This revisionist narrative of poetic change in the twentieth century challenges the accepted notions of what poetry is and can be in the new century and makes the case for the seminal place of poetry in contemporary culture.

This volume combines a clear overview for those with no prior knowledge or experience of modernism with a subtle argument that will appeal to higher level undergraduates and scholars.

An argument that Modernism is a cognitive phenomenon rather than a cultural one. At the beginning of the twentieth century, poetry, music, and painting all underwent a sea change. Poetry abandoned rhyme and meter; music ceased to be tonally centered; and painting no longer aimed at faithful representation. These artistic developments have been attributed to cultural factors ranging from the Industrial Revolution and the technical innovation of photography to Freudian psychoanalysis. In this book, Samuel Jay Keyser argues that the stylistic innovations of Western modernism reflect not a cultural shift but a cognitive one. Behind modernism is the same cognitive phenomenon that led to the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century: the brain coming up against its natural limitations. Keyser argues that the transformation in poetry, music, and painting (the so-called sister arts) is the result of the abandonment of a natural aesthetic based on a set of rules shared between artist and audience, and that this is virtually the same cognitive shift that occurred when scientists abandoned the mechanical philosophy of the Galilean revolution. The cultural explanations for Modernism may still be relevant, but they are epiphenomenal rather than causal. Artists felt that traditional forms of art had been exhausted, and they began to resort to private formats—Easter eggs with hidden and often inaccessible meaning. Keyser proposes that when artists discarded their natural rule-governed aesthetic, it marked a cognitive shift; general intelligence took over from hardwired proclivity. Artists used a different part of the brain to create, and audiences were forced to play catch up.

More than fifty years after his death, Albert Einstein's vital engagement with the world continues to inspire others, spurring conversations, projects, and research, in the sciences as well as the humanities. Einstein for the 21st Century shows us why he remains a figure of fascination. In this wide-ranging collection, eminent artists, historians, scientists, and social scientists describe Einstein's influence on their work, and consider his relevance for the future. Scientists discuss how Einstein's vision continues to motivate them, whether in their quest for a fundamental description of nature or in their investigations in chaos theory; art scholars and artists explore his ties to modern aesthetics; a music historian probes Einstein's musical tastes and relates them to his outlook in science; historians explore the interconnections between Einstein's politics, physics, and philosophy; and other contributors examine his impact on the innovations of our time. Uniquely cross-disciplinary, Einstein for the 21st Century serves as a testament to his legacy and speaks to everyone with an interest in his work. The contributors are Leon Botstein, Lorraine Daston, E. L. Doctorow, Yehuda Elkana, Yaron Ezrahi, Michael L. Friedman, Jürg Fröhlich, Peter L. Galison, David Gross, Hanoch Gutfreund, Linda D. Henderson, Dudley Herschbach, Gerald Holton, Caroline Jones, Susan Neiman, Lisa Randall, Jürgen Renn, Matthew Ritchie, Silvan S. Schweber, and A. Douglas Stone.

While General George S. Patton Jr. remains an iconic figure seventy years after his death, few fully appreciate him as a strategic thinker. Indeed, his flamboyant personality often obscures the fact that he was a lifelong student of the military arts, a true strategic visionary, and a unique figure in American military history. This short volume introduces readers to a more complete and nuanced Patton. By tracing his intellectual development and connecting his views on strategic thought and history to the issues of the present day, this book offers a bold, fresh view on the famous general. Linking Patton’s success as a warfighter to his efforts as a thinker, this book hopes to kindle debate on managing human capital within the military. Most surely the book will demonstrate that—like Patton— the seeds of military success can be planted throughout a lifetime of formal and self-directed study of the military arts.

From luxury apartment towers to offices, places of worship to museums, brutalist architecture is having a 21st-century moment— and this book is here to explore the new interpretations of the style. Designed with the same bold aesthetic that informed Le Corbusier himself, this book features fifty recent examples of how architects around the world are embracing the principles of brutalism — simplicity, functionality, and rawness — reimagining them for today’s standards and tastes. Drawing from the radical approach of the controversial architectural movement, today’s Brutalist buildings are both sophisticated and elegant. As the hundreds of exterior and interior photos in this book reveal, architects have taken advantage of new technology to make concrete-based structures that are refined and alluring, as well as stylish and modish unlike their predecessors. Each chapter is dedicated to a different type of building and is introduced with a selection of iconic structures as an essential visual reference for Brutalism’s new look. In some instances the overall strength of the aesthetic is paired with equally forceful materials such as glass, metal and brick; other examples show how classically brutalist lines are integrated into generously proportioned, light-filled spaces. An informative celebration of Brutalist architecture’s legacy, this book is an exciting exploration of how today’s most innovative architects are discovering the inherent beauty of powerful concrete volumes that was at the heart of Le Corbusier’s original vision.

Since its opening in 2000, Tate Modern has become one of the most popular modern art attractions in the world. Working with the shell of the former Bankside Power Station, internationally acclaimed architects Herzog et de Meuron have created a gallery of singular power and beauty. With the second major phase of the building, Tate Modern presents a striking combination of the raw and the refined, of found industrial spaces and dazzling contemporary architecture. The philosophy and interchange of ideas driving this extraordinary project are revealed in conversations between Tate Modern Director Chris Dercon and architect Jack Herzog among other key people involved. Featuring stunning new photography and texts by a range of leading architectural writers, this is the essential guide to one of the world’s most iconic buildings.