Literary studies: fiction Books

Book SynopsisIn the stories in this volume Dostoevsky explores both the figure of the dreamer divorced from reality and also his own ambiguous attitude to utopianism, themes central to many of his great novels. In White Nights the apparent idyll of the dreamer''s romantic fantasies disguises profound loneliness and estrangement from ''living life''. Despite his sentimental friendship with Nastenka, his final withdrawal into the world of the imagination anticipates the retreat into the ''underground'' of many of Dostoevsky''s later intellectual heroes. A Gentle Creature and The Dream of a Ridiculous Man show how such withdrawal from reality can end in spiritual desolation and moral indifference and how, in Dostoevsky''s view, the tragedy of the alienated individual can be resolved only by the rediscovery of a sense of compassion and responsibility towards fellow human beings. This new translation captures the power and lyricism of Dostoevsky''s writing, while the introduction examines the stories in relation to one another and to his novels. 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.Trade ReviewThe new translations read smoothly, and Professor William Leatherbarrow's introductory essay is helpfully informative. * Sunday Telegraph *Table of ContentsWhite Nights ; A Gentle Creature ; The Dream of a Ridiculous Man

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Book SynopsisWhat's this you're writing? asked Pooh, climbing onto the writing table.The Tao of Pooh, I replied.The how of Pooh? asked Pooh, smudging one of the words I had just written.The Tao of Pooh, I replied, poking his paw away with my pencil.It seems more like ow! of Pooh, said Pooh, rubbing his paw.Well, it's not, I replied huffily.What's it about? asked Pooh, leaning forward and smearing another word.It's about how to stay happy and calm under all circumstances! I yelled.Have you read it? asked PoohWinnie-the-Pooh has a certain way about him, a way of doing things that has made him the world''s most beloved bear, and Pooh''s Way, as Benjamin Hoff brilliantly demonstrates, seems strangely close to the ancient Chinese principles of Taoism.Follow the Pooh Way in this humorous and enlightening introduction to Taoism, with classic decorations by E.H.Shepard throughout. Over a million copies sold to date.This deluxe anniversary edition is a beautiful gift for any fans of this classic title or everyone's favourite bear.Trade Review‘Winnie-the-Pooh has always been a very special (albeit funny old) bear, not least of all because his books are filled with wonderful words of wisdom.', Stylist magazine "Aspects of Taoism told through the characters of 'Winnie the Pooh' – I mean, does it get better?” Meghan Markle ‘Mr. Hoff gives grown-ups permission to rediscover Winnie the Pooh’ New York Times

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Book SynopsisThis smart new paperback edition contains the fully-reset text of three medieval English poems, translated by Tolkien for the modern-day reader and containing romance, tragedy, love, sex and honour. It features a beautifully decorated text and includes as a bonus the complete version of Tolkien's acclaimed lecture on Sir Gawain.Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Pearl are two poems by an unknown author written in about 1400. Sir Gawain is a romance, a fairy-tale for adults, full of life and colour; but it is also much more than this, being at the same time a powerful moral tale which examines religious and social values.Pearl is apparently an elegy on the death of a child, a poem pervaded with a sense of great personal loss: but, like Gawain it is also a sophisticated and moving debate on much less tangible matters.Sir Orfeo is a slighter romance, belonging to an earlier and different tradition. It was a special favourite of Tolkien's.The three translations represent the complete rhymTrade Review‘The introduction to Gawain is a little masterpiece.’Times Higher Educational Supplement ‘This magnificent Arthurian tale of love, sex, honour, social tact, personal integrity and folk-magic is one of the greatest and most approachable narrative poems in the language. Tolkien’s version makes it come triumphantly alive, a moving and consoling elegy.’Birmingham Post

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Book SynopsisSir Stanley Wells is one of the world''s greatest authorities on William Shakespeare. Here he brings a lifetime of learning and reflection to bear on some of the most tantalising questions about the poet and dramatist that there are. How did he think, feel, and work? What were his relationships like? What did he believe about death? What made him laugh? This freshly thought and immensely engaging study wrestles with fundamental debates concerning Shakespeare''s personality and life. The mysteries of how Shakespeare lived, whom and how he loved, how he worked, how he produced some of the greatest and most abidingly popular works in the history of world literature and drama, have fascinated readers for centuries. This concise, crystalline book conjures illuminating insights to reveal Shakespeare as he was. Wells brings the writer and dramatist alive, in all his fascinating humanity, for readers of today.Trade Review'It is, I think, incontestable to claim that no single person in history has done more for the study and appreciation of Shakespeare than Stanley Wells. This book asks four beguilingly simple questions which result in deeply fascinating and exciting journeys into Shakespeare's mind and practice. As you read, you are very likely to exclaim, as I did, 'Why the hell didn't my English teacher talk like this? Actors, directors, producers, lecturers, teachers, students, and all who want to know and understand more will hug this book to them.' Stephen Fry'If this book wasn't short I wouldn't trust it. There is very little to go on in trying to find Shakespeare the man, and Stanley Wells doesn't pad anything out with wishful speculation. Having studied his works for longer than any man alive he is almost uniquely placed to do this detective work. In his tenth decade Wells has lost none of his curiosity or his eagerness to share his intimate knowledge.' Harriet Walter'Stanley Wells illuminates and entertains – brilliant!' Kenneth Branagh'A truly excellent book – I enjoyed every page. I am sure it will be read with appreciation by all who care for Shakespeare, or are curious about the inner turmoil of his life.' Claire Tomalin'This illuminating compilation … helps separate the man from the myth.' Publishers Weekly'Wells is our pre-eminent Shakespearean, and here he reflects magisterially on the topic that has absorbed his life for seven decades … [His] book offers a readable, pacy and personal introduction to Shakespeare's works, and to Wells's own important role, part-Prospero, part-Puck, in their popularisation. And if you're still wondering: what Shakespeare was really like remains, happily, a mystery.' The Telegraph'Wells roots his picture of the playwright and poet in evidence and logic, and he's too erudite to be anything but modest in his conjectures - which is much the appeal of this book.' Jonathan Mandell, New York Theater'Stanley Wells, the nonagenarian dean of Shakespeare scholars, condenses decades of living with Shakespeare into What Was Shakespeare Really Like? … Commonsensical, easy-going, Mr. Wells wants to encounter Shakespeare as a personality.' The Wall Street Journal'Just as any production of a Shakespeare play reveals as much about its interpreters as its playwright, so Wells paints a portrait of himself alongside his subject. That the reader will still likely be glad of it is testament to the author's unwavering enthusiasm and insight.' Rory Kinnear, The Guardian'…secret, passionate urgings and scoldings were the seeds of [Shakespeare's] creativity. Professor Wells deserves a round of applause for bringing them into the light.' John Walsh, The Mail on SundayTable of ContentsForeword Stephen Fry; 1. What Manner of Man Was He?; 2. How Did Shakespeare Write a Play?; 3. What Do the Sonnets Tell Us about Their Author?; 4. What Made Shakespeare Laugh?; Epilogue: Eight Decades with Shakespeare.

