Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji, written in Japan in the early eleventh century, is acknowledged to be one of Japan's greatest literary achievements, and sometimes thought of as the world's first
One Hundred Years of Solitude is perhaps the most important landmark of the so-called 'Boom' in contemporary Latin American fiction. Published in 1967, the novel was an instant success, running to hundreds of editions, winning four international prizes, and being translated into 27 languages. In 1982, its author received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Michael Wood places the novel in the context of modern Colombia's violent history, and helps the reader to explore the rich and complex vision of the world which Garcia Marquez presents in it. Close reference is made to the text itself (in English translation), and there is a guide to further reading.
Pound's 800 page Cantos, written over a period of more than fifty years (1917–1969), invites the reader to join the poet on a journey from darkness and despair towards light and positive activity. In this book, George Kearns addresses the reader approaching The Cantos for the first time. He examines the poem's aesthetic and political-ethical-didactic dimensions and shows that despite its complexity and the many objections which can be raised to its poetics and politics, its study can be greatly rewarding.
This handy guide places Albert Camus' The Stranger, one of the seminal texts of existentialism and twentieth-century literature in general, in the context of French and French-Algerian history and culture. In it, Patrick McCarthy examines the way the work undermines traditional concepts of fiction. In addition, he explores the parallels and the contrasts between Albert Camus's work and that of Jean-Paul Sartre. Overall, this account provides students with a useful companion to The Stranger. This second edition boasts a revised guide to further reading and a new chapter on Camus and the Algerian War.
Offering a stimulating introduction to one of the most influential texts of Western literature, this book highlights Milton's imaginative daring, in considering the heretical dimensions of Paradise Lo
Professor ThorIby offers a close reading of this classic novel and explores the subtle psychology in Tolstoy's characterisation. He avoids complex terminology and assumes a readership studying the tex
Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji, written in Japan in the early eleventh century, is acknowledged to be one of Japan's greatest literary achievements, and sometimes thought of as the world's first
Les Fleurs du Mal, once the most infamous book of poems in French literature, has in this century become the most famous and the most admired, owing its "landmark" status to the sheer aesthetic qualit
This concise introduction to Gottfried von Strassburg's Tristan approaches the work both through its context and through a close reading of key passages of the text. The close textual reading builds u
Waiting for Godot has become one of the most frequently discussed and influential plays in the history of the theater. This volume presents a comprehensive critical study of Samuel Beckett's first and
This is the first critical study of Sons and Lovers to engage with the new Cambridge edition, which prints for the first time the whole text that Lawrence wrote, restoring the sustantial cuts made by
This volume is a distinctive critical introduction to Homer's Iliad, the earliest epic poem, and the earliest known work of literature in ancient Greece. Michael Silk deals with the poem's historical context, its composition and its extensive influence, and relates its literary power to the peculiar coherence and inter-relation of such aspects of the poem as its style, character-portrayal and ideology. Through use of quotation from the original and accompanying English translation, close attention is paid to the distinctive texture of Homeric poetry. This revised edition takes account of recent scholarship in the field and includes a comprehensive updated guide to further reading. It is essential reading for students of literature and classics.
This is the only general introduction in English to Aeschylus' Oresteia, one of the most important and most influential of all Greek dramas. It discusses the Greek drama festival and the social and political background of Greek tragedy, and offers a reading of this central trilogy. Simon Goldhill focuses on the play's themes of justice, sexual politics, violence, and the position of man within culture, and explores how Aeschylus constructs a myth for the city in which he lived. A final chapter considers the influence of the Oresteia on later theatre. Its clear structure and guide to further reading will make this an invaluable guide for students and teachers alike.
