ELT & Literary Studies Books

Book SynopsisIn the Oresteia Aeschylus addressed the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. As they move from darkness to light, from rage to self-governance, from primitive ritual to civilized institution, their spirit of struggle and regeneration becomes an everlasting song of celebration. In Agamemnon, a king's decision to sacrifice his daughter and turn the tide of war inflicts lasting damage on his family, culminating in a terrible act of retribution; The Libation Bearers deals with the aftermath of Clytemnestra's regicide, as her son Orestes sets out to avenge his father's death; and in The Eumenides, Orestes is tormented by supernatural powers that can never be appeased. Forming an elegant and subtle discourse on the emergence of Athenian democracy out of a period of chaos and destruction, The Oresteia is a compelling tragedy of the tensions between our obligations to our families and the laws that bind us together as a societyTrade Review"Conveys more vividly and powerfully than any of the ten competitors I have consulted the eternal power of this masterpiece ... a triumph." —Bernard Levin "How satisfying to read at last a modern translation which is rooted in Greek feeling and Greek thought ... both the stature and the profound instinctive genius of Aeschylus are recognised." —Mary Renault, author of The King Must DieTable of ContentsThe Oresteia - Aeschylus ForewordAcknowledgmentsA Reading of "The Oresteia": The Serpent and the EagleAESCHYLUS: THE ORESTEIAAgamemnonThe Libation BearersThe EumenidesThe Geneaology of OrestesSelect BibliographyNotes:AgamemnonThe Libation BearersThe EumenidesGlossary

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Book SynopsisThe Greek statesman Polybius (c.200118 BC) wrote his account of the relentless growth of the Roman Empire in order to help his fellow countrymen understand how their world came to be dominated by Rome. Opening with the Punic War in 264 BC, he vividly records the critical stages of Roman expansion: its campaigns throughout the Mediterranean, the temporary setbacks inflicted by Hannibal and the final destruction of Carthage. An active participant of the politics of his time as well as a friend of many prominent Roman citizens, Polybius drew on many eyewitness accounts in writing this cornerstone work of history.Table of ContentsThe Rise of the Roman EmpireList of MapsIntroductionTranslator's NoteBook I: Introduction; The First Punic WarBook II: Affairs in Spain; The Romans in Illyria; Affairs in Spain; Rome and the Gauls; Affiars in Spain; Events in Greece: the Achaean LeagueBook III: Introduction; The Second Punic War; The Second Illyrian War; The Second Punic War; The Second Illyrian War; The Second Punic WarBook IV: Affairs in Greece; Civil War in Cynaetha; Byzantium and the Black SeaBook V: Affairs in Egypt: The Death of Cleomenes; Affairs in Greece: Philip and the GreeksBook VI: From the Preface; On the Forms of States; On the Roman Constitution at Its Prime; The Roman Military System; The Roman Republic Compared with Others; ConclusionBook VII: Affairs in Sicily; Affairs in Greece: The Treaty between Hannibal and Philip of Macedon, The Character of PhilipBook VIII: Affairs in Sicily: The Siege of Syracuse; Affairs in Greece: Philip of Macedon; Macedon; Affairs in Italy: The Siege of TarentumBook IX: Introduction; Affairs in Italy: The Seige of Capua; On Generalship; The Character of HannibalBook X: The Character of Scipio; Affairs in Spain: The Capture of New Carthage, Scipio and the SpaniardsBook XI: Affairs in Italy: The Battle of the Metaurus; The Character of HannibalBook XII: Criticisms of Timaeus and His Approach to History: Errors on the Fauna of Africa and Corsica, Errors Concerning Sicily, Intentional and Unintentional Falsehoods, Timaeus on Callisthenes, Demoshares of Athens, Agathocles of Sicily, Timaeus' Criticisms of Other Writers, Timaeus on the Bull of Phalaris, Timaeus' Methods in Composing Speeches, Comparison of History and Medicine, Timaeus' Lack of Political and Military Experience and Unwillingness to Travel, The Causes of Timaeus' Faults and Qualities of the Good HistorianBook XIV: Affairs in Africa: Scipio's CampaignsBook XV: Affairs in Africa: The Final Campaign; The End of the Second Punic War; Affaris in Macedonia, Syria and Egypt; Affairs in Egypt: A Palace RevolutionBook XVIII: Affairs in Greece: Flamininus and Philip; On Treachery; On the Phalanx; Affairs in Greece" Flamininus and the Peace SettlementBook XXIV: Affairs in Greece: Philopoemen and AristaenusBook XXXI: Affairs in Rome and Syria: The Escape of Demetrius; Affairs in Italy: Aemilius Paullus, Scipio and PolybiusBook XXXVI: Affairs in Rome and Carthage: The Third Punic War; On Fate and ChanceBook XXXIX: From the EpilogueMapsChronological TableIndex

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Book SynopsisWritten around AD 1200 by an unnamed Icelandic author, the Orkneyinga Saga is an intriguing fusion of myth, legend and history. The only medieval chronicle to have Orkney as the central place of action, it tells of an era when the islands were still part of the Viking world, beginning with their conquest by the kings of Norway in the ninth century. The saga describes the subsequent history of the Earldom of Orkney and the adventures of great Norsemen such as Sigurd the Powerful, St Magnus the Martyr and Hrolf, the conqueror of Normandy. Savagely powerful and poetic, this is a fascinating depiction of an age of brutal battles, murder, sorcery and bitter family feuds.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to prov

