ELT & Literary Studies Books

4574 products


  • Postcolonialism

    John Wiley and Sons Ltd Postcolonialism

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis seminal worknow available in a 15th anniversary edition with a new prefaceis a thorough introduction to the historical and theoretical origins of postcolonial theory. Provides a clearly written and wide-ranging account of postcolonialism, empire, imperialism, and colonialism, written by one of the leading scholars on the topic Details the history of anti-colonial movements and their leaders around the world, from Europe and Latin America to Africa and Asia Analyzes the ways in which freedom struggles contributed to postcolonial discourse by producing fundamental ideas about the relationship between non-western and western societies and cultures Offers an engaging yet accessible style that will appeal to scholars as well as introductory students Table of ContentsPreface to the Anniversary Edition ix Preface to the First Edition xxvi Acknowledgements xxix 1 Colonialism and the Politics of Postcolonial Critique 1 Part I Concepts in History 13 2 Colonialism 15 3 Imperialism 25 4 Neocolonialism 44 5 Postcolonialism 57 Part II European Anti-colonialism 71 6 Las Casas to Bentham 73 7 Nineteenth‐Century Liberalism 88 8 Marx on Colonialism and Imperialism 101 Part III The Internationals 113 9 Socialism and Nationalism: The First International to the Russian Revolution 115 10 The Third International, to the Baku Congress of the Peoples of the East 127 11 The Women’s International, the Third and the Fourth Internationals 140 Part IV Theoretical Practices of the Freedom Struggles 159 12 The National Liberation Movements: Introduction 161 13 Marxism and the National Liberation Movements 167 14 China, Egypt, Bandung 182 15 Latin America I: Mariátegui, Transculturation and Cultural Dependency 193 16 Latin America II: Cuba: Guevara, Castro and the Tricontinental 204 17 Africa I: Anglophone African Socialism 217 18 Africa II: Nkrumah and Pan‐Africanism 236 19 Africa III: The Senghors and Francophone African Socialism 253 20 Africa IV: Fanon/Cabral 274 21 The Subject of Violence: Algeria, Ireland 293 22 India I: Marxism in India 308 23 India II: Gandhi’s Counter‐modernity 317 Part V Formations of Postcolonial Theory 335 24 India III: Hybridity and Subaltern Agency 337 25 Women, Gender and Anti‐colonialism 360 26 Edward Said and Colonial Discourse 383 27 Foucault in Tunisia 395 28 Subjectivity and History: Derrida in Algeria 411 Epilogue: Tricontinentalism, for a Transnational Social Justice 427 Letter in Response from Jacques Derrida 429 Bibliography 432 Index 476

    15 in stock

    £30.56

  • The Philosophy of Literature

    John Wiley and Sons Ltd The Philosophy of Literature

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisBy exploring central issues in the philosophy of literature, illustrated by a wide range of novels, poems, and plays, Philosophy of Literature gets to the heart of why literature matters to us and sheds new light on the nature and interpretation of literary works.Trade Review"The image Lamarque offers is an extremely attractive one, and it reminds us of why this is such an exciting and important field. The Philosophy of Literature is a smart, original, and erudite book, and it deserves to be widely read. Philosophers of literature will not be able to live without it." (John Gibson, Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol 68, 2010) "Peter Lamarque's splendid and informative book, The Philosophy of Literature ... is brimful with insights into the nature of literature, and into the debates between philosophers interested in literature, and I cannot imagine anyone failing to learn from it." (Simon Blackburn, British Journal of Aesthetics, Vol. 50, 2010) "[Lamarque] is always admirably clear and the rich use of literary sources in this work to illustrate the philosophical arguments also makes the book generally compelling reading. From this viewpoint, the work deserves a wide readership and may be highly recommended not just to others working at the cutting edge in this field, but also to students at all levels of university study and research and to the general educated reader." (David Carr, Analysis Reviews Vol 69, Number 3, July 2009) "In its entirety, Lamarque’s book is a comprehensive study which is admirably sensitive to literary art. His philosophical analyses and the clarifying interplay between the philosophy of literature and literary criticism have significance not only to philosophers but literary critics, too. Beyond this, Lamarque has the gift of treating complicated and subtle philosophical theories in a lucid and intelligible way… [B]esides introducing the central issues in the philosophy of literature the book also gives an extensive historical survey on the topics, which will make it very useful for teaching. Philosophy of Literature is a work which advances strong theses and simultaneously pays respect to opposing views. Whether or not the reader agrees with the main conclusions of the work, Lamarque’s lucid arguments are nourishment for the brain." (Philosophy & Literature, vol 33, 2009) "Lamarque presents a thoughtfully measured approach to a potentially overwhelming topic." (CHOICE, March 2009) "Appropriately for a book that presents itself as an introduction to the field, Lamarque gives a historical overview of various sub-topics in the philosophy of literature as well as supplementary readings for each chapter." (Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, March 2009) "An excellent introduction to the philosophy of literature or as an additional text for aesthetics or literature modules." (Times Higher Education Supplement)Table of ContentsPreface vii Acknowledgements xi 1 Art 1 2 Literature 29 3 Authors 84 4 Practice 132 5 Fiction 174 6 Truth 220 7 Value 255 Bibliography 297 Index 314

    15 in stock

    £27.50

  • Selected Poems

    Faber & Faber Selected Poems

    7 in stock

    Book SynopsisAn essential selection from the range and bulk of Robert Graves''s poetry, edited by Ulster poet Michael Longley. This edition restores Graves to view as a major twentieth century poet, and demonstrates his manifold achievement as war poet, as love poet, and as - in the round - a secular visionary whose poems are ''inimitable, eccentric marvels - some of which are extraordinary, many are masterly, all are like nothing else ever written'' (Randall Jarrell).This edition of Robert Graves''s poems is scrupulously selected from across the full range of his lifetime''s verse. It opens with an illuminating introduction in which Longley makes a persuasive case for the importance of this remarkable poet.

    7 in stock

    £13.49

  • An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris

    Wakefield Press An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisTrade ReviewTake it with you to any cafe in any city, and Perec will be both your drinking partner and your tour guide, drawing your attention to each little detail coming and going. -- Ian Klaus * CityLab *An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris is about the kinds of ordinary occurrences that make up the experience of sitting in a café. Much of the book reads like a list. It is a kind of inventory: an attempt to catalogue, to exhaust, a place. -- Susan Harlan * Literary Hub *

    Out of stock

    £10.99

  • Autobiography Oxford Worlds Classics

    Oxford University Press, USA Autobiography Oxford Worlds Classics

    Book SynopsisJ. S. Mill was the greatest British philosopher of the nineteenth century. Mill's purpose in writing his Autobiography was to set down his own struggle for individuality, and vindicate his life to himself and others.Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography A Chronology of John Stuart Mill AUTOBIOGRAPHY Appendix: Additional Textual Material Explanatory Notes Index and Glossary of Persons

    £13.38

  • Generic Composition in Greek and Roman Poetry

    Michigan Classical Press Generic Composition in Greek and Roman Poetry

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisOriginal in conception and powerful in scope, Generic Composition in Greek and Roman Poetry remains one of the most important books on early Greek, Hellenistic and Roman poetry in a generation.Trade Review Table of ContentsPreface Abbreviations Addenda Part One: Genres and Topoi 1. In Media Res 2. The Antiquity and Development of the Genres 3. The Categories of Genres 4. Originally in the use of Topoi Part Two: The Constructive Principles of Genre 5. Inversion 6. Reaction 7. Inclusion 8. Speaker-variation 9. Addressee-variation Notes and References Translations Index of Genres and Examples General Index Postscript to the Revised Edition

