social problems in literature

Presents a biography of nineteenth-century author Herman Melville, and traces his rise and eventual decline in both critical and popular reception against the backdrop of 19th-century America.

"Through a diversity of primary source resources that include works by politicians and literary figures, book reviews, and interviews, this book enables student readers to better understand literature of the Great Depression in context through original documents; provides readers with an understanding of the great cultural issues of life in America in the 1930s; integrates and aligns material for the ELA Common Core Standards and American literature and social studies curriculum, supplying useful tools to support literary works--analysis, history, document excerpts, discussion questions, and areas for study; places three of the most significant writers of the decade within the sources of turmoil that affected their fiction; enables readers to construct their own visions of how three great writers represented the changing aspects of American culture in that era"--Provided by publisher.

Contains a series of alphabetically arranged essays that describe one hundred books that have been banned because of language, racial characterization, or depiction of other social differences that their challengers have viewed as harmful to readers.

Presents a critical analysis of the works of twentieth-century African-American poet, Gwendolyn Brooks between 1945 and 1960, and examines her poems that depict racism and class struggles in the urban ghetto community.

Chronicles the life and career of American author Herman Melville, uncovering autobiographical elements in his diverse works, discussing the historical and cultural implications of his writing, and assessing his accomplishments as a writer.