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Book SynopsisCharles Dickens is the acclaimed definitive biography by bestselling author Claire Tomalin Charles Dickens was a phenomenon: a demonicly hardworking journalist, the father of ten children, a tireless walker and traveller, a supporter of liberal social causes, but most of all a great novelist - the creator of characters who live immortally in the English imagination: the Artful Dodger, Mr Pickwick, Pip, David Copperfield, Little Nell, Lady Dedlock, and many more.At the age of twelve he was sent to work in a blacking factory by his affectionate but feckless parents. From these unpromising beginnings, he rose to scale all the social and literary heights, entirely through his own efforts. When he died, the world mourned, and he was buried - against his wishes - in Westminster Abbey.Yet the brilliance concealed a divided character: a republican, he disliked America; sentimental about the family in his writings, he took up passionately with a young actress; usually generous, he cut off his impecunious children. From the award-winning author of Samuel Pepys, Charles Dickens: A Life paints an unforgettable portrait of Dickens, capturing brilliantly the complex character of this great genius. If you loved Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol, this book is invaluable reading.''By far the most humane and imaginatively sympathetic account yet for the general reader'' Amanda Craig, New Statesman

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Book Synopsis''An indispensable work of reference'' Times Literary SupplementThe Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory is firmly established as a key work of reference in the complex and varied field of literary criticism. Now in its fifth edition, it remains the most comprehensive and accessible work of its kind, and is invaluable for students, teachers and general readers alike.- Gives definitions of technical terms (hamartia, iamb, zeugma) and critical jargon (aporia, binary opposition, intertextuality)- Explores literary movements (neoclassism, romanticism, vorticism) and schools of literary theory- Covers genres (elegy, fabliau, pastoral) and literary forms (haiku, ottava rima, sonnet)Trade ReviewAccomplishes cameo wonders of literary history ... generously and urbanely compiled * New York Times *Scholarly, succinct, comprehensive and entertaining ... an indispensable work of reference * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book Synopsis''An indispensable writer ... Calvino, possesses the power of seeing into the deepest recesses of human minds and then bringing their dreams to life'' Salman RushdieThe difference between life and literature; the good intentions of holiday reading; the avante-garde; the fate of the novel; the fantastical; the art of translation: these are just some of the ideas in The Written World and the Unwritten World. A collection of essays, articles, interviews, correspondence, notes and other occasional pieces on writing, reading and interpreting books, this work gives us new insight into Italo Calvino''s expansive, curious and generous mind.Translated by Ann GoldsteinTrade ReviewElectric . . . this rich collection of essays, reviews, interviews and more . . . are not only the backstory to his fictional method, but often another expression of it -- Tim Adams * Observer *Engagingly whimsical . . . a wry sense of humour . . . there are gems to be mined. And, like real precious stones, they are found in unlikely places * Economist *Glimmering insight and wit . . . incisive . . . reading this book is time spent with a first-rate mind -- Chris Power * The Sunday Times *Playful . . . unfailingly stimulating . . . there are plenty of delights -- John Self * Guardian *It is for these moments of pathos, irony and honesty, when palaces of dazzling reflection are swept aside and the most adventurous thinking is undone, that one reads Italo Calvino -- Tim Parks * TLS *Intelligent, witty, pleasingly erudite and razor-sharp -- Alberto Manguel * Literary Review *Wonderful . . . surveys his varied interests and discerning style . . . Calvino's prose is sparkling as ever, and he approaches ideas with wit and an open mind, always ready to challenge a stale point of view. This anthology will delight Calvino fans old and new * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisRich girl, street punk, lost girl and icon ... scholar, stripper, victim and media-whore: The late Kathy Acker''s legend and writings are wrapped in mythologies, created mostly by Acker herself. In this first, fully authorized biography, Kraus approaches Acker both as a writer, and as a member of the artistic communities from which she emerged. At once forensic and intimate, After Kathy Acker traces the extreme discipline and literary strategies Acker used to develop her work, and the contradictions she longed to embody. Using exhaustive archival research and ongoing conversations with mutual colleagues and friends, Kraus charts Acker''s movement through some of the late 20th century''s most significant artistic enterprises.Trade ReviewThis is a gossipy, anti-mythic artist biography which feels like it's being told in one long rush of a monologue over late-night drinks by someone who was there. Acker emerges as an unlikely literary hero, but an utterly convincing one. -- Sheila Heti, author of How Should A Person BeThe path of the female artist. Is hell. Chris Kraus's veracious and intricately structured portrait rouses and stirs as it documents in meticulous and fascinating detail the life, work and body of Kathy Acker and what it takes to a become a 'great writer as countercultural hero.' -- Viv AlbertineKraus reconstitutes Acker's wanderings with real wit and beauty, understanding without pandering to the painfully high stakes of her identity games -- Olivia Laing * Guardian *To pin down the real Kathy Acker then is a self-defeating task but Chris Kraus's biography of her is a brilliant and necessary thing. Kraus pushes Acker's writing to the foreground making us understand how difficult a territory the so-called avant-garde was, and is, for a woman. -- Suzanne Moore * New Statesman *'To lie is to try,' Chris Kraus writes in this examination of the various personae of Kathy Acker, the fucked-up girl from high school who, through lying and trying, became an experimental writer of rare courage and vision. In some ways a contemporary and in some ways as far off as the days when people moved to New York and San Francisco for the cheap rent, Acker needed a key, and Chris Kraus provides it. -- Ben MoserChris Kraus's After Acker sets the bar for what will surely be a new era of critical and biographical reckoning with the life and work of Kathy Acker. Kraus had a ringside seat, has done her homework, and here provides a substantive effort to pay homage not only to the complex, singular, raucous, and crucial writer and human that Acker was, but also to the constellation of artists, musicians, writers, and thinkers who were her friends, lovers, inspirations, and fellow makers of history. -- Maggie NelsonHardly anyone writes better or more insightfully than Chris Kraus about the lives of women and artists. After Kathy Acker is an intense, riveting portrait of a writer who was raw and savvy, fragile and brilliant, whose self-deceptions were inseparable from her greatness. Quotes from her profane and passionate journals reveal Kathy the crazy poet, the bad girlfriend, the Upper East Side schoolgirl, the downtown writer, Kathy in love and in denial. Gossipy, sexy, tragic, terrific. -- Julie Phillips, author of The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“A groundbreaking example of comics representation in literature.”—Publishers Weekly“Penguin provides introductory essays; superb analyses by the series editor, Ben Saunders; and extensive bibliographies.”—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post“Stories become classics when generations of readers sort through them, talk about them, imitate them, and recommend them. In this case, baby boomers read them when they débuted, Gen X-ers grew up with their sequels, and millennials encountered them through Marvel movies. Each generation of fans—initially fanboys, increasingly fangirls, and these days nonbinary fans, too—found new ways not just to read the comics but to use them. That’s how canons form. Amateurs and professionals, over decades, come to something like consensus about which books matter and why—or else they love to argue about it, and we get to follow the arguments. Canons rise and fall, gain works and lose others, when one generation of people with the power to publish, teach, and edit diverges from the one before ... A top-flight comic by Kirby—or his successor on “Captain America,” Jim Steranko—barely needed words. You could follow the story just by watching the characters act and react. Thankfully, Penguin volumes do justice to these images. They reproduce sixties comics in bright, flat, colorful inks on thick white paper—unlike the dot-based process used on old newsprint, but perhaps truer to their bold, thrill-chasing spirit.”—Stephanie Burt, The New Yorker“As before, all three of these volumes re-present Professor Ben Saunders’ learned general series intro which does an excellent job of succinctly explaining the rise of Marvel Comics and the Marvel Method.”—Forces of Geek

