis, but this wouldn't change the fact that these are all very powerful ways to separate and systematically oppress people in our culture.
For instance, Q: the critique holds that since sexuality is everywhere it is nowhere. But what kind of sexuality is everywhere? A: Heterosexual relations holding the constructed feminine gender subordinate to the constructed masculine gender; mostly what we call "white," rarely "interracial"; and mostly in the context of pre-marital (read committed) relationships. This form is everywhere and nowhere--pervasive but invisible. But what does this then do? As Foucault himself might say, this dynamic impresses itself onto the lives of everyone not within this hetero conception--it turns them into society's perverts; it touches their lives and bodies in the most intimate ways.
Of course, my comments here could be seen as a (feminist) critique of postmodernism itself, but my intent is only to show how difficult it is to handle such a large concept or thinker within a few lines. So this is not so much a failing of the book per se, but a failing of any introduction of this length to introduce such a gigantic concept as "Postmodernism." If you are really interested in the subject, I would recommend either reading the original thinkers or reading books (like Foucault's Power/Knowledge) which contain interviews and overviews of the thinker's major works. This gives you a much better feel for the subject than a 100 page cartoon is, simply, able to do.
not a great intro.......2002-07-18
The back cover of this books say: "If you are like most people, you're not sure what Postmodernism is. And if this were like most books on the subject, it probably wouldn't tell you." I think this is like most books on the subject. You leave this book still unsure of what Postmodernism is. I suppose Postmodernism is too complex a subject to really get a grasp on in such a short format. The book takes a lot of different divergences, and in the end you know little more than what you started with. It is a good book to help you figure out what to read and look into for an explanation of Postmodernism. I'd say it is more of a guide as to where to go to learn about Postmodernism than an explanation of Postmodernism. It does get interesting at the end when it discusses Postmodern Artifacts (including cyberpunk, Madonna, and MTV). I'd say go ahead and pick it up. It won't teach you what Postmodernism is, but it'll give you an idea of where to go.
Great fun reading it........2001-12-18
This is the first book on Postmodernism I've ever finished. It gives you not only Lyotard, Baudrillard, Foucault and Derrida, but also Blade Runner, Buddha, and Madonna. Always lucid and engaging, it meets you where you are by never presuming you have a background in the subject. Other books on Postmodernism begin by gleefully flooding you in terms such as "aborescence," "diegetic," "interpellation," and "simulacra." By the third page your head aches and you throw the book aside - if you're still awake. You might give up, concluding that Postmodernism is a kind of navel-gazing for college professors with too much time on their hands.
But Powell borrows Postmodernism from the ivory tower and makes it fun. Written in a lively "Q & A" dialogue style, Powell's book allows you to see, feel and think about our world the way the Postmodernist theorists have written about it. Talking about everything from T.S. Eliot to Beavis and Butt-Head, from college catalogues to MTV, Powell shows how almost everything in front of us evinces the postmodern condition.
Postmodernism is also easy to understand, the way Powell places it in historical context. He casts it as a way to understand the breakdown of the grandiose cultural schemes envisioned by the thinkers of the 18th and 19th centuries. God and Reason were going to conquer the world and make it safe for ... God and Reason. This did not happen. Instead, the last fifty years have brought us closer to minicultures and multicultures. This cultural flux has been spread by modern freeways, air travel, bookstore chains, movies, and MTV. Powell takes you through the reactions by thinkers such as Jean-Francois Lyotard, Fredric Jameson, Jean Baudrillard, Charles Jencks, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and David Harvey. He discusses art, architecture, the printed word, spirituality, TV and the Internet. With kindly democratic spirit, Powell sees Postmodernism as against the marginalization of anyone, and as embracing of the diversity of the world we live in.
Joe Lee's funny and irreverent illustrations carry forth Powell's well written presentation. The artwork includes cartoon characters, crusty philosophers, classical artwork, and the odd schematic diagram. Reading this book is like a friendly fireside chat with a well-informed friend. I immediately went off to look for Powell's DERRIDA FOR BEGINNERS.
...
