Literary studies: general Books

Book SynopsisEugene Onegin is the master work of the poet whom Russians regard as the fountainhead of their literature. Set in 1820s Russia, Pushkin's novel in verse follows the fates of three men and three women. It was Pushkin's own favourite work, and this new translation conveys the literal sense and the poetic music of the original.

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Book SynopsisThis edition offers a new translation of a selection of the Buddha's most important sayings reflecting the full variety of material: biography of the Buddha, narrative, myth, short sayings, philosophical discourse, instruction on morality, meditation, and the spiritual life. It provides an excellent introduction to Buddhist scripture.Trade ReviewRupert Gethin's 'Sayings of the Buddha' [is] translated with an eye toward readability. * Buddhaharma *This short volume is...a resource for teachers and students, and anyone interested in early Buddhist literature. * Buddhaharma *

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Book SynopsisA biography of the book that inspired Prince to adopt purple as his signature color, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Richard Powers to become a writer, and countless other creative people to become artists.A primer on the art and design of children''s picture books, renowned children''s literature scholar Philip Nel takes the reader on an illustrated tour through all that made Crockett Johnson''s Harold and the Purple Crayon an astonishing success: from Harold''s clear line, Johnson''s carefully planned improvisation, the Garamond typeface, the real Harolds who inspired the title character, how Johnson overcame his editor''s initially lukewarm reaction, to the role of the book''s three colors (purple, brown, white), and whether or not the tan-hued Harold himself is a child of color. In a series of microhistories that ripple outward from Harold and the Purple Crayon, 30 brief chapters explore the big ideas behind this small book. Johnson''s classic raises questions about the nature of reality; creative expression during the Cold War; the implied audience of children''s literature; abstract art versus representational art; and the color of crayons, ink, and people. All of these questions depend upon how children''s picture books work--in this case, the apparent invisibility of Johnson''s design choices, the limits imposed by the offset color lithography printing process, the history of the crayon, and the book''s circulation into the hands of many real children around the world.This small book explores the pleasures of looking closely. Indeed, picture books are many people''s introduction to looking closely. As a portable gallery, the picture book is a democratic art form, requiring only a library card to view. In modeling the pleasures of sustained attention, this book invites you to look closely at art that interests you--picture books, of course, but any kind of art. When you look, listen, or read closely, what questions does the art invite?

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Book SynopsisAn intimate study of three of Ireland''s greatest writers from one of its best-loved contemporary voices, Colm Tóibín__________________In Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know Colm Tóibín takes three of Ireland''s greatest writers - Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats and James Joyce - and examines their earliest influences: their fathers. With his inimitable wit and sensitivity, Tóibín introduces us to Wilde Senior, the philandering doctor whose libel case prefigured that of his son; the elder Yeats, an impoverished artist who never finished a painting; and to John Stanislaus Joyce, the hard-drinking, storytelling father of James, who couldn''t feed his own family. This is an illuminating study of how each of these men cast a long shadow not only over the lives of their famous sons, but over the works for which they are celebrated and cherished.__________________''Astonishing to read. Tóibín has a hawk-like eye for literary subtleties, and a generosity towards his subjects that is warm'' Sunday Times''Funny, exciting, illuminating, wonderful, so engaging. Tells us more than a little about our own selves along the way'' Irish Times''There is something interesting and insightful on almost every page'' Observer''Sparkling, subtle, witty and often deeply moving . . . A classic'' Fintan O''Toole, New Statesman''Scintillating, imaginative, enlightening and powerfully moving throughout'' Roy Foster, SpectatorTrade ReviewThere is something interesting and intriguing to be found on almost every page -- Rachel Cooke * Guardian *Toibin has a hawk-like eye for literary subtleties, and a generosity towards his subjects that is warm and unacademic. * The Sunday Times *Toibin has a hawk-like eye for literary subtleties, and a generosity towards his subjects that is warm and unacademic. * The Sunday Times *Full of insight and intrigue * Observer *Searching, funny, generous * Irish Times *Subtle, witty and often deeply moving * New Statesman *If there is a more brilliant writer than Tóibín working today, I don't know who that would be -- Karen Joy FowlerToibin is a supple, subtle thinker, alive to hints and undertones, wary of absolute truths * New Statesman *A consistently revealing look at how writers' relationships have influenced their work * Sunday Telegraph on 'New Ways to Kill Your Mother' *A wide-ranging and enlightening study of the potentially stifling family and the individual spirit of the writer * Sunday Times on 'New Ways to Kill Your Mother' *