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Book SynopsisAs performed by Maxine Peake (''visionary''): the radical dystopian classic, lost for forty years: in a nightmarish Britain, THEY are coming closer''A creepily prescient tale ... Insidiously horrifying!'' Margaret Atwood''A masterpiece of creeping dread.'' Emily St. John MandelThis is Britain: but not as we know it. THEY begin with a dead dog, shadowy footsteps, confiscated books. Soon the National Gallery is purged; eerie towers survey the coast; mobs stalk the countryside destroying artworks - and those who resist.THEY capture dissidents writers, painters, musicians, even the unmarried and childless in military sweeps, curing' these subversives of individual identity.Survivors gather together as cultural refugees, preserving their crafts, creating, loving and remembering. But THEY make it easier to forget ...Lost for half a century, newly introduced by Carmen Maria Machado, Kay Dick''s They (1977) is a re

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Book Synopsis''I am making up To the Lighthouse - the sea is to be heard all through it'' Inspired by the lost bliss of her childhood summers in Cornwall, Virginia Woolf produced one of the masterworks of English literature in To the Lighthouse. It concerns the Ramsay family and their summer guests on the Isle of Skye before and after the First World War. As children play and adults paint, talk, muse and explore, relationships shift and mutate. A captivating fusion of elegy, autobiography, socio-political critique and visionary thrust, it is the most accomplished of all Woolf''s novels. On completing it, she thought she had exorcised the ghosts of her imposing parents, but she had also brought form to a book every bit as vivid and intense as the work of Lily Briscoe, the indomitable artist at the centre of the novel. 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 commitm

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Book SynopsisRead Shakespeare’s plays in all their brilliance—and understand what every word means! Don’t be intimidated by Shakespeare! These popular guides make the Bard’s plays accessible and enjoyable.Each No Fear guide contains: The complete text of the original play A line-by-line translation that puts Shakespeare into everyday language A complete list of characters, with descriptions Plenty of helpful commentary

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It is stripped off - the paper - in great patches ...The colour is repellent ...In the places where it isn't faded and where the sun is just so - I can see a strange, provoking, formless sort of figure, that seems to skulk about ...' Based on the author's own experiences, 'The Yellow Wallpaper' is the chilling tale of a woman driven to the brink of insanity by the 'rest cure' prescribed after the birth of her child. Isolated in a crumbling colonial mansion, in a room with bars on the windows, the tortuous pattern of the yellow wallpaper winds its way into the recesses of her mind. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was America's leading feminist intellectual of the early twentieth century. In addition to her masterpiece 'The Yellow Wallpaper', this new edition includes a selection of her best short fiction and extracts from her autobiography.

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Book SynopsisGreat Expectations includes some of Dickens's most memorable characters - Magwitch, Miss Havisham, Estella - encountered by young Pip as he grows into adulthood. This edition features a wide-ranging introduction, Dickens's working notes, the original ...

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Book SynopsisThe first of two companion volumes which documents the later writing of The Silmarillion, Tolkien's epic tale of war.After The Lord of the Rings was at last achieved, J R R Tolkien turned his attention once again to the Matter of the Elder Days'. The text of the Annals of Aman, the Blessed Land' in the far West, is given in full; while in writings hitherto unknown is seen the nature of the problems that Tolkien explored in his later years, as new and radical ideas, portending upheaval in the old narratives, emerged at the heart of the mythology, and as the destinies of Men and Elves, mortals and immortals, became of central significance, together with a vastly enlarged perception of the evil of Melkor, the Shadow upon Arda.The second part of this history of the later Silmarillion is concerned with developments in the legends of Beleriand after the completion of The Lord of the Rings.Trade Review‘Christopher Tolkien shows himself to be his father’s son… Tolkien devotees will rejoice’ The New York Times Book Review ‘Illustrates the development, depth and richness of J R R Tolkien’s personal mythology’ Vector

