Literary History & Criticism

Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a modern American classic....

Once Upon a Prime explores the many ways mathematics can transform our understanding of literature and vice versa, by the first woman to hold England's oldest mathematical chair....

In this brilliant conclusion to his best-selling Mythos trilogy, legendary author and actor Stephen Fry retells the tale of the Trojan War....

From pop culture podcaster and a voice of a generation, Kate Kennedy, a celebration of the millennial zeitgeist: One In a Millennial is an exploration of pop culture, nostalgia, the millennial zeitgeist, and the life lessons learned....

In this brilliant selection of essays, the award-winning author of The Handmaid's Tale offers her funny, erudite, endlessly curious, and uncannily prescient take on everything from whether or not The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopia to the importance of how to define granola....

For the last 20 years, George Saunders has been teaching a class on the Russian short story to his MFA students at Syracuse University. In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, he shares a version of that class with us....

Mythology succeeds like no other audiobook in bringing to life for the modern listener the Greek, Roman, and Norse myths and legends that are the keystone of Western culture....

Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners has been written especially for students from beginner to intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, a feeling of progress and, most importantly, enjoyment....

Published posthumously in 1964, A Moveable Feast remains one of Ernest Hemingway's most beloved works....

Often, there is much more going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface....

One of William Faulkner’s finest novels, As I Lay Dying, originally published in 1930, remains a captivating and stylistically innovative work. The story revolves around a grim yet darkly humorous pilgrimage, as Addie Bundren’s family sets out to fulfill her last wish....

For generations, the book of Genesis has been treated by scholars as a collection of documents by various hands, expressing different factional interests, with borrowings from other ancient literatures that mark the text as derivative....

Highly topical, morally wise, honest to the core, Monsters is certain to incite a conversation about whether and how we can separate artists from their art....

Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. His writings cover many subjects including physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, theatre, music, rhetoric, psychology, linguistics, economics, politics....

In Tending the Heart of Virtue, Vigen Guroian illuminates the power of classic tales and their impact on the moral imagination. He demonstrates how these stories teach the virtues through vivid depictions of the struggle between good and evil....

Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to 12 Books to Read Before You Die, Volume 1 and learn about these classic books: Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac, The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, and more....

All Souls fans have been captivated from the start by the many sources of inspiration Harkness draws on in her novels. Here, with her signature historian's touch, she offers an encyclopedic look at the series, complete with synopses, character bios, maps, recipes, and more....

Los Angeles, 1948: Easy Rawlins is a black war veteran just fired from his job at a defense plant....

William Shakespeare, the most celebrated poet in the English language, left behind nearly a million words of text, but his biography has long been a thicket of wild supposition....

At long last, millions of Dune fans can now hear the unpublished chapters and scenes from Dune and Dune Messiah....

The tellers of Greek myths—historically men—have routinely sidelined the female characters....

Notes of a Native Son inaugurated Baldwin as one of the leading interpreters of the dramatic social changes erupting in the United States in the 20th century, and many of his observations have proven almost prophetic....

Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong fearlessly and provocatively blends memoir, cultural criticism, and history to expose fresh truths about racialized consciousness in America. Part memoir and part cultural criticism, this collection is vulnerable, humorous, and provocative....

Few writers today have reshaped our view of the ancient Greek myths more than revered bestselling author Natalie Haynes. Divine Might is a female-centered look at Olympus and the Furies, focusing on the goddesses whose prowess, passions, jealousies, and desires rival those of their male kin....

Sir Ian McKellen, fresh from his performance as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, is Prospero, and heads a strong cast in Shakespeare’s last great play....

Dive into an intellectually stimulating journey with "Intriguing Insights" - the ultimate guide to literary criticism and interpretation! This compendium of knowledge is designed to bridge the gap between those who appreciate literature and those who want to analyze it at a deeper level. Prepare to embark on an expedition that will inject a fresh perspective into your love for the written word. In this comprehensive volume, you'll journey through various approaches to literary theory, delving into the captivating world of Structuralism, Post-Structuralism, Hermeneutics, Reader-Response ...

Dive into the enchanting world of Celtic literature with the mesmerizing eBook, "Exploring the Celtic Tapestry"! This captivating journey will take you through time and across the European landscape, unveiling the interwoven richness of Celtic storytelling and its profound impact on the global literary scene. Embark on an adventure that begins with an introduction to Celtic literature and its European contexts, then traverses through early Irish literature, the Welsh bardic tradition, Scottish poetry, and the evolution of English literary heritage in the Celtic context. Along the way, ...

Are you ready to dive into the captivating world of Asian Indic Literary Criticism? Look no further! Introducing "The Complexities of Asian Indic Literary Criticism" - a must-read for anyone intrigued by the literary heritage of Asia. This all-encompassing eBook explores the richness and diversity of Asian Indic Literature, offering readers an unparalleled voyage through time and the timeless beauty of its literary traditions. Embark on a fascinating journey that begins with the ancient foundations of the world-renowned Natyashastra, the bedrock of Sanskrit Poetics, and traces the evolution...