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Book SynopsisThis acclaimed short study, originally published in 1983, and now thoroughly updated, elucidates the varied theoretical contributions of Roland Barthes (1915-80), the ''incomparable enlivener of the literary mind'' whose lifelong fascination was with the way people make their world intelligible. He has a multi-faceted claim to fame: to some he is the structuralist who outlined a ''science of literature'', and the most prominent promoter of semiology; to others he stands not for science but pleasure, espousing a theory of literature which gives the reader a creative role. This book describes the many projects, which Barthes explored and which helped to change the way we think about a range of cultural phenomena - from literature, fashion, wrestling, and advertising to notions of the self, of history, and of nature. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewReview from other book by this author It is impossible to imagine a clearer treatment of the subject, or one that is, within the given limits of length, more comprehensive. Culler has always been remarkable for his expository skills, and here he has found exactly the right method and tone for his purposes. * Sir Frank Kermode *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Man of parts ; 2. Literary Historian ; 3. Mythologist ; 4. Critic ; 5. Polemicist ; 6. Semiologist ; 7. Structuralist ; 8. Hedonist ; 9. Writer ; 10. Man of Letters ; 11. Barthes after Barthes ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis original and distinctive verse translation of four of Sophocles' plays conveys the vitality of his poetry and the vigour of the plays as performed showpieces, encouraging the reader to relish the sound of the spoken verse and the potential for song within the lyrics.Trade ReviewRendered with uncanny clarity and intrinsic energy, the translation shows great patience, ingenuity, and learning in the capturing of the Greek original. It is lucid, smooth, elegant, and musical, captivating readers instantly. Choice deeply rewarding version ... It outshines all the other versions that I have to hand and (I would guess) those that I don't. Malcolm Heath, Greece and RomeTable of ContentsOEDIPUS THE KING; AIAS; PHILOCTETES; OEDIPUS AT COLONUS

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Book SynopsisThis Very Short Introduction to Classics links a haunting temple on a lonely mountainside to the glory of ancient Greece and the grandeur of Rome, and to Classics within modern culture-from Jefferson and Byron to Asterix and Ben-Hur. We are all Classicists - we come into touch with the Classics daily: in our culture, politics, medicine, architecture, language, and literature. What are the true roots of these influences, however, and how do our interpretations of these aspects of the Classics differ from their original reception? This introduction to the Classics begins with a visit to the British Museum to view the frieze which once decorated the Apollo Temple at Bassae. Through these sculptures, John Henderson and Mary Beard prompt us to consider the significance of Classics as a means of discovery and enquiry, its value in terms of literature, philposophy, and culture, and its importance as a source of imagery. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade Reviewthis short and brilliant book ... is now re-issued in an attractive pocket-sized format ... amazing range of reference ... very clear organisation. JT, Anglo-Hellenic Review, No.22, 2000.nobody could fail to be informed and entertained - and the accent of the book is provocative and stimulating. * TLS *Lively, and up-to-date...it shows classics as a living enterprise, not a warehouse of relics. * New Statesman and Society *Beard and Henderson have suceeded brilliantly in communicating the sheer breadth of Classics in this Very Short Introduction.... In language accessible to non-specialist and student alike, Beard and Henderson illustrate how Classic encompasses not just a study of the ancient world, but also of its traditions of scholarship and its influence on the culture of the western world...... This book does not fail to challenge and provoke. Nor does it ignore the problems and current issues that beset the subject and its teaching, but presents them even handedly and with humour, eschewing propaganda.... A stimulating addition to the school library. * JACT review *The authors show us that Classics is a 'modern' and sexy subject. They succeed brilliantly in this regard nobody could fail to be informed and entertained-and the accent of the book is provocative and stimulating. * John Goodwin, Times Literary Supplement *Statues and slavery, temples and tragedies, museum, marbles, and mythology-this provocative guide to the Classics demystifies its varied subject-matter while seducing the reader with the obvious enthusiasm and pleasure which mark its writing. * Edith Hall, author of Inventing the Barbarian *You could not find two better introducers to the Classics than Mary Beard and John Henderson. They are questioning, funny, bold, and widely read in many fields. They could not be dull if they tried. * Philip Howard, columnist for The Times *This little book should be in the hands of every studentm and every tourist to the lands of the ancient world - a splendid piece of work. * Peter Wiseman, author of Talking to Virgil *For those who think Classics is just the dry as dust learning of dead languages this arresting book will come as a rude shock. This is no potted history of Greece and Rome, but a brillian demonstration that the continual re-excavation of our classical past is vital if the modern world is to rise to the challenge inscribed on the temple of Apollo at Delphi to "Know yourself". * Robin Osborne, author of Demos: The Discovery of Classical Attica *Table of Contents1. THE VISIT 2. ON SITE 3. BEING THERE 4. A GUIDE IN HAND 5. BENEATH THE SURFACE 6. GRAND THEORIES 7. THE ART OF RECONSTRUCTION 8. THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH 9. IMAGINE THAT 10. 'ET IN ARCADIA EGO' OUTLINE OF BASSAE FRIEZE TIMELINES CITATIONS AND FURTHER READING INDEX

