Reader's Guides – serie

Heidegger’s Being and Time is one of the most influential and controversial philosophical treatises of the 20th century. But what exactly are the ideas that so profoundly impacted Sartre’s existentialism, influenced Gadamer’s hermeneutics, and paved the way for the emergence of deconstruction? And what or who is ‘Dasein’? Answering these questions and more, this guide is an essential resource for anyone wanting to get to grips with Heidegger's magnum opus. Updated with the latest scholarship, the new 2nd edition features:· Updated and increased engagement with the secondary literature on the treatise. · Expanded coverage to guide readers through both Division I and Division II, elucidating Heidegger’s thinking on time, history, and space· References throughout to the leading English translations by Macquarrie and Robinson · Updated study questions linking complex philosophical concepts to everyday life and an extended glossary of key terms

This book is an undergraduate introduction to one of the most important works of 20th-century Catholic theology.

Thomas Aquinas' major work, the "Summa Theologiae", is one of the most important theological works of the Middle Ages. This guide presents the basic principles that underlie the "Summa Theologiae" both as a whole and with respect to its three parts, and the varying treatises found within them.

This is a comprehensive survey of modern American drama beginning with its antecedents in Victorian melodrama through to the present. The author discusses the work and the achievement of more than 70 playwrights, from Eugene O'Neill to Susan-lori Parks - from the golden era of Broadway to the rise of Off-Broadway and regional theatre. He shows how world theatre influenced the American stage, and how the views of American dramatists reflected the great American social movements of their times. In addition, he describes the contributions of the early Experimental theatre, the Federal Theatre of the 1930s, African American, feminist, and gay and lesbian drama - and the joyous trends and triumphs of American musical theatre.

A standard reference work for forty years, this work is the most complete and detailed guide to the novels of William Faulkner. Unlike other treatments of Faulkner, this volume is designed specifically as a guide to critical interpretation and to promote an appreciation of Faulkner's novels. Edmond L. Volpe has organized this Guide into three parts an overview of Faulkner's life and writing, including an analysis of his characters, themes, narrative structures, and style; a complete set of synopses of Faulkner's novels; and an appendix comprising chronologies of events for each major novel. A set of genealogical tables for each major family in the novels is also included.

The new guide - the first comprehensive book of its kind - offers analyses of all Faulkner's short stories, published and unpublished, that were not incorporated into novels or turned into chapters of a novel. Seventy-one stories receive individual critical analysis and evaluation. These discussions reveal the relationship of the stories to the novels and point up Faulkner's skills as a writer of short fiction. Although Faulkner often spoke disparagingly of the short story form and claimed that he wrote stories for money - which be did - Edmond L. Volpe's study reveals that Faulkner could not escape even in this shorter form his incomparable fictional imagination not his mastery of narrative structure and technique.

This is a Reader's Guide to arguably Deleuze's most demanding work and a key text in modern European thought.Gilles Deleuze is without question one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century. "Difference and Repetition" is a classic work of contemporary philosophy and a key text in Deleuze's oeuvre, a brilliant exposition of the critique of identity that develops two key concepts: pure difference and complex repetition. "Deleuze's 'Difference and Repetition': A Reader's Guide" offers a concise and accessible introduction to this hugely important and yet notoriously demanding work. Written specifically to meet the needs of students coming to Deleuze for the first time, the book offers guidance on: Philosophical and historical context; Key themes; Reading the text; Reception and influence; And, further reading."Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text.They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

This is a Reader's Guide to the most important and influential essays of Heidegger's later work, crucial to an understanding of his philosophy as a whole.Martin Heidegger is one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century. His later writings are profoundly original and innovative, giving rise to much of postmodernist thinking, yet they are infamously difficult to approach. "Heidegger's Later Writings: A Reader's Guide" offers a concise and accessible introduction to eight of Heidegger's most important essays. These essays cover many of the central topics of his later thought and are conveniently gathered in "Basic Writings", making this guide a perfect companion.Written specifically to help students coming to these texts for the first time, each chapter illuminates a particular essay's structure to enable readers to start finding their own way through the text. The book offers guidance on: Philosophical and historical context; Key themes; Reading the text; Reception and influence; And, further reading."Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy.Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

A Thousand Plateaus is the engaging and influential second part of Capitalism and Schizophrenia, the remarkable collaborative project written by the philosopher Gilles Deleuze and the psychoanalyst Félix Guattari. This hugely important text is a work of staggering complexity that made a major contribution to contemporary Continental philosophy, yet remains distinctly challenging for readers in a number of disciplines.Deleuze and Guattari's 'A Thousand Plateaus': A Reader's Guide offers a concise and accessible introduction to this extremely important and yet challenging work. Written specifically to meet the needs of students coming to Deleuze and Guattari for the first time, the book offers guidance on: - Philosophical and historical context - Key themes - Reading the text - Reception and influence - Further reading