    Out of stock

    £17.50

  • A Companion to Latin Literature

    John Wiley and Sons Ltd A Companion to Latin Literature

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisA Companion to Latin Literature gives an authoritative account of Latin literature from its beginnings in the third century BC through to the end of the second century AD.Trade Review"Not least among the advantages of this format is that it challenges scholars typically working in a climate of intensive specialization to synthesize and distill their knowledge to a greater extent than is normally encouraged." (Phoenix, 2009) "Essay after essay conveys the excitement of research into the ancient world, showing that nothing is settled, that there are always new questions and new ideas. The essays are lively and provocative, making representative use of source material and enticing readers to enter into the debate themselves. ... There is little to criticise in this volume. ... This Companion titillates the reader into thinking about Latin literature in excitingly new ways." (Scholia Reviews) "An invaluable source of assistance and instruction for students." (Reference Reviews) "I can warmly recommend this book, both to experts who wish to have an up-to-date account of the latest trends in the study of Latin literature and to undergraduate and graduate students who can mine this volume for suitable paper and even dissertation topics." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review)Table of ContentsList of Figures viii Chronological Table ix Notes on Contributors xii Preface xvi Reference Works: Abbreviations xvii Introduction: Constructing Latin Literature 1 Stephen Harrison PART I PERIODS 13 1 The Early Republic: the Beginnings to 90 BC 15 Sander M. Goldberg 2 The Late Republican/Triumviral Period: 90–40 BC 31 D. S. Levene 3 The Augustan Period: 40 BC–AD 14 44 Joseph Farrell 4 The Early Empire: AD 14–68 58 Roland Mayer 5 The High Empire: AD 69–200 69 Bruce Gibson PART II GENRES 81 6 Narrative Epic 83 Philip Hardie 7 Didactic Epic 101 Monica Gale 8 Roman Tragedy 116 Elaine Fantham 9 Comedy, Atellane Farce and Mime 130 Costas Panayotakis 10 Pastoral 148 Stephen Heyworth 11 Love Elegy 159 Roy Gibson 12 Satire 174 Llewelyn Morgan 13 Lyric and Iambic 189 Stephen Harrison 14 Epigram 201 Lindsay C. Watson 15 The Novel 213 Stephen Harrison 16 Dialogues and Treatises 223 J. G. F. Powell 17 Historiography and Biography 241 Christina Shuttleworth Kraus 18 Oratory 257 D. H. Berry 19 Epistolography 270 Catharine Edwards PART III THEMES 285 20 Decline and Nostalgia 287 Stephen Harrison 21 Art and Text 300 Jas´ Elsner 22 The Passions 319 Robert A. Kaster 23 Sex and Gender 331 A. M. Keith 24 Friendship and Patronage 345 David Konstan 25 Romans and Others 360 Yasmin Syed 26 Marriage and Family 372 Susan Treggiari 27 Slavery and Class 385 Thomas Habinek 28 Centre and Periphery 394 Alessandro Barchiesi Bibliography 406 Index 444

    15 in stock

    £35.96

  • Medieval Latin Lives of Muhammad

    Harvard University Press Medieval Latin Lives of Muhammad

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisMedieval Latin Lives of Muhammad helps trace the persistence of old cliches as well as the evolution of new attitudes toward Islam and its prophet over five centuries in Western culture. This volume brings together a highly varied and fascinating set of Latin narratives and polemics never before translated into English.Trade ReviewIndispensable for all future scholarship related to the European Muhammad. -- David M. Freidenreich * Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations *Clear and richly annotated. This collection will be of interest to scholars of medieval polemical literature, the history of Arabic-to-Latin translation, and sources on Christian-Muslim relations. The translations, for their part, will be invaluable to students and specialists alike. -- Antoni Biosca * Medieval Encounters *

    15 in stock

    £25.46

  • The Annotated Prison Writings of Oscar Wilde

    Harvard University Press The Annotated Prison Writings of Oscar Wilde

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisServing prison time with hard labor for the crime of gross indecency, Oscar Wilde wrote some of his most powerful works. A savage indictment of society, and testimony to private sufferings, his prison writings illuminated by Nicholas Frankel's notes reveal a different man from the dandy and aesthete who shocked or amused the English-speaking world.Trade ReviewA welcome gathering of Wilde’s most humane work, with choice illustrations, where the self-proclaimed ‘lord of language’ gives voice to the poor, the disaffected. * Irish Times *Frankel has…done us a favor to annotate such material with such labor and such learning…Wilde comes out of this volume with all his follies flying as an extraordinarily impressive human being. -- Peter Craven * Sydney Morning Herald *With headlines of police brutality and judicial immorality as relevant today as back then, creative works which remind audiences of Wilde’s timeless moral principles remain vital. -- John L. Murphy * PopMatters *De Profundis and The Ballad of Reading Gaol are canonical Victorian literature, and Frankel’s precise and well-informed notes will raise readers’ awareness of Wilde’s thinking on morality, crime, religion, sexuality, aesthetics, and prison reform. -- Ellis Hanson, Cornell UniversityFrankel provides a valuable service in comprehensively editing these works for a fresh generation of readers. -- Joseph Bristow, University of California, Los Angeles

    Out of stock

    £17.95

  • Brave New World York Notes Advanced everything

    Pearson Education Brave New World York Notes Advanced everything

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisTable of Contents Part 1: Introduction Part 2: The Text Part 3: Critical Approaches Part 4: Critical History Part 5: Background Further Reading Literacy Terms

    1 in stock

    £7.99

  • Freud and Monotheism

    Fordham University Press Freud and Monotheism

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisMoses and Monotheism brings together fundamental new contributions to discourses on Freud and Moses, as well as new research on the intersections of theology, political theory, and history in Freud’s psychoanalytic work.Table of ContentsIntroduction Karen Feldman and Gilad Sharvit “Why [the Jews] have Attracted this Undying Hatred” Richard Bernstein “Geistigkeit”: A Problematic Concept Joel Whitebook Heine and Freud: Deferred Action and the Concept of History Willi Goetschel Freud’s Moses: Murder, Exile, and the Question of Belonging Gabriele Schwab A Leap of Faith into Moses: Freud’s Invitation to Evenly Suspended Attention Yael Segalovitz Freud, Sellin, and the Murder of Moses Jan Assmann Creating the Jews: Mosaic Discourse in Freud and Hosea Ronald Hendel Is Psychic Phylogenesis only a Phantasy? New Biological Developments in Trauma Inheritance Catherine Malabou Moses and the Burning Bush: Leadership and Potentiality in the Bible Gilad Sharvit Notes List of Contributors Index