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Book SynopsisThe power of Colette''s work comes from its modernist storytelling.Colette was a pioneering, ground-breaking modernist writer, but has not always had her originality and worth recognized in Britain. Her work provocatively uses unstable narratives, gaps, silences, fairytale, mythical tropes, and sensual evocations of childhood, sex, and landscapes. In this book, Michèle Roberts examines how Colette invents new forms to express her unsettling content on desire, perversion, ageing, and different forms of love. Delving into four keys texts, Roberts explores Colette''s willingness to break open taboos about older woman and desire, as well as hidden and forbidden aspects of human longings and pleasures.Through these re-readings, Roberts discovers that Colette''s work is even more entrancing, more disturbing, and more original than she first thought.

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Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringThis Very Short Introduction introduces the life, work, and influence of one of the greatest dramatists of all time, Sophocles the Athenian. Placing his plays within their historical context, and explaining the conventions of ancient Greek tragic theatre, Edith Hall spotlights their distinctive features-tight plots, titanic personalities, lucid style, sympathetic women, exquisite poetry, and stagecraft. This analysis is followed by an account of how and why Sophoclean dramas have survived to be read and widely performed into the twenty-first century.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

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Book SynopsisOne of a series designed to motivate and encourage students who may be working on certain writers for the first time. Each text includes notes to explain literary and historical allusions, tasks to help students explore themes and issues, and suggestions for further reading.Trade ReviewThis edition is very useful for students studying the text, as it has lots of notes on the play at the back. Also it gives you contextual information about Marlowe and the play at the beginning * 5 star Amazon review *

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Book SynopsisBroken Hierarchies collects twenty books of poems by Geoffrey Hill, written over sixty years, and presents them in their definitive form. Four of these books (Ludo, Expostulations on the Volcano, Liber Illustrium Virorum, and Al Tempo de'' Tremuoti) have never before appeared in print, and three of them (Hymns to Our Lady of Chartres, Pindarics, and Clavics) have been greatly revised and expanded.Trade ReviewVivid clarity ... intense lyric beauty. This is work of the first importance. * Paul Batchelor, Book of the Year 2014, Times Literary Supplement *The scale and consistency of this volume, meticulously edited by Kenneth Haynes, and handsomely, if rather minutely, set out, with plenty of white space around poems and a jacket bearing an image from Kokoschka, give it a monumental air ... At the vital, latter end of the book there are huge achievements and intricate exercises, experimental in their rigour. Hill's scraggy apple tree is indeed an emblem of his stupendous late-spring flowering. * John Kerrigan, Times Literary Supplement *Broken Hierarchies possesses a magisterial intellectual sweep and sense of literary high ambition which is perhaps unique in contemporary English poetry. * Terry Kelly, London Magazine *Hill has for 40-odd years kept his language as close-textured, tough, knotted and lyrical as poetry can be. If he makes old Eliot seem by comparison an easy read it is not for mere show; these poems are as beautiful, hard, compressed and granular as the rocks and stones and trees from which they are made. * Fred Inglis, The Times Higher Education Supplement *If the phrase "greatest living poet in the English language" has any meaning, then we should use it to describe Hill. * Nicholas Lezard, The Guardian *He can rival the best. * Jeremy Noel-Tod, The Sunday Times *Table of ContentsFOR THE UNFALLEN (1959); KING LOG (1968); MERCIAN HYMNS (1971); TENEBRAE (1978); THE MYSTERY OF THE CHARITY OF CHARLES PEGUY (1983); HYMNS TO OUR LADY OF CHARTRES (1982 2012); CANAAN (1996); THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE (1998); SPEECH! SPEECH! (2000); THE ORCHARDS OF SYON (2002); SCENES FROM COMUS (2005); WITHOUT TITLE (2006); PINDARICS (2005 2012); A TREATISE OF CIVIL POWER (2007); LUDO (2011); THE DAYBOOKS (2007 2012)

