Rethinking Britten

Paraneoplastic syndromes, defined in this book as "disorders caused by cancer, but not a direct result of cancer invasion of the affected organ or tissue", once believed to be rare and esoteric neurologic disorders have assumed increasing importance as an explanation of neurologic and other symptoms in patients suffered from occult or controllable cancers. This book attempts a comprehensive review of paraneoplastic syndromes from considering both clinical andpathophysiologic aspects. The book is divided into 4 sections: The first is an overview, classifying the disorders, describing a clinical approach to the diagnosis and treatment of paraneoplastic syndromes in general and identifying their pathogenesis. The second section discusses the clinical findingsand treatment of individual paraneoplastic syndromes with chapters dedicated to each of the neurologic syndromes and a chapter discussing nonneurologic syndromes such as endocrine, cutaneous, and rheumatologic paraneoplastic disorders. The third section discusses autoantibodies that characterize individual paraneoplastic syndromes. The final section discusses the paraneoplastic syndromes associated with individual cancers.Rethinking Britten offers a fresh portrait of one of the most widely performed composers of the 20th century. In twelve essays, a diverse group of contributors-both established authorities and leading younger voices-explore a significant portion of Benjamin Britten's extensive oeuvre across a range of genres, including opera, song cycle, and concert music. Well informed by earlier writings on the composer's professional career and private life,Rethinking Britten also uncovers many fresh lines of inquiry, from the Lord Chamberlain's last-minute censorship of the Rape of Lucretia libretto to psychoanalytic understandings of Britten's staging of gender roles; from the composer's delight in schoolboy humor to his operatic revival of Purcellian dance rhythms; fromhis creative responses to Cold-War-era internationalism to his dealings with BBC Television. Each essay blends awareness of overarching contexts with insights into particular expressive achievements. Balancing biographical, archival, and analytic commentary with cultural and historical criticism, Rethinking Britten broadens the interpretive context surrounding all phases of Britten's career and is essential reading for scholars and fans alike.