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Book SynopsisIan McEwan, Margaret Drabble, Martin Amis, Rita Dove, Andrew Motion and Anthony Thwaite are among the twenty-two distinguished contributors of original essays to this landmark volume on the profound and frequently perplexing bond between writer and mother. In compelling detail they bring to life the thoughts, work, loves, friendships, passions and, above all, the influence of mothers upon their literary offspring from Shakespeare to the present. Many of the contributors evoke the ideal with fond and loving memories: understanding, selfless, spiritual, tender, protective, reassuring and self-assured mothers who created environments favorable to the development of their children’s gifts. At the opposite end of the parenting spectrum, however, we also see tortured mothers who ignored, interfered with, smothered or abandoned their children. Their early years were times of traumatic loss, unhappily dominated by death and human frailty. Elegantly assembled and presented, Writers and Their Mothers will appeal to everyone interested in biography, literature, and creativity in general.Trade Review“In this lively collection of essays, the legacy of maternal blessings (which they mostly describe) is thoughtfully and skilfully unpacked...“ (The Guardian's Book of the Week in March 2018)“What a great project, I just can't believe that no one has done it before.” (Times Literary Supplement podcast, March 8, 2018)“In each case, these women are shown to be different to one another, whether in strength or foible, all wielding a unique influence over their children, and en masse, this makes for a compelling, and varied read. In his collection, Salwak simply asserts that good writing is likely to flourish because of, or in spite of, a mother’s influence. In considering how far such an arc of influence might stretch, the enduring strength of these essays … .” (Julia O'Mahony, The Irish Times, irishtimes.com, April, 2018)Table of Contents​1. Shakespeare’s Mother(s) - Hugh M. Richmond.2. John Ruskin and Margaret - Anthony Daniels, M.D.3. Ambitious Daughter: Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother - Gardner McFall.-4. Walt Whitman and His Mother - Kenneth Silverman.5. The Maternal Embrace: Samuel Beckett and His Mother May - Margaret Drabble.6. William Golding’s Mother - Judy Carver.7. Voice Rehearsals & Personas in Sylvia’s Letters to Aurelia - Adrianne Kalfopoulou.8. No Villainous Mother: The Life of Eva Larkin - Philip Pullen.9. Robert Lowell: Trapped in Charlotte’s Web - Jeffrey Meyers.10. Mother Tongue: A Memoir - Ian McEwan.11. “Persistent Ghost” - Anthony Thwaite.12. Living with Mother - Catherine Aird.13. “Bring her again to me . . . “ - Ann Thwaite.14. My Mother, and Friends - Reeve Lindbergh.15. My Mother’s Desk - Martha Oliver-Smith.16. Mater Sagax - Rachel Hadas.17. My Wicked Stepmother - Martin Amis.18. About “My Mother Enters the Work Force” - Rita Dove.19. A Shadow in the Grass - Andrew Motion20. Mrs. Gabbet’s Desk - David Updike.21. Dreams of a Mother and Daughter - Lyndall Gordon22. Her Programme -Tim Parks.

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Book SynopsisPaul Menzer is Professor and Director of the Mary Baldwin College Shakespeare and Performance programme at Mary Baldwin College, USA.Table of ContentsIntroduction Preface Plot summary Analysis 1. Historical and literary contexts 2. Performance aspects of the text 3. Critical interpretations Resources and annotated bibliography A note on the text The Play

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

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Book Synopsis''Shamelessly engaging, effortlessly scholarly, utterly refreshing''Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler''s Ark''A small treasure''New York Times ''This sweepingly confident overview is more entertainingly told than any previous account''Sunday TelegraphIreland played the central role in maintaining European culture when the dark ages settled on Europe in the fifth century: as Rome was sacked by Visigoths and its empire collapsed, Ireland became ''the isle of saints and scholars'' that enabled the classical and religious heritage to be saved.In his compelling and entertaining narrative, Thomas Cahill tells the story of how Irish monks and scrines copied the mauscripts of both pagan and Christian writers, including Homer and Aristotle, while libraries on the continent were lost forever. Bringing the past and its characters to life, Cahill captures the sensibility of the unsung Irish who relaunched civilisation.Trade ReviewHOW THE IRISH SAVED CIVILISATION is a shamelessly engaging, effortlessly scholarly, utterly refreshing history of the origins of the Irish soul and its huge contribution to Western culture ... For its portrait of St Patrick alone, it will resonate in the memory. * Thomas Keneally *Lyrical, playful, penetrating and serious ... an entirely engaging, delectable voyage into the distant past, a small treasure * Richard Bernstein in the New York Times *This sweepingly confident overview is more entertainingly told than any previous account ... An elegant book * P.J. Kavanagh in the Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisNiccolò Machiavelli taught that political leaders must be prepared to do evil so that good may come of it, and his name has been a byword ever since for duplicity and immorality. Is his sinister reputation deserved? In answering this question Quentin Skinner traces the course of Machiavelli''s adult life, from his time as Second Chancellor of the Florentine republic, during which he met with kings, the pope, and the Holy Roman Emperor; to the fall of the republic in 1512; to his death in 1527. It was after the fall of the Republic that Machiavelli composed his main political works: The Prince, the Discourses, and The History of Florence. In this second edition of his Very Short Introduction Skinner includes new material on The Prince, showing how Machiavelli developed his neo-classical political theory, through engaging in continual dialogue with the ancient Roman moralists and historians, especially Cicero and Livy. The aim of political leaders, Machiavelli argues, should be to act virtuously so far as possible, but to stand ready ''to be not good'' when this course of action is dictated by necessity. Exploring the pivotal concept of princely virtù to be found in classical and Renaissance humanist texts, Skinner brings new light to Machiavelli''s philosophy of a willingness to do whatever may be necessary - whether moral or otherwise -to maintain a position of power. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewQuentin Skinner's Machiavelli: A short introduction, published nearly forty years ago and now issued in a new edition, remains a frontrunner in the field. [...] The excellence of Skinner's book lies chiefly in its cool treatment of Machiavelli in his immediate context including his encounters with princes, Florence's political tergiversations, Italy being overrun by foreign armies, and his family background, education and readings in the classics. Skinner's aim was "to serve as a recording angel, not a hanging judge", and he therefore sought to avoid the "defeasible standards of the present as a means of praising or blaming the past". * Laura Martines, The Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: The Diplomat 2: The Adviser to Princes 3: The Theorist of Liberty 4: The Historian of Florence Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisGerman writers, from Luther and Goethe to Heine, Brecht, and Günter Grass, have had a profound influence on the modern world. This Very Short Introduction presents an engrossing tour of the course of German literature from the late Middle Ages to the present, focussing especially on the last 250 years. Emphasizing the economic and religious context of many masterpieces of German literature, it highlights how they can be interpreted as responses to social and political changes within an often violent and tragic history. The result is a new and clear perspective which illuminates the power of German literature and the German intellectual tradition, and its impact on the wider cultural world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewBoyle has a sure touch and an obvious authority...this is a balanced and lively introduction to German literature. * Ben Hutchinson, TLS *highly impressive... Professor Boyle concentrates on creating a lucid, wide-ranging historical background against which each of the five periods is brought to life, with a challenging choice of examples * Forum for Modern Language Studies *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Bourgeois and the Official: A Historical Overview ; 2. The Laying of the Foundations (to 1781) ; 3. The Age of Idealism (1781-1832) ; 4. The Age of Materialism (1832 to 1914) ; 5. Traumas and Memories (1914-) ; Further Reading & References ; Index