Discover the fascinating world of visual storytelling! Unveil the secrets behind the most powerful and captivating form of storytelling through the magnificent art of comics and graphic novels. Introducing "Visual Storytelling," a groundbreaking eBook that will lead you on a journey through the enthralling universe of comics and graphic novels. Immerse yourself in the evolution, history, and techniques that have shaped the iconic art of visual storytelling, and learn how this medium has journeyed from the static images of early comic strips to the dynamic and powerful narratives we know and...

The short story The District Doctor by Turgenev, written in 1848, is part of the "Sportsman's Sketches" cycle. It tells the tale of a hopeless love between a dying girl from a noble family and a humble county doctor. Other famous works, such as "Asya", "Fathers and Sons", "A Nest of Noblemen", "Biryuk", "On the Eve", "Mumu","Fire at Sea", "The Wayside Inn", "The Watch", "Three Portraits", "A Strange Story", "The Meeting", etc.

Feminism is not just a movement, it's a way of life. It's about creating a world where everyone has equal rights and opportunities, regardless of their gender. Feminism is not just for women, it's for all genders. It's about dismantling the patriarchy, challenging gender roles and stereotypes, and creating a society that is inclusive, diverse, and equitable. In this e-book, we will explore the history of feminism, its key concepts, and its impact on society. We will also discuss current feminist issues, how we can continue to make progress towards gender equality and finally why feminism ...

Are you fascinated by history's darkest mysteries and the intricate tapestry of human nature? Curious about the forces that led to one of the darkest periods in American history? Wondering how superstition and fear could ignite a whirlwind of chaos and injustice? Dive into the gripping world of 17th-century Massachusetts, where accusations of witchcraft ignited a blaze of hysteria and justice teetered on a precipice. In A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials, we unravel the captivating and haunting events that transpired during this dark chapter in American history. If you've ever been ...

Ignite Your Inner Storyteller: A Guide to Flash Fiction Mastery Have you ever wished you could write a captivating story in just a few minutes? Flash fiction might be the perfect answer for you. This exciting, accessible form of writing is experiencing a surge in popularity, offering a creative outlet for writers of all levels. Don't worry if long novels seem daunting. Flash fiction lets you explore a diverse range of ideas and hone your storytelling skills in bite-sized bursts. This book will be your guide to unlocking the world of flash fiction. Inside, you'll discover: The secrets of ...

Can AI truly fathom literary artistry or emotion? Is there space for machine-human partnership expanding creative frontiers? As artificial intelligence permeates our world, intriguing questions arise around its role in the arts. In The Future of Storytelling: AI and the Art of Flash Fiction, writer Charles Eugene Anderson chronicles his adventures on the frontier of AI-assisted fiction. With warmth and wit, Anderson welcomes you along his journey, pioneering techniques for wedding AI’s tireless productivity with human inspiration. Together, you’ll craft micro tales brimming with life ...

With Muse of Fire, Michael Korda, the bestselling author of Alone and Hero, takes a novel approach to World War I by telling its history through the lives of the soldier-poets whose verses memorialize the war's unimaginable horrors. He begins with Rupert Brooke and the halcyon days before violence engulfed his generation—destroying the self-contented world of Edwardian England—and ends with the tragic death of Wilfred Owen, killed only days before the armistice brought an end to a war that took over 25,000,000 lives.

When Suzanne Scanlon was a student at Barnard in the '90s, grieving the loss of her mother—feeling untethered and swimming through inarticulable pain—she made a suicide attempt that landed her in the New York State Psychiatric Institute. After nearly three years and countless experimental treatments, Suzanne left the ward on shaky legs. In the decades it took her to recover from the experience, Suzanne came to understand her suffering as part of something larger.

This is an annotated edition with an additional biography section and an original prelude by J.J. Calvert. Humor is subjective, but at least for many in the CR community, this packs a hilarious punch. Stephen Butler Leacock, born in 1869 and died in 1944, was a Canadian humorist. He was also a professor of political science at McGill University for almost three decades--but he is better remembered as a world famous humorist who could make men and women bend at the waist with laughter whilst reading his nonsensical literature. His Secrets To Success is satirical response to the ubiquitous ...

From the Baillie Gifford and Orwell Prize longlisted author of The Ministry of Truth comes an equally original and revealing exploration of one of the central concerns of our times: fantasies and nightmares of the end of the world, from Mary Shelley’s The Last Man to the Manic Street Preachers’ Everything Must Go.

To be a bookseller or librarian...you have to play detective. Be a treasure hunter. A matchmaker. A brilliant listener. A person who creates a kind of magic by pulling a book from a shelf, handing it to someone and saying, 'You've got to read this. You're going to love it'. In this love letter to the heroes of literacy, James Patterson uncovers true stories from booksellers and librarians.

Seance is a famouse short story by Mikhail Bulgakov, written in 1922. Published in the magazine "Rupor" (1922, No. 4). The epigraph to the work, created on the basis of the author's life observations, is Mephistopheles' Patter "Do not invoke him!"