A Student S Guide To Literature

Explore the works of Western literature that have stood the test of time—and discover titles to enrich your own book collection. A Student’s Guide to Literature takes up these questions: In a time of mass culture and pulp fiction, can great literature still be discerned, much less defended? Why is literature so compelling? What should we read? Literary scholar R. V. Young addresses these timely issues in this guide to Western literature and poetry. He demonstrates that literature liberates the mind from cultural and temporal provincialism by expanding our intellectual and emotional horizons. Learn how great fiction and poetry are integral to a liberal education, and visit the classic works of literature again—or for the first time.

Now appearing in its third edition, Martin Stephen's classic text and course companion to English literature has been thoroughly revised and updated, taking account of the changes which have occurred in the subject since publication of the second edition.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, chronicler of the "Jazz Age," is one of the finest writers in the history of American literature. As both a leading participant and an observer of the times he described, he captured the spirit of an era perhaps as no other writer, before or since, ever has. Today, Fitzgerald's novels, stories, and essays are nearly all recognized as American classics. His novel The Great Gatsby is often described as the "Great American Novel." In this Student's Guide to F. Scott Fitzgerald, the career of this literary giant is examined, offering accessible insight for young readers. Each work is placed in historical and biographical context, with special emphasis on Fitzgerald's curriculum-related works such as The Great Gatsby, Tender Is the Night, and The Beautiful and Damned, along with several of his short stories and other works. Book jacket.

John Steinbeck is perhaps the most popular American author of the twentieth century. Steinbeck's fiction is famous for its depictions of the struggles of poor people-something that resonated strongly with the American public during the years of the Great Depression in the 1930s. Steinbeck also wrote several well-known works of nonfiction, along with screenplays for several films. Honors he has won include the 1940 Pulitzer Prize, as well as the 1962 Nobel Prize for literature. In this Student's Guide to John Steinbeck, the career of this literary giant is examined, offering accessible insight for young readers. Each work is placed in historical and biographical context, with special emphasis placed on curriculum-related works, including The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and East of Eden. Also examined are several of Steinbeck's lesser known works of both fiction and non-fiction. Book jacket.

With the skills of a playwright, the vision of a producer, and the wisdom of an experienced teacher, David Rush offers a fresh and innovative guide to interpreting drama in A Student Guide to Play Analysis, the first undergraduate teaching tool to address postmodern drama in addition to classic and modern. Covering a wide gamut of texts and genres, this far-reaching and user-friendly volume is easily paired with most anthologies of plays and is accessible even to those without a literary background. Contending that there are no right or wrong answers in play analysis, Rush emphasizes the importance of students developing insights of their own. The process is twofold: understand the critical terms that are used to define various parts and then apply these to a particular play. Rush clarifies the concepts of plot, character, and language, advancing Aristotle's concept of the Four Causes as a method for approaching a play through various critical windows. He describes the essential difference between a story and a play, outlines four ways of looking at plays, and then takes up the typical structural devices of a well-made play, four primary genres and their hybrids, and numerous styles, from expressionism to postmodernism. For each subject, he defines critical norms and analyzes plays common to the canon. A Student Guide to Play Analysis draws on thoughtful examinations of such dramas as The Cherry Orchard, The Good Woman of Setzuan, Fences, The Little Foxes, A Doll House, The Glass Menagerie, and The Emperor Jones. Each chapter ends with a list of questions that will guide students in further study.