    15 in stock

    £21.59

  • A History of American Literature

    John Wiley and Sons Ltd A History of American Literature

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisUpdated throughout and with much new material, A History of American Literature, Second Edition, is the most up-to-date and comprehensive survey available of the myriad forms of American Literature from pre-Columbian times to the present. The most comprehensive and up-to-date history of American literature available today Covers fiction, poetry, drama, and non-fiction, as well as other forms of literature including folktale, spirituals, the detective story, the thriller, and science fiction Explores the plural character of American literature, including the contributions made by African American, Native American, Hispanic and Asian American writers Considers how our understanding of American literature has changed over the past?thirty years Situates American literature in the contexts of American history, politics and society Offers an invaluable introduction to American literature for students at all levels, academic and geTrade Review"Richard Gray's real achievement is somehow to have compressed more than 400 years of thrillingly rich literary history between two covers." (Literary Review)Table of ContentsAcknowledgments xi 1 The First Americans: American Literature Before and During the Colonial and Revolutionary Periods 1 Imagining Eden 1 Native American Oral Traditions 4 Spanish and French Encounters with America 14 Anglo-American Encounters 21 Writing of the Colonial and Revolutionary Periods 27 Puritan narratives 28 Challenges to the Puritan oligarchy 32 Some colonial poetry 36 Enemies within and without 44 Trends toward the secular and resistance 48 Toward the Revolution 60 Alternative voices of Revolution 69 Writing Revolution: Poetry, drama, fiction 75 2 Inventing Americas: The Making of American Literature, 1800–1865 88 Making a Nation 88 The Making of American Myths 92 Myths of an emerging nation 92 The making of Western myth 95 The making of Southern myth 105 Legends of the Old Southwest 109 The Making of American Selves 114 The Transcendentalists 114 Voices of African-American identity 126 The Making of Many Americas 133 Native American writing 134 Oral culture of the Hispanic Southwest 139 African-American polemic and poetry 141 Abolitionist and pro-slavery writing 145 Abolitionism and feminism 154 African-American writing 161 The Making of an American Fiction and Poetry 171 The emergence of American narratives 171 Women writers and storytellers 190 Spirituals and folk songs 196 American poetic voices 199 3 Reconstructing the Past, Reimagining the Future: The Development of American Literature, 1865–1900 219 Rebuilding a Nation 219 The Development of Literary Regionalism 224 From Adam to outsider 224 Regionalism in the West and Midwest 231 African-American and Native American voices 233 Regionalism in New England 235 Regionalism in the South 239 The Development of Literary Realism and Naturalism 255 Capturing the commonplace 255 Capturing the real thing 259 Toward Naturalism 269 The Development of Women’s Writing 281 Writing by African-American women 281 Writing and the condition of women 284 The Development of Many Americas 290 Things fall apart 290 Voices of resistance 293 Voices of reform 295 The immigrant encounter 299 4 Making It New: The Emergence of Modern American Literature, 1900–1945 308 Changing National Identities 308 Between Victorianism and Modernism 320 The problem of race 320 Building bridges: Women writers 326 Critiques of American provincial life 336 Poetry and the search for form 345 The Inventions of Modernism 359 Imagism, Vorticism, and Objectivism 359 Making it new in poetry 367 Making it new in prose 397 Making it new in drama 420 Traditionalism, Politics, and Prophecy 431 The uses of traditionalism 431 Populism and radicalism 446 Prophetic voices 462 Community and Identity 466 Immigrant writing 466 Native American voices 472 The literature of the New Negro movement and beyond 476 Mass Culture and the Writer 503 Western, detective, and hardboiled fiction 503 Humorous writing 509 Fiction and popular culture 512 5 Negotiating the American Century: American Literature since 1945 519 Toward a Transnational Nation 519 Formalists and Confessionals 532 From the mythological eye to the lonely “I” in poetry 532 From formalism to freedom in poetry 540 The uses of formalism 548 Confessional poetry 554 New formalists, new confessionals 563 Public and Private Histories 568 Documentary and dream in prose 568 Contested identities in prose 576 Crossing borders: Some women prose writers 588 Beats, Prophets, Aesthetes, and New Formalists 599 Rediscovering the American voice: The Black Mountain writers 599 Restoring the American vision: The San Francisco Renaissance 606 Recreating American rhythms: The beat generation 610 Reinventing the American self: The New York poets 615 Redefining American poetry: The New Formalists 623 Resisting orthodoxy: Dissent and experiment in fiction 631 The Art and Politics of Race 640 Defining a new black aesthetic 640 Defining a new black identity in prose 651 Defining a new black identity in drama 663 Telling impossible stories: Recent African-American fiction 668 Realism and its Discontents 678 Confronting the real, stretching the realistic in drama 678 New Journalists and dirty realists 700 Language and Genre 705 Watching nothing: Postmodernity in prose 705 The actuality of words: Postmodern poetry 720 Signs and scenes of crime, science fiction, and fantasy 727 Creating New Americas 740 Dreaming history: European immigrant writing 740 Remapping a nation: Chicano/a and Latino/a writing 748 Improvising America: Asian-American writing 763 New and ancient songs: The return of the Native American 779 After the Fall: American Literature since 9/11 795 Writing the crisis in prose 795 Writing the crisis in drama 809 Writing the crisis in poetry 816 Further Reading 829 Index 857

    15 in stock

    £35.10

  • Coriolanus

    Penguin Putnam Inc Coriolanus

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe acclaimed Pelican Shakespeare series, now repackaged in award-winning modern covers to inspire Shakespearians of all ages.

    2 in stock

    £8.54

  • Timebends

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Timebends

    15 in stock

    Book Synopsis''A beautifully structured narrative: tough, very moving, a political testimony of considerable force'' - Harold Pinter''As wise and witty and funny and brave as any of his plays'' - Louis Auchincloss''Wholly admirable'' - Anthony Burgess______________Arthur Miller''s plays have held the world''s stages for almost half a century. Among them are Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, and All My Sons, which have been read and performed countless times across the world. His memoir, Timebends, shows that the life of the man is as compelling as his plays. With passion, wit and candour, Miller recalls his childhood in Harlem and Brooklyn in the 1920s and the Depression; his successes and failures in the theatre and in Hollywood; the formation of his political beliefs that, two decades later, brought him into confrontations with the House Committee of Un-American Activities; and his later work on behalf of human rights as the pTrade ReviewA book and a half. Arthur Miller is that very rare bird; a truly independent man. His autobiography is a beautifully structured narrative: tough, very moving, a political testimony of considerable force * Harold Pinter *The personality revealed by this fine autobiography is wholly admirable. Miller did more than fracture the American dream and interpret the American nightmare: he dared to enter the fire that surrounded the most potent sexual myth of the century * Anthony Burgess *As wise and witty and funny and brave as any of his plays ... Surely one of the great stories of our time * Louis Auchincloss *Arthur Miller's achievement in this book is to fuse the rhetorical power of his drama with the steely integrity of his life. The result is something pretty close to a masterpiece * Sean French *

    15 in stock

    £11.24

  • The Pleasure of Reading

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Pleasure of Reading

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe inspiration for the annual Pleasure of Reading PrizeA charming and revealing collection of essays from some of our best-loved writers about the pleasures of reading, with royalties donated to the Give a Book charityIn this delightful collection forty-three acclaimed writers explain what first made them interested in literature, what inspired them to read and what makes them continue to do so. Original contributors include Margaret Atwood, J. G. Ballard, Melvyn Bragg, A. S. Byatt, Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Gray, Germaine Greer, Alan Hollinghurst, Doris Lessing, Candia McWilliam, Edna O'Brien, Ruth Rendell, Tom Stoppard, Sue Townsend and Jeanette Winterson, while this new edition includes essays from five new writers, Emily Berry, Kamila Shamsie, Rory Stewart, Katie Waldegrave and Tom Wells.Royalties generated from this project will go to Give a Book, www.giveabook.org.uk, a charity set up in 2011 that seeks to get books to places where they will be ofTrade ReviewA wonderful book for those of us that are addicted to print. A compendium of mostly British authors which lead you through their lives of reading. Sue Townsend mentions that she didn't learn to read before the age of eight and that her teacher was a nasty drunk with a face like a dyspeptic badger! * Jack Coleman, ***** on Good Reads *Really enjoyed this book :) And it brought back so many memories of my early years of reading ... reading a book in bed under the covers at night by torch light ... ALWAYS having a book to hand and being told to “Put that book down!” ... getting annoyed if ever a Birthday or Christmas Day passed WITHOUT A NEW BOOK arriving!!! * Alayne, **** on Good Reads *