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.I beheld, unclouded by doubt, a magnificent vision of all that invisibility might mean to a man the mystery, the power, the freedom.Griffin, a stranger, arrives at the local inn of an English village, entirely shrouded in bandages. Forbidding and unfriendly, he confines himself to his room. Driven away by the villagers and turning to an old friend for help, Griffin reveals that he has discovered how to make himself invisible, and plans to use his condition for treacherous ends. But when his friend refuses to join his quest, Griffin turns murderous, threatening to seek revenge on all who have betrayed him.H. G. Wells' controversial works are considered modern classics of the science fiction genre. Originally serialised in 1897, The Invisible Man is a fascinating exploration of power, corruption and science.Trade Review‘[Wells’ work is] astonishingly rich in human and historical interest … he foresaw the invention of, among other things, television, tanks, aerial warfare and the atom bomb’ David Lodge ‘I personally consider the greatest of English living writers [to be] H. G. Wells’ Upton Sinclair ‘The father of science fiction’ Guardian

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.Now he found out a new thing namely, that to promise not to do a thing is the surest way in the world to make a body want to go and do that very thing.'An idyllic snapshot of a boy's childhood along the banks of the Mississippi River, Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is the author's work that comes closest to his boyhood experiences of growing up in Hannibal in the 1840s.Mischievous and full of energy, Tom enjoys childish pranks and pastimes with his friends, Huck Finn, the town outcast and Joe Harper, his best friend. However, at the town graveyard, Huck and Tom witness a murder, carried out by local vagabond Injun Joe. They vow never to tell a soul about what they have seen and so begins their journey into adulthood as Tom wrestles with his own morality, guilt and anxiety.A coming of age' tale, it is through Tom's adventures and relationships with others that he becomes more responsible and more aw

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Book Synopsis''- What is your nation if I may ask, says the citizen.- Ireland, says Bloom. I was born here. Ireland.''Ulysses, one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century, has had a profound influence on modern fiction. In a series of episodes covering the course of a single day, 16 June 1904, the novel traces the movements of Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus through the streets of Dublin. Each episode has its own literary style, and the epic journey of Odysseus is only one of many correspondencies that add layers of meaning to the text.Today critical interest centres on the authority of the text, and this edition, complete with an invaluable introduction, notes, and appendices, republishes without interference, the original 1922 text. Jeri Johnson''s commentary guides the reader through this highly allusive novel in an edition acclaimed by scholars and general readers alike. This updated edition includes new explanatory notes, a revised introduction, and expanded bibliography.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 ContentsMap: Dublin c. 1904 Abbreviations Introduction Composition and Publication History Select Bibliography A Chronology of James Joyce ULYSSES Appendix A: The Gilbert and Linati Schemata Appendix B: Ulysses: Serialization and Editions Appendix C: Errata Explanatory Notes

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Book Synopsis"Sergio Chejfec is an admirable writer." —Patti Smith“Could anyone possibly believe that writing doesn’t exist? It would be like denying the existence of rain.”The perfect green notebook forms the basis for Sergio Chejfec’s work, collecting writing, and allowing it to exist in a state of permanent possibility, or, as he says, “The written word is also capable of waiting for the next opportunity to appear and to continue to reveal itself by and for itself.” This same notebook is also the jumping off point for this essay, which considers the dimensions of the act of writing (legibility, annotation, facsimile, inscription, typewriter versus word processor versus pen) as a way of thinking, as a record of relative degrees of permanence, and as a performance. From Kafka through Borges, Nabokov, Levrero, Walser, the implications of how we write take on meaning as well worth considering as what we write. This is a love letter to the act of writing as practice, bearing down on all the ways it happens (cleaning typewriter keys, the inevitable drying out of the bottle of wite-out, the difference between Word Perfect and Word) to open up all the ways in which “when we express our thought, it changes.” Trade Review************Praise for Sergio Chejfec"Sergio Chejfec is an admirable writer." —Patti Smith“Chejfec's latest work should be treated as a significant event." —Publisher's Weekly"It is hard to think of another contemporary writer who, marrying true intellect with simple description of a space, simultaneously covers so little and so much ground.” —Times Literary Supplement"I'd locate My Two Worlds among the rarae aves of recent fiction, among those books still capable of blazing new paths on the perilous trajectory of the modern novel." —Enrique Vila-Matas"This first novel by New York-based Argentine native Chejfec to be translated into English is a slim, gracefully discursive work....[My Two Worlds] allows us to enter the thoughts of a restless intellectual whose streams of thought involve the reader in his quest to find meaning in everything he sees and does." —Kirkus Reviews"If genius can be defined by the measure of depth of an artist’s perception into human experience, then Chejfec is a genius." —Coffin Factory“Sergio Chejfec’s The Incompletes is a masterfully nested narrative where writing—its presence on the page, its course through time, its prismatic dispersion of meaning—is the true protagonist. Heather Cleary’s flawless translation adds yet another layer to this extraordinary palimpsest of a novel.” —Hernan Diaz"This was one of Sergio’s great gifts as a writer: his ability to take the small, the fragmentary, and to reveal the worlds contained within." —Heather Cleary, Lit Hub"A beautifully baffling book about the peripatetic wanderings of your own mind through the hotels, hallways, and postcards of the protagonists, or about the instability hiding in every apparently solid building, or maybe even how you don’t know an event is significant until some disconnected and celestial phenomenon illuminates it." —Josh Cook , Porter Square Books

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Book SynopsisWhat exactly are the Weird and the Eerie? In this new essay, Mark Fisher argues that some of the most haunting and anomalous fiction of the 20th century belongs to these two modes. The Weird and the Eerie are closely related but distinct modes, each possessing its own distinct properties. Both have often been associated with Horror, yet this emphasis overlooks the aching fascination that such texts can exercise. The Weird and the Eerie both fundamentally concern the outside and the unknown, which are not intrinsically horrifying, even if they are always unsettling. Perhaps a proper understanding of the human condition requires examination of liminal concepts such as the weird and the eerie. These two modes will be analysed with reference to the work of authors such as H. P. Lovecraft, H. G. Wells, M.R. James, Christopher Priest, Joan Lindsay, Nigel Kneale, Daphne Du Maurier, Alan Garner and Margaret Atwood, and films by Stanley Kubrick, Jonathan Glazer and Christoper Nolan."