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Book SynopsisSpanish literature has given the world the figures of Don Quixote and Don Juan, and is responsible for the ''invention'' of the novel in the 16th century. The medieval period produced literature in Castilian, Catalan, Galician, Latin, Arabic, and Hebrew, and today there is a flourishing literature in Catalan, Galician, and Basque as well as in Castilian-the language that has became known as ''Spanish''. A multilayered history of exile has produced a transnational literary production, while writers in Spain have engaged with European cultural trends. This Very Short Introduction explores this rich literary history, which resonates with contemporary debates on transnationalism and cultural diversity. The book introduces a general readership to the ways in which Spanish literature has been read, in and outside Spain, explaining misconceptions, outlining the insights of recent scholarship and suggesting new readings. It highlights the precocious modernity of much early modern Spanish literature, and shows how the gap between modern ideas and social reality stimulated creative literary responses in subsequent periods; as well as how contemporary writers have adjusted to Spain''s recent accelerated modernization.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Multilingualism and porous boundaries ; 2. Spanish literature and modernity ; 3. Gender and sexuality ; 4. Cultural patrimony ; Further reading

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Book SynopsisThe Masterpiece is the tragic story of Claude Lantier, an ambitious and talented young artist from the provinces who has come to conquer Paris and is conquered by the flaws in his own genius. While his boyhood friend Pierre Sandoz becomes a successful novelist, Claude's originality is mocked at the Salon and turns gradually into a doomed obsession with one great canvas. Life - in the form of his model and wife Christine and their deformed child Jacques - issacrificed on the altar of Art.The Masterpiece is the most autobiographical of the twenty novels in Zola's Rougon-Macquart series. Set in the 1860s and 1870s, it provides a unique insight into his career as a writer and his relationship with Cézanne, a friend since their schooldays in Aix-en-Provence. It also presents a well-documented account of the turbulent Bohemian world in which the Impressionists came to prominence despite the conservatism of the Academy and the ridicule of the general public.Table of ContentsNo Penguin competition.

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Book SynopsisWycherley''s four comedies are admired for their satirical wit, farcical humour, vivid characterization, and social criticism.Love in a Wood, a lively comedy of intrigue, established him as a brilliant new dramatist.The Gentleman Dancing-Master, in contrast, disappointed contemporary audiences, but the central relationship between Hippolyta and Gerrard features an original and sympathetic study of a young woman''s attitudes and feelings. The Country Wife is a sharp but also highly amusing attack on social and sexual hypocrisy. The Plain Dealer, a powerful dramatic satire loosely based on Moliere''s Le Misanthrope, continues and enlarges Wycherley''s assault on greed and corruption.Under the General Editorship of Michael Cordner of the University of York, the texts of the plays have been newly edited and are presented with modernized spelling and punctuation. In addition, there is a scholarly introduction, a note on staging, and detailed annotation. 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 ContentsLove in a Wood ; The Gentleman Dancing-Master ; The Country Wife ; The Plain Dealer