    15 in stock

    £13.49

  • ShakesFear and How to Cure It

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC ShakesFear and How to Cure It

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisFor teachers and lovers of Shakespeare, ShakesFear and How to Cure It provides a comprehensive approach to the challenge and rewards of teaching Shakespeare and gives teachers both an overview of each of Shakespeare's 38 plays and specific classroom tools for teaching it. Written by a celebrated teacher, scholar and director of Shakespeare, it shows teachers how to use the text to make the words and the moments come alive for their students. It refutes the idea that Shakespeare's language is difficult and provides a survey of the plays by someone who has lived intimately with them on the page and on the stage.Trade ReviewShakesFear and How to Cure It: The Complete Handbook for Teaching Shakespeare is written from the perspective of someone who has seemingly spent his entire adult life entrenched in the world of Shakespeare. Ralph Alan Cohen’s authority is undisputed, and as such, he conveys knowledge that is insightful, practical, and, above all else, immensely useful for teaching and learning. Cohen has taken his decades of experience and created a manual of sorts to help educators learn different (perhaps better) ways to approach teaching Shakespeare in the classroom … [Early] chapters show Cohen’s ability to connect and engage with the reader in a way that feels like talking with a colleague. The content is rich with practical and helpful advice, and his language is comfortable and easy to follow … A fantastic resource for educators. Although new(er) Shakespeare teachers will probably benefit the most, I do believe the book can provide new perspectives and ideas for experienced teachers as well. Cohen has a gift for communication, allowing ShakesFear to be accessible and useful to a wide audience. * American Reference Books Annual *What fun it must be to have Cohen as a teacher! ... [His] compelling book offers us a haven. * Times Higher Education *Table of ContentsPART ONE : The Teacher Chapter 1. How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bard Chapter 2. Seven Deadly Misconceptions Chapter 3: Ten Don’ts Chapter 4. Ten Do’s Chapter 5: Shakespeare Is Hard Chapter 6: Shakespeare Is Boring PART TWO: The Plays: 38 short chapters Annotated list of available video Index

    5 in stock

    £27.54

  • Market Leader 3rd edition Intermediate Teachers

    Pearson Education Limited Market Leader 3rd edition Intermediate Teachers

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £27.08

  • The Rover

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Rover

    4 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe editor, Robyn Bolam, is Professor of literature at St Mary's University College, London.

    4 in stock

    £9.99

  • James Graham Plays 1

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC James Graham Plays 1

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis collection brings together four of Graham''s most successful and entertaining plays, each representing a relationship with a theatre with which he has worked and introduced by the author. One of the plays, Sons of York, has never before been published, but earned James Graham a nomination for the Empty Space Mark Marvin Award.A History of Falling Things is a gentle love story about a young man and woman forced to confront their fears of the outside world and discover what really matters to their lives. Tory Boyz is a fast-paced, political comedy about prejudice and ambition in Westminster, looking at homosexuality in the British Conservative party, both today and in the past.As Ben, self-employed, skint and emotionally vulnerable, begins to stitch together the patchwork quilt that was the Tax Year 2009/2010, he relives a year that was both hilarious and tragic, all mixed up in one shoe box of receipts. The Man is an affectionate and funny portrait of anTrade ReviewThe prodigiously talented James Graham * British Theatre Guide *Table of ContentsIntroduction, A History of Falling Things, Tory Boyz, The Man, The Whisky Taster, Sons of York

    15 in stock

    £20.89

  • A Taste Of Honey

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC A Taste Of Honey

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisReissue of the all-time best-selling Methuen Modern Play in the new Methuen Student Edition cover styleTrade Review'Some of Delaney's themes may feel dated but her writing still glitters dangerously and wittily. A Taste of Honey remains a passionate statement about real people trapped in poverty, deprived of ambition and vulnerable to manipulation by the fickleness of others.' Independent, (19 November 2008) 'Brawling, boozing, teenage pregnancy and fractured families: Shelagh Delaney's benchmark drama, first staged by Joan Littlewood in London in 1958, has lost none of its relevance 50 years on... The quirkiness and passion of Delaney's young voice still rings out... It remains passionate and pungent.' The Times, (19 November 2008) 'Its raw eloquence, sometimes almost lyrical, its tough, swaggering humour...its frank brutality and unblinking humanity.' Sunday Times, (23 November 2008)

    10 in stock

    £13.77

  • A Social Edition of the Devonshire Manuscript BL

    Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies,US A Social Edition of the Devonshire Manuscript BL

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisDescribed by Colin Burrow as 'the richest surviving record of early Tudor poetry and of the literary activities of 16th-century women,' the Devonshire Manuscript (BL MS Add. 17492) is a verse miscellany belonging to the 1530s and early 1540s, including some 194 items including complete poems, verse fragments and excerpts from longer works, anagrams, and other ephemeral jottings attributed to Thomas Wyatt, Henry Howard Earl of Surrey, Lady Margaret Douglas, Richard Hattfield, Mary Fitzroy (née Howard), Thomas Howard, Edmund Knyvett, Anthony Lee, and Henry Stewart, as well transcriptions of the work of others or original works by prominent court figures such as Mary Shelton, Lady Margaret Douglas, Mary (Howard) Fitzroy, Lord Thomas Howard, and, possibly, Anne Boleyn. This edition publishes the contents of the manuscript in their entirety, documenting well the manuscript's place as the earliest sustained example in English of men and women writing together in a community.Table of ContentsIntroduction: The First Sustained Example of Men and Women Writing Together in the English Tradition 1Sigla of Manuscripts & Early Printed Books Associated with the Devonshire Manuscript 35Poems 79Bibliography 458First-Line Index 513

    1 in stock

    £68.40

  • Spark Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas The

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisWhen an essay is due and dreaded exams loom, this title offers students what they need to succeed. It provides chapter-by-chapter analysis, explanations of key themes, motifs, and symbols, a review quiz and essay topics. It is suitable for late-night studying and paper writing.

    5 in stock

    £5.99

  • Pure Pleasure A Guide to the 20th Centurys Most

    Faber & Faber Pure Pleasure A Guide to the 20th Centurys Most

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisPure Pleasure gives us fifty of the most enjoyable books of the twentieth century, chosen on a single principle - the pleasure they inspire. Pure Pleasure is an idiosyncratic antidote to the ''definitive'' lists of twentieth-century classics. John Carey, one of Britain''s most respected literary critics, has unearthed some overlooked gems which show the century''s great authors in a new light. The result is a wonderful and witty guide for anyone looking for new recommendations or for a discussion of books they already know and love. First published weekly in the Sunday Times as ''John Carey''s Books of the Century'', the accompanying essays generated intense reader interest, and this collection includes a discussion of the letters of applause, outrage, debate and dissent they provoked.

