Stricken Disturbed

The Icons of Their Bodies

The Byzantines surrounded themselves with their saints, invisible but constant companions, who were made visible by dreams, visions, and art. The composition and presentation of this imagined gallery followed a logical structure, a construct that was itself a collective work of art created by Byzantine society. The purpose of this book is to analyze the logic of the saint's image in Byzantium, both in portraits and in narrative scenes. Here Henry Maguire argues that the Byzantines gave to their images differing formal characteristics of movement, modeling, depth, and differentiation, according to the tasks that the icons were called upon to perform in the all-important business of communication between the visible and the invisible worlds. The book draws extensively on sources that have been relatively little utilized by art historians. It considers both domestic and ecclesiastical artifacts, showing how the former raised the problem of access by lay men and women to the supernatural and fueled the debates concerning the role of images in the Christian cult. Special attention is paid to the poems inscribed by the Byzantines upon their icons, and to the written lives of their saints, texts that offer the most direct and vivid insight into the everyday experience of art in Byzantium. The overall purpose of the book is to provide a new view of Byzantine art, one that integrates formal analysis with both theology and social history.

Character Assassination

Learn how to overcome the devastating reality of bullying and re-build your life. Character Assassination is the harrowing story of Kieran’s traumatic experience of bullying at an all-boys high school. Facing hundreds of physical, emotional, and cyber attacks every day, his life was ripped apart as the bullies attacked his self-worth through a horrifying and targeted assassination of his character. With no help from his school, the experience came very close to completely ruining his life. From severe depression to a fulfilling life as a youth motivational speaker, his story is a very real and vulnerable insight into the bullying occurring in our schools. Character Assassination gives hope to anyone wishing to overcome the devastation that is caused by merciless bullies in all areas of life. With a wide range of strategies for victims and anyone wanting to make a difference to those being bullied, Character Assassination is a practical hope-giver that teaches you how to overcome the trauma of bullying, and build a life of inspiration for yourself and those around you.

Felicia