Virago Press

Virago is a British publishing company founded in 1973 by Carmen Callil, primarily to publish books by women writers. Both new works and reissued books by neglected authors have featured on the imprint's list, as well as works with feminist themes by male authors such as H. G. Wells.

In 1982 Virago became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chatto, Virago, Bodley Head, and Cape Group, but in 1987 Callil, Lennie Goodings, Ursula Owen, Alexandra Pringle, and Harriet Spicer put together a management buy-out from CVBC, then owned by Random House, USA. The buy-out was financed by Rothschild Ventures and Robert Gavron. Random House UK kept a ten per cent stake in the company, and continued to handle sales and distribution.

In 1993 Rothschild Ventures sold their shares to the directors and Gavron, who thus became the largest single shareholder. After a downturn in the market forced a reduction in activity, the board decided to sell the company to Little, Brown, of which Virago became an imprint in 1996 (with Lennie Goodings as Publisher and Sally Abbey as Senior Editor). In 2006, Virago's parent company became part of publishing group Hachette Livre. Lennie Goodings remains as editor and publisher.

Virago

A virago is a woman who demonstrates exemplary and heroic qualities. The word comes from the Latin word vir, meaning 'man' (cf. virile) to which the suffix -ago is added, a suffix that effectively re-genders the word to be female.

The word virago has almost always had an association with cultural gender transgression. A virago, of whatever excellence, was still identified by her gender. There are recorded instances of viragos (such as Joan of Arc) fighting battles, wearing men's clothing, or receiving the tonsure. The word virago could also be used disparagingly, to imply that a virago was not excellent or heroic, but was instead violating cultural norms. Thus virago joined pejoratives such as termagant,mannish, amazonian and shrew to demean women who acted aggressively or like men.

History

Historically, the concept of a virago reaches back into antiquity where Hellenistic philosophy asserted that elite and exceptionally heroic men had virtus. Virtus (once again linked to vir, the brave man abiding by society's highest values and ethics as opposed to homo, human being) defined the traits of excellence for a man in ancient Rome (and Greece), including valor and heroism, but also morality and physical strength. Women and non-elite or unheroic men (slaves, servants, craftsmen, merchants) were considered a lesser category, and believed to be less excellent in Roman morality. A woman, however, if exceptional enough could earn the title virago. In doing so, she surpassed the expectations for what was believed possible for her gender, and embodied masculine-like aggression and/or excellence. Virago, then, was a title of respect and admiration. In Christianity, a nun or holy woman who had become equal in divinity to male monks through practiced celibacy, exemplary religious practice and devotion, and intact virginity, was considered to have surpassed the limitations of her femaleness and was called virago.

List of Star Wars spacecraft

The following is a list of fictional starships, cruisers, battleships, and other spacecraft in the Star Wars video games and movies.

Corellian Corvette

Death Star

The Death Star is a planet-destroying mobile space station that appears throughout the Star Wars franchise.

Ebon Hawk

The Ebon Hawk is the players character's ship in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. It is designed to be reminiscent of the Millennium Falcon.

Geonosian solar sailer

Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) reaches Coruscant aboard a Geonosian solar sailer in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. The ship's solar sail was originally part of the concept for the Naboo royal starship in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The insectoid ship resembles both a beetle and a butterfly. Its forward cockpit bubble was added when it was determined there was a need for a shot of Dooku sitting next to his pilot. It is somewhat similar to the private Antonov An-2 plane in real life.

Virago (EP)

Virago is a 1999 EP collection by the Norwegian gothic metal band Theatre of Tragedy. The disc contains tracks left off the album Aégis of 1998, plus tracks from Velvet Darkness They Fear and the band's first album, Theatre of Tragedy. The EP was also known as the Shaped Edition. It was released on 26 May 1999.

Tracklist

External links