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Scott McCloud's brilliant treatise on the inner workings of cartoonists will delight amateur artists and curious fans alike." -- Salon "In this, McCloud's third nonfiction book about comics, he has produced his most significant achievement to date, and that's really saying something." -- Cory Doctorow "Only Scott McCloud could have organized his thoughts on comics like this. Scott's talent as a cartoonist not only makes him intimate to insights no outsider can see, but also gives him the power to show it to the world." -- Jeff Smith "Every aspect of comics creation is covered in this enlightening, accessible guide presented in a comic-strip format." -- Booklist (Editor's Choice) "A guide to creating comics that is as thoughtful and entertaining as the best-loved work in the field, both enjoyable and accessible to casual fans of the form and the new gold standard for artists who want to create their own comics, manga, and graphic novels. -- Bookslut "More than a how-to, the book goes beyond simple instruction, digging into the real dirt of creating comics." -- Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisA beautifully illustrated account of the letters and correspondence of Jane Austen. It has been said that Jane Austen the woman and Jane Austen the author are all of a piece, and nowhere is this more evident to the lovers of her novels than in the pages of her letters. This handsome celebration of Austen's letters is illustrated with portraits, facsimile letters, topographical engravings and fashion plates, all helping to bring to life the world Jane Austen inhabited. The letters, with an accompanying commentary by Penelope Hughes-Hallett, are separated into six periods of Jane Austen's life, between the years 1796, when she was twenty, and 1817, the year of her death. They celebrate Jane Austen's talent for expressing exactly what she perceived, making this an illuminating companion to her novels. Although the book follows a broadly chronological scheme, the letters are arranged round visual themes, including the Hampshire countryside, social life in Bath and London, domestic pursuits, paying visits and travelling by carriage. The author, who was born in Jane Austen's Hampshire village of Steventon, lectured on English Literature for the Open University and the Oxford University Department of External Studies. Trade Review‘It’s a fascinating insight into [Jane Austen’s] life and what influenced her.’ * The People's Friend *'Thoughtful and Attractive.' * Best of British *'This is a wondrous mixture of personal opinion, informed commentary and illuminating illustrations... a volume to dip into and enjoy again and again' * Jane Austen’s Regency World Review *

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Book SynopsisIn Burning Questions Atwood aims her constant curiosity and impish humour at our world and reports back to us on what she finds.In it she seeks answers to Burning Questions such as: Why do people everywhere, in all cultures, tell stories? How can we live on our planet? What do zombies have to do with authoritarianism? The roller-coaster period covered in the collection brought an end to the end of history, a financial crash, the rise of Trump and a pandemic. From debt to tech, the climate crisis to freedom; from when to dispense advice to the young (answer: only when asked) to how to define granola, we have no better questioner of the many and varied mysteries of our human universe.INCLUDES NEW MATERIAL FOR PAPERBACK‘A wonderfully written insight into everything from zombies to the climate crisis’ Stylist‘The mighty Margaret Atwood writes about everything from granola to Trump' The TimesTrade ReviewThis isn't just a collection of essays for Atwood fans. Rather, this is an attempt to make sense of the world, taking in with characteristic verve everything from Anne of Green Gables to Donald Trump, zombies to censorship . . . While the tone skates from surreal off-kilter wit to impassioned gravity, Atwood always makes the idea of big questions a little more digestible . . . The collection is polyphonic, enthusiastic, illuminating -- Sophie Macintosh * i News *Margaret Atwood was recently described in a Guardian interview as "arguably the most famous living literary novelist in the world", and she is undoubtedly the most venerable . . . It's fascinating to read Atwood's reflections on her own novels and their continued relevance . . . but equally striking to see how many pieces she has included here generously celebrating other writers -- Stephanie Merritt * Observer *If there's one person in the world from whom you'd want a hot take on the most pressing issues, it would surely be Margaret Atwood . . . She answers our burning questions on climate change, the rise of Trump and on to debt and tech -- Joanna Taylor * Evening Standard *With her bold imagination, calm insight, and wit, Atwood gathers diverse strands into a marvellous collection ranging from the history of forests to the nature of science fiction and beyond. Burning Questions is a delicious antidote to intellectual fragmentation that left me inspired -- Merlin Sheldrake, author of Entangled LifeA compilation of essays that pick the brain of Booker Prize-winning author Margaret Atwood, this is a wonderfully written insight into everything from zombies to the climate crisis * Stylist *

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Book SynopsisEmma is considered by many to be Austen's finest and most representative novel. The story of Emma Woodhouse's matchmaking, and her awakening to the true feelings of others as well as herself, is told with consummate wit and humour.Table of ContentsIntroduction Select Bibliography A Chronology of Jane Austen EMMA Explanatory Notes

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Book SynopsisTurgenev's masterpiece about the conflict between generations is as fresh, outspoken, and exciting today as it was in when it was first published in 1862.