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Book SynopsisWordsworth and Coleridge's joint collection of poems has often been singled out as the founding text of English Romanticism. This is the only edition to print both the original 1798 collection and the expanded 1802 edition, with Wordsworth's famous Preface. It includes important letters, a wide-ranging introduction and generous notes.Trade ReviewFor students of the Lyrical Ballads as one of the key texts of Romanticism, Staffords new edition, juxtaposing the two 1798 and 1802 versions, is highly recommendable as it finely lays out both the reader response dimension of its poetics and the contexts of its production. * Helga Schwalm, The BARS Review *Lyrical Ballads, in case you missed it, is, quite simply, possibly the single most important collection of poems in English ever published. * Nicholas Lezard, Guardian *An invaluable resource for both teachers and students of Romantic literature... elegant, informative and clearly written introduction, a lucid overview of the Lyrical Ballads' transformation between 1798 and 1802... warmly recommended. * Susan Valladares, Reviews Editor for the British Association for Romantic Studies' Bulletin & Review and Lecturer in English, Worcester College, Oxford *Stafford's new edition, juxtaposing the two 1798 and 1802 versions, is highly recommendable * Helga Schwalm, BARS Review *

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Book SynopsisA Guest at the Feast uncovers the places where politics and poetics meet, where life and fiction overlap, where one can be inside writing and also outside of it.From the melancholy and amusement within the work of the writer John McGahern to an extraordinary essay on his own cancer diagnosis, Tóibín delineates the bleakness and strangeness of life and also its richness and its complexity. As he reveals the shades of light and dark in a Venice without tourists and the streets of Buenos Aires riddled with disappearances, we find ourselves considering law and religion in Ireland as well as the intricacies of Marilynne Robinson''s fiction.The imprint of the written word on the private self, as Tóibín himself remarks, is extraordinarily powerful. In this collection, that power is gloriously alive, illuminating history and literature, politics and power, family and the self.Trade ReviewDroll, careful reflections on Ireland, illness and religion in a welcome collection of essays . . . [the] melancholy elegance of the prose guarantees the reader's enjoyment * Guardian *Erudite, forensic, moving and wry . . . the breadth of the collection is impressive: a snapshot of Irish society over decades; Buenos Aires, in the wake of thousands of 'disappeared' people; Covid-era Venice . . . a lesson in how the right words in the right order can get to the truth of the matter * Irish Times *[These essays] are always interesting and intelligent, written in an admirably clear prose free of academic jargon . . . journalism at its best. I learned a lot from them and am grateful for that. It's a collection to which I will surely return, just as I do to Orwell's, Ian Jack's, Ferdinand Mount's and Patrick Marnham's * Scotsman *A feast for the reader . . . the novelist applies his inquisitive and empathetic mind in wide-ranging series of essays, from the political to the poignant . . . [Toibin] seeks no lessons; he tries only to be good company on the page. (He succeeds.) * Irish Independent *Erudite essays from one of the world's finest writers . . . Throughout, the poetry of Tóibín's prose is as impressive as always. In [the] title piece, he writes that his mother was 'what most of us still write for: the ordinary reader, curious and intelligent and demanding, ready to be moved and changed.' Readers like her will savor every page of this book * Kirkus Reviews, starred *The clarity of the novelist's descriptive ability shines through essays on topics ranging from his treatment for cancer to the joys of an empty Venice . . . On every subject, Tóibín's writing is what people these days inevitably describe as nuanced, a word that has become a kind of shorthand for expressing a person's rare ability to understand . . . the foibles of others -- Rachel Cooke * Observer, Book of the Day *I love everything Colm Tóibín has written -- Nicola Sturgeon * New Statesman *I wanted to read out loud, to fully savour writing that is so careful and so lyrical -- Laura Hackett * Sunday Times *Reading Irish novelist, playwright and poet Colm Tóibín is always a delight * Independent *Both epic and intimate . . . a moving portrait of three generations of sprawling, loving, fractious family life . . . a triumph * Financial Times on The Magician *A work of art, an emotional reckoning with a century of change * The Times on The Magician *

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

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Book SynopsisThis text is part of the New Mermaids series of modern spelling, fully-annotated editions of English plays. Each volume includes a critical introduction, biography of the author, discussions of dates and sources, textual details, a bibliography and information about the staging of the play.

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Book SynopsisThe classic study of alienation, creativity and the modern mind''Excitingly written, with a sense of revelation'' GUARDIANTHE OUTSIDER was an instant literary sensation when it was first published in 1956, thrusting its youthful author into the front rank of contemporary writers and thinkers. Wilson rationalised the psychological dislocation so characteristic of Western creative thinking into a coherent theory of alienation, and defined those affected by it as a type: the outsider. Through the works and lives of various artists, including Kafka, Camus, Hemingway, Hesse, Lawrence, Van Gogh, Shaw, Nietzsche and Dostoevsky, Wilson explored the psyche of the outsider, his effect on society and society''s on him. Nothing that has happened in the decades since has made THE OUTSIDER any less relevant; it remains the seminal work on this most persistent of modern-day preoccupations.Trade ReviewFew first authors have burst upon the world of serious books with such stunning and immediate success * DAILY EXPRESS *Excitingly written, with a sense of revelation * GUARDIAN *The most remarkable book on which the reviewer has ever had to pass judgement * LISTENER *I am deeply grateful for this astonishing book -- Edith Sitwell[An] extraordinary book . . . one of the most remarkable I have read for a long time -- Cyril ConnollyExhaustive, luminously intelligent * OBSERVER *A major writer * LONDON EVENING NEWS *

