Greenwood Introduces Literary Masterpieces – serie

This volume provides a critical introduction to eight landmark novels in 19th- and 20th-century French literature, including The Plague, Madame Bovary, and The Little Prince.Timeless literary masterpieces—such as Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831) and The Miserables (1862), Flaubert's Madame Bovary (1857), and Camus' The Stranger (1942) and The Plague (1947)—have been the subject of copious literary criticism since their publications. This volume has been developed specifically to help students and general readers reach a deeper understanding of eight French novels, enabling them to develop a true appreciation for why the works have been regarded as masterpieces. Lucid yet challenging literary analysis focuses on plot and character development, themes, style, and biographical and historical context. This guide offers a fuller sense of the historical and literary environment in which each author worked. Librarians and educators were consulted in determining which eight novels to include. In addition to those listed above, full treatment is given to Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, and the perennially popular tale The Little Prince.These eight works cover a time period of more than 100 years, reflecting the development of the French novel and the literary movements of this era. An introductory essay provides a concise overview of French literature through the 1800's and early 1900's, identifying additional seminal works beyond those fully discussed here. For readers desiring to pursue further research, an extensive bibliography has been compiled, offering sources for additional novels, criticism, reviews from the time of publication, and biographical information.

The Romantic movement led to some of the greatest works of 19th-century American literature. Written expressly for students, this book offers succinct introductions to 10 of the most important works of American Romanticism, many of which reflect the social, political, and historical concerns of the era. Included are chapters on Emerson's essays, Poe's The Raven and selected stories, Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, and several other major texts or collections. Each chapter provides biographical information, a review of the author's critical reception, and a discussion of characters, plot, themes, language, and other topics. The volume closes with a bibliography of primary and secondary sources.Romanticism significantly influenced American literature in the 19th century and led to what has sometimes been called the American Renaissance. The Romantic movement and the period roughly contemporaneous with the Civil War gave birth to some of the most creative and enduring poems, novels, short fiction, and essays. These works are among the most imaginative and challenging pieces of American literature and hold a central place in the curriculum. In addition to their value as literary works, they chronicle the enormous social, political, and historical changes taking place in America. Written expressly for high school students, this book conveniently introduces the major works of American Romanticism.The volume begins with an introductory essay on the Romantic movement. This is followed by chapters on individual works or collections by major authors. Included are chapters on: Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans Dickinson's poems Emerson's essays Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter Longfellow's Evangeline Melville's Moby-Dick Poe's The Raven and short fiction Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin Thoreau's Walden Whitman's Song of MyselfEach chapter provides biographical information, a review of the author's critical reception, and a discussion of plot, themes, characters, language, and other topics. The volume closes with a bibliography.

Some works of philosophy also stand as significant contributions to literature, and some works of literature have profoundly influenced philosophy. Written expressly for high school and college students, this reference insightfully introduces ten widely studied works of philosophical literature. Individual chapters discuss Plato's Republic, Augustine's Confessions, Dante's Divine Comedy, More's Utopia, Voltaire's Candide, Goethe's Faust, Kierkegaard's Either/Or, Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Huxley's Brave New World, and Borges' Labyrinths. An introductory chapter considers such issues as the nature of philosophical literature, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography.Despite Plato's banning of poets from the ideal community, some works of philosophy also stand as significant contributions to literature, and some works of literature have profoundly influenced philosophy. Such works have the power to challenge, provoke, and move the reader, and they upset complacent assumptions and demand new thinking. They also draw on the resources of language and literature to explore enduring issues. Written expressly for high school and college students, this reference conveniently introduces ten widely studied works of philosophical literature.

American playwrights have made enormous contributions to world drama during the last century, and their works are widely read and performed. This reference conveniently introduces 10 of the most important modern American plays read by students. An introductory essay concisely overviews modern American drama, and each of the chapters that follow examines a particular play. Among the plays discussed are Thornton Wilder's Our Town, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, and August Wilson's The Piano Lesson. Each chapter includes a biography, a plot summary, an analysis of the play's themes, characters, and dramatic art, and a review of its historical background and reception. Chapters list works for further reading, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography.

Flourishing during the first 2 decades of the 20th century, British Modernism gave birth to some of the world's most influential literary works. Written expressly for high school students and general readers, this book succinctly yet thoughtfully discusses 7 masterpieces of British Modernism. Included are chapters on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, E.M. Forster's Howards End, James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, D.H. Lawrence's Women in Love, T.S. Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and The Wasteland, and Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. Each chapter provides biographical information; a plot summary; an analysis of themes, style, symbols, and characters; and a discussion of the work's historical and cultural contexts. An introductory essay surveys and defines Modernism, and a bibliography cites works for further reading.

