Literary History & Criticism

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

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....

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

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....

In the rigid theocracy of Salem, Massachusetts, rumors that women are practicing witchcraft galvanize the town....

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....

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....

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....

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....

A definitive collection of wisdom on every style of writing and a celebration of the transformative power of the written word from one of the most influential writers and thinkers of the modern age, C. S. Lewis, the beloved author of the Chronicles of Narnia series.

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

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....

At long last, millions of Dune fans can now hear the unpublished chapters and scenes from Dune and Dune Messiah....

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....

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

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....

A collection of three medieval English poems, translated by Tolkien for the modern-day reader and containing romance, tragedy, love, sex and honour....

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....

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....

When Walt Whitman self-published "Leaves of Grass" in 1855, he rocked the literary world and forever changed the course of poetry....

With passion and wit, Mary Oliver skillfully imparts expertise from her long, celebrated career as a disguised poet....

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

First published in 1986 and updated several times since, Don’t Panic is in an in-depth exploration of Douglas Adams’s cultural phenomenon The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy....

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, ...

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.

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 ...

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 ...

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.

Like Love is a momentous, raucous collection of essays drawn from twenty years of Maggie Nelson's brilliant work. These profiles, reviews, remembrances, tributes, and critical essays, as well as several conversations with friends and idols, bring to life Nelson's passion for dialogue and dissent. The range of subjects is wide—from Prince to Carolee Schneemann to Matthew Barney to Lhasa de Sela to Kara Walker—but certain themes recur.

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!"

Psalm is a short touching story, written in 1923. Part of the "Travel Notes" series. I will buy a dog on Saturday ; I will sing a psalm at night ; I will order shoes for tailcoat... ; But it's okay. Somehow... we will live.