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Book SynopsisA new collection of Shaw's major political writings which reflect on his long career and influential role as a public intellectual. These essays reveal significant shifts in his positions and beliefs from the Victorian era to the aftermath of World War II.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: A Manifesto 2: Jevonian Criticism of Marx 3: Bluffing the Value Theory 4: Economics from Fabian Essays 5: What Socialism Is 6: Fabian Society - What it has done and how it has done it 7: Vote! Vote!! Vote!!! 8: The Impossibilities of Anarchism 9: Illusions of Socialism 10: Women as Councillors 11: Fabianism and the Empire 12: Socialism for Millionaires 13: Common Sense about the War 14: How to Settle the Irish Question 15: The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism 16: Socialism: Principles and Outlook 17: In Praise of Guy Fawkes 18: Everybody's Political What's What 19: The Unavoidable Subject Bibliography Note on the Text

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Book Synopsis''Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man: we shall this day light such a candle by God''s grace in England, as, I trust, shall never be put out.''Hugh Latimer''s famous words of consolation to Nicholas Ridley as they are both about to be burnt alive for heresy come from John Foxe''s magisterial Acts and Monuments, popularly known as the Book of Martyrs. This vast collection of unforgettable accounts of religious persecution exerted as great an influence on early modern England and New England as the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It contains many stirring stories of the apprehension, interrogation, imprisonment, and execution of alleged heretics. The narratives not only attest to the fortitude of individuals who suffered for their faith not many years before the birth of Shakespeare, but they also constitute exciting tales filled with graphic details and verbal wit.This modernized selection also includes some of the famous woodcuts that illustrated the original text, as well as providing a comprehensive introduction to Foxe''s life and times and the martyrology narrative. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Table of ContentsSELECT NARRATIVES

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Book SynopsisFollowing his father''s death John Harmon returns to London to claim his inheritance, but he finds he is eligible only if he marries Bella Wilfur. To observe her character he assumes another identity and secures work with his father''s foreman, Mr Boffin, who is also Bella''s guardian.Disguise and concealment play an important role in the novel and individual identity is examined within the wider setting of London life: in the 1860s the city was aflame with spiralling financial speculation while thousands of homeless scratched a living from the detritus of the more fortunate-indeed John Harmon''s father has amassed his wealth by recycling waste.This edition includes extensive explanatory notes and significant manuscript variants. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

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Book Synopsis''The present system means joyless drudgery, semi-starvation, rags and premature death; and they vote for it and uphold it. Let them have what they vote for! Let them drudge and let them starve!''There is no other novel quite like The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. George Orwell called it ''a wonderful book''; its readers have become a living part of its remarkable history.Tressell''s novel is about survival on the underside of the Edwardian Twilight, about exploitative employment when the only safety nets are charity, workhouse, and grave. Following the fortunes of a group of painters and decorators and their families, and the attempts to rouse their political will by the Socialist visionary Frank Owen, the book is both a highly entertaining story and a passionate appeal for a fairer way of life. It asks questions that are still being asked today: why do your wages bear no relation to the value of your work? Why do fat cats get richer when you don''t? Tressell''s answers are ''The

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Book SynopsisThe Oresteian trilogy (Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, Eumenides) established the themes of Greek tragedy - the inexorable nature of Fate, the relationship between justice, revenge, and religion. The plays dramatize the murder of Agamemnon by his wife Clytemnestra, the revenge of her son Orestes, and his judgement by the court of Athens. This new translation seeks to preserve the plays' qualities as theatre and as literature.Table of ContentsAgamemnon ; Libation Bearers ; Eumenides

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Book SynopsisThomas More: Utopia/ Francis Bacon: New Atlantis/Henry Neville: The Isle of Pines With the publication of Utopia (1516), Thomas More introduced into the English language not only a new word, but a new way of thinking about the gulf between what ought to be and what is. His Utopia is at once a scathing analysis of the shortcomings of his own society, a realistic suggestion for an alternative mode of social organization, and a satire on unrealistic idealism. Enormously influential, it remains a challenging as well as a playful text. This edition reprints Ralph Robinson''s 1556 translation from More''s original Latin together with letters and illustrations that accompanied early editions of Utopia. Utopia was only one of many early modern treatments of other worlds. This edition also includes two other, hitherto less accessible, utopian narratives. New Atlantis (1627) offers a fictional illustration of Francis Bacon''s visionary ideal of the role that science should play in the modern society. Henry Neville''s The Isle of Pines (1668), a precursor of Defoe''s Robinson Crusoe, engages with some of the sexual, racial, and colonialist anxieties of the end of the early modern period. Together these texts illustrate the diversity of the early modern utopian imagination, as well as the different purposes to which it could be put. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Table of ContentsUtopia ; New Atlantis ; The Isle of Pines

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Book SynopsisA foundational reckoning with how Black Americans have used the written word to define and redefine themselves over the course of the country''s history.Distilled over many years from Henry Louis Gates Jr''s legendary Harvard course in African American Studies, The Black Box: Writing the Race is the story of Black self-definition in America through the prism of the writers who have led the way. From Phillis Wheatley and Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, to Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright, James Baldwin and Toni Morrison, these writers used words to create a liveable world a home for Black people destined to live in a bitterly racist society.This is a community that defined and transformed itself in defiance of oppression and lies; a collective act of resistance and transcendence that is at the heart of its self-definition. Out of that contested ground has flowered a resilient, creative, powerful, diverse culture formed b

