Biographers have hailed Leo Tolstoy as a literary giant but have misunderstood or misrepresented what he regarded as his most important work, namely his attempt to formulate a consistent philosophy which took its inspiration from the Sermon on the Mount but addressed itself to the political and economic problems of the day

The collection of Margaret Paston's letters and papers from fifteenth century England offer an invaluable example of daily life during that period. Drawing on a close reading of these personal letters, as well as Paston's will, this book reveals how popular religion was integrated into daily life.

When listeners talk about their listening experiences, they often refer to music as if it were a narrative. But can music actually tell a story? Can music be narrative? Traditionally, narrativity is associated with verbal and visual texts, and the mere possibility of musical narrativity is highly debated. In this study, Vincent Meelberg demonstrates that music can indeed be narrative, and that the study of musical narrativity can be very productive.