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This introduction explains in a readable, lively style how modernism emerged, how it is defined, and how it developed in different forms and genres. Illustrated with works of art and featuring suggestions for further study, this is the ideal introduction to understanding and enjoying modernist literature and art.

T. S. Eliot is not only one of the most important poets of the twentieth century; as literary critic and commentator on culture and society, his writing continues to be profoundly influential. This informative and accessible book provides the perfect introduction to Eliot's life and work.

This is a clear and informative introduction to Woolf's life, works, and cultural and critical contexts, covering the major works in detail, including To the Lighthouse, Mrs Dalloway, The Waves and the key short stories. All students of Woolf will find this a useful and illuminating overview of the field.

This 2006 introduction to English theatre, including illustrative quotations and carefully selected visual images, guides the reader through the turbulent history of the stage from the restoration of Charles II to the death of Queen Victoria. A lively read, the book is ideal for students, teachers and lecturers alike.

This lively and innovative introduction to Shakespeare promotes active engagement with the plays, rather than recycling factual information. Covering a range of texts, it is divided into seven subject-based chapters: Character; Performance; Texts; Language; Structure; Sources and History, and it does not assume any prior knowledge. Instead, it develops ways of thinking and provides the reader with resources for independent research through the 'Where next?' sections at the end of each chapter. The book draws on scholarship without being overwhelmed by it, and unlike other introductory guides to Shakespeare it emphasizes that there is space for new and fresh thinking by students and readers, even on the most-studied and familiar plays.

This introduction provides a fresh approach to the meaning and origins of performance theory for students, scholars and enthusiasts. Defining the key figures and terms within the field, Simon Shepherd ranges across theories and practices, from folklore studies to performativity to protests against road building.

A new history of satire that brings foundational scholarship up to date with the theoretical and historical insights of literary studies from the last three decades, this book is a substantive introduction for undergraduate and graduate students, and an essential gateway to more advanced studies.

Designed to interest both students and scholars, The Cambridge Introduction to Victorian Poetry provides an accessible overview of British poetry from 1830 to 1901. It features a glossary of literary terms, a guide to further reading, and two examples of close readings of Victorian poems.

Through the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe became one of the most famous and important authors in nineteenth-century America. This book provides a summary of Stowe's life and her long career as a professional author, as well as an overview of her writings in several different genres.

This lively and accessible 2007 introduction discusses each of Shakespeare's history plays, and their distinctive characteristics, in turn: the three early Henry VI plays; Richard III; King John; Richard II; Henry IV 1 and 2; Henry V; and Henry VIII. An invaluable guide to these fascinating and complex plays.

This introduction to one of the twentieth century's most important writers examines Yeats's poems, plays and stories in relation to biographical, literary, and historical contexts. While using this introduction, students will have instant access to the essential facts about his life and literary career and suggestions for further reading.

A lively and accessible introduction that will be invaluable to readers new to Chaucer or familiar with his work through The Canterbury Tales. Leading Chaucer scholar Alastair Minnis offers an account of the poet's known writings, their historical and literary contexts, and the diverse ways in which they have been interpreted over the centuries.

A comprehensive survey of French poetry. The poets discussed - all quoted in the original, followed by an English translation - belong to every period from the eleventh century to the present, and include Francophone authors from areas other than France.

Providing thorough coverage of the methods and tools required in studying historical and contemporary theatre, this Introduction examines the complexities of a rapidly changing and dynamic discipline. Following a cross-cultural perspective, the book surveys the ways theatre and performance are studied by looking initially at key elements such as performers, spectators and space. The central focus is on methodology, which is divided into sections covering theatre theory, historiography and textual and performance analysis. The book covers all the main theatrical genres - drama, opera and dance - providing students with a comparative, integrated perspective. Designed to guide students through the academic dimension of the discipline, the volume emphasizes questions of methodology, research techniques and approaches, and will therefore be relevant for a wide variety of theatre studies courses. Informative textboxes provide background on key topics, and suggestions for further reading are included at the end of each chapter.

A lively and accessible introduction to Shakespeare's tragedies, this 2007 book begins with a discussion of tragedy before Shakespeare and considers each of Shakespeare's tragedies chronologically. It includes helpful text boxes and detailed chapters on Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello and King Lear, among other plays.

This pioneering book introduces students to the practice and art of creative writing and creative reading. It offers a fresh, distinctive and beautifully written synthesis of the discipline. David Morley discusses where creative writing comes from, the various forms and camouflages it has taken, and why we teach and learn the arts of fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction. He looks at creative writing in performance; as public art, as visual art, as e-literature and as an act of community. As a leading poet, critic and award-winning teacher of the subject, Morley finds new engagements for creative writing in the creative academy and within science. Accessible, entertaining and groundbreaking, The Cambridge Introduction to Creative Writing is not only a useful textbook for students and teachers of writing, but also an inspiring read in its own right. Aspiring authors and teachers of writing will find much to discover and enjoy.

Where did Shakespearean comedy come from? Where did it arrive? What makes it still relevant today? This comprehensive survey addresses these and many other questions, providing readers with a map of Shakespeare's comic styles, showing how he built on comedic conventions as he enriched the possibilities of the genre.

Russian literature arrived late on the European scene. Within several generations, its great novelists had shocked - and then conquered - the world. In this introduction to the rich and vibrant Russian tradition, Caryl Emerson weaves a narrative of recurring themes and fascinations across several centuries. Beginning with traditional Russian narratives (saints' lives, folk tales, epic and rogue narratives), the book moves through literary history chronologically and thematically, juxtaposing literary texts from each major period. Detailed attention is given to canonical writers including Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Bulgakov and Solzhenitsyn, as well as to some current bestsellers from the post-Communist period. Fully accessible to students and readers with no knowledge of Russian, the volume includes a glossary and pronunciation guide of key Russian terms as well as a list of useful secondary works. The book will be of great interest to students of Russian as well as of comparative literature.