This is a concise, authoritative but very readable guide to "The Turn of the Screw", offering students a guide to contexts, language, criticism and reading the text. Henry James' ghost story novella, "The Turn of the Screw" (1898) is a key gothic text and is one of the most popular James texts for undergraduate study. This is the ideal guide to the text, setting "The Turn of the Screw" in its historical, intellectual and cultural contexts, offering analysis of its themes, style and structure, providing exemplary close readings, presenting an up-to-date account of its critical reception and examining its afterlife in literature, film and popular culture. It includes points for discussion, suggestions for further study and an annotated guide to relevant reading. "Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

This is an up-to-date readers guide to Atwood's contemporary classic covering contexts, themes and criticism. Margaret Atwood's popular dystopian novel "A Handmaid's Tale", engages the reader with a broad range of issues relating to power, gender and religious politics. This guide provides an overview of the key critical debates and interpretations of the novel and encourages you to engage with key questions and readings in your reading of the text. It includes discussion of key themes and concepts including: representation of women's roles, gender, sexuality and power; language, style and form; dystopias and genre fictions; and, power, control and religious fundamentalism. Combining helpful guidance on reading Atwood's text with overviews of significant stylistic and thematic issues and an introduction to criticism, this is an ideal companion to reading and studying "A Handmaid's Tale". "Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy.Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

This is a Reader's Guide to arguably Deleuze's most demanding work and a key text in modern European thought.Gilles Deleuze is without question one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century. "Difference and Repetition" is a classic work of contemporary philosophy and a key text in Deleuze's oeuvre, a brilliant exposition of the critique of identity that develops two key concepts: pure difference and complex repetition. "Deleuze's 'Difference and Repetition': A Reader's Guide" offers a concise and accessible introduction to this hugely important and yet notoriously demanding work. Written specifically to meet the needs of students coming to Deleuze for the first time, the book offers guidance on: Philosophical and historical context; Key themes; Reading the text; Reception and influence; And, further reading."Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text.They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

This is a concise, authoritative but very readable guide to "The Turn of the Screw", offering students a guide to contexts, language, criticism and reading the text. Henry James's ghost story novella, "The Turn of the Screw" (1898) is a key gothic text and is one of the most popular James texts for undergraduate study. This is the ideal guide to the text, setting "The Turn of the Screw" in its historical, intellectual and cultural contexts, offering analysis of its themes, style and structure, providing exemplary close readings, presenting an up-to-date account of its critical reception and examining its afterlife in literature, film and popular culture. It includes points for discussion, suggestions for further study and an annotated guide to relevant reading. "Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

A concise introduction to the context, themes, and influence of one of the most important works of 20th century political philosophy. John Rawls' "A Theory of Justice", first published in 1971, is arguably the most important work of moral and political philosophy of the twentieth century. A staple on undergraduate courses in political theory, it is a classic text in which Rawls makes an astonishing contribution to political and moral thought. Rawls' "A Theory of Justice: A Reader's Guide" offers a concise and accessible introduction to this hugely important and challenging work. Written specifically to meet the needs of students coming to Rawls for the first time, the book offers guidance on: philosophical and historical context; key themes; reading the text; reception and influence; and further reading. "Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. Each book explores the themes, context, criticism, and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text.They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

This is a Reader's Guide to the most important and influential essays of Heidegger's later work, crucial to an understanding of his philosophy as a whole.Martin Heidegger is one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century. His later writings are profoundly original and innovative, giving rise to much of postmodernist thinking, yet they are infamously difficult to approach. "Heidegger's Later Writings: A Reader's Guide" offers a concise and accessible introduction to eight of Heidegger's most important essays. These essays cover many of the central topics of his later thought and are conveniently gathered in Basic Writings, making this Guide a perfect companion.Written specifically to help students coming to these texts for the first time, each chapter illuminates a particular essay's structure to enable readers to start finding their own way through the text. The book offers guidance on: Philosophical and historical context; Key themes; Reading the text; Reception and influence; And, further reading."Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy.Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

This is a student-friendly introduction to a key text in Ancient Philosophy. In many regards the dialectical counterpart of the "Republic, the Symposium" is one of the richest and most influential of the Platonic dialogues, resonating not only with Western philosophy, but also with literature art and theology. While Plato ostensibly dramatizes a humorous account of a drinking party, he presents a profoundly serious explication of Eros that challenges the limits of reason, the nature of gender, identity and narrative form. "Plato's Symposium: A Reader's Guide" presents a concise introduction to the text, offering invaluable guidance on: historical, literary and philosophical context; key themes; reading the text; reception and influence; and, further reading. "Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

The Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges is undoubtedly one of the defining voices of our age. Since the Second World War, his work has had an enormous impact on generations of writers, philosophers and literary theorists. This clear and accessibly written guide offers a close reading of ten of Borges' greatest short stories, seeking to bring out the logic that has made his work so influential. The main section of the guide offers an analysis of such key terms in Borges' work as "labyrinth" and the "infinite" and analyses Borges' particular narrative strategies. This guide also sets Borges' work within its wider literary, cultural and intellectual contexts and provides an annotated guide to both scholarly and popular responses to his work to assist further reading.