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Book SynopsisOne of the greatest artistic works of the twentieth century, Finnegans Wake is both an outrageous epic and a wildly inventive comedy that rewards its readers with never-ending layers of meaning. This edition helps readers get past its reputation for difficulty in order to enjoy its astonishing originality and imaginative achievement.Trade Reviewenhances the reader's textual awareness...The captivating, accessible and rich introduction by Finn Fordham enthuses first-time readers * James Joyce Broadsheet, Dirk Van Hulle *The editors have provided a lucid introduction and a chapter-by-chapter outline which gives one at last a vague hold on what's going on, but it's not overburdened with notes, which frees one to stop worrying and just enjoy the surrealism and exuberance of Joyce's language. * Independent on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisChristopher Martin, the sole survivor of a torpedoed destroyer, is stranded upon a rock in the middle of the Atlantic. Pitted against him are the sea, the sun, the night cold and the terror of his isolation. Through the long hours with only himself to talk to, Martin must try to assemble the truth of his fate, piece by terrible piece.

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Book SynopsisPiece together one of Jay Gatsby's notorious parties, where figures both real and fictional from Fitzgerald's life and work are hidden among the enigmatic guests. Find Daisy Buchanan weeping over a pile of silk shirts, Gatsby gazing towards the green light of his dreams, Ernest Hemingway working at his typewriter and the all-seeing eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg surveying the wreckage as you puzzle towards the story's tragic conclusion.PART OF THE WORLD OF JIGSAW PUZZLE SERIES which immerse puzzlers in the worlds of their favourite writers and works.FEATURING AN ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATION packed with detail and a large poster with an introduction to the novel by Kirk Curnutt, executive director of the F. Scott Fitzgerald SocietyA GOOD-SIZED PUZZLE that measures 48.5 x 68 cm (19 x 27 in.) when completed.

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Book SynopsisThis is the first edition for nearly 200 years of an unduly neglected work, originally published in 1806, by an intriguing and unconventional woman writer. A Gothic tale of lust, betrayal, and multiple murder set in fifteenth-century Venice, the novel's most daring aspect is its anatomy of the central character, Victoria's, intense sexual attraction to her Moorish servant Zofloya. A minor scandal on its first publication, and a significant influence on Byron andShelley, it contradicts idealized stereotypes in women's writing and challenges the received idea of the Gothic genre's representation of passive, victimized women.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Note on the Text; Select Bibliography; A Chronology of Charlotte Dacre; Engraving of Charlotte Dacre as Rosa Matilda; ZOFLOYA, OR THE MOOR; Appendix; A Note on Names; Explanatory Notes

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Book SynopsisEric Karpeles's lavishly illustrated and comprehensive guide offers a feast for the eyes as it celebrates the close relationship between the visual and literary arts in Proust's masterpiece. Karpeles has identified and located all of the paintings to which Proust makes exact reference. Where only a painter's name is mentioned to indicate a certain mood or appearance, he has chosen a representative work to illustrate the impression that Proust sought to evoke. Botticelli's angels, Manet's courtesans, Mantegna's warriors and Carpaccio's saints stand among Monet's water lilies and Piranesi's engravings of Rome, while Karpeles's insightful essay and lucid contextual commentary explain their significance to Proust. The book closes with extensive notes and a comprehensive index of all painters and paintings mentioned in the novel. With over 200 beautifully reproduced paintings, drawings and engravings, and accompanying texts drawn from the Moncrieff/Kilmartin/Enright translation of In Search of Lost Time, this book is an essential addition to the libraries of Proustians worldwide and a handsome volume in its own right.Trade Review'Will thrill any Proust lover' - Financial Times'Will undoubtedly be greeted with the literary equivalent of a hosanna' - The New York Times'Intelligent and passionate … a window into Proust’s sharp, eccentric wit' - The Irish Times'Indispensable to the [Proust] addict, but also enticing for the casual browser' - ObserverTable of ContentsIntroduction • Volume I: Swann’s Way • Volume II: Within a Budding Grove • Volume III: The Guermantes Way • Volume IV: Sodom and Gomorrah • Volume V: The Captive • Volume VI: The Fugitive • Volume VII: Time Regained • Notes • Index of Painters and Paintings

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Book Synopsis`It was not so much his great height that marked him ... it was the careless powerful look that he had, in spite of a lameness checking each step like the jerk of a chain.'' Set against the bleak winter landscape of New England, Ethan Frome tells the story of a poor farmer, lonely and downtrodden, his wife Zeena, and her cousin, the enchanting Mattie Silver. In the playing out of this short novel''s powerful and engrossing drama, Edith Wharton constructed her least characteristic and most celebrated book. In its unyielding and shocking pessimism, its bleak demonstration of tragic waste, it is a masterpiece of psychological and emotional realism. In her introduction the distinguished critic Elaine Showalter discusses the background to the novel''s composition and the reasons for its enduring success. 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.Trade Reviewwith each volume having an introduction by an acknowledged expert, and exhaustive notes, the World's Classics are surely the most desirable series and, all-round, the best value for money * Oxford Times *This love story has an emotional intensity made all the more poignant by the inarticulate reticence of Wharton's characters - a ménage à trois consisting of Frome, his querulous wife and her young girl cousin. With quiet assurance, Wharton conveys passion, malaise and tragedy with memorable impact. * Sophia Sackville-West, Evening Standard (London) *Ethan Frome is one of Edith Wharton's most famous novels and rightly so. It is exquisitely written by an author with remarkable observation and imagination. Ethan Frome is a novel which extinguishes hope and blows away happiness but it is so powerful as an analysis of waste that it is nothing short of a masterpiece. * Madeleine Burton, Herts Advertiser *

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Book SynopsisG K Chesterton - A Reappraisal

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Book SynopsisStep into the world of history-makers with this edition, enriched with the eloquence of individuals who shaped and reshaped their destinies. Experience the artistry of master orators as their meticulously crafted speeches transcend the boundaries of time and space, captivating the minds and hearts of their audiences. A literary gem for all, this exquisite hardbound edition features a ribbon bookmark, gilded edges, and stunning endpapers.Inspiring words that shaped history?