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Book SynopsisThis handsomely produced publication is the first of a two volume set exploring an outstanding collection of leaves and miniatures from medieval manuscripts. Brimming with beautiful illustrations, this welcome contribution to medieval scholarship covers a period from the late 9th to the late 15th centuries and incorporates new discoveries in this still growing field.The turbulent times when Napoleon’s troops were sweeping over Europe under the banner of secularization, seeking to suppress ecclesiastical influence within the sphere of political power, had disastrous consequences especially for ecclesiastical libraries, which were broken up and looted. The Italian religious houses had their cultural treasures destroyed or moved out of context and spread all over the world to satisfy a growing market for medieval art. These fatal years (1796–99) coincide with a major interest in early Italian painting, when French and English connoisseurs joined their Italian colleagues in a systematic study of early Italian art, producing fundamental studies on the subject.Essentially the deplorable practice of breaking up manuscripts and liturgical books was not all that different from the inglorious process of dismembering giant medieval altarpieces, whose single pieces were made available to a growing market and, consequently, dispersed among different collections. Thus, in the present day, one of the major tasks of the art historian is the attempt to reassemble these fragments and present them in virtual reconstructions, reconstituting their original context. By doing this, scholars create the foundation for any further art-historical analysis of a work of art. This task is one of the important objectives in cataloguing the present collection.The miniatures and single leaves in the McCarthy collection, which has been formed in the past two or three decades – between 1990 and today – are manifestly the fruit of the destructive, but at the same time a conservational effort. Even though assembled in relatively recent years, the McCarthy collection stands in line with many similar anthologies of miniature in private or public hands. However, by contrast to other similar collections, the McCarthy collection has not limited its focus just on one school of European illumination, the Italian centres of illumination, but aims to present a vast panorama of this sophisticated art, which, to use Dante’s words, was called ‘illumination’ (‘... quell arte ch’alluminar chiamata è in Parisi’; Purgatorio, XI, 79–80).The present volume is dedicated to the holdings of single leaves and miniatures from medieval Italian manuscripts, which cover a period from the late 9th to the late 15th centuries, and are enriched by a few Byzantine items, appropriately included here and discussed by Georgi Parpulov. The focus on late 13th- and early 14th-century illumination in the collection demonstrates McCarthy’s predilection for the medieval and early Gothic world, which also becomes apparent in his holdings of French and German illumination, to be discussed by Peter Kidd in volume II, to be announced shortly.

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Book SynopsisA unique collection of Moliere's four greatest verse comedies in new translation: The Misanthrope, Tartuffe, The School for Wives and The Clever Women, plus two short plays, The School for Wives Criticized and The Impromptu at Versailles.Trade ReviewBoth prose and verse translations do full justice to Moliere's wit and ingenuity, and make reading this book highly enjoyable. * TLS 01.09.10 her to produce versions that are much more successful in *Slater completes her impressive achievement by including sparkling versions of the two polemical plays in prose. * TLS *Table of ContentsTHE SCHOOL FOR WIVES; THE SCHOOL FOR WIVES CRITICIZED; THE IMPROMPTU AT VERSAILLES; TARTUFFE; THE MISANTHROPE; THE CLEVER WOMEN

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Book SynopsisControversy raged through England during the 1570-80s as Puritans denounced all manner of games & pastimes as a danger to public morals. Writers quickly turrned their attention to their own art and the first & most influential response came with Philip Sidney''s Defense. Here he set out to answer contemporary critics &, with reference to Classical models of criticism, formulated a manifesto for English literature. Also includes George Puttenham''s Art of English Poesy, Samuel Daniel''s Defence of Rhyme, & passages by writers such as Ben Jonson, Francis Bacon & George Gascoigne.

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Book SynopsisBeyond its housing estates and identikit high streets there is another Britain. This is the Britain of mist-drenched forests and unpredictable sea-frets: of wraith-like fog banks, druidic mistletoe and peculiar creatures that lurk, half-unseen, in the undergrowth, tantalising and teasing just at the periphery of human vision. How have the remarkably persistent folkloric traditions of the British Isles formed and been formed by the identities and psyches of those who inhabit them? In her sparkling new history, Carolyne Larrington explores the diverse ways in which a myriad of imaginary and fantastical beings has moulded the cultural history of the nation. Fairies, elves and goblins here tread purposefully, sometimes malignly, over an eerie, preternatural landscape that also conceals brownies, selkies, trows, knockers, boggarts, land-wights, Jack o''Lanterns, Barguests, the sinister Nuckleavee, or water-horse, and even Black Shuck: terrifying hell-hound of the Norfolk coast with eyes