    Out of stock

    £9.99

  • The World of All Souls

    Penguin Putnam Inc The World of All Souls

    3 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    3 in stock

    £31.12

  • The Complete Fairy Tales

    Oxford University Press The Complete Fairy Tales

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisPerrault's fairy tales in a scintillating translation, including the less familiar verse tales and with illustrations by Gustave Doré. The introduction explores the imaginative power of the stories and the many interpretations to which they have been subject.Trade ReviewPerrault's tales capture the myth and magic of the fairy tale ... It is extraordinary to revisit stories so familiar from childhood and see within their bounds savagery, deceit and dire warnings about predators and even puberty. The hidden symbolism of Perrault's tales is explained in the erudite introduction by Christopher Betts, who has translated the 1697 edition, the only complete translation in both verse and prose. The fairy tale is a rite of passage. Read yours aloud, share it with a small or re-read these tales and wonder at the depth that Disney never did. * The Field *Betts gives the stories the sense of humour ... The Gustave Doré illustrations in the Oxford editions add to the baroque feel of the thing as well. These are fairy tales that are as much a pleasure to read now as they were to be told once upon a time ago. * Desperate Reader *This Oxford University Press treatment of Perrault's fairy tales is a lovely edition for the discerning collector who likes pretty books that contain intellectual insight and commentary along with meticulously translated prose and verse. It may also be a nice edition for bedtime stories. * Allen Stroud, Science Fact & Science Fiction Concatenation *Bett's new edition positions Perrault in relation to the many other tales in circulation before and after, offering helpful comparisions. * Margaret ReynoldsThe Times *Bett's new translation of the tales is subtle and clever. * Margaret Reynolds, The Times *Table of ContentsIntroduction Tales in Verse Preface The History of Griselda Three Silly Wishes Donkey-Skin Stories or Tales of Bygone Times, With Their Morals The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood Little Red Riding-Hood Bluebeard Puss in Boots The Fairies Cinderella Ricky the Tuft Hop o' my Thumb

    1 in stock

    £15.29

  • The Hidden History of South Africas Book and

    University of Toronto Press The Hidden History of South Africas Book and

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe Hidden History of South Africa's Book and Reading Cultures shows how the common practice of reading can illuminate the social and political history of a culture. This ground-breaking study reveals resistance strategies in the reading and writing practices of South Africans; strategies that have been hidden until now for political reasons relating to the country's liberation struggles. By looking to records from a slave lodge, women's associations, army education units, universities, courts, libraries, prison departments, and political groups, Archie Dick exposes the key works of fiction and non-fiction, magazines, and newspapers that were read and discussed by political activists and prisoners.Uncovering the book and library schemes that elites used to regulate reading, Dick exposes incidences of intellectual fraud, book theft, censorship, and book burning. Through this innovative methodology, Dick aptly shows how South African readers used reading and booTrade Review'Archie Dick's Hidden History offers us a fine example of a historian working in an imaginative way to show how, at various junctures in the South African past, book and reading cultures have arisen, survived or even thrived despite the ways in which controlling and repressive regimes have sought to destroy or limit the impact of reading and writing for their own purposes.' -- Charles van Onselen Quarterly Bulletin of the National Library of South Africa, vol. 66:03:2012 'The scholarship is exemplary, and the book opens up new areas of research.' -- Anthony Olden Information and Culture: A Journal of History, October 2013 'Engaging and path breaking book...Rarely, if ever, is a work on South African history published that covers such a vast stretch of time, and is based on such a truly remarkable range of primary sources.' -- Gerald Groenewald Scrutiny2: Issues in English Studies in Southern Africa; vol 19:1:2014 'Trailblazing study.' -- Daniel Magaziner American Historical Review - vol 119:03:2014 'This is an inventive and engaging book that will do much to advance studies of southern African print culture and reading and their broader significance. Richly researched and lucidly written, the book will lend itself well to classroom use.' -- Isabel Hofmeyr African Studies Review vol 57:03:2014 'This wide ranging book contains a treasure-trove of stories about print cultures in South Africa between the mid-seventeenth century and mid-1990s... Dick has produced a study that is informative as well as ambitious.' -- Stephanie Newell SHARP News vol 24:04:2015Table of ContentsContents List of Illustrations List of Tables Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction: The Significance of Common Readers in South Africa 1 Early Readers at the Cape, 1658-1800 2 Literacy, Class, and Regulating Reading, 1800-1850 3 The Women's Building of Nations: History Books in the Early Twentieth Century 4 Books for Troops in the Second World War 5 Politics and the Libraries, Part One: Book Theft, Intellectual Fraud, and Book Burning, 1950-1971 6 Politics and the Libraries, Part Two: Dissident Readers and Librarians in the 1980s Townships 7 Reading in Exile after Soweto, 1978-1992 8 Combating Censorship and Making Space for Books Conclusion: Revealing the Hidden Books and Hidden Readers Notes Index

    15 in stock

    £23.39

  • Pathways Listening Speaking and Critical Thinking

    Cengage Learning, Inc Pathways Listening Speaking and Critical Thinking

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisPathways, Second Edition, is a global, five-level academic English program. Carefully-guided lessons develop the language skills, critical thinking, and learning strategies required for academic success. Using authentic and relevant content from National Geographic, including video, charts, and other infographics, Pathways prepares students to work effectively and confidently in an academic environment.

    1 in stock

    £25.65

  • Coastal Cultures of the Long Nineteenth Century

    Edinburgh University Press Coastal Cultures of the Long Nineteenth Century

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis volume examines the cultural importance of the coastline in Britain during a time of vast change.

    1 in stock

    £21.84

  • Literature of the 1900s

    Edinburgh University Press Literature of the 1900s

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn this ground-breaking study, Jonathan Wild investigates the literary history of the Edwardian decade. This period, long overlooked by critics, is revealed as a vibrant cultural era whose writers were determined to break away from the stifling influence of preceding Victorianism.

    1 in stock

    £22.79

  • The Philosopher's English King: Shakespeare's

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd The Philosopher's English King: Shakespeare's