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Book SynopsisConfident with the basics of your craft? Looking to take your writing to the next level? Advanced Fiction gives you the tools to hone your skills by thinking more deeply and systematically about deploying them on the page. Friendly and down-to-earth, Amy Weldon guides you through the realities of craft and process, combining a broad anthology of landmark stories with instruction on the more advanced aspects of fiction writing.Featuring interactive prompts, exercises and suggestions for further reading, this book guides you from larger philosophical issues to subtler technical ones, from topics as diverse as the intricate principles of storytelling to navigating artistic and political landscapes conscientiously and building a writing career. Beginning with a brief recap of the basics, the text goes on to examine:- The psychology of writing and revising- Practical methods for drafting and notebook-keeping- Taking personal and technical risks with ideas, images, and forms- Making rTable of ContentsChapter One: What Makes Advanced Fiction Writing “Advanced?” Student Craft Studio: Shannon Baker, “Habits” Craft Studio: James Joyce, “Araby” (1914) Exercises Chapter Two: Getting It Down: Self-Organizing, From Mind to Page Exercises Chapter Three: Mystery, Conviction, Form, and Risk Student Craft Studio: Levi Bird, “On Stable Ground” Craft Studio: Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892) Exercises Chapter Four: Writing in Color: Culture, Identity, and Art Student Craft Studio: Ian Wreisner, “The New Chicago” Craft Studio: Rebecca Makkai, from The Great Believers: A Novel (2018) Exercises Chapter Five: Invisible Engines: Purpose, Psychic Distance, and Point of View Student Craft Studio: Andrew Tiede, “Till Death” Craft Studio: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “The American Embassy” (2003) Exercises Chapter Six: Building a World – For Your Readers and Yourself Student Craft Studio: Joel Murillo, “Cracker Jack” Kari Myers, “Fields of Ash” Craft Studio: Angela Carter, “The Tiger’s Bride” (1979) Exercises Chapter Seven: Trust the Process: Revising, Editing, and Writing At Length Teacher Craft Studio: Amy Weldon, “The Serpent” (2018) Exercises Chapter Eight: Creative Writing and Your Future Student Career Studio: Andrew Chan, Derek Lin, Reed Johnson, MD, and Annika Dome MFA Studio: Keith Lesmeister, “East of Ely” (2017) Dr Weldon’s Fiction Prescriptions

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Book SynopsisIncluding Homage to Catalonia''Spain not only defined Orwell as an individual, it also gave him his first glimpse of totalitarianism'' D. J. Taylor, GuardianGeorge Orwell''s experience of the Spanish Civil War had a transformative effect on his life and work. This volume brings together his complete writings on the war, including Homage to Catalonia, his searing memoir of fighting in the conflict and the bitter betrayal that followed. The powerful journalism, essays, letters and pamphlets also collected here show his resolution to tell the truth about what happened amid a ''crop of lies'' from both the Communist Party and the British press, while in ''Looking Back on the Spanish War'' he remembers the heroism and decency of the ordinary people he encountered.Edited by Peter Davison with an Introduction by Christopher Hitchens

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Book SynopsisSally Rooney: High intelligence and beauty.'Margo Jefferson: ''Extraordinary''Rediscover a lost American classic in this kaleidoscopic scrapbook of one woman''s memories, with a new introduction by Eimear McBride. I am alone here in New York, no longer a we ... First published in 1979, Sleepless Nights is a unique collage of fiction and memoir, letters and essays, portraits and dreams. It is more than the story of a life: it is Elizabeth Hardwick''s experience of womanhood in the twentieth century. Escaping her childhood home of Kentucky, the narrator arrives at a bohemian hotel in Manhattan filled with ''drunks, actors, gamblers ... love and alcohol and clothes on the floor.'' Here begin the erotic affairs and dinner parties, the abortions and heartbreaks, the friendships and ''people I have buried''. Here are luminous sketches of characters she has met that illuminate the era''s racis