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Book SynopsisAnthony Burgess was born in Manchester in 1917 and educated at Xaverian College and Manchester University. He served in the British army from 1940 to 1946 and was a schoolteacher in England before becoming a colonial education officer in 1954. His Malayan trilogy of novels and a history of English literature were published while he was living in Malaya and Brunei.He became a full-time writer in 1959 and achieved a worldwide reputation as one of the most versatile novelists of his day. His writings include biographies of Shakespeare and Hemingway, critical studies of James Joyce, stage plays, and two volumes of autobiography. His work as a composer and librettist includes the Broadway musical, Cyrano, and Blooms of Dublin, an operetta based on Joyce's Ulysses.His 33 novels continue to be published all over the world. They include A Clockwork Orange, Nothing Like the Sun, The Complete Enderby, Earthly Powers, NapoleonTrade ReviewBright, racy...knowledgeable and humorous, alternately sensible and quirky. -- Terry EagletonAnthony Burgess's wonderfully well-stocked mind and essentially wayward spirit are just right for summoning up an apparition of the Bard which is more convincing than most -- David Holloway * Daily Telegraph *Animated by affection and an understanding of the creative imagination that only a creative writer can bring to bear * Atlantic *A smooth-flowing narrative, often enlivened by Anthony Burgess's Joycean appetite for linguistic fantasy * The Economist *

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Book SynopsisA biography of Samuel Johnson, one of the towering figures of English literature.

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Book SynopsisEasy to use in the classroom or as a tool for revision, Oxford Literature Companions provide student-friendly analysis of a range of popular A Level set texts. Each book offers a lively, engaging approach to the text, covering characterisation and role, genre, context, language, themes, structure, performance and critical views, whilst also providing a range of varied and in-depth activities to deepen understanding and encourage close work with the text. Each book also includes a comprehensive Skills and Practice section, which provides detailed advice on assessment and a bank of exam-style questions and annotated sample student answers. This guide covers Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, is suitable for all exam boards and for the most recent AS/A level specifications.

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Book SynopsisEasy to use in the classroom or as a tool for revision, Oxford Literature Companions provide student-friendly analysis of a range of popular A Level set texts. Each book offers a lively, engaging approach to the text, covering characterisation and role, genre, context, language, themes, structure, performance and critical views, whilst also providing a range of varied and in-depth activities to deepen understanding and encourage close work with the text. Each book also includes a comprehensive Skills and Practice section, which provides detailed advice on assessment and a bank of exam-style questions and annotated sample student answers. This guide covers The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster and is suitable for the most recent AS/A level specifications.

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Book Synopsis''I have lately written...a tale, to illustrate an opinion of mine, that a genius will educate itself.''Mary Wollstonecraft is best known for her pioneering views on the rights of women to share equal rights and opportunities with men. Expressed most forcefully in her Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), her forthright opinions also inform her two innovative novels, Mary and The Wrongs of Woman, a fictional sequel to the Vindication. In both novels the heroines have to rely on their own resources to establish their independence and intellectual development. Mary learns to take control of her destiny and become a social philanthropist, while Maria, in The Wrongs of Woman, fights imprisonment and a loveless marriage to claim her rights.Strongly autobiographical, both novels powerfully complement Wollstonecraft''s non-fictional writing, inspired by the French Revolution and the social upheavals that followed. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made ava

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Book SynopsisJean Racine (1639-99) remains to this day the greatest of French poetic dramatists. Britannicus (1669), the first play in this volume, takes its themes from Roman history: the setting is bloody and treacherous court of the Emperor Nero. Phaedra (1677) dramatizes the Greek myth of Phaedra''s doomed love for her stepson Hippolytus. Athaliah (1691), Racine''s last and perhaps finest play, draws on the Old Testament story of Athaliah, Queen of Judah and worshipper of Baal, who is threatened and finally forced to concede victory to Joash, a son of the house of David and survivor of Athaliah''s massacres.Racine''s tragedies portray characters wrestling with ambition, treachery, religion, and love. In this translation, specially commissioned for The World''s Classics series, C.H. Sisson has captured admirably the lucidity of Racine''s language, both analytic and passionate, and the rhythm of his four-part Alexandrine, a combination that previous translators have consistently failed to achieveTrade ReviewSisson's translation of the dramas is admirable. It is an accurate and sensitive rendition of the French text. The simple and flowing English creates a version which reads well and should succeed in performance too. * Akroterion *Table of ContentsBritannicus ; Phaedra ; Athaliah

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

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Book SynopsisSt John of the Cross testifies to a God who longs to meet us in our deepest need. Whilst rejection and imprisonment played their part in the life of this sixteenth-century Spanish friar, John''s poetry and prose reveal the beauty and power of a wondrous God. It gives us courage to believe in the possibility of change in our own lives, however unlikely or impossible this may seem. Father Iain Matthew uses this classic inspirational Christian writing as his starting point, and offers five interpretations which make its richness relevant to the modern reader.Trade ReviewThis impressive book introduces us to the beautiful, painful world of John of the Cross, who is still our surest guide into the mystery of God's love. * Abbott Christopher Jamieson *