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Book Synopsis Koritha Mitchell analyzes canonical texts by and about African American women to lay bare the hostility these women face as they invest in traditional domesticity. Instead of the respectability and safety granted white homemakers, black women endure pejorative labels, racist governmental policies, attacks on their citizenship, and aggression meant to keep them in 'their place.' Tracing how African Americans define and redefine success in a nation determined to deprive them of it, Mitchell plumbs the works of Frances Harper, Zora Neale Hurston, Lorraine Hansberry, Toni Morrison, Michelle Obama, and others. These artists honor black homes from slavery and post-emancipation through the Civil Rights era to 'post-racial' America. Mitchell follows black families asserting their citizenship in domestic settings while the larger society and culture marginalize and attack them, not because they are deviants or failures but because they meet American standards. Powerful and pTrade Review"Brilliant scholar and literary critic, Koritha Mitchell, shows us just how radical the act of successful homemaking was for Black women in the face of the violence it elicited from white people. Analyzing canonical Black women's texts, she shows us just how committed, loving, and defiant Black women have been in creating home in the world and in literature." ―Michael Eric Dyson, New York Times Bestselling author of What the Truth Sounds Like"This project on homemade citizenship will reframe the conversation around anti-blackness by mapping how black women intellectuals, activists and artists continually respond–and with great success–to attacks and infringements upon their collective creative efforts. This work is a needed subtlety, as it approaches categories like 'achievement' and 'success' from the fabric of black cultural production, rather than the font of white supremacy’s violent response to black existence. From Slave Cabins to the White House encourages us to ask new questions, one of which is certainly how did we/do we make a home and sustain it creatively in the midst of ongoing hostilities?"--Sharon Patricia Holland, author of The Erotic Life of Racism"This deeply researched, thoughtful volume made me think in new ways about how Black women have navigated, redefined and articulated concepts of home, domesticity, family, place and citizenship in American culture and politics; it is also a true pleasure to read."--Rebecca Traister, New York Times bestselling author of All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation"An essential, scholarly volume for academic and larger public library collections devoted to the literary traditions and history of African American women throughout U.S. history." * Library Journal *"Mitchell sheds light on Black homemaking in the midst of anti-Blackness and oppression." * Ms. *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: House Slaves, Housekeepers, Homemakers Chapter 1. A Home of One’s Own Chapter 2. No, Really: A Home of One’s Own Chapter 3. New Negroes, New Homes Chapter 4. Home as Human Right and Black Power Chapter 5. Still the Master’s House? Chapter 6. The Ultimate Home: Michelle Obama in the White House Coda: From Mom-in-Chief to Predator-in-Chief Notes Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisOffers an interpretation of Sylvia Plath's writing, claiming that previous interpretations - both feminist and psychoanalytic - have been too polarized.

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Book SynopsisINTRODUCED BY LISSA EVANS''I envy anyone yet to discover the joy of Monica Dickens. She''s beady eyed, big hearted and blissfully funny'' NINA STIBBE '' Humorous, moving and fascinating'' CLARE MACKINTOSH Considering herself unsuitable for any other contribution to the war effort, Monica Dickens opts for nursing, imagining herself gliding through the wards, serene in a pure white halo cap. On enrolment, however, she is promptly stripped of all illusions. Intelligent and headstrong, Monica struggles to submit to the iron rule of the Matron and toils over the mountains of menial work that are a trainee''s lot. But there are friends among the staff and patients, night-time escapades to dances with dashing army men and her secret writing project to keep her going.One Pair of Feet is a witty and brilliantly observed autobiographical novel, based upon Monica Dickens''s own trials and tribulations as a wartime nurse.''Monica''Trade ReviewHumorous, moving and fascinating -- Clare MackintoshI envy anyone yet to discover the joy of Monica Dickens. She's beady eyed, big hearted and blissfully funny -- Nina StibbeOne of the most affectionate and humorous observers of the English scene -- John BetjemanMonica's naked curiosity and general bolshiness are easy to identify with, and as a narrator she always tells us what we're longing to know - it's like listening to a friend's anecdote, and egging them on -- Lissa EvansOne Pair of Feet is not just a spirited and entertaining account of a hospital nurse in wartime, but a fascinating glimpse into a time and a culture so recent and yet so utterly changed -- Marina LewyckaA brilliantly funny account -- Elizabeth Bowen

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Book SynopsisA lean, fleet-footed translation that recaptures Homer’s "nimble gallop" and brings an ancient epic to new life.

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Book SynopsisAntigone was originally produced in Paris in 1942, when France was an occupied nation and part of Hitler's Europe. The play depicts an authoritarian regime and the play's central character, the young Antigone, mirrored the predicament of the French people in the grips of tyranny.

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Book SynopsisWole Soyinka - playwright, novelist, poet and polemical essayist - was born in Nigeria in 1934. Educated there and at Leeds University, UK, he worked in the British theatre before returning to West Africa in 1960. In 1986 he became the first African writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.Trade ReviewThis play, by the winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature, asks: 'On the authority of what gods' the white aliens rupture the world. It puts exciting political theatre back on the agenda... a masterpiece of 20th century drama Guardian A transfixing work of modern world drama Independent clearly a masterpiece... he achieves the full impact of Greek tragedy Irving Wardle, Independent on Sunday the action of the play is as inevitable and eloquent as in Antigone: a clash of values and cultures so fundamental that tragedy issues: a tragedy for each individual, each tribe Michael Schmidt, Daily Telegraph

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Book SynopsisThe third volume in Soyinka's series of memoirs, the sequel to Ake and Isara. In a mixture of fact and fiction - to protect the innocent and nail the guilty and shape an often intolerable reality - it tells of the coming of age of a writer and political activist; and of a nation's betrayal.