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe Philosopher's English King offers a close reading of the Henriad, presenting Shakespeare's teaching on political authority and contributing to the burgeoning scholarship on Shakespeare as a political thinker. This book on Shakespeare's Henriad studies the tetralogy as a work of political thought. Leon Harold Craig, author of two previous volumes on Shakespeare's political thought, argues that the four plays present Shakespeare'steaching on the problem of legitimacy, or who has the right to rule -- one of the perennial questions of political philosophy. Offering original interpretations of each of the plays, Craig discusses the demise of divine right inRichard II, political upheaval and disputed rule in Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, and the attempt to reestablish legitimacy on a new basis in Henry V. While focusing especially on the plays' various interpretive puzzles,Craig shows how the four plays constitute one narrative, culminating in the rule of England's most famous warrior king, Henry V, whose brilliant achievements were undone by ill fortune. Craig concludes with an epilogue on what might have been had Henry lived to consolidate his conquest of France and unify it with England under a single crown. Supported by a wealth of scholarship, both historical and critical, The Philosopher's English King makes a major contribution to the burgeoning scholarship on Shakespeare as a political thinker, providing further evidence for why the poet deserves to be recognized as a philosopher in his own right. Leon Harold Craig is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Alberta.Trade ReviewI consider this one of the best books ever written on Shakespeare's Henriad. The level of scholarship is second to none. Each chapter is as good as the next. The book is never uneven, and Craig's passion for his subject matter and his desire to share his knowledge with his readers is evident throughout. Not only does one gain many valuable insights into these plays, we are also encouraged to read Shakespeare philosophically, as I am certain Shakespeare wished to be read. * VOEGELINVIEW *Supported by the author's learned command of the relevant English history, this analysis not only serves as a comprehensive overview of the plays' events but also shows how paying attention to even the most minute details and minor characters can shed light on Shakespeare's central figures and plot lines. Highly recommended. * CHOICE *Dissenting from Craig requires the disputant's exercising his utmost capacities for philosophical reflection. . . . Because Craig rightly conceives the philosophic poet. * REVIEW OF POLITICS *In The Philosopher's English King Leon Craig once again proves the value of taking Shakespeare seriously as a political thinker. Drawing parallels with important political philosophers, such as Plato, Machiavelli, and Hobbes, Craig illumines some of the darker corners of Shakespeare's history plays and offers a comprehensive interpretation of the tough-minded teaching on kingship they embody. -- Paul A. Cantor, University of VirginiaTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Prologue Begins the Woefullest Division: The Tragic Reign of King Richard II A Punishing of Mistreadings: The Turbulent Reign of King Henry IV Proceeds The Noble Change Long Purposed: The Turbulent Reign of King Henry IV Concludes A Curious Mirror of Christian Kings: The Brief Glorious Reign of King Henry V An Alternative Epilogue: Imagining What Might Have Been Notes Bibliography Index of Names

    15 in stock

    £26.34

  • Poems by G K Chesterton

    Read Books Poems by G K Chesterton

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £32.29

  • The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and

    Granta Books The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and

    2 in stock

    Book Synopsis'The funniest book I've read in a long time: its deadpan, dry humour and its accumulation of absurdities will leave you rolling on your floor with laughter' The Times She thought she was a lover of the great classics of Russian literature - until she met the superfans... Roaming from Tashkent to San Francisco, this is the true story of one budding writer's strange encounters with the fanatics who are devoted - absurdly! melancholically! ecstatically! - to the Russian classics. Combining fresh readings of the great Russians from Tolstoy to Dostoevsky with the sad and funny stories of the lives they continue to influence, The Possessed is comic, humane, charming, poignant and full of an infectious love for literature. 'Dazzlingly good... Very bookish, very clever and very funny... A preposterously engaging volume' Jane Shilling, Sunday Telegraph 'The highest compliment you can pay such a book is that it sends you back to the original authors refreshed. I can go one higher - I found myself simply wanting to read more from Elif Batuman' Evening Standard 'An intoxicating mix of travel memoir, autobiography, literary criticism and philosophy... Charming and hilarious' Daily TelegraphTrade ReviewWildly original, creatively rambling... the funniest book I've read in a long time: its deadpan, dry humour and its accumulation of absurdities will leave you rolling on your floor with laughter * The Times *Dazzlingly good ... very bookish, very clever and very funny ... [The Possessed is] a preposterously engaging volume -- Jane Shilling * Sunday Telegraph *The highest compliment you can pay such a book is that it sends you back to the original authors refreshed. I can go one higher - I found myself simply wanting to read more from Elif Batuman * Evening Standard *An intoxicating mix of travel memoir, autobiography, literary criticism and philosophy... charming and hilarious * Daily Telegraph *Deeply clever and very funny * Guardian *Elif Batuman seems at home in that borderland between tragedy and comedy the great Russian writers colonised. The Possessed is insightful, poignant and very funny -- James MeekWise and delightfully funny -- Rachel PolonskyCharming, complex and life-enhancing -- Sarah Bakewell * Sunday Times *Hilarious, wide-ranging, erudite, and memorable * New York Times Book Review *Odd and oddly profound ... she's the kind of reader who sends you back to your bookshelves with a sublime buzz in your head. You want to feel what she's feeling. It's tempting to keep quoting her book forever * New York Times *A vividly engaging travelogue-cum-memoir ... Batuman is an astute observer with a terrific sense of humour and immense bravado -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *Batuman's refreshingly unlikely memoir recounts how she decided to devote her life to studying the great Russian novelists ... the result is the funniest book you're ever likely to read about Russian fiction -- Robert Collins * Sunday Times *The Possessed weaves anecdotes and literary criticism around Batuman's tales of her adventures in America, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Russia ... In some complicated way, this is a book about the relationship between art and life. But it's also a simple book about the relationship between art and life. Or, rather, it's a complicated book about the simple relationship between the two. In the end, all memoirs tend to end up as a defence of something. Batuman's is a defence of reading as a form of living -- Ian Sansom * Guardian *An eccentric, funny and always perceptive account of the authors long time immersion in the classics of Russian literature * Observer *I loved Batuman's quirky and perceptive account of her passion for Russian literature ... A move away from objective criticism towards the personal and what books actually mean to people, it is hugely appealing -- Lesley McDowell * Sunday Herald *Told in nimble and often funny prose * Guardian *Batuman's very different sentimental education is a wryly brilliant portrait of herself as a young Turkish intellectual emerging among American and Uzbek Russianists and rogues -- Selected by Fiona Sampson as a book of the year * New Statesman *

    2 in stock

    £9.49

  • 100 Things Batman Fans Should Know & Do Before

    Triumph Books 100 Things Batman Fans Should Know & Do Before

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisMost Batman fans have enjoyed the Dark Knight in comics or on the big screen and are eagerly anticipating the release of the new Justice League movie. But only real fans know the other characters who have donned the cowl in place of Bruce Wayne, or know the full origin stories of those who make up the rogues gallery. 100 Things Batman Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die is the ultimate resource for true fans, whether you're a comic book collector, an aficionado of Christopher Nolan's films, or both! Joseph McCabe of Nerdist.com has collected every essential piece of Dark Knight knowledge and trivia, as well as must-do activities, and ranks them all from 1 to 100, providing an entertaining and easy-to-follow checklist as you progress on your way to fan superstardom. Contains exclusive interviews with Batman creators!

    Out of stock

    £12.56

  • State University Press of New York (SUNY) Passion Before Me My Fate Behind Ibn AlFarid and

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £24.27

  • Hamlet

    WW Norton & Co Hamlet

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis“A perfect volume to initiate majors into the discipline and delight of carefully examining presumptions, priorities, language, and structures of both primary and secondary texts.” —Stephen R. Honeygosky, University of Pittsburgh

    1 in stock

    £12.99

  • Beowulf

    Carcanet Press Ltd Beowulf

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisAny translation is a reading. Chris McCully reads Beowulf as an epic written in English using all the complex metrical conventions of its time, as well as distinctive epic tropes including sea-crossings, oracular pronouncements and encounters with the monstrous. This version renders the original in readable contemporary English but also keeps as close as it can to the older, alliterative metrical system, so that readers may experience something of the textures and formal properties of the original. An `Afterword’ explains the translator’s formal choices and explores the nature of this epic, with its emphasis on tribe, location and mortality. `McCully captures the special magic and power of the Beowulf poet’s word-pile and life-thoughts.’ (Martin Duffell, Fellow of Queen Mary, University of London)