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Book SynopsisAn Introduction to Narratology is an accessible, practical guide to narratological theory and terminology and its application to literature. In this book, Monika Fludernik outlines: the key concepts of style, metaphor and metonymy, and the history of narrative forms narratological approaches to interpretation and the linguistic aspects of texts, including new cognitive developments in the field how students can use narratological theory to work with texts, incorporating detailed practical examples a glossary of useful narrative terms, and suggestions for further reading. This textbook offers a comprehensive overview of the key aspects of narratology by a leading practitioner in the field. It demystifies the subject in a way that is accessible to beginners, but also reflects recent theoretical developments and narratologyâs increasing popularity as a critical tool.Table of ContentsPreface 1. Narrative and Narrating 2. The Theory of Narrative 3. Text and Authorship 4. The Structure of Narrative 5. The Surface of Narrative 6. Realism, Illusionism and Metafiction 7. Language, the Representation of Speech, and the Stylistics of Narrative 8. Thoughts, Feelings and the Unconscious 9. Narrative Typologies 10. Diachronic Approaches to Narrative 11. Practical Applications 12. Guidelines for Budding Narratologists. Glossary of Narratological Terms. Works Cited. Index

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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 SynopsisOriginally published in 1993. This book explores the process by which individuals reconstruct the meaning and significance of past experience. Drawing on the lives of such notable figures as St Augustine, Helen Keller and Philip Roth as well as on the combined insights of psychology, philosophy and literary theory, the book sheds light on the intricacies and dilemmas of self-interpretation in particular and interpretive psychological enquiry more generally.The author draws upon selected, mainly autobiographical, literary texts in order to examine concretely the process of rewriting the self. Among the issues addressed are the relationship of rewriting the self to the concept of development, the place of language in the construction of selfhood, the difference between living and telling about it, the problem of facts in life history narrative, the significance of the unconscious in interpreting the personal past, and the freedom of the narrative imagination. AlphTable of Contents1. Rewriting the Self 2. The Story of a Life 3. In the Name of the Self 4. Living to Tell About It 5. Fact and Fiction 6. The Primal Scenes of Selfhood 7. Who to Become. Epilogue: Toward a Poetics of Life History

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

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Book SynopsisPacked full of analysis and interpretation, historical background, discussions and commentaries, York Notes will help you get right to the heart of the text you're studying, whether it's poetry, a play or a novel. You'll learn all about the historical context of the piece; find detailed discussions of key passages and characters; learn interesting facts about the text; and discover structures, patterns and themes that you may never have known existed. In the Advanced Notes, specific sections on critical thinking, and advice on how to read critically yourself, enable you to engage with the text in new and different ways. Full glossaries, self-test questions and suggested reading lists will help you fully prepare for your exam, while internet links and references to film, TV, theatre and the arts combine to fully immerse you in your chosen text. York Notes offer an exciting and accessible key to your text, enabling you to develop your ideas and transform your stu

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Book Synopsis'Charlotte Higgins's Red Thread is a masterwork' Ali SmithA thrillingly original, labyrinthine journey through myth, art, literature, history, archaeology and memoir. The tale of how the hero Theseus killed the Minotaur, finding his way out of the labyrinth using Ariadne's ball of red thread, is one of the most intriguing, suggestive and persistent of all myths, and the labyrinth - the beautiful, confounding and terrifying building created for the half-man, half-bull monster - is one of the foundational symbols of human ingenuity and artistry. Charlotte Higgins, author of the Baillie Gifford-shortlisted Under Another Sky, tracks the origins of the story of the labyrinth in the poems of Homer, Catullus, Virgil and Ovid, and with them builds an ingenious edifice of her own. Along the way, she traces the labyrinthine ideas of writers from Dante and Borges to George Eliot and Conan Doyle, and of artists from Titian and Velázquez to Picasso and Eva Hesse. Her intricately constructed narrative asks what it is to be lost, what it is to find one's way, and what it is to travel the confusing and circuitous path of a lived life. Red Thread is, above all, a winding and unpredictable route through the byways of the author's imagination - one that leads the reader on a strange and intriguing journey, full of unexpected connections and surprising pleasures.Trade ReviewCharlotte Higgins's Red Thread is a masterwork, an open-eyed analysis of the everyday mazery we face without even realising it, and an understanding of psychic and narrative architecture that's a pretty crucial piece of equipment for wherever and whenever we find ourselves lost. I read it on the balcony of a hotel in Rome... and it was as if the city itself opened playfully and thoughtfully around the reading experience in its amalgam of pasts and presents, histories and mysteries.Any bookshelf would be graced by the presence of [Red Thread]… [it] ask[s] readers to surrender to the unpredictable pleasures of getting lost… playful and gorgeously written. -- Robert Douglas-Fairhurst * Guardian *A serious, substantial, scholarly and yet also highly personal book about mazes… Red Thread is a book to admire as much as to enjoy. -- Ian Sansom * Spectator *[Charlotte Higgins] is no ordinary author. Her thrillingly original book – it really is like no other – is itself a sort of maze of facts and thoughts, ancient tales and modern phenomena… on every page there is a sparkling idea or a fascinating piece of information. It is also beautifully written… a beautifully produced volume, full of colour illustrations of sculptures and paintings and tantalising maps of mazes. -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *In this beautifully produced and richly illustrated book… Charlotte Higgins takes us on a fascinating meander through the art and literature of the last 2,500 years… After reading this book you will see labyrinths everywhere. -- Michael O’Loughlin * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisOne of a series designed to motivate and encourage students who may be working on certain writers for the first time. Each text includes notes to explain literary and historical allusions, tasks to help students explore themes and issues, and suggestions for further reading.