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Book SynopsisIn this classic work, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, one of the leading and most influential cultural theorists working today, analyzes the relationship between language, women and culture in both Western and non-Western contexts. Developing an original integration of powerful contemporary methodologies â deconstruction, Marxism and feminism â Spivak turns this new model on major debates in the study of literature and culture, thus ensuring that In Other Worlds has become a valuable tool for studying our own and other worlds of culture. Trade Review'A celebrity in academia . . . [Spivak] creates a stir wherever she goes.' - The New York Times'Always challenging and brilliantly argued, these essays deserve careful thought.' - Journal of Modern Literature'A celebrity in academia . . . [Spivak] creates a stir wherever she goes.' - The New York TimesTable of ContentsForeword by Colin MacCabe. Author’s Note. One: Literature 1. The Letter as Cutting Edge 2. Finding Feminist Readings: Dante-Yeats 3. Unmaking and Making in To the Lighthouse 4. Sex and History in The Prelude (1805): Books Nine to Thirteen 5. Feminism and Critical Theory Two: Into the World 6. Reading the Worlds: Literary Studies in the Eighties 7. Explanation and Culture: Marginalia 8. The Politics of Interpretations 9. French Feminism in an International Frame 10. Scattered Speculations on the Questions of Value Three: Entering the Third World 11. "Draupadi" by Mahasweta Devi 12. Subaltern Studies: Deconstructing Historiography 13. "Breast-Giver" by Mahasweta Devi 14. A Literary Representation of the Subaltern: A Woman’s Text from the Third World. Notes

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Book SynopsisA history of the writer's organization PEN International, published to mark its centenary.Trade Review'My respect for this organization has no borders … PEN has been so fierce, so consistent and ferocious in its efforts that it is hard to ignore their worldwide impact' - Toni MorrisonTable of ContentsForeword by Jennifer Clement Quotes by PEN leaders and cases A brief history of the PEN Charter A World Republic of Letters Writers in Exile Writers in Prison Translation and Linguistic Rights Writers for Peace

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Book SynopsisA young lawyer''s involvement in her first case leads her through a criminal justice system - police, courts and prisons - which is cracking at the seams.Murmuring Judges is the second play in David Hare''s highly acclaimed trilogy about British institutions. Racing Demon, which won four awards as Play of the Year in 1990, was the first part of the trilogy and examined the Church. The Absence of War, a play about the Labour Party, completed the trilogy.

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Book SynopsisThis collection brings together all the poems published by James Joyce in his lifetime, most notably Chamber Music and Pomes Penyeach. It also includes a large body of his satiric or humorous occasional verse, much of which is fugitive and little known to the general reader.

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Book SynopsisAuster''s unforgettable coming-of-age tale from the author of contemporary classic The New York Trilogy: ''a literary voice for the ages'' (Guardian) Sinuously constructed in four interlocking parts, Invisible opens in New York City in the spring of 1967 when twenty-year-old Adam Walker, an aspiring poet and student at Columbia University meets the enigmatic Frenchman Rudolf Born, and his silent and seductive girlfriend Margot. Before long, Walker finds himself caught in a perverse triangle that leads to a sudden, shocking act of violence that will alter the course of his life.Three different narrators tell the story, as it travels in time from 1967 to 2007 and moves from New York to Paris and to a remote Caribbean island in a story of unbridled sexual hunger and a relentless quest for justice.With uncompromising insight, Auster takes us to the shadowy borderland between truth and memory, authorship and identity to produce a work of unforgettable power that confirms his reputation as one of America''s most spectacularly inventive writers.

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Book SynopsisIn the early 1950s the author began planning a prose volume that would bring together some of his published essays, lectures, and reviews, together with freshly-written notes and aphorisms. This book combines earlier material with revised versions of many of his Oxford lectures.

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Book SynopsisYork Notes Advanced offer a fresh and accessible approach to English Literature. This market-leading series has been completely updated to meet the needs of today's A-level and undergraduate students. Written by established literature experts, York Notes Advanced intorduce students to more sophisticated analysis, a range of critical perspectives and wider contexts.

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Book SynopsisYork Notes Advanced offers a fresh and accessible approach to English Literature. This market-leading series has been completely updated to meet the needs of today's A-level and undergraduate students. Written by established literature experts, York Notes Advanced introduces students to more sophisticated analysis, a range of critical perspectives and wider contexts.

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Book SynopsisYork Notes Advanced offer a fresh and accessible approach to English Literature. This market-leading series has been completely updated to meet the needs of today's A-level and undergraduate students. Written by established literature experts, York Notes Advanced intorduce students to more sophisticated analysis, a range of critical perspectives and wider contexts.

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Book SynopsisYork Notes Advanced offer a fresh and accessible approach to English Literature. This market-leading series has been completely updated to meet the needs of today's A-level and undergraduate students. Written by established literature experts, York Notes Advanced intorduce students to more sophisticated analysis, a range of critical perspectives and wider contexts.Table of Contents Part 1: Introduction Part 2: The Text Part 3: Critical Approaches Part 4: Critical History Part 5: Background Further Reading Literacy Terms