    15 in stock

    £14.24

  • Annotations to Finnegans Wake

    Johns Hopkins University Press Annotations to Finnegans Wake

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisHe expands his examination of possible textual corruption and adds hundreds of new glosses to help scholars, students, and general readers untangle the dense thicket of allusions that crowds every sentence of Joyce's nearly inscrutable masterpiece.Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsConventions and AbbreviationsAnnotations to Finnegans WakeBook IBook IIBook IIIBook IV

    15 in stock

    £35.10

  • Crime and Punishment

    Oxford University Press Crime and Punishment

    7 in stock

    Book SynopsisCrime and Punishment is one of the most important novels of the nineteenth century. It is the story of a murder committed on principle, of a killer who wishes to set himself outside and above society. It is marked by Dostoevsky's own harrowing experience in penal servitude, and yet contains moments of wild humour.Trade ReviewSuperb... the Oxford University Press edition is beautifully produced and competitively priced. * Donald Rayfield, Times Literary Supplement *

    7 in stock

    £8.54

  • Human Landscapes from My Country

    Persea Books Inc Human Landscapes from My Country

    15 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    15 in stock

    £21.99

  • Letters to Her Sons 14471470 46 493 Other Voice

    Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies,US Letters to Her Sons 14471470 46 493 Other Voice

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAt long last, this treasure trove of seventy-three letters written by Alessandra Macinghi Strozzi to her exiled sons is now fully available to Anglophone readers. Scholars of Renaissance Italy and early modern women have long recognized the importance of Strozzi’s letters, but until now only selections have been published in translation. Given the growing interest in women’s epistolary practices as well as the continuing fascination with Renaissance Florence, this translation makes an especially welcome contribution to the Other Voice series, and will almost certainly enlarge Strozzi’s historical footprint for students and scholars alike. Sharon Strocchia Professor, Department of History, Emory College of Arts and Sciences"At long last, this treasure trove of seventy-three letters written by Alessandra Macinghi Strozzi to her exiled sons is now fully available to Anglophone readers. Scholars of Renaissance Italy and early modern women have long recognized the importance of Strozzi’s letters, but until now only selections have been published in translation. Given the growing interest in women’s epistolary practices as well as the continuing fascination with Renaissance Florence, this translation makes an especially welcome contribution to the Other Voice series, and will almost certainly enlarge Strozzi’s historical footprint for students and scholars alike." -- Sharon Strocchia, Emory College of Arts and SciencesTable of ContentsAcknowledgments xvIntroduction1. The Other Voice 12. The Life of Alessandra Macinghi Strozzi: The Intersection ofPrivate and Public Domains 63. Alessandra and the Genre of the Familiar Letter 164. Writing as a Mother 185. The Afterlife of the Letters 236. A Note on the Translation and Edition 25Alessandra Macinghi Strozzi: Letters to Her Sons 29Abbreviations 245Weights and Measures 246Currency 247Times of Day 248Florentine Dating 248Bibliography 249Index 269

    Out of stock

    £38.93

  • Beowulf A Verse Translation

    WW Norton & Co Beowulf A Verse Translation

    15 in stock

    Book Synopsis“Accomplishes what before now had seemed impossible: a faithful rendering that is simultaneously an original and gripping poem in its own right.” —New York Times Book ReviewTrade Review"Magnificent, breathtaking... Heaney has created something imperishable and great that is stainless—stainless, because its force as poetry makes it untouchable by the claw of literalism: it lives singly, as an English language poem." -- The Guardian

    15 in stock

    £12.99

  • The Fabliaux

    WW Norton & Co The Fabliaux

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisWinner • Modern Language Association’s Scaglione Prize for Translation Bawdier than The Canterbury Tales, The Fabliaux is the first major English translation of the most scandalous and irreverent poetry in Western literature.Trade Review"Like Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf,…Dubin reproduces the world and the feeling of the medieval tale…that travel joyfully from the Middle Ages to the present." -- R. Howard Bloch, from the introduction to The Fabliaux"Devilishly bawdy and irreverent…The 69 fabliaux presented here in their original French and translated into rascally, buoyant English by Nathaniel E. Dubin, are relentlessly scabrous, egregiously misogynistic, and exuberantly oppositional to ‘bourgeois respectability’ and the church…. Vivid, funny, robustly grotesque, and drolly outrageous, these satirical tales of lust, revenge, and folly feature lecherous peasants, fornicating priests, scoundrels, fools, and women wily and tough, castigated and abused…. An historic literary achievement bound to arouse vociferous discussion." -- Booklist"Pure, unadulterated fun…. A golden bough of erotic imagination and folk humor, peopled by randy wives, cuckolded husbands, fornicating priests, and priapic knights…. Ultimately, what’s so potent and profound about these risqué yarns is not their unbridled expressions of sexuality and vulgarity per se, but their unusual ability to provoke a carnivalesque laughter in all. Through denuding, debauchery, and bodily degradation, the fabliaux create a common denominator for humanity, an earthy, holistic world in which, to quote Bakhtin again, ‘he who is laughing also belongs to it.’ Flaunting unabashed obscenity in delightful verse, The Fabliaux is a book that would entertain the fans of Dr. Freud and Dr. Seuss alike." -- Yunte Huang - The Daily Beast"Fabliaux are comic tales, in verse, composed between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries…. The words used…have not been adjusted to conform to modern immodesty; the translation is literal…[This is the] first substantial collection of fabliaux, in any language, for today’s general reader." -- Joan Acocella - The New Yorker"The fabliaux, then, is a short story that is a tall story. It combines a burly blurting of dirty words with a reveling in humiliations that are good unclean fun. A popular venture that is keen to paste—épater—everybody (not just the bourgeoisie), it is the art of the single entendre. Highly staged low life, it guffaws at the pious, the prudish, and the priggish. High cockalorum versus high decorum…. The introduction here, like the translator’s note, tells well the story of the comic tales, anonymous for the most part, usually two or three hundred lines long, of which about 160 exist." -- Christopher Ricks - New York Review of Books"The fabliaux are important not only for their approach to humor, but for their focus on sex, class and wealth, and bodily functions like eating and defecating—all elements quite absent from more highbrow, courtly, or Church-sanctioned religious texts. Liveright’s edition serves as the largest and most complete collection of fabliaux, in English or French, ever published “for the general reader…" The Fabliaux is a reminder that medieval texts can remain engaging, lively, and, above all, funny." -- Charlotte Bhaskar - Zyzzyva

    3 in stock

    £22.79

  • Much Ado about Nothing

    Cambridge University Press Much Ado about Nothing

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis new edition of Much Ado about Nothing is supplemented by an updated introduction which analyses recent stage, television, film and critical interpretations of the play, and considers the play's special interest in language, bodies and gender.Table of ContentsIntroduction; The play; Supplementary notes; Textual analysis; Appendixes: 1. The time-scheme of Much Ado about Nothing, 2. Lewis Carroll's letter to Ellen Terry, 3. Benedick's song, 5.2.18-22; Reading list.

    1 in stock

    £9.99

  • Conversations with James Baldwin

    MP-MPP University Press of Mississippi Conversations with James Baldwin

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis collection of interviews with James Baldwin covers the period 1961 to 1987, from the year of the publication of Nobody Knows My Names, his fourth book, to just a few weeks before his death. It includes the last formal conversation with him.

