The Holy Grail is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Different traditions describe it as a cup, dish or stone with miraculous powers that provide happiness, eternal youth or sustenance in infinite abundance, often in the custody of the Fisher King. The term "holy grail" is often used to denote an elusive object or goal that is sought after for its great significance.
Philology is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics. Philology is more commonly defined as the study of literary texts as well as oral and written records, the establishment of their authenticity and their original form, and the determination of their meaning. A person who pursues this kind of study is known as a philologist.
Genre fiction, also known as popular fiction, is a term used in the book-trade for fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre, in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre.
David John Lodge CBE is an English author and literary critic. A professor of English Literature at the University of Birmingham until 1987, he is known for novels that satirise academic life, notably the "Campus Trilogy" – Changing Places: A Tale of Two Campuses (1975), Small World: An Academic Romance (1984) and Nice Work (1988). The second two were shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Another theme is Roman Catholicism, beginning from his first published novel The Picturegoers (1960). Lodge has also written television screenplays and three stage plays. Since retiring, he has continued to publish literary criticism, which often draws on his experience as a recipient novelist and scriptwriter.
Lion Feuchtwanger was a Bavarian Jewish novelist and playwright. A prominent figure in the literary world of Weimar Germany, he influenced contemporaries including playwright Bertolt Brecht.
Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE, is a British writer, raised in Southern Rhodesia and these days an Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He became a respected expert on medical law and bioethics and served on related British and international committees. He has since become known as a fiction writer, with sales in English exceeding 40 million by 2010 and translations into 46 languages. He is known as the creator of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. "McCall" forms part of his surname.
Portuguese Irregular Verbs is a short comic novel by Alexander McCall Smith, and the first of McCall Smith's series of novels featuring Professor Dr von Igelfeld. It was first published in 1997. Some consider the book to be a series of connected short stories.
The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs is a novel by Scottish author and academic Alexander McCall Smith. The book relates further matters in the life of the main character, Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, following on from the first book of the series, Portuguese Irregular Verbs.
At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances is a book by Scottish author and academic Alexander McCall Smith, relating further matters in the life of the main character, Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld.
The 2½ Pillars Of Wisdom is the collective name for three novels by Alexander McCall Smith. All three novels centre on the exploits of Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld. The title refers to the main character and his colleagues; the front matter explains that von Igelfeld “had heard the three of them described as the Three Pillars of Wisdom, but looking at Professor Dr Detlev Amadeus Unterholzer he came to the conclusion that perhaps The 2½ Pillars of Wisdom might be more appropriate”.
Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron, or simply The Bloody Red Baron, is a 1995 alternate history/horror novel by British author Kim Newman. It is the second book in the Anno Dracula series and takes place during the Great War, 30 years after the first novel.
Milovan Vitezović is a Serbian writer, professor and screenwriter. He writes songs, novels, essays, reviews, aphorisms, movies and TV scripts. He has published more than forty books in over one hundred and fifty items, represented in over fifty anthology Serbian and international poetry, prose literature for children, aphorism and fantasy, fiction and television drama.
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the Italian: novella for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself from the Latin: novella, a singular noun use of the neuter plural of novellus, diminutive of novus, meaning "new".
Hispanism is the study of the literature and culture of the Spanish-speaking world, principally that of Spain and Hispanic America. It can also entail studying Spanish language and culture in the United States and in other presently or formerly Spanish-speaking countries in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, such as the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea.
Vision in White is the first book of the Bride Quartet series of romance novels, written by Nora Roberts. It spent two weeks atop the New York Times Bestseller List and reached number 3 on the USA Today bestseller list, marking the first time one of Roberts' books had become a bestseller in trade paperback format. A downloadable casual-play computer game based on the book was introduced by I-Play in 2010.
Frede Jensen, Ph.D., was a 20th-century, Danish-born Romance philologist, author, and professor of French. Author of 17 books and over 60 articles, he was widely respected by the romance philology community and recognized as an expert in the field. He is highly esteemed for his detailed and thorough publications on the grammar of Old Occitan and has been referred to endearingly as "the 'Grevisse' of old Occitan". Jensen is also considered an expert on Sicilian poetry. His English translation and analysis of previously untranslated Sicilian poems have been honorably referred to as one of the codices optimi on the subject, dating from Dante forward.
An extraordinary linguist, Jensen was fluent in eight languages with a remarkable command of medieval/ancient Romance languages. His publications include works on vulgar and classical Latin, old Italian, old Spanish, medieval Occitan, old French, and old Portuguese.
Princeton University, one of the oldest universities in the United States, has been the subject of numerous aspects of popular culture. The trend accelerated after Princeton was ranked #1 by U.S. News & World Report at the start of the 21st century.
Throughout its modern history, the University of Cambridge has featured in cultural works. As of 2020, IMDb list 71 films or TV shows that include Cambridge as a filming location. Below are some notable examples of references to Cambridge in popular culture.