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Book SynopsisWilliam Graves is Robert Graves's son and Literary Executor. He still lives in Deya, but earns a living as a geologist consulting to the oil industry. He is married with two children.Trade ReviewAn excellent short memoir, recalling the magic of his childhood on Majorca, but also showing how hard it is to live with such a father. * Derwent May, European *William Graves's forthright memoir not only gives a sharp account of Father's foibles but offers a fuller evocation of the swiftly changing scene at Deyá and Palma than in Robert's sketchy Majorca Observed. * London Magazine *In Wild Olives, William, the eldest son of Robert Graves's second marriage, has given us a delightful, personal account of life with father after the family's return to Majorca - all the local intrigues, litigation and gossip interlaced with vivid descriptions of the mental processes by which Graves imagined himself back into the past or made mercurially intuitive connections like some kind of literary Sherlock Holmes * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisLorca's tragic tale of the destruction of Bernarda Alba's family following the death of her husband. This Student Edition includes a commentary, chronology, notes and bibliography.Trade Review'Best of all is Ann Mitchell's superb Bernarda Alba, who presides over her daughters like a malevolent mother superior. As polished and shiney as her own furniture, a husk of a woman who puts pride and honour before love and generosity, and who is so out of touch with her own heart that she ignores all the signs of the coming disaster, content to rule her house with her eyes wide shut.' Lyn Gardner, Gaurdian, 30 April 2009 It is a play about what happens to hearts when they are walled up and denied the opportunity to sweel with love and happiness' Lyn Gardener, Gaurdian, 30 April 2009

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Book SynopsisAfter her husband's death, Bernarda Alba forces her five daughters into eight years of strict mourning. The appearance of Pepe El Romano, a man who wishes to marry the eldest daughter, Angustias, unleashes a series of tragic events.Trade Review'Professsor Ramsden gives very good value on the areas discussed. His analysis is exhaustive, scrupulously balanced and illuminating.' Bulletin of Hispanic Studies'This edition's major contribution is the well-conceived and executed introduction. The reader is led on a step-by-step journey through the Lorca text as well as through the particular biographical circumstances that had an impact on the play. The presentation is clear, orderly and intelligent.'Modern Languages Journal -- .Table of Contents1. IntroductionPreliminariesAn outline of the playVitality and RepressionRealism and poetry'La obra más perfecta'?2. Selected bibliography3. La casa de Bernarda Alba4. Endnotes5. Selected vocabulary

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisA basic guide to some of the possible linguistic and mythological origins of Middle earth, and a rudimentary analysis of its many themes and lessons for our world. It includes topics that explore the main themes in Tolkien's works, including immortality and death; the heroic quest; love; fate and free will; and faith and redemption.Trade Review"...a great book...helps readers make sense of the creatures, language, geography and richly-detailed history of Middle earth..." (Shields Gazette, Dec 03) "...a mine of information?a must-have for anyone interested in exploring the epic tales of the four ages of Middle earth..." (Dundee Evening Telegraph and Post, Dec 03)Table of ContentsForeword xvii Introduction 1 Part I: The Geography of Middle-earth 7 Chapter 1: The Worlds of Middle-earth 9 Chapter 2: The Lands of Middle-earth and Beyond 21 Part II: The Beings of Middle-earth 45 Chapter 3: The Divine Ainur 47 Chapter 4: The Fair Race of Elves 57 Chapter 5: The Mortal Race of Men 73 Chapter 6: The Hardy Race of Dwarves 95 Chapter 7: Those Homespun Hobbits 109 Chapter 8: The Wily Wizards 129 Chapter 9: Beorn, Tom Bombadil, and Treebeard 139 Chapter 10: The Enemy and His Minions 149 Part III: The History of Middle-earth 167 Chapter 11: The Valarian Ages 169 Chapter 12: The First Three Ages and Then Some 177 Part IV: The Languages of Middle-earth 187 Chapter 13: Tolkien and Language 189 Chapter 14: The Tongues of Tolkien 199 Part V: The Themes and Mythology of Middle-earth 211 Chapter 15: The Struggle Between Good and Evil 213 Chapter 16: Immortality and Death 219 Chapter 17: The Heroic Quest 233 Chapter 18: Chivalry and True Love 247 Chapter 19: Fate and Free Will 257 Chapter 20: Faith and Redemption 269 Chapter 21: Ring-related Myths 277 Chapter 22: Ecological Themes 287 Chapter 23: Sex and Gender 293 Part VI: The Part of Tens 301 Chapter 24: Top Ten Battles in the War of the Ring 303 Chapter 25: Top Ten Online Middle-earth Resources 309 Chapter 26: Top Ten Ways The Lord of the Rings Books Differ from the Movies 313 Index 319

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Book SynopsisIntroduction to the use of runes as a practical script for a variety of purposes in Anglo-Saxon England.Runes are quite frequently mentioned in modern writings, usually imprecisely as a source of mystic knowledge, power or insight. This book sets the record straight. It shows runes working as a practical script for a variety of purposes in early English times, among both indigenous Anglo-Saxons and incoming Vikings. In a scholarly yet readable way it examines the introduction of the runic alphabet (the futhorc) to England in the fifth and sixth centuries, the forms and values of its letters, and the ways in which it developed, up until its decline at the end of the Anglo-Saxon period. It discusses how runes were used for informal and day-to-day purposes, on formal monuments, as decorative letters in prestigious manuscripts, for owners' or makers' names on everyday objects, perhaps even in private letters. For the first time, the book presents, together with earlier finds, the many runic objects discovered over the last twenty years, with a range of inscriptions on bone, metal and stone, even including tourists' scratched signatures found on the pilgrimage routes through Italy. It gives an idea of the immense range of informationon language and social history contained in these unique documents. The late R.I. PAGE was former Professor of Anglo-Saxon in the University of Cambridge.Trade ReviewRemains the only book-length study providing a comprehensive and scholarly guide to the Anglo-Saxon use of runes. The new edition has been substantially updated and expanded...No serious library of Anglo-Saxon studies should be without it. -- John Hines * JOURNAL OF ENGLISH AND GERMANIC PHILOLOGY *

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsAct 1Act 2Act 3Act 4Act 5

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