Engaging, accessible introduction........2001-09-24
Since there's less difference between post-structuralism and post-modernism than between the two "comic books" this series devotes to the two terms, readers may wish to know which one to purchase. I found Powell's book on postmodernism considerably more readable than its cousin, partly because of the subject ("postmodern" entails an era as well as a theory and, moreover, is inextricably bound up with popular culture) but also because of Powell's style and approach: The book's narrative, map, and examples not only steer the reader through the potential clutter but keep him sufficiently interested and entertained to become informed. Moreover, Powell covers (with the exception of Jacques Lacan) the major thinkers dealt with in this same series' introduction to post-structuralism.
The author manages to maintain sufficient detachment from his subject to provide perspective and levity while at the same time taking it seriously enough to provide a substantial explanation of the causes and symptoms of postmodernism, a decoding of its formidable jargon, and a lucid explication of difficult writers such as Baudrillard and Jameson. He also addresses key questions such as the difference between modernism and postmodernism, post-structuralism and post-modernism (let me put it this way: the former "reads" the text of verbal signs, or words; the latter reads the text of visual signs, or images).
A couple of caveats: Deconstructionists, post-modernists, etc. tend to take themselves very seriously, ironically adopting reactionary positions and political ideologies no less rigid than the "logocentric" views they originally challenged. Also, in many respects the media culture changes so quickly and unexpectedly that even "pomo" gurus like Baudrillard can suddenly look quaintly old-fashioned and dated.
Finally, post-structuralism, deconstruction, postmodernism are primarily words of the academy; their value as currency, moreover, rapidly diminished after the 1980s. But because so many young academics, graduate students, and sophomoric philosopher-dilettantes invested so much of themselves in learning French theory (often at the expense of studying the objects of inquiry), they tend to overestimate its importance on the present-day scene, imposing it upon bewildered young students having difficulty weighing its actual importance. The author's plan does not include a critique of "postmodernism," but had he room for an additional chapter, he might well have considered providing one.
Average customer rating:
- Fabulosity--ideal and real
- Educational and Humourous
- Very Funny
- Not a comic fan
- buy this..
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Action Philosophers Giant-Size Thing Vol. 1 (Action Philosophers!)
Fred Van Lente
Manufacturer: Evil Twin Comics
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ASIN: 0977832902 |
Book Description
PLATO: Wrestling Superstar of Ancient Greece! NIETZSCHE: The Original Ubermensch! BOHIDHARMA: Grandmaster of Kung Fu! They'sre not just great thinkers... They also make great comics! ACTION PHILOSOPHERS details the lives and thoughts of history's A-list brain trust, told in a hip and humorous comic book fashion. Reprints #1-3 of the award-winning AP comic book series.
Customer Reviews:
Fabulosity--ideal and real.......2007-06-01
While the Action Philosophers series is better used as a gateway drug to some hard core philosophy than a substitute for actual study of the source materials, it has amazingly lucid graphic explainations of both Plato's Allegory of the Cave (vol. 1) and Descarte's Cogito, Ergo Sum (vol. 2).
I give it my heartiest reccomendation. In fact, so long as it's part of Amazon's 4 for 3 deal, I'm stocking up. I plan to give a set to each of my MA professors who teach literary theory, to gift one to my younger brother, and to keep one in my bookbag for work--tutoring high schoolers. AP is quick, portable, and nutritious.
Educational and Humourous.......2007-05-12
A great intro into some of the great thoughts and thinkers. The humour is very witty. If you like Monty Pythonesque silly intellectual humour, then this book will be a treat.
Very Funny.......2006-07-10
This is hysterically funny. For anyone who knows the history of philosophy and likes to laugh. Philosophically accurate.