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Book SynopsisFrom 70 of the most successful mystery writers in the business, an invaluable guide to crafting mysteries—from character development and plot to procedurals and thrillers—“this is a writing guide that readers and writers will turn to again and again” (Booklist, starred review). Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is known for providing unparalleled resources on the craft, art, and business of storytelling, helping writers of all levels improve their skills for nearly a century. Now, this handbook helps authors navigate the ever-shifting publishing landscape—from pacing, plotting, the business side of publishing, to the current demand for diversity and inclusivity across all genres, and more. Featuring essays by a new generation of bestselling experts on various elements of the craft and shorter pieces of crowd-sourced wisdom from the MWA membership as a whole, the topics covered can be categorized as follows: —Before Writing (rules; genres; setting; character; research; etc.) —While Writing (outlining; the plot; dialogue; mood; etc.) —After Writing (agents; editors; self-pub; etc.) —Other than Novels (short stories; true crime; etc.) —Other Considerations (diverse characters; legal questions; criticism) Also included is a collection of essays from MWA published authors—including Jeffery Deaver, Tess Gerritsen, and Charlaine Harris—selected by bestselling authors Lee Child and Laurie King and arranged thematically answering, “What piece of writing advice do you wish you’d had at the beginning of your career?” “Everything you wanted to know about how to plan, draft, write, revise, publish, and market a mystery” (Kirkus Reviews), this inclusive manual provides practical, current, easily digestible advice for new and established authors alike.Trade Review"An embarrassment of riches . . . [How to Write a Mystery] overflows with enough pithy wisdom and hard-boiled humor to deserve its place on any mystery lover's shelf, even if they never intend to write a thing. . . . A snappy, wise and expansive guide which in explaining how to write a mystery ends up illustrating much of what makes the genre so engrossing." —Minneapolis Star Tribune "A wonderful book, a seminar in genre writing conducted by some of the genre’s most accomplished practitioners. . . . a writing guide that readers and writers will turn to again and again." —Booklist, starred review "Everything you wanted to know about how to plan, draft, write, revise, publish, and market a mystery, courtesy of the cheerleaders from the Mystery Writers of America. . . . A chorus of encouraging voices that mix do-this instruction with companionable inspiration." —Kirkus Reviews "Tempted to try your own hand at a tale of crime? How to Write a Mystery gathers sound and often witty advice from nearly 70 contemporary practitioners." —Wall Street Journal "One of the best and most inclusive manuals ever. . . . How to Write a Mystery is a splendid technical treatise for writers of any stage or level. . . . Reading the book feels like taking a graduate-level course. . . . an immensely worthwhile investment for the storyteller in us all.” —BookTrib "All this input from some of the most successful mystery writers alive makes for an invaluable guide to crafting mysteries, police procedurals, and thrillers. These experts offer practical, current, and surprisingly easily digestible advice." —The Big Thrill "Budding authors looking for pro tips will find some useful tidbits." —Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisThrough the story of Margaret Hale, the middle-class southerner who moves to the northern industrial town of Milton, Gaskell skilfully explores issues of class and gender in the conflict between Margaret's ready sympathy with the workers and her growing attraction to the charismatic mill owner, John Thornton. This new revised and expanded edition sets the novel in the context of Victorian social and medical debate.

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Book SynopsisA team of distinguished and internationally acclaimed writers and illustrators share their personal insights into the maps they love, the maps they use and the maps that set them dreaming.Trade Review'Beautifully produced ... A reminder that a map is far more than a means of plotting a route. Like a book, it can transport you. It can work magic' - Daily Telegraph Travel, Book of the Year'Absolutely gorgeous' - Independent'That strange alchemy of words into cartography and sometimes vice versa – how wonderful it is to travel within the bounds of a book' - Daily Telegraph'Fascinating' - Financial Times, Books of the Year'Glorious … This exquisitely crafted atlas is a must for any passionate reader' - Woman & Home'Book of the year for 2018. It gathers intelligently charming meditations from writers and festoons them with map after map after map after map of imaginary, and sometimes non-imaginary, lands' - Weekly Standard'Fantastic' - Atlas Obscura'I’m in love … this book is genius' - Jen Campbell, Christmas Gift Guide'This delightful, engrossing exploration is for every reader who's ever admired a book or a map, let alone both' - Shelf Awareness'The book is stellar. The maps are gorgeously recreated and cover a wide spectrum of type, style, time period, and intent' - Fantasy Literature'A beautifully illustrated compendium' - Country Life'Bursting with fascinating essays and maps, this is a feast for the eyes and the mind’s eye' - Cumbria Life'Lavish' - Choice'Charts the landscape of literary imagination with passion and care' - NPR Books of the Year'A gorgeously illustrated collection' - Map Room blog'A writer’s love letter to the map' - Tor.com'An enchanting collection of fictional cartographies ... spellbinding' - Geographical'Treasure to pore over on Christmas Day' - Mainstreet Books'The ideal gift for the family bookworm' - York Press'The quintessential coffee-table book' - Chicago Tribune'An incredible love letter to invention, place, and the art of the map' - Zocalo Public Square'Contains beautiful bold imagery and was particularly skilful when it came to the use of so many different typefaces on one page' - British Design and Production Awards, Winner Production/Trade Illustrated category

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Book Synopsis''I feel the need of an escapade after these serious poetic experimental books...I want to kick up my heels & be off.''Orlando tells the tale of an extraordinary individual who lives through centuries of English history, first as a man, then as a woman; of his/her encounters with queens, kings, novelists, playwrights, and poets, and of his/her struggle to find fame and immortality not through actions, but through the written word. At its heart are the life and works of Woolf''s friend and lover, Vita Sackville-West, and Knole, the historic home of the Sackvilles. But as well as being a love letter to Vita, Orlando mocks the conventions of biography and history, teases the pretensions of contemporary men of letters, and wryly examines sexual double standards. This new edition discusses Woolf''s stylistic aims, the biographical parallels, and the work''s literary context, and includes the original illustrations. 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.Trade ReviewIf you have always wanted to read Woolf but feel intimidated, Orlando is a good place to start. And you can't go wrong with this new Oxford edition. * Shiny New Books, Stefanie Hollmichel *

