Bøger i Social Issues in Literature serien

This critical volume explores the life and work of Ernest Hemingway, focusing particularly on the themes of war in his novel A Farewell to Arms. Readers are presented with a series of essays which lend context and expand upon the themes of the book, including viewpoints on the reasons for, and the aftereffects of, war. Contemporary perspectives on PTSD, foreign policy, and military spending allow readers to further connect the events of the book to the issues of today's world.

"The Social issues in literature series brings together the disciplines of sociology and literature in a unique format designed to support cross-curricular studies. Each volume explores a work of literature through the lens of the major social issue reflected in it, and features carefully-selected content representing a variety of perspectives. All volumes in the series contain biographical and critical information about the author; secondary excerpts offering both historical and contemporary views of the highlighted social issue; a timeline of the author's life; a "For further reading" section of other works on the issue; and a detailed subject index"--

When a French doctor is imprisoned for eighteen years, he is released and united with his daughter, whom he has never met. The story of their life in London, and the conflict between her husband and the people who imprisoned her father, bring back ghosts from the past. Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities is known for its opening sentence, but the novel raises questions that explore income inequality, globalization, and the fate of civil rights when a government dissolves, topics we still grapple with today. This volume explores the life and work of Charles Dickens, focusing particularly on the theme of class conflict in the novel, and includes viewpoints on class conflict and income inequality in the present day, including the role that technology plays in increasing income inequality and class conflict, and the generational nature of class conflict.

When the matriarch of the Bundren family dies, her family must confront the daunting task of transporting her body across the state of Mississippi for burial in her hometown. As they embark on this journey, with the coffin in tow, they face several trials and tribulations that not only complicate their travel but also highlight the innate dysfunction of the family's complex dynamic. This comprehensive volume explores the themes of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying through the lens of family dysfunction, offering readers a critical look at the intersection between literature and sociology. The book examines Faulkner's life and influences and explores concepts such as the role of maternal influence and sibling rivalry within the novel and within the broader context of society. Chapters also offer a contemporary perspective on family dysfunction through discussion of topics such as the effects of emotional neglect and the role of maternal instincts.

This volume explores the life and work of Sue Monk Kidd, focusing particularly on the coming of age theme in her novel The Secret Life of Bees. The book presents readers with a collection of essays that address topics such as community as a place for transformation, Lily's development at the expense of black individualism, and the role of social consciousness and spirituality. Modern perspectives on adolescence are also presented, allowing readers to make important connections between the text and the concerns of today's world.

A veteran of World War I, Erich Maria Remarque found himself in a unique position to render the experience of war, both its internal and external ravages, in an intimate and realistic way. Responding directly to the then-nameless trauma many veterans and soldiers experienced in their lives, Remarque's novel is often hailed as pacifist work, though it often defies classification as a result of its undeniable loyalty to simple storytelling. This compelling volume explores the life and work of Erich Maria Remarque and expands upon the theme of war present in his classic novel. Readers are presented with a diverse set of essays that provide a wide range of perspectives on questions such as whether war results in a loss of innocence, and whether the book offers critiques of modern warfare. This edition also touches upon current perspectives related to war and peace, allowing readers to connect the events of the text to the issues of today's world.

Published shortly after his assassination, The Autobiography of Malcolm X recounts Malcolm X's painful childhood, from his early experiences with racism, to his conversion to the Nation of Islam while in prison, to his years of activism as a leader and proponent of Black Nationalism. This volume offers a diverse range of perspectives on the role of racism in the life of Malcolm X and his autobiography. Essays discuss Malcolm X's life, his quest for racial truth, the psychological impact of racism, black identity shaped by white racism, and Malcolm X as spokesman and leader.

Collection of essays discussing whether Mark Twain's book is racist, the issue of race in the novel itself, and race relations in 21st century America.

Adolescence and coming of age are explored through the work of Romeo and Juliet with a variety of perspectives presented.