This is a student-friendly introduction to a key text in Ancient Philosophy. In many regards the dialectical counterpart of the "Republic, the Symposium" is one of the richest and most influential of the Platonic dialogues, resonating not only with Western philosophy, but also with literature art and theology. While Plato ostensibly dramatizes a humorous account of a drinking party, he presents a profoundly serious explication of Eros that challenges the limits of reason, the nature of gender, identity and narrative form. "Plato's Symposium: A Reader's Guide" presents a concise introduction to the text, offering invaluable guidance on: historical, literary and philosophical context; key themes; reading the text; reception and influence; and, further reading. "Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

This is a Readers Guide to ten of Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges' best-known and most widely studied short stories. The Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges is undoubtedly one of the defining voices of our age. Since the Second World War, his work has had an enormous impact on generations of writers, philosophers and literary theorists. This clear and accessibly written guide offers a close reading of ten of Borges' greatest short stories, seeking to bring out the logic that has made his work so influential. The main section of the guide offers an analysis of such key terms in Borges' work as 'labyrinth' and the 'infinite' and analyses Borges' particular narrative strategies. This guide also sets Borges' work within its wider literary, cultural and intellectual contexts and provides an annotated guide to both scholarly and popular responses to his work to assist further reading. "Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy.Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

This is an up-to-date readers guide to Atwood's contemporary classic covering contexts, themes and criticism. Margaret Atwood's popular dystopian novel "A Handmaid's Tale", engages the reader with a broad range of issues relating to power, gender and religious politics. This guide provides an overview of the key critical debates and interpretations of the novel and encourages you to engage with key questions and readings in your reading of the text. It includes discussion of key themes and concepts including: representation of women's roles, gender, sexuality and power; language, style and form; dystopias and genre fictions; and, power, control and religious fundamentalism. Combining helpful guidance on reading Atwood's text with overviews of significant stylistic and thematic issues and an introduction to criticism, this is an ideal companion to reading and studying "A Handmaid's Tale". "Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy.Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

A Thousand Plateaus is the engaging and influential second part of Capitalism and Schizophrenia, the remarkable collaborative project written by the philosopher Gilles Deleuze and the psychoanalyst Félix Guattari. This hugely important text is a work of staggering complexity that made a major contribution to contemporary Continental philosophy, yet remains distinctly challenging for readers in a number of disciplines.Deleuze and Guattari's 'A Thousand Plateaus': A Reader's Guide offers a concise and accessible introduction to this extremely important and yet challenging work. Written specifically to meet the needs of students coming to Deleuze and Guattari for the first time, the book offers guidance on: - Philosophical and historical context - Key themes - Reading the text - Reception and influence - Further reading

"Beyond Good and Evil" contains Nietzsche's mature philosophy of the free spirit. Although it is one of his most widely read texts, it is a notoriously difficult piece of philosophical writing. The authors demonstrate in clear and precise terms why it is to be regarded as Nietzsche's philosophical masterpiece and the work of a revolutionary genius. This "Reader's Guide" is the ideal companion to study, offering guidance on: philosophical and historical context, key themes, reading the text, reception and influence, and further reading. "Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

This book presents a student-friendly introduction to one of Nietzsche's most widely-read and studied texts. "Beyond Good and Evil" contains Nietzsche's mature philosophy of the free spirit. Although it is one of his most widely read texts, it is a notoriously difficult piece of philosophical writing. The authors demonstrate in clear and precise terms why it is to be regarded as Nietzsche's philosophical masterpiece and the work of a revolutionary genius. This "Reader's Guide" is the ideal companion to study, offering guidance on: philosophical and historical context, key themes, reading the text, reception and influence and further reading. "Continuum Reader's Guides are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

The book will follow the general outline of the Reader's Guides series. It will begin by setting the work in context, giving a brief biography of Plato, examining his relationship with Socrates, discussing the relationship between the Republic and Plato's other works and introducing the Athenian institutions examined in the Republic. The major themes discussed in the Republic are introduced and discussed in brief, before embarking on a more detailed discussion of the key sections and passages in the Reading the Text section. Here, the author will outline and comment on the claims made in the key passages, suggesting criticism where appropriate and providing questions for further thought. (See Full Contents for further details) A section on Reception and Influence will discuss some of the numerous areas of subsequent thought the Republic has impacted upon, including Aristotle, Plato's influence on Kant's ehtics and Popper's virulent criticism of Plato as an 'enemy of the open society'.A section on Further Reading will contain advice on various translations of the Republic, a guide to some other useful commentaries on the text and information on books and articles about specific topics.