Not a comic fan.......2006-07-09
I have never been a comic fan, however I work with two die hard comic guys and they came to me all jittery and excited telling me I had to see this comic book about philosophers. You see, I've studied philosophy for 10 years, edging closer and to the elusive BA. I am a natural skeptic but I caved in and looked. I laughed out loud at least four times merely leafing through the pages. When I had time to sit down and actually read through the "big red thing" I was very impressed at the blending of humor and accuracy. The spin put on these brilliant thinkers offers true laughter while remaining very accurate to the spirit of their ideas. I had to bring the book to my philosophy professors to test them out and to my pleasure they found it as funny and accurate as I! Nothing like a little brown nosing through comics! I am very impressed with this book and I will purchase every issue of the comic from now on! well done=)
buy this.........2006-06-25
I saw these guys at the Alternative Press Expo, looked interesting, I wasn't prepared for how much I was going to like their comics. The stories are accurate,informative and funny. I've always been interested in philosophy, even took a couple of classes in college, but trying to read through their books and understand their ideas was difficult to impossible.
Action Philosophers presents the lives and basic ideas of great minds in an easy to understand way (with humour), citing their major influences and showing their place in the bigger picture. They also provide a reading list if you would like to learn more about your new favorite philosopher. It never occurred to me that anyone could make philosophy fun, but these guys have done it. I'm almost through this book, and I eagerly await the next issue of their comic book. If you want to read a comic book with a little more to it than just *biff* and *bang*, get this book.
Customer Reviews:
The portal into a maze - but a good one.......2001-04-06
FOUCAULT FOR BEGINNERS
Foucault's range is amazing. Very few disciplines escaped his epistemological examination. His examination includes literary criticism, criminology, and gender studies. Arguing that definitions of abnormal behaviour are socially constructed, Foucault explored the power relations between those who meet and those who deviate from social norms. Foucault's examination of the birth the prisons includes a very graphic description of early punishment and the orgy of suffering does not escape Moshe Süsser's and is cleverly written by Lydia Alix Fillingham. This book gives a very brief introduction to Foucault's work (or the part of it that interests us), plus a very good bibliography.
According to Foucault, people do not have a 'true' identity. In essence, the self is a product of discourse. Identity, is performative our interaction with others, but this is not static. It is a dynamic, temporary and shifting. Foucualt centers his epistemology around power, knowledge and language. People do not really have power per se. Power is a force which people engage in - as in power knowledge and language. Power is not owned; it is used. Where power is, there is also an equal and opposite reaction.
I was particularly impressed by the treatment of "The Birth of the Clinic" since this is one of the few of his works that I missed and hope to read soon, it placed for me the significance of his play on power and the gaze. I get the sense that "The Birth of the Clinic" is a spin-off from "Madness and Civilization" based on his take of the dis-empowerment of the sick (not well, not normal) as well as the mad. I understand when this comic book mentions that reading "The Order of Things" is not the best starting point to understanding Foucault and I will venture to "The Archeology of Knowledge" aremd with this introduction and the other readings I have done on Foucault. A primer, I think it is a really good start. However, in reality, Foucault and French deconstruction is NOT infinitely incomprehensible. Conversely, be warned, if you think you can read this as a substitute and come to class to discuss Foucault, you might be disappointed.I highly recommend this to start and hopefully it leads you to the fascinating maze that is Foucault.
Miguel Llora
Speedy introduction to Foucault's work.......2001-02-19
I picked up this book to help me prepare for a short presentation I had to give on Foucault. Since I had very little time to do reasearch (only 2 weeks), reading through a book such as Discipline and Punish or even the Foucault Reader was out of the question. This was a great introduction to Foucault's general theories, and it included brief synopses of specific works. The writing style is quick-to-the-point and full of light humor, and the comic book style added to this feeling. I especially enjoyed the way this book used certain stories and situations to put some of Foucault's points into "lamens terms". It also tells you which of Foucault's books make the best starting points, for anyone who wants to read "the real thing".
I will agree with some of the other reviewers that some of the explanations were a little TOO brief, but that's to be expected with such a short book. Despite this minor imperfection, I was able to walk away completely understanding the major points of Foucault's study. Not to be counted on as a single source, this book is best used as an introduction, or a companion, to the works of Foucault.
