Steven Carter

The Nothing That Is and the Nothing That Is Not is the final volume in a trilogy on interpretations of otherness in the postmodern era. The first two volumes are A Do-It-Yourself Dystopia: The Americanization of Big Brother (University Press of America, 2002) and Leopards in the Temple: Selected Essays 1990-2000 (University Press of America, 2001).

This is the classic relationship book -- now in trade paperback for the first time. Featured on 'Oprah' and 'Sally Jesse Raphael', this definitive look at the dynamics of male-female communication gets to the heart of the all-too-common phenomenon: women who are ready and willing to commit, and men who back off just as the relationship moves toward the next level. This book can help you to: Recognise early warning signs of the commitment-phobic man; Determine the extent of his fears -- and his willingness to change; Analyse your own role in the situation; avoid unnecessary stress and heartache.

In an era when many scholars and critics can't seem to see the forest of literature for the trees of theory, objective readings of texts are few and far between. In Devotions to the Text, Steven Carter seeks to counter this trend by demonstrating that Samuel Johnson's admonition to "empty your mind of cant" is still sage advice for today's readers, both private and professional. Devotions to the Text constitutes a bold act of rebellion against those who would transform texts into mirrors that reflect only their own ideas and/or ideologies.

Highly original and insightful, Bearing Across explores the complex interrelationships between American literature and science in the 20th century. Steven Carter begins this unprecedented work by examining the influence that science and scientific thinking has had on the creative processes of several postmodern writers. Focusing on the literary works of Charles Olson, Robert Duncan and Jack Spicer, he investigates the philosophical impact that field and quantum theories have had on these imaginative writers. The second section of the book features radical re-readings of six of Hemingway's best-known short stories as it explores the features of an epistemological model that not only inform literature and science but art and philosophy as well. Carter's interdisciplinary approach allows him to offer a unique perspective that is sure to intrigue scholars seeking an innovative approach to understanding modern literature.

Some relationships thrive -- the partners start off loving and hopeful, and they continue that way. Strong, healthy, resilient bonds develop and both partners feel satisfied and connected. What do the men and women in these relationships know? What do they do that is different? What keeps these connections so vital? Perhaps 'love' itself -- its origins, and its power -- will always be a mystery. Why a relationship works or doesn't work, however, is not a total mystery. It is only a challenge that you can easily meet if you have the tools. This is How Love Works provides those tools -- it provides the fuel that can keep a relationship energised, on the right track, and constantly moving forward in the right direction. It creates a simple framework for what we all want most -- lasting, loving partnership. The 9 Essential Secrets offered here are not ephemeral or ungraspable. They are not exhausting, intimidating, or hopelessly complex. To the contrary, they are easily understood, and easily put into daily practice. You may be following some of them naturally right now, without fully understanding why; others can be incorporated with little effort. Awareness is the key. And that is what this book is all about.

The essence of life in an oligarchy like George Orwell presents in '1984' is that freedom of choice is virtually non-existent. But what happens when so many trivial and meaningless choices inundate a culture such as our own and freedom itself becomes devalued? In 'A Do-It-Yourself Dystopia', through a variety of essays, Steven Carter addresses this and other issues in a wide-ranging search for hidden oligarchies of the American self.

What is the role of the traditional Judeo-Christian concept of otherness in a secularized, high-tech society such as our own? In a world governed by the extensions of man—television, the telephone, the automobile, and the Internet—what happens to cultural values once held to be spiritual? In Leopards in the Temple: Selected Essays 1990-2000, Steven Carter explores the myriad ways in which technology and its "muses"—media entertainment and advertising, the so-called culture of electronics plus capitalism—are in the process of recycling metaphysical values in postmodern American life.

What Smart Women Know is a straightforward and honest guide from women who have learned the hard way how to be smart about men.

Getting to Commitment offers understanding, inspiration, and a concrete plan of action for any woman, man, or couple who is ready to tackle the eight most destructive demons that make people run from loving relationships.

Leopards in the Temple explores the ways in which exposure to electronic environments influences cultural interpretations of self and otherness in contemporary American life. Philosophers of technology such as Jacques Ellul, Martin Heidegger, Herbert Marcuse, Hans Jonas, and Hubert Dreyfus have taken various approaches to interpreting the consequences of technological revolutions. With the exception of Jonas and Heidegger, critiques of technology's influence at the ontological level are relatively rare. Addressing this issue, Steven Carter investigates the ways in which technology, media entertainment, and advertising are in the process of recycling metaphysical values in postmodern society. In this revised edition, he focuses specifically on marginality as a world wide literary phenomenon. Thought provoking and original, Leopards in the Temple represents a timely contribution to the study of technology, popular culture, and postmodern studies.

Available for the first time in paperback, this follow-up to the phenomenally successful Men Who Can't Love tackles the issue of commitmentphobia, that persistent obstacle to truly satisfying contemporary relationships. Authors Stephen Carter and Julia Sokol explore why modern men and women are torn between the desire for intimacy and the equally intense need for independence. Drawing on numerous interviews and real-life scenarios, and written with humor, insight, and the kind of wisdom gained by personal experience, He's Scared, She's Scared offes guidance for all of us who want genuine, sustained intimacy with our romantic partners.

Shotetsu monogatari was written by a disciple of Shotetsu (1381–1459), whom many scholars regard as the last great poet of the courtly tradition. The work provides information about the practice of poetry during the 14th and 15th centuries, including anecdotes about famous poets, advice on how to treat certain standard topics, and lessons in etiquette when attending or participating in poetry contests and gatherings. But unlike the many other works of that time that stop at that level, Shotetsu’s contributions to medieval aesthetics gained prominence, showing him as a worthy heir—both as poet and thinker—to the legacy of the great poet-critic Fujiwara no Teika (1162–1241). The last project of the late Robert H. Brower, Conversations with Shôtetsu provides a translation of the complete Nihon koten bungaku taikei text, as edited by Hisamatsu Sen'ichi. Steven D. Carter has annotated the translation and provided an introduction that details Shôtetsu’s life, his place in the poetic circles of his day, and the relationship of his work to the larger poetic tradition of medieval Japan. Conversations with Shotetsu is important reading for anyone interested in medieval Japanese literature and culture, in poetry, and in aesthetics. It provides a unique look at the literary world of late medieval Japan.