Presents a critical analysis of Kurt Vonnegut's fiction, providing close readings of "Player Piano," "Cat's Cradle," "Slaughterhouse-Five," "Deadeye Dick," and others, and discussing Vonnegut's individual style, themes, popularity, and legacy.
A guide to reading and understanding the writings of Eudora Welty which provides close readings of her works, critical reviews, and contemporary criticisms.
Provides biography and background on mid-twentieth-century writer Jack Kerouac, and analyzes his technique and eleven of his works, showing him in a broader context than his reputation as a Beat Generation icon.
An introduction to the writing of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Rita Dove, featuring readings of seven poetry collections, with theme analyses, a look at continuities in her work, and discussion of Dove's evolution as a poet.
A guide to reading and understanding the works of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx which provides information on the author's life, career, and five book-length works of fiction.
Presents the four major worlds that American science fiction novelist Ursula Le Guin created for her major works since 1968: Earthsea, the Hainish planets, Orsinia, and the future West Coast; also includes a biographical sketch of Le Guin and an overview of her career.
A critical study of the work of American author E.L. Doctorow, analyzing each of his eight novels in terms of his intentions, inventions, politics, creation of voice, taste for melodrama, and character types, and focusing on Doctorow's use of the family as the source of fascination and sympathy.
A critical study of the work of award-winning African-American playwright August Wilson, examining the thematic structure of his plays, their placement within the context of American drama, and the uniquely African-American experiences and traditions Wilson dramatizes.
