Literary History & Criticism

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....

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

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....

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....

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....

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....

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....

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

Five years after Return of the Jedi, the last of the Emperor's warlords have taken command of the remains of the Imperial fleet - and could destroy the fragile new Republic....

At long last, millions of Dune fans can now hear the unpublished chapters and scenes from Dune and Dune Messiah....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

The First World War comes to harrowing life through the intertwined lives of the soldier-poets in Michael Korda's epic Muse of Fire.

The Master and Margarita is one of the most famous and best-selling Russian novels of the 20th century, despite its surreal environment....

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....

The Pulitzer Prize–winning opinion columnist at The New York Times explores how people in power reveal themselves through their books and writings and, in so doing, illuminates the personal, political, and cultural conflicts driving Washington and the nation....

A brilliant investigation into the motivations and methods, Dumbledore dives between the lines of the Harry Potter books to create a portrait of the controversial Headmaster....

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....

The highly anticipated biography of Sylvia Plath that focuses on her remarkable literary and intellectual achievements, while restoring the woman behind the long-held myths about her life and art....

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....

Harold Bloom explores our Western literary tradition by concentrating on the works of twenty-six authors central to the Canon...

From breakout stand-up comedian Iliza Shlesinger comes a subversively funny collection of essays and observations on a confident woman's approach to friendship, singlehood, and relationships....

Jennifer Pepito was intent on loving her children well, but fear and worry pushed her around. Ultimately, she found joy in a most surprising place: the pages of classic literature she was reading aloud to her children every day. These stories helped her reclaim the wonder of childhood....

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....

Volume 2 of the Nobel Prize-winner’s towering masterpiece: the story of Solzhenitsyn's entrance into the Soviet prison camps, where he would remain for nearly a decade. Features a new foreword by Anne Applebaum....

Part lyric essay, part prose poetry, Where Things Touch grapples with the manifold meanings and possibilities of beauty. Drawing on her experiences as a physician-in-training, Orang considers clinical encounters and how they relate to the concept and very idea of beauty. Such considerations lead her to questions about intimacy, queerness, home, memory, love, and other aspects of human existence. Throughout, beauty is ultimately imagined as something inextricably tied to care: the care of lovers, of patients, of art and literature, and the various non-human worlds that surround us.

Bla_K is a collection of previously out-of-print essays and new works by one of Canada's most important writers and thinkers. Through an engagement with her earlier work, M. NourbeSe Philip comes to realize the existence of a repetition in the world: the return of something that, while still present, has become unembedded from the world, disappeared. Her imperative becomes to make us see what has gone unseen by writing memory upon the margin of history, in the shadow of empire and at the frontier of silence.

On her first book tour at the age of 26, Lee Maracle was asked a question from the audience, one she couldn't possibly answer at that moment. But she has been thinking about it ever since. As time has passed, she has been asked countless similar questions, all of them too big to answer, but not too large to contemplate. These questions, which touch upon subjects such as citizenship, segregation, labor, law, prejudice and reconciliation, to name a few, are the heart of My Conversations with Canadians.

An excellent companion to the classic work The Secret Garden, this guide would be the perfect literature enrichment for homeschool, co-op, book club, or just for fans of this work and genre! Rachel Dodge, author and narrator, eloquently points out the imagery, historic context, and themes in this beautiful piece and ties them into Biblical motifs, analyzing each chapter and character through a Christian lens

Leland Ryken provides a clear pathway to understanding the "Great Works" through this engaging series of short guidebooks. Beginning with "why the classics matter" and "the nature and function of literature," listeners will find a helpful path to understanding and analyzing influential works in the Western canon. This volume leads listeners through John Bunyan’s classic Christian allegory, The Pilgrim’s Progress, offering insights into the nature of faith, the reality of temptation, and the glory of salvation.

Peace in the US Republic of Letters, 1840-1900 explores the early peace movement as it captured the imagination of leading writers. The book charts the rise of the peace cause from its sources in the works of William Penn and John Woolman, through the founding of the first peace societies in 1815 and the mid-century peace congresses, to the postbellum movement's consequential emphasis on arbitration.

This iconic play is brought to life in modern English, allowing listeners to fully immerse themselves in the passion, conflict, and heartbreak of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece. Experience the power of love and the consequences of feuding families without the barrier of archaic language. Whether you're encountering the story for the first time or revisiting it with fresh eyes, this adaptation promises to evoke all the emotions of the original while making it accessible to a modern audience.

"Flat Earth Reimagined: An AI-Curated Odyssey" is an innovative exploration of the Flat Earth theory, uniquely combined with Artificial Intelligence and the author's expert analysis. This book delves into the intriguing world of Flat Earth beliefs from ancient to modern times, presenting a balanced view of historical, scientific, and sociological perspectives. It critically examines the theory's evolution, key arguments, and the psychological appeal behind such contrarian beliefs. Enhanced by AI-driven research, this narrative offers a multifaceted look at the Flat Earth community, its ...

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, ...

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 ...

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...

"A Room of One's Own" began life as a pair of lectures delivered by Virginia Woolf in October 1928 at Newnham College and Girton College, women's colleges at the University of Cambridge and was published as a stand-alone book in 1929. In this brilliant examination of literature, history and gender discrimination, Woolf posits that the dearth of female writers in literature did not result from a lack of talent; it was the lack of opportunity.

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 ...