Joseph Heller's satire Catch-22 presents war, driven by state bureaucracies, as a form of institutional psychosis. Soldiers, trapped in the circular logic of an obscure army regulation, find themselves in impossible circumstances, ones that threaten not only their personhood but their free will as well. This compelling volume offers a diverse range of views on Joseph Heller's interpretation of war in Catch-22. Essays discuss how the book engages with the hypocrisy of American culture during the war, how the novel anticipates the anti-war novels written after the Vietnam War, and how the military in the novel reflects American society. The text also offers readers contemporary perspectives on war, discussing topics such as the U.S. provocation.

Capturing a snapshot of the race relations that would set the stage for apartheid in South Africa, Alan Paton's 1949 novel, Cry, the Beloved Country, paints a complicated portrait of the widening divisions between dissolving tribal cultures and white communities. This necessary edition presents essays that examine the treatment of race relations in Cry, the Beloved Country, discussing topics such as whether or not the book's political vision was naive, how Paton's complex view on goodness and badness helped to inform his text, and how the novel's publication helped or hindered open conversations regarding race in South Africa. An in-depth biography of author Alan Paton and modern perspectives on race in South Africa, including an examination of post-apartheid conditions, are included as well.

Elie Wiesel witnessed the horrors of genocide firsthand when he and his family were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp and later to Buchenwald. Some critics characterize his book, which he published a little over a decade after the war's ending, as memoir. Weisel refers to Night as a deposition, one that constantly questions why genocide happened and what it reveals about human nature. This compelling volume interrogates these questions by introducing readers to a wide range of essays that explore themes about and surrounding genocide as they relate to Wiesel's work. The book also provides contemporary perspectives on genocide.

Bigger Thomas, a young man living in 1930s Chicago, takes a job with a wealthy white family, the Daltons. After a night of drinking with her boyfriend, Mary, the Dalton's only child, dies when Thomas accidentally suffocates her so as not to be heard by Mary's mother, who would not understand why Thomas was carrying her up to bed. Thomas's fate, to be tried and convicted of murder, speaks less to Thomas as a person than to the impossible circumstances racism creates within society. This compelling volume delves into author Richard Wright's life and the divide that made two separate Americas legal. Essays discuss Thomas's revolutionary consciousness, racial blindness, and the contemporary plight of the millions of African-Americans in prisons due to racism inherent in the justice system. Writers include Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, and Irving Howe.

Responding directly to the era of U.S. politics known as McCarthyism, Arthur Miller's 1953 play The Crucible positions the Salem witch trials at the center of a narrative that seeks to dance with and around questions of justice, power, and suspicion. This compelling edition presents readers with an insight into Arthur Miller's life, work, and inspirations, with a specific eye toward his writing of The Crucible. Readers are invited to explore the theme of justice through a series of essays, from writers and figures such as Michael Moore and Andy Worthington, that present varying viewpoints on the play's subject matter and tackle ideas such as the misuse of the legal system and the relationship between religion and the courtrooms. Perspectives on modern-day issues pertaining to justice are presented for consideration, allowing readers to link the themes of the play to the issues of the present.

When an extramarital affair with a minister results in a child, Hester Pryne is publically shamed and ostracized by her community in Puritan Boston. Her subsequent attempts at a quiet life are complicated by a vengeful husband, her rambunctious daughter, her refusal to name the father of her child, and finally, by a desperate attempt to escape from Boston. This compelling edition takes a critical look at Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter through the lens of women's issues. The text presents readers with a biographical snapshot of the author and examines women's issues in the novel. Essays discuss topics such as feminism in the nineteenth century, forced marriage, and the subservience of women. The text also provides contemporary perspectives on current women's issues, creating a dialogue between the events of the text and the world of today.