Aeschylus' Oresteia, Sophocles' Oedipus plays, Euripides' Medea and Bacchae, and Aristophanes' Birds and Lysistrata are discussed in this lively and scholarly volume. The author's experience teaching these plays to gifted high school students makes this volume particularly useful. The drama festivals, the adaptations of myth, the relevance of Aristotelian criteria, and the political and cultural background of each play are described fully, and the nature of tragedy and comedy, plot construction, stagecraft, theme, character, imagery and individual odes and speeches are analyzed in depth.The 5th century BC witnessed the flourishing of Athenian culture and was one of the most influential periods in history. The achievements of the Greeks at that time forever shaped our political and legal institutions and provided the foundation for Western civilization. At the same time, the world of the Greeks is distant and exotic to contemporary students. The values and beliefs of the Greeks are best represented in the plays that were crafted at that time, and these works continue to be widely read and studied. This book is a valuable introduction to ancient Greek drama.Designed for high school students, undergraduates, and their teachers, this work describes the origins and physical aspects of ancient Greek theatre, discusses Aristotle's Poetics, and analyzes, in ten separate chapters, ten frequently studied Greek plays: Aeschylus' Oresteia, Sophocles' Antigone, Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus, Euripides' Medea and Bacchae and Aristophanes' Birds and Lysistrata. For each there is cultural, political and mythological background, plot synopsis, and analysis of overall structure and important scenes, speeches and odes. The Aristophanes chapters explore comic method and all chapters discuss theme and stagecraft in depth.

The writers of the Beat Generation wrote during a particularly chaotic period in modern history. They responded to the threat of the nuclear age, the anti-Communist hysteria that gripped America, and the cultural pressure to conform to social conventions. Written for students and general readers, this book examines 7 masterpieces of Beat literature. Periods of cultural conflict often give birth to remarkably creative literary works. The writers of the Beat Generation wrote during a particularly chaotic time in modern American history, as they confronted the threat of a nuclear war, the rise of anti-Communist hysteria, and the growing pressure to conform to social conventions. They drew upon the works of jazz musicians, anarchist poets, and others to create an enormously influential and popular body of writing. This book is a guide to their achievement.

Modern British and Irish dramatic works are among the plays most widely read by students. This volume conveniently introduces 10 major plays by British and Irish dramatists. Each chapter is devoted to a particular play and includes a brief biography, a plot synopsis, a discussion of major themes and characters, an overview of the play's historical background, an analysis of the work's dramatic style, an overview of the play's critical reception, and a list of works for further reading.Modern British and Irish dramatic works are widely enjoyed by general readers and high school students. But because they are rooted in literary Modernism and generally reflect particular historical and cultural concerns, they can also be difficult for students to understand. This volume concisely and conveniently introduces 10 masterpieces of British and Irish drama in an accessible manner.Each chapter provides a brief biography, a plot summary, a discussion of major themes and characters, an overview of the play's historical background, an analysis of the play's dramatic style, a survey of the play's critical reception, and suggestions for further reading.

Jewish Americans have produced some of the most imaginative, provocative, and widely read literary works of the twentieth century. This book gives students and general readers an introduction to ten of the most significant works of Jewish American literarure. An introductory chapter discusses the historical, cultural, social, and political backgrounds of Jewish American literature. This is followed by chapters on ten major works by Abraham Cahan, Anzia Yezierska, Michael Gold, Henry Roth, Meyer Levin, Saul Bellow, Bernard Malamud, Chiam Potok, Philip Roth, and Cynthia Ozick. Each chapter provides a biography, a plot summary, a discussion of character development, an analysis of themes, an examination of narrative style, an exploration of historical context, and suggestions for further reading. The volume closes with a selected, general bibliography.These works reflect the hopes and dreams of Jewish Americans, as well as their challenges and troubles. These works help students understand the cultural and historical events central to Jewish Americans in the twentieth century. This book gives students and general readers an introduction to ten masterpieces of Jewish American literature.Each chapter provides biographical information, a plot summary, a discussion of characters, an analysis of themes, an examination of narrative style, an exploration of historical context, and suggestions for further reading. The volume closes with a selected, general bibliography.