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Book SynopsisThe third part of The History of The Lord of the Rings, an enthralling account of the writing of the Book of the Century which contains many additional scenes and includes the unpublished Epilogue in its entirety.The War of the Ring takes up the story of The Lord of the Rings with the Battle of Helm's Deep and the drowning of Isengard by the Ents, continues with the journey of Frodo, Sam and Gollum to the Pass of Cirith Ungol, describes the war in Gondor, and ends with the parley between Gandalf and the ambassador of the Dark Lord before the Black Gate of Mordor.The book is illustrated with plans and drawings of the changing conceptions of Orthanc, Dunharrow, Minas Tirith and the tunnels of Shelob's Lair.This series of fascinating books has now been repackaged to complement the distinctive and classic style of the black cover' A-format paperbacks of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.Trade Review‘Christopher Tolkien shows himself to be his father’s son… Tolkien devotees will rejoice’ The New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisSybil, or The Two Nations is one of the finest novels to depict the social problems of class-ridden Victorian England. The book''s publication in 1845 created a sensation, for its immediacy and readability brought the plight of the working classes sharply to the attention of the reading public. The ''two nations'' of the alternative title are the rich and poor, so disparate in their opportunities and living conditions, and so hostile to each other. that they seem almost to belong to different countries. The gulf between them is given a poignant focus by the central romantic plot concerning the love of Charles Egremont, a member of the landlord class, for Sybil, the poor daughter of a militant Chartist leader.Trade Reviewperfect timing for this new edition ... with a brilliant introduction that throws fresh light on Disraeli's views, explains the novel's culutural roots and defends its place as an accomplished work of fiction in its own right * The Lady *Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography Chronology SYBIL Explanatory Notes

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Book Synopsis''She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older - the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning.''Anne Elliot seems to have given up on present happiness and has resigned herself to living off her memories. More than seven years earlier she complied with duty: persuaded to view the match as imprudent and improper, she broke off her engagement to a naval captain with neither fortune, ancestry, nor prospects. However, when peacetime arrives and brings the Navy home, and Anne encounters Captain Wentworth once more, she starts to believe in second chances. Persuasion celebrates romantic constancy in an era of turbulent change. Written as the Napoleonic Wars were ending, the novel examines how a woman can at once remain faithful to her past and still move forward into the future. 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''

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Book SynopsisFanny Price is taken to live at Mansfield Park, the home of her wealthy uncle. She gradually falls in love with her cousin Edmund, but when the dazzling and sophisticated Crawfords arrive, and amateur theatricals unleash rivalry and sexual jealousy, Fanny has to fight to retain her independence. This new edition places Mansfield Park in its Regency context and elucidates the theatrical background that pervades the novel.

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Book SynopsisOne of the most significant literary works of the twentieth century, and one of the most innovative. Young Irish Catholic, Stephen Dedalus, rejects religion and national ties to develop unfettered as an artist. Stronly autobiographical, the novel is one of the founding texts of Modernism and the precursor of Ulysses.Trade Reviewhandsome new editions . . . . eminently readable with good, clear typefaces and text unencumbered by note numbersTable of ContentsIntroduction ; Bibliography ; Chronology ; Publication history/Note on the text ; Explanatory notes

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Book Synopsis'That word, "vacation," makes me sweat.' Coco Chanel on taking a break'You must do it irregardless, or it will eat its way out of you.' Zora Neale Hurston on writing'One has to choose between the Life and the Project.' Susan Sontag on choosing artFrom Vanessa Bell and Charlotte Brontë to Nina Simone and Jane Campion, here are over one hundred and forty female writers, painters, musicians, sculptors, poets, choreographers, and filmmakers on how they create and work.Barbara Hepworth sculpted outdoors and Janet Frame wore earmuffs as she worked to block out noise. Kate Chopin wrote with her six children ‘swarming around her’ whereas the artist Rosa Bonheur filled her bedroom with the sixty birds that inspired her work. Louisa May Alcott wrote so vigorously – skipping sleep and meals – that she had to learn to write with her left hand to give her cramped right hand a break.From Isak Dinesen subsisting on oysters, champagne and amphetamines, to Isabel Allende's insistence that she begins each new book on 8 January, here are the working routines of over 140 brilliant female painters, composers, sculptors, writers, filmmakers and performers.Filled with details of the large and small choices these women made, Mason Currey's Daily Rituals Women at Work is a source of fascination and inspiration.'An admirably succinct portrait of some distinctly uncommon lives' - Meryle SecrestTrade ReviewUtterly fascinating . . . This book is the ultimate retort to the flaneurs who dream about the novel/screenplay/painting they would create if only they had the time -- Daisy Goodwin, Sunday Times on Daily Rituals: How Great Minds Make Time, Find Inspiration and Get to WorkI just can't recommend this book enough -- Lena Dunham on Daily Rituals: How Great Minds Make Time, Find Inspiration and Get to WorkA trove of entertaining anecdote and thought-provoking comparison -- Daily Telegraph, on Daily Rituals: How Great Minds Make Time, Find Inspiration and Get to WorkA chance to see what great lives look like when the triumphs, dramas, disruptions and divorces have been all but boiled away. It will fascinate anyone who wonders how a day might best be spent, especially those who have wondered of their artistic heroes, as a baffled Colette once did of George Sand: how the devil did they manage? -- Guardian, on Daily Rituals: How Great Minds Make Time, Find Inspiration and Get to WorkMason Currey has carefully compiled the daily habits and personal foibles of 161 great writers, artists, scientists and thinkers, including one who stood on his head to cure creative block. By the end of this book, our carpet-glue habit looks normal -- DBC Pierre, Guardian, on Daily Rituals: How Great Minds Make Time, Find Inspiration and Get to WorkA fascinating little book -- Financial Times on Daily Rituals: How Great Minds Make Time, Find Inspiration and Get to Work

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