Stranded on a tropical island, a group of boys attempt to govern themselves but instead give into chaos and savagery. William Golding's 1954 novel, Lord of the Flies, utilizes the theme of violence to showcase the conflicts surrounding power. This compelling edition presents readers with a collection of essays that examine topics such as puberty, innate corruption, and class conflict as it relates to the theme of violence and power. Contemporary perspectives on violence are also discussed, examining topics such as the recruitment of young men to war and the effects of peer alienation.

Jane Austen pioneered the modern novel by focusing on realistic depictions of ordinary people, with an eye toward unraveling the social structures that ruled Victorian England. This volume explores the role of class in Jane Austen's life and in Pride and Prejudice, providing a critical background on the life of the author and the influences that shaped her writing. Ten articles explore topics such as the rapidly changing class structures in Britain during the time of the novel, and what class meant for women. The book also includes twenty-first-century perspectives on the intersection of class and gender. Contributors include Emily Auerbach, Terry Eagleton, and Sarah Mahoney.

This volume presents biographical and critical information on Salinger, viewpoints on the depression, and contempora ry assessments well as a chronology of important date s in the author's life, discussion questions, a guide to additional literary works that focus on the same issues, a bibliography for further resea rch and a thorough subject index.

A collection of critical reviews that investigate the background of industrialism in the works of John Steinbeck.

Ernest Hemingway's 1925 novel The Sun Also Rises sought to capture the resilient spirit of the Lost Generation through a series of love connections between a group of men and a liberated divorcee who finds herself at the center of their affections and attentions. Themes of gender, role according to gender, and the influence of masculinity and femininity saturate the novel, as the main characters grapple with what it means to expect integrity and morality in a modern world. This compelling edition provides background on the life of Ernest Hemingway and the influences that shaped his life. The book features articles that explore gender roles as portrayed in his novel The Sun Also Rises and also examines issues of gender roles in the twenty-first century.

The struggle to locate one's personhood and role within a rapidly-changing society can present even the most well-adjusted adults and adolescents with deep psychological and emotional trauma. Arthur Miller's award-winning play Death of a Salesman pushes the context of this universal struggle even further, confronting what it means to live in a world wherein mediocrity and failure seem not only inevitable but imminent. This informative edition presents essays that examine the treatment of suicide in Death of a Salesman, discussing topics such as alienation, the lack of meaning in contemporary industrial society, and the power of the American Dream. Contemporary perspectives regarding suicide as it pertains to family, work, and society allow readers to link the themes of the text with modern discourse.

One of the most influential works in the canon of black American literature, Maya Angelou's autobiographical work I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings offers readers a frank and inspirational personal portrait of what it means to overcome and move past personal trauma and racism. This compelling edition provides readers with an in-depth biography of the author and presents a series of essays that discuss racism as it relates to Angelou's work. Topics include race and gender, humor and folklore, and death and rebirth. Modern perspectives on the issue of racism are presented as well, allowing readers to connect the themes of the text to the world of today.

Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is taught in classrooms nationwide and is widely hailed as one of literature's most compelling depictions of racism in the South. This informative edition presents essays that examine racism and other related issues in To Kill a Mockingbird, discussing such topics as new and old Southern values, and the connection between class, gender, and racial prejudice. Modern perspectives on race issues are presented as well, allowing the reader to create a link between the themes of the text and the realities of today's world.

Because wherever I sat, on the deck of a ship or at a street café in Paris or Bangkok, I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air. Readers who are familiar with Sylvia Plath's work may recognize this well-known quotation from her first and only novel, The Bell Jar, which tackles issues of depression, mental illness, and the search for individuality. This compelling volume examines Sylvia Plath's life and writings, with a specific look at key ideas related to The Bell Jar. A collection of twenty-three essays offers readers context and insight to discussions centering around the pervasive impact of illness, the novel as a search for personal identity, and the autobiographical nature of the work. The book also examines contemporary perspectives on depression, such as the sometimes deadly pressure of perfectionism on gifted teens, and the idea that depression and risk of suicide run in families.