'Laughter', says Eric Weitz, 'may be considered one of the most extravagant physical effects one person can have on another without touching them'. But how do we identify something which is meant to be comic, what defines something as 'comedy', and what does this mean for the way we enter the world of a comic text? Addressing these issues, and many more, this is a 'how to' guide to reading comedy from the pages of a dramatic text, with relevance to anything from novels and newspaper columns to billboards and emails. The book enables you to enhance your grasp of the comic through familiarity with characteristic structures and patterns, referring to comedy in literature, film and television throughout. Perfect for drama and literature students, this Introduction explores a genre which affects the everyday lives of us all, and will therefore also capture the interest of anyone who loves to laugh.

A handy, clear and comprehensive guide to the work of one of the most important critics and public intellectuals of the last 40 years. McCarthy covers Said's life, his relationship to major intellectual and political trends of his time, his major works and their reception.

With suggestions for further reading, detailed information about the Icelandic literary canon, and a map of medieval Iceland, this book is designed for students of medieval literature and assumes no prior knowledge of Scandinavian languages.

An approachable and stimulating introduction to Anglo-Saxon literature, this book provides indispensable guidance for students on this important topic in literary studies. Key individual works including Beowulf are discussed in detail, with modern English translations, and the literature is placed in larger historical and theoretical contexts.

Author of the most influential long poem of its era (Childe Harold's Pilgrimage) and the funniest long poem in European literature (Don Juan), Lord Byron was also the literary superstar of Romanticism, whose effect on nineteenth-century writers, artists, musicians and politicians - but also everyday readers - was second to none. His poems seduced and scandalized readers, and his life and legend were correspondingly magnetic, given added force by his early death in the Greek War of Independence. This introduction compresses his extraordinary life to manageable proportions and gives readers a firm set of contexts in the politics, warfare, and Romantic ideology of Byron's era. It offers a guide to the main themes in his wide-ranging oeuvre, from the early poems that made him famous (and infamous) overnight, to his narrative tales, dramas and the comic epic left incomplete at his death.

One of the most influential literary figures of the twentieth century, George Orwell remains a crucial voice for our times. Examining Orwell's life, work and legacy, and including detailed discussions of his masterpieces Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm, this Introduction is perfect for readers approaching Orwell for the first time.

The best way to learn about Romantic poetry is to plunge in and read a few Romantic poems. This book guides the new reader through this experience, focusing on canonical authors - Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Keats, Blake and Shelley - whilst also including less familiar figures as well. Each chapter explains the history and development of a genre or sets out an important context for the poetry, with a wealth of practical examples. Michael Ferber emphasizes connections between poets as they responded to each other and to great literary, social and historical changes around them. A unique appendix resolves most difficulties new readers of works from this period might face: unfamiliar words, unusual word order, the subjunctive mood and meter. This enjoyable and stimulating book is an ideal introduction to some of the most powerful and pleasing poems in the English language, written in one of the greatest periods in English poetry.

This Introduction surveys the full spectrum of postmodern culture - high and low, avant-garde and popular, famous and obscure - across a range of fields, from architecture and visual art to fiction, poetry, and drama. Comprehensive and accessible, this book is indispensable for scholars, students, and general readers interested in late twentieth-century culture.

Margaret Atwood offers an immensely influential voice in contemporary literature. Her novels have been translated into over 22 languages and are widely studied, taught and enjoyed. Her style is defined by her comic wit and willingness to experiment. Her work has ranged across several genres, from poetry to literary and cultural criticism, novels, short stories and art. This Introduction summarizes Atwood's canon, from her earliest poetry and her first novel, The Edible Woman, through The Handmaid's Tale to The Year of the Flood. Covering the full range of her work, it guides students through multiple readings of her oeuvre. It features chapters on her life and career, her literary, Canadian and feminist contexts, and how her work has been received and debated over the course of her career. With a guide to further reading and a clear, well organised structure, this book presents an engaging overview for students and readers.

Mark Twain is a central figure in nineteenth-century American literature, and his novels are among the best-known and most often studied texts in the field. This clear and incisive Introduction provides a biography of the author and situates his works in the historical and cultural context of his times. Peter Messent gives accessible but penetrating readings of the best-known writings including Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. He pays particular attention to the way Twain's humour works and how it underpins his prose style. The final chapter provides up-to-date analysis of the recent critical reception of Twain's writing, and summarises the contentious and important debates about his literary and cultural position. The guide to further reading will help those who wish to extend their research and critical work on the author. This book will be of outstanding value to anyone coming to Twain for the first time.

Ezra Pound is one of the most visible and influential poets of the twentieth century. He is also one of the most complex, his poetry containing historical and mythical allusions, experiments of form and style and often controversial political views. Yet Pound's life and work continue to fascinate. This Introduction, first published in 2005, is designed to help students reading Pound for the first time. Pound scholar Ira B. Nadel provides a guide to the rich webs of allusion and stylistic borrowings and innovations in Pound's writing. He offers a clear overview of Pound's life, works, contexts and reception history and his multidimensional career as a poet, translator, critic, editor, anthologist and impresario, a career that placed him at the heart of literary modernism. This invaluable and accessible introduction explains the huge contribution Pound made to the development of modernism in the early twentieth century.