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Book SynopsisKaren Britland is Professor of Early Modern English Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. Her research interests include early modern drama, the Stuart court, and women's writing. She has edited plays by Elizabeth Cary, John Marston, and James Shirley, and was an associate editor for the Cambridge Complete Works of Ben Jonson edition between 2000 and 2012.Table of ContentsIntroduction Preface Plot Summary Analysis 1. Historical and Literary Contexts 2. Performance Aspects of the Text 3. Critical Interpretations Resources and Annotated Bibliography A Note on the Text The Play

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Book Synopsis'Utterly fascinating' Daisy Goodwin, Sunday TimesBenjamin Franklin took daily naked air baths and Toulouse-Lautrec painted in brothels. Edith Sitwell worked in bed, and George Gershwin composed at the piano in pyjamas. Freud worked sixteen hours a day, but Gertrude Stein could never write for more than thirty minutes, and F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in gin-fuelled bursts - he believed alcohol was essential to his creative process. From Marx to Murakami and Beethoven to Bacon, Daily Rituals by Mason Currey presents the working routines of more than a hundred and sixty of the greatest philosophers, writers, composers and artists ever to have lived. Whether by amphetamines or alcohol, headstand or boxing, these people made time and got to work.Featuring photographs of writers and artists at work, and filled with fascinating insights on the mechanics of genius and entertaining stories of the personalities behind it, Daily Rituals is irresistibly addictive, and utterly inspiring.Trade ReviewI just can't recommend this book enough -- Lena DunhamA trove of entertaining anecdote and thought-provoking comparison -- Toby Lichtig * Daily Telegraph *A 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 *Utterly fascinating -- Daisy Goodwin * Sunday Times *Mason 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 *A fascinating little book * Financial Times *An utterly fascinating compendium . . . 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. Its message is that serious artists make the time, and most of them make it at the same time every day -- Daisy Goodwin * Sunday Times *A thoroughly researched, minutely annotated and delightful book, full of the quirks and oddities of thehuman comedy . . . Its main lesson can be summed up simply enough: get up, have a cup of coffee, sit at your desk and begin * Literary Review *Some of the world's greatest minds had routines they stuck to to produce their works of genius. In DailyRituals, Mason Currey reveals their more bizarre habits * Daily Mirror *Fascinating . . . it also interestingly reveals that there is no universal formula to greatness, so in essence, it's a celebration of individuality and quirkiness * Huffington Post *

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Book SynopsisEvoking memories of book-filled libraries, this handy notecard set reproduces the original cards used to keep track of literary classics. Enclosed in a keepsake replica card catalog box with tabbed dividers, each card features a different beloved work of literature straight from the storied collection of the Library of Congress.

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Book SynopsisBuild confidence in a range of key textual analysis techniques and skills with this practical companion, full of advice and guidance from experienced experts.- Build analysis techniques and skills through a range of strategies, serving as a useful companion throughout the course - from critical-thinking, referencing and citation and the development of a line of inquiry to reflecting on the writing process and constructing essays for Paper 1 and Paper 2- Develop skills in how to approach a text using textual analysis strategies and critical theory, for both unseen texts (the basis of Paper 1) and texts studied in class- Concise, clear explanations help students navigate the IB requirements, including advice on assessment objectives and how literary and textual analysis weaves through Paper 1, Paper 2, the HL Essay, Individual Oral and the Learner Profile- Build understanding in how to approach texts so that students can write convincingly and passionately about texts through active reading, note-taking, asking questions, and developing a personal response to texts - Engaging activities are provided to test understanding of each topic and develop skills for the exam - guiding answers are available to check your responses

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

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Book SynopsisThis AQA AS and A Level English Literature A Student Book prepares students and teachers for the requirements of the AQA A Level English Literature specification.Structured and written to build on skills students acquired at GCSE, this book helps students to develop the skills needed to succeed in their AQA AS and A Level English Literature exams and coursework.Through a range of source texts, activities and practice exam questions students of all abilities will be able to make clear progress.Whether students are taking AS or A Level AQA English Literature, this resource offers guidance and activities to help all students achieve their potential.Trade ReviewPacked with helpful information about the course and how to approach the examination papers. The section on independent study (coursework) is particularly useful. Recommended. * 5 star Amazon review *

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