Combining literary theory and historiography, Monika Otter explores the relationship between history and fiction in the Latin literature of twelfth-century England. The beginnings of fiction have commonly been associated with vernacular romance, but Otter demonstrates that writers of Latin historical narratives also employed the self-referential techniques characteristic of fiction. Beginning with inventiones, a genre dealing with the discovery of saints' relics, Otter reveals how exploring the fundamental problems of writing history and the nature of truth itself leads monastic or clerical Latin writers to a budding awareness of fictionality. According to Otter, accounts of conquests, treasure hunts, descents into underground worlds, and efforts (usually unsuccessful) to retrieve subterranean objects serve as self-referential metaphors for the problems of accessing and retrieving the past; they are thus designed to shake the reader's faith in historical representation and highlight the textuality of the historical account. Otter traces this self-conscious use of fictional elements within historical narrative through the works of William of Malmesbury, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Gerald of Wales, Walter Map, and William of Newburgh. Originally published in 1996. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

Comprehensive account of recent developments in arithmetic theory of modular forms, for graduates and researchers.

The 1995 work of Wiles and Taylor-Wiles opened up a whole new technique in algebraic number theory and, a decade on, the waves caused by this incredibly important work are still being felt. This book, authored by a leading researcher, describes the striking applications that have been found for this technique. In the book, the deformation theoretic techniques of Wiles-Taylor are first generalized to Hilbert modular forms (following Fujiwara's treatment), and some applications found by the author are then discussed. With many exercises and open questions given, this text is ideal for researchers and graduate students entering this research area.

The theory of p-adic and classic modular forms, and the study of arithmetic and p-adic L-functions has proved to be a fruitful area of mathematics over the last decade. Professor Hida has given courses on these topics in the USA, Japan, and in France, and in this book provides the reader with an elementary but detailed insight into the theory of L-functions. The presentation is self contained and concise, and the subject is approached using only basic tools from complex analysis and cohomology theory. Graduate students wishing to know more about L-functions will find that this book offers a unique introduction to this fascinating branch of mathematics.

Combining literary theory and historiography, Monika Otter explores the relationship between history and fiction in the Latin literature of twelfth-century England. The beginnings of fiction have commonly been associated with vernacular romance, but Otter demonstrates that writers of Latin historical narratives also employed the self-referential techniques characteristic of fiction. Beginning with inventiones, a genre dealing with the discovery of saints' relics, Otter reveals how exploring the fundamental problems of writing history and the nature of truth itself leads monastic or clerical Latin writers to a budding awareness of fictionality. According to Otter, accounts of conquests, treasure hunts, descents into underground worlds, and efforts (usually unsuccessful) to retrieve subterranean objects serve as self-referential metaphors for the problems of accessing and retrieving the past; they are thus designed to shake the reader's faith in historical representation and highlight the textuality of the historical account. Otter traces this self-conscious use of fictional elements within historical narrative through the works of William of Malmesbury, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Gerald of Wales, Walter Map, and William of Newburgh. Originally published in 1996. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

An insightful reflection on the mathematical soul What do pure mathematicians do, and why do they do it? Looking beyond the conventional answers—for the sake of truth, beauty, and practical applications—this book offers an eclectic panorama of the lives and values and hopes and fears of mathematicians in the twenty-first century, assembling material from a startlingly diverse assortment of scholarly, journalistic, and pop culture sources. Drawing on his personal experiences and obsessions as well as the thoughts and opinions of mathematicians from Archimedes and Omar Khayyám to such contemporary giants as Alexander Grothendieck and Robert Langlands, Michael Harris reveals the charisma and romance of mathematics as well as its darker side. In this portrait of mathematics as a community united around a set of common intellectual, ethical, and existential challenges, he touches on a wide variety of questions, such as: Are mathematicians to blame for the 2008 financial crisis? How can we talk about the ideas we were born too soon to understand? And how should you react if you are asked to explain number theory at a dinner party? Disarmingly candid, relentlessly intelligent, and richly entertaining, Mathematics without Apologies takes readers on an unapologetic guided tour of the mathematical life, from the philosophy and sociology of mathematics to its reflections in film and popular music, with detours through the mathematical and mystical traditions of Russia, India, medieval Islam, the Bronx, and beyond.

Mathematics has a certain mystique, for it is pure and ex- act, yet demands remarkable creativity. This reputation is reinforced by its characteristic abstraction and its own in- dividual language, which often disguise its origins in and connections with the physical world. Publishing mathematics, therefore, requires special effort and talent. Heinz G|tze,who has dedicated his life to scientific pu- blishing, took up this challenge with his typical enthusi- asm. This Festschrift celebrates his invaluable contribu- tions to the mathematical community, many of whose leading members he counts among his personal friends. The articles, written by mathematicians from around the world and coming from diverse fields, portray the important role of mathematics in our culture. Here, the reflections of important mathematicians, often focused on the history of mathematics, are collected, in recognition of Heinz G|tze's life-longsupport of mathematics.