    15 in stock

    £23.96

  • Literary Illumination: The Evolution of

    University of Wales Press Literary Illumination: The Evolution of

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisLiterary Illumination examines the relationship between literature and artificial illumination, demonstrating that developments of lighting technology during the nineteenth century definitively altered the treatment of light as symbol, metaphor and textual motif. Correspondingly, the book also engages with the changing nature of darkness, and how the influence of artificial light altered both public perceptions of, and behaviour within, darkness, as well as examining literary chiaroscuros. Within each of four main chapters dedicated to the analysis of a single dominant light source in the long nineteenth-century – firelight, candlelight, gaslight, and electric light – the author considers the phenomenological properties of the light sources, and where their presence would be felt most strongly in the nineteenth century, before collating a corpus of texts for each light source and environment.Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter One: Firelight 1.1 Nineteenth Century Firelight: Hearth, Home and Industry 1.2 Gaskell, Dickens, Fire and Reverie 1.3 Variable Flames in Urban Domesticity 1.4 Fire and Reverie in Industrial Desperation Chapter Two: Candlelight 2.1 A Brief History of Candlelight 2.2. Candle Theory and its Symbolic Value in Literature 2.3 The Candle and the Literary Detective 2.4 The Candle and the Gothic Unknown 2.5 The Candle and Ambiguity of Mental States Chapter Three: Gaslight 3.1 Gaslight in the Nineteenth Century 3.2 The Networked City: Gaslight on Literary Streets 3.3 The Theatre: Gaslight’s Stage 3.4 The Department Store: Gaslight’s Dressing Room Chapter Four: Electric Light 4.1 Electric Light in the Nineteenth Century 4.2 Jules Verne’s prophetic electric light of the 1860s and 70s 4.3 The Transient Light of H.G. Wells’s Fin-de-Siècle 4.4 Electric Light 1900-1914: Realisation and Realism Summary and Conclusions

    Out of stock

    £58.50

  • Where the Past Begins

    HarperCollins Publishers Where the Past Begins

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisFrom New York Times bestselling author Amy Tan, a memoir on her life as a writer, her childhood and the symbiotic relationship between fiction and emotional memory.In Where the Past Begins, bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club and The Valley of Amazement Amy Tan is at her most intimate in revealing the truths and inspirations that underlie her extraordinary fiction.By delving into vivid memories of her traumatic childhood, confessions of self-doubt in her journals and heartbreaking letters to and from her mother, she gathers together evidence of all that made it both unlikely and inevitable that she would become a writer. Through spontaneous storytelling, she shows how a fluid fictional state of mind unleashed near-forgotten memories that became the emotional nucleus of her novels.Tan explores shocking truths uncovered by family memorabilia the real reason behind an I.Q. test she took at age six, why her parents lied about their education, mysteries surrounding her maternal grandmoTrade Review‘Tan writes about her parents with love and frustration and without sentimentality, and some of the book’s most effective sections are the ones that examine how her view of them was affected by discoveries made later in their lives or after their deaths. She also writes with great insight about her own creative process, and how it has been affected by everything from listening to music to chance encounters…This is a compelling exploration of both the personal and creative life of a fascinating woman’ Sunday Business Post ‘Remember Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother, the terrifying pushy-mother manifesto written by Chinese-American Amy Chua? Well, this book, by the other famous Chinese-American Amy, bestselling novelist Amy Tan, could be called Post-Battle Hymn Of The Damaged Daughter Of A Tiger Mother. Fascinating’ Daily Mail ‘It is a privilege to be given permission to rummage in any writer’s attic. Where The Past Begins yields treasure under the dust sheets… the introduction is breathtaking – all of Tan’s gifts, the ability to layer images, to command your attention, to shock you with a sudden slipping in of the knife are on display here’ Financial Times ‘She elaborates on the act of writing, the mechanics and results of her own imagination…Tan’s epiphanies and revelations often revive supressed memories…much of her questioning is focused on her mother’s life, parts of which may sound familiar to readers of Tan’s fiction’ Guardian ‘Richly varied, thought-provoking book. Where the Past Begins will surely gratify Tan’s many fans, and likely win her numerous new ones’ US Today Praise for Amy Tan: ‘Chinese-Americans are among the most dynamic, and socially cohesive, ethnic groups in the US … Tan is one of their leading voices’ Sunday Times ‘Tan is a prodigal with her talent. She weaves a dazzling web of unfamiliar colours, smells, tastes and landscapes’ Sunday Telegraph

    15 in stock

    £9.49

  • Skaldic Versifying and Social Discrimination in

    Viking Society for Northern Research Skaldic Versifying and Social Discrimination in

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    10 in stock

    £5.84

  • Christina Rossetti  Poetry in Art

    Yale University Press Christina Rossetti Poetry in Art

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe first art book to explore Rossetti's art and poetry together, including her own artworks, illustrations to her writing, and art inspired by her Christina Rossetti (18301894) is among the greatest of English Victorian poets. The intensity of her vision, her colloquial style, and the lyrical quality of her verse still speak powerfully to us today, while her striking imagery has always inspired artists. Rossetti lived in an exceptionallyvisual environment: her brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, was the leading member of the avant-garde Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and she became a favorite model for the group. She sat for the face of Christ in William Holman Hunt's The Light of the World, while both John Everett Millais and Frederick Sandysillustrated her poetry. Later on, the pioneering photographer Julia Margaret Cameron and the great Belgian Symbolist Fernand Khnopff wereinspired by Rossetti's enigmatic verses. This engaging book explores the full artistic context of Rossetti's life aTrade Review“Handsome publication”— Ian Lipke, Queensland Reviewers Collective“This lovely-looking book explores Christina Rossetti’s artistic context in new and unexpected ways.” —Aileen Reid, World of Interiors“The catalogue for the recent exhibition at the Watts Gallery, Christina Rossetti: Poetry in art, brings together many surprising items from public and private collections to reveal unusual aspects of the poet's life and work. […] The scholarly work of the editors and contributors and the book's many illustrations greatly expand our knowledge of Christina Rossetti and her widening circle.” —Lindsay Duguid, Times Literary Supplement“The volume is abundantly illustrated and provides a satisfying contribution to the study of an immensely complex poet and an aspect of 19th century art with which she is unavoidably intertwined” —Tom Fleming, Apollo Magazine“Her influence on other artists is shown both in the exhibition and in the beautiful accompanying book – far more than a catalogue – Christina Rossetti: Poetry in Art. We see her impact in their illustrations for different editions of her books of poetry, and the many paintings inspired by her poems, such as Arthur Hughes’s The Mower, while in art photography, Julia Margaret Cameron based her charming The Minstrel Group on one of her poems.” —David V Barrett, Catholic Herald“Throughout, handsome design and well-placed illustrations make this a pleasing, fresh addition to the literature on Victorian art, poetry and aesthetics.” —Frances Spalding, Literary Review“Handsome book” —Jeremy Musson, Country Life“The volume now published by Yale University Press, in relation with an exhibition on display at the Watts Gallery in Compton does manage to shed some new light on a largely overlapping subject.” —Laurent Bury, Cercles“[A]n accessible, wide-ranging and beautifully presented introduction to the visual contexts of Rossetti’s work…[which] honours the established view that her poetry participates in a lively interplay with the visual arts, offering an alluring record of a beautiful exhibition.”—Fiona Macdonald, The Journal of Religious HistoryLong listed for the Historians of British Art Book Prize

    15 in stock

    £30.88

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