"Continuum's Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to classic works of philosophy. Each book explores the major themes, historical and philosophical context and key passages of a major philosophical text, guiding the reader toward a thorough understanding of often demanding material. Ideal for undergraduate students, the guides provide an essential resource for anyone who needs to get to grips with a philosophical text. "Plato's Republic" is arguably the most famous and influential work of philosophy ever written. It is certainly among the most widely read and studied, a staple of undergraduate courses that continues to inspire and inform contemporary debates in political philosophy. As such, it is a hugely important and exciting, yet challenging, piece of philosophical writing. In "Plato's 'Republic': A Reader's Guide", Luke Purshouse offers a clear and thorough account of this key philosophical work. The book sets Plato's work in context, introduces the major themes and provides a detailed discussion of the key sections and passages of the text.Purshouse goes on explore some of the areas of thought that the Republic has impacted upon and provides useful information on further reading. This is the ideal companion to study of this most influential and challenging of texts.

Sebastian Gardner competently tackles one of Sartre's more complex and challenging works in this new addition to the "Reader's Guides" series."Sartre's 'Being and Nothingness': A Reader's Guide" follows the successful format of "Continuum's Reader's Guides" series, designed specifically to meet the needs of undergraduate students. Gardner provides a brief biographical and contextual sketch, introducing Sartre's novels and political activism. He also includes an overview of contemporary French philosophy and the influence of World War II. The book gives a unified view of the (seemingly disparate) topics discussed in "Being and Nothingness" by taking them as answers to the problem of human freedom. It also shows how Sartre's work can be placed in a long and distinguished tradition of philosophical reflection deriving from Kant.Gardner's 'Reading the Text' section reveals the systematic nature of Sartre's thought and the subtleties of his arguments (both of which can remain hidden form the first-time reader in his dense prose).Finally, the book includes a discussion of the post-war reception of existentialism; criticisms of Being and Nothingness, including Sartre's own following his conversion to Marxism and Merleau-Ponty's in the Phenomenology of Perception; the temporary eclipsing of Sartre's thought by structuralism and Sartre's influence and importance today. This is an invaluable companion to study of this important and influential philosophical text."Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.

Jean-Paul Sartre's Being and Nothingness marked the beginning of the rise of French existentialism in the twentieth century. In this work Sartre offers a complex and profound defence of human freedom. The topics discussed by Sartre range from traditional problems of metaphysics and epistemology to the roots of human motivation and the nature of human relationships. It is a hugely important text in a long and distinguished tradition of philosophical reflection going back to Kant. Sartre's 'Being and Nothingness': A Reader's Guide is an invaluable companion to study of this influential philosophical text, offering guidance on: Philosophical and historical context Key themes Reading the text Reception and influence Further reading.

Hume's Dialogues provide a classic exposition and critique of the famous 'Argument to Design', the attempt to prove the existence and properties of a designing intelligence or God from the phenomena of Nature, notably the functional contrivance of the parts of plants and animals. As such, it raises questions of central interest in both philosphy and theology. Philosophers will be concerned with the implications of strict empiricism for our claims to know anything of the existence and properties of God, and with it the associated threat of scepticism. Theologians will be concerned about the possibility of natural theology and the problematic relation between natural theology and the claims of revealed religions such as Christianity. This book will follow the layout of the Reader's Guide Series In 'Context', Pyle will explain the philosophical and theological background against which the book was written, including what is meant by 'natural' religion introduce hte reader to Enlightenment views on religion. 'Overview of Themes' will address the question of why Hume chose to write in dialogue form, sketch out the views of the three characters and introduce the questions they address.The 'Reading the Text' section will take take the 12 parts of Dialogues in turn and guide the reader throuhg the issues thrown up. Discussion points and questions will focus thinking and encourage the reader to engage with the primary text. 'Reception and Influence' will include discussion of Hume's influence on Kant and hte debates about Darwinism.

Nietzsche is one of the most important and widely read philosophers of all time and his On the Genealogy of Morals is one of the most accessible and frequently studied of all his works - a key text in the study of moral philosophy. This is a hugely important and exciting, yet challenging, piece of philosophical writing. In Nietzsche's 'On the Genealogy of Morals': A Reader's Guide, Daniel Conway explains the philosophical background against which the book was written, the wider context of Western morality in general and the key themes and topics inherent in the text. The book then guides the reader through the four sections of the text to a clear understanding of how they relate to each other and to the text as a whole, before exploring the reception and influence of this classic philosophical work. This is the ideal companion to study of this most influential and challenging of texts.