Facts on File library of world literature

Presents a chronology of the most significant literary works in all genres throughout history, the births and deaths of important authors, and literary and world events, and provides brief biographies of the authors included.

Contains approximately four hundred alphabetically arranged entries that describe the history and development of eighty plays from ancient Greece and Rome, as well as their authors, settings, genres, characters, and themes.

Contains alphabetically arranged entries that explore the censorship histories of 125 plays from ancient times into the twenty-first century, each with the name of the play, the date and place of its original production, and a summary; and includes profiles of the playwrights, and a list of one hundred additional challenged or censored plays.

Profiles one hundred of the world's greatest novels, selected and ranked by scholar Daniel S. Burt, each with a plot summary and assessment, and includes a list of an additional one hundred honorable mentions.

Contains approximately 480 alphabetized entries on writers, works, and genres of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including literature of Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, and provides a time line, a list of entries by geographical area, and a selected bibliography.

Provides reference information on the life and work of William Shakespeare, featuring a brief biography of the playwright, commentaries on each of his known works, an alphabetical listing of related places, terms, works, documents, references, and people, and a time line, quotations, and a reading list.

Provides reference information on the life and work of William Butler Yeats, featuring a brief biography of the author, commentaries on his works, and an alphabetical listing of related people, places, and ideas; and including chronologies of his life and publications and a reading list.

Provides reference information on the life and work of Jonathan Swift, featuring a concise biography of the author, followed by alphabetical listings that include commentaries on his poems and prose writings, profiles of his characters, family members, and people in his social circle, and discussion of related topics and themes.

Presents synopses, commentaries, character sketches, and contemporary reviews for important works by James Joyce; an alphabetized guide to persons, places, and ideas related to Joyce's life and works; documents including a working outline of "Finnegans Wake" and the U.S. court decision to lift the ban on "Ulysses"; and several reference tools.