literature and society

Provides in-depth analysis of the life, works, career, and critical importance of Charlotte Smith.

Provides in-depth analysis of the literary work Wuthering Heights, as well as its importance and critical reception. Includes a chronology of the life and works of the author.

Provides in-depth analysis of the literary work The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, as well as its importance and critical reception. Includes a chronology of the life and works of the author.

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.

"The superhero comic books that Marvel Comics has published since 1961 are, [the author] notes, the longest continuous, self-contained work of fiction ever created: over half a million pages to date, and growing. The Marvel story is a gigantic mountain, smack in the middle of contemporary culture. Thousands of writers and artists have contributed to it. And not even the people telling the story have read the whole thing--nobody's supposed to. So, of course, that's what [the author] did: he read all 27,000 comics that make up the Marvel universe thus far, from Alpha Flight to Omega the Unknown. And then he made sense of it: seeing into the ever-expanding story, in its parts and as a coherent whole, and seeing through it, as a prism through which to view the landscape of American culture. In [his] hands, the mammoth Marvel narrative becomes a funhouse-mirror history of the past 60 years, from the atomic night-terrors of the Cold War to the technocracy and political division of the present day--a . . . tragicomic . . . epic about power and ethics, set in a world transformed by wonders. As a work of cultural exegesis, this is . . . significant, even a landmark; it's also . . . fun. Looking over close to sixty years of Marvel's comics, [the author] sees . . . patterns -- the rise and fall of particular cultural aspirations, and of the storytelling modes that conveyed them. He observes the Marvel story's progressive visions and its painful stereotypes, its patches of . . . hackwork and stretches of . . . creativity, and the way they all feed into a . . . cosmology that echoes our . . . hopes and fears"--Provided by publisher.

"The sweeping story of cartoons, comic strips, and graphic novels and their century-long hold on the American imagination. Starting with the Civil War and cartoonist Thomas Nast, creator of the lasting images of Uncle Sam and Santa Claus, author Jeremy Dauber whizzes readers through comics' progress in the twentieth century and beyond: from the golden age of newspaper comic strips (Krazy Kat, Yellow Kid, Dick