A Nice Introduction to the History of Power.......2000-04-24
Beginners books sets out to simplify Foucaults work and essentially does so. Sometimes almost too simple. I enjoyed the material, as I had no clue what Foucault was about previous to reading, however, I also felt the writing was a little too sparse. The pictures are nice, which makes this series attractive, yet, they filled the page often with splash words and large fonts which sometimes seemed unnecessary or only to fill a page. Regardless, the text is good and informative and reccomended for anyone who is interested in reading Foucault for the first time but does not know where to begin.
Making Foucault easier to understand.......1999-07-23
Somehow in college you don't get around to studying all the things you want to. After you gradaute you can't seem to pick up a 60 pound volume of someone's intellectual achievement, sit down infront a warm fire and pour over every paragraph- let alone do you find the time to just sit! The answer to those still desiring to learn more than the required number of credits in college is the "for Beginners" series. Condensing a subject's concepts to a user-friendly, entertaining and thought-provoking illustrated book is not easy. But this is as good as it gets! Although Foucault would proably have not approved of the "simplified" commentary of this book, it sure helps everyone else understand his contribution to French intellectualism.
An excellent introduction!.......1999-01-22
The current wave of French intellectuals being given to obscure language, these introductory volumes are welcome. I especially enjoyed Fillingham's explication of the way that power and knowledge are inseperable, for Foucault. Having waded through The History of Sexuality in grad school, I now wish I had had this book to give me an overview of the work before I had plunged into it. I have read DERRIDA FOR BEGINNERS, and would have enjoyed hearing from Fillingham how Foucault's thought differs from Derrida's.
Customer Reviews:
Lacan, in a 1-2-3 format.......2006-06-19
Lacan for Beginners cartoonishly strolls through every core aspect of Lacan's thought and clarifies each along the way without wasting words, and in a way that is entertaining.
This series does justice to Lacan's focal idea of the role of the Phallus in Desire and the true nature of what it really represents, unrealized freedom of choice/will, one's own feeling of power, as Nietzsche might say. He/she who holds the phallus, holds the Other in fascination, be it Mommy, Father, lover, spouse, etc. There is another level of this, however, and so it does not neccessarily end with a simple chaotic power struggle. Within this pulsing universal phallus contest, one may experience true peace by seeing into the illusory nature of the phallus. Truly, it is in the mind alone. Lacan thus cites Zen (and potentially other similarly structured activities) as a positive form of self-therapy and escape from the illusion of the phallus, capable of making one better prepared to tackle one's life and avoid being insnared by the Other's illusory phallus. No one has the phallus, and everyone has the phallus. The phallus is not a penis, but ultimately a hopelessly symbolic representation of the "power" over one's life that someone supposedly holds over me, limiting my happiness and holding it out over my head. Its the magical ability to self-move, to initiate change. The more you believe in the potential/power of your own phallus, the more empowered you are, and the more converts to your phallus you may accrue, but the phallus is still an illusion clothed in veils, and so attachment to any object or thought is ultimately vulnerability insofar as it is not under one's own control. It's like playing a guessing game with people; their task is to guess how to push your buttons and make you their slave. To avoid having a phallus is to avoid being enslaved to the Other (other people). It means to call the whole thing illusion and look beyond such power plays as ultimately fleeting and at best entertaining or "educational". The phallus is ultimately an instrument of enslavement, while
What creates the illusion of the Phallus held by the Other? Desire. Desire, for Lacan, is ALWAYS the desire for someone ELSE to...desire you, to give you the confidence that you are already complete and desirable as you currently are. Desire thus tends to breed desire. Zennists should find this to be an oddly familiar concept. Since desire is inescapable, care is needed to properly attend to the desire, what is at the root of it, how it factors in to being creatively INTERdependent, rather than being "independent" and uncaused by anything, which no one and nothing ever has been.
This series is the best I have ever found in terms of introducing relative neophytes to a thinker's significant ideas, and typically goes beyond to reflect significant criticisms and alignments along the way.
Making the complex simple... or at least less difficult.......2003-05-06
Even among French philosophers Lacan has a reputation for being impenetrable; folks who attended his lectures sometimes were unsure what language he was speaking! Despite this (or perhaps because of this) Lacan is among the most influential psychoanalysts, particularly in Europe and South America. He's also a major philosopher and cultural critic, whose ideas have played a major role in the work of people like Barthes and Zizek. If you want to understand Lacan, you're probably going to need a guide ... and Phillip Hill's *Lacan for Beginners* is an excellent place to start.
Lacan's theories of psychoanalysis are strongly influenced by Freud, but also incorporated ideas from Socrates, Saussure, mathematics, and just about anything else that struck his fancy. Hill does a thorough job of discussing not just Lacan's Freudian roots but also his debt to the Socratic method, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, Hegel's slave-master dichotomy, and the abtruse mathematics of topology. All this can help you follow the twists and turns of Lacanian thinking, and penetrate the dense underbrush of his verbiage.
As with other "For Beginners" books, the illustrations are a mixed bag. Some are cute, while others are simply regrettable. Most help to illustrate and clarify some of the points raised, while others are merely cute, or, worse, unfunny jokes. The Max Ernst-influenced collages are clever but often serve little purpose, while multiple fonts smeared on one page evoke the bad old days of 90s zine design. My partner suggests that someone on the Writers and Readers staff study "Drawing for Beginners" and "Graphic Design for Beginners." Still, if you are at all interested in Lacan this volume will probably provide you with the best possible introduction... and you'll have little luck in Lacanian self-study without a guide.
Useful but sometimes difficult.......2001-01-11
The "...for Beginners" books all provide a fine introduction to their topics, enough to get one started thinking along the right lines at least. This volume is no different. My only complaint is that it is a bit abstruse at times; it may take more than one reading. Alas, this book is the only 'Lacan for beginners' sort of book that I know of, so if you want an introduction to his thought then this is really your only option.
A very useful introduction.......1998-05-18
A very useful introduction to the world of an complex and brillent thinker. Some background in Freud would probably been helpful in order to understand some of the clinical language, but for the educated person wishing to get a sense of Lacan (and not kill himself reading the Ecrits) its a godsend. And don't let the french name fool you; these ideas are really exciting...mindblowing if you will.
Customer Reviews:
Easy Introduction to Difficult Topics.......2003-04-07
"Structuralism" and "Poststructuralism" have become buzzwords, bandied about frequently but only rarely understood. The concepts are difficult, especially for someone who doesn't have a background in philosophy, linguistics, or social sciences. To make matters worse, many of the most famous and influential of the Poststructuralist thinkers revel in obscurity, deliberately making their writing as abtruse and convoluted as possible.
This is an excellent introduction to the concepts of Structuralism and Poststructuralism. Palmer studies a few of the most important scholars on the topic -- beginning with Saussure, the father of Structuralism and of modern linguistics and going on to Lacan, Foucault, Barthes, and Levi-Strauss. He touches upon their major contributions to the subject, giving explanations which can be grasped by any bright and interested layman.
If you are interested in studying these thinkers, I would definitely recommend checking out this book first. It will provide you with a good grounding and keep you from feeling utterly mystified as you plumb the murky and obscure depths of modern philosophy.
My only complaints are relatively minor. First, he makes a passing statement that Plato was "hardly bourgeois" ... when in fact Plato was quite clearly a bourgeois, even a reactionary, thinker. Second, the drawings are regrettable: Palmer is much better as a philosopher and writer than as an illustrator. Still, this is one of the best introductory texts available on the subject. Highly recommended.
Reliable but somewhat disappointing........2001-08-30
This series, for the most part, appears to be attempting to fill a niche not covered by "Cliff's Notes" or the "Dummies" series. I had hoped for a reliable, intelligent representation of Structuralism/Post-structuralism along with the levity of humor. I was satisfied on the former account, but not the latter. The cartoons that are interspersed throughout the text are not well-drawn, humorous, or even instructive. Their function appears to be to provide enough blank space to allow the reader to slow down and digest a point before moving ahead to the next page. For the reader who is capable of close, careful, critical reading, any number of introductory texts to the field would serve as well as this. Try also the comprehensive volume, "An Incomplete Education," which gives you far more for the money.
Excellent, simple tying-together of major points.......2000-07-10
I came to this book having read Derrida, Foucault, Saussure, etc, but not knowing about Structuralism as an -ism; just about the individual authors and their works.
This book helped me think of them as a unified movement, and aided me in finding commonalities in their works.
I imagine that this book would be even more useful for someone who hasn't read these authors; that way, you could get the general map before setting off into detailed inquiry (I did it in reverse!).
The explanations and illustrations are genuinely humorous, and the book is a lot of fun. Of course, as with any book of this type, many things are drastically oversimplified, and many things presented as facts are actually the author's opinions -- but that comes with the territory of attempting to sum up a whole philosophical movement in a short little text.
Overall, excellent in all regards, and a very worthwhile read, before or even after getting familiar with the original texts.
The Basics.......2000-03-28
This book undoubtedly represents the basics for any inquiry into the major ideas of structuralism and poststructuralism. Palmer's exquisite, synthetic introduction into these socio-political and discursive phenomena is enlightening. He travels with us from the Swiss Ferdinand de Saussure's semiological system and the structuralist mythical order of the French/Belgian Claude Lévi-Strauss, to the post/structuralist Roland Barthes and Michel Foucault, Lacanian psychoanalysis, and, finally, to the master-poststructuralist, Jacques Derrida himself. Palmer's approach represents perhaps the easiest, albeit comprehensively explanatory, work into concepts otherwise unfairly considered esoteric postmodern artifacts. Nothing will give you a better first acquaintance to the "sign", "signifier", "signified", "la langue", "la parôle", "intertextuality", "indeterminacy of meaning", "writerly" and "readerly" texts, "deconstruction", "dissemination", "epistème", and "logocentrism" among others, than this pleasant, joyful (inter)text, filled with highly inspired sketches. The glossary at the end of the book is itself a treasure. Read this book in the bus, airplane, or train and (post) structuralism will become your friend. Don't let the detractors of postmodernism intimidate you. Palmer's book provides you with the best tool for fighting back, this time with knowledge.
Book Description
Cartoons and Commentary that blend humour with philosophy,"on the rocky road to nirvana with a Buddhist cat, a novice monk and a mouse hell-bent on cheese." The cartoon strip, "Dharma The Cat," runs in small monthly magazines in 20 countries, and is translated into 10 languages. The web site has won the "10 Best On The Web" Award in the Humor Category, and it is on the BBC Online's list of best educational sites.
Customer Reviews:
om mani padme purr.......2003-07-18
Very cute book, clever spins on Buddhism. I only wish there were more cartoon forthcoming!
Most Enlightening!.......2001-11-07
These really are good cartoons, whether you're interested in Buddhism or not. If you are, then they introduce the concepts behind Buddhism gracefully and if you're not, then they will raise a smile at minimum.
Not laugh-out-loud funny, they'll just make you smile. A good gift for anyone, old or young.
disappointment.......2001-04-07
i love cats and buddhism philosophy so i order this book. i was very disappointed to see the cartoons are black & white and not in colour as i have seen in the site, an the book is very small something like a notebook.
We should all have the wisdom of Dharma the Cat.......2000-12-25
If you are a cat lover or a student of Buddhism this is a great book to read. It is very easy to understand and it applies to our current way of life. The illustrations have detail that capture the essence of the message, and the cartoon format makes it easy to pickup and learn the message of the day. I especially enjoy Dharma's wisdom after each panel. This book would make a great gift as well as a personal reference for today's path through life. Cats are very knowing and this wonderful work by David Lourie proves it!
smiling your way to enlightment.......2000-12-20
This is a very delicate and precious book. It shows you the struggles of a buddhist novice to walk the path of the Buddha. It helps when you know something about buddhism, but it certainly isn't necessary. For me, knowing a bit about buddhism, this book was really refreshing. It made me laugh out loud about my own strives and struggles and in fact it helped me to look at my life with a smile. It took the weight off some things and in my opinion that is what's buddhism all about! The lay-out of this book shows a comic strip on the left page and gives a certain focus point on the next. This lay-out makes this book a perfect meditation guide!
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