{"title":"Origins of Capitalism","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"the-beggars-opera-and-polly-oxford-worlds-classics","title":"The Beggar's Opera and Polly (Oxford World's Classics)","description":"\u003cp\u003eRaucous, lyrical, witty, ironic and tragic by turns, The Beggar's Opera and Polly--published together here for the first time--offer a scathing and ebullient portrait of a society in which statesmen and outlaws, colonialists and pirates, are impossible to tell apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith The Beggar's Opera, John Gay created one of the most enduringly popular works in English theatre history, and invented a new dramatic form, the ballad opera. Gay's daring mixture of caustic political satire, well-loved popular tunes, and a story of crime and betrayal set in the urban underworld of prostitutes and thieves was an overnight sensation. And its sequel, Polly, banned in Gay's lifetime, boasted a cross-dressing heroine and a cast of female adventurers, pirates, Indian princes, rebel slaves, and rapacious landowners--a culture in which all human relationships are reduced to commercial transactions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Introduction to this edition explores Gay's use of criminal and rogue literature, the political context of the plays, Gay's attitude to slavery and piracy, his treatment of gender, and the plays' formal theatrical innovations. The text is the most accurate available, with notes that explain criminal and underworld slang and the topical allusions that gave Gay's satire its edge. The volume also includes an appendix on the sources for the tunes Gay used for the two plays, highlighting many cases where the songs' original words, familiar to contemporary audiences, give a bawdy or ironic double meaning to Gay's lyrics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbout the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44268984107053,"sku":"9780199642229","price":18.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0374\/0001\/8989\/files\/9780199642229.jpg?v=1761176586"},{"product_id":"radical-antiquity-free-love-zoroastrians-farming-pirates-and-ancient-uprisings","title":"Radical Antiquity: Free Love Zoroastrians, Farming Pirates, and Ancient Uprisings","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen you think of Ancient Greece and Rome, what do you see? The Acropolis and the Colosseum? Perhaps the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle and the rule of the Caesars? Or the birth of democracy and the vast reach of an empire? This well-trodden history of great thinkers, military leaders, and early state formation in the classical world still enthralls us, but it tells only half the story... \u003cbr\u003eHow democratic was Athenian democracy? How much power did states wield beyond their city walls? And who looked upon the systems of domination that prevailed and sought to create something different?\u003cbr\u003eRadical Antiquity takes you on a unique journey in search of anarchy, statelessness, and social experimentation in the Graeco-Roman world. Sweeping across the Mediterranean from the time of the first Olympic Games in 776 BCE until the emergence of Islam in 610 CE, Christopher B. Zeichmann introduces the reader to communities of escaped enslaved people, pirates, and religious sects—all of whom sought a more egalitarian way of life that avoided the coercion, hierarchy, and exploitation of the state. \u003cbr\u003eThis history from below brings the experiences of ordinary and marginal people out of obscurity and radically expands our understanding of social and political life in the classical world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pluto Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44402917933101,"sku":"9780745350394","price":35.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0374\/0001\/8989\/files\/9780745350394.jpg?v=1765167625"},{"product_id":"the-origin-of-the-family-private-property-and-the-state","title":"The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Since civilisation is founded on the exploitation of one class by another class, its whole development proceeds in a constant contradiction. Every step forward in production is at the same time a step backward in the position of the oppressed class, that is, of the great majority.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 1884, The Origin of the Family is one of the most important works of Marxist theory. Basing himself on the research of anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan, Friedrich Engels builds on his revolutionary discovery that the family structure has passed through multiple stages throughout history. He shows that the ultimately determining factor in these changes is the economic mode of production.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUsing the method of historical materialism, Engels also demonstrates that the oppression of women has not always existed, and is not the product of inherent traits. Rather, it emerged historically with the production of a surplus and the division of society into classes. He also shows that the state, far from being a neutral arbiter in society, arose with the emergence of class society. It is ultimately \"armed bodies of men\" in defence of the ruling class.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo commemorate 200 years since Engels' birth, we are proud to republish this extraordinarily relevant work of scientific socialism. This new edition includes an introduction by Rob Sewell, placing the text in its historical context and defending the fundamental ideas and method of Marxism, which has stood the test of time. This book is a must-read for all socialists.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wellred","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44724677738541,"sku":"9781913026196","price":19.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0374\/0001\/8989\/files\/9781913026196.jpg?v=1773883516"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.redflag.org.au\/collections\/origins-of-capitalism.oembed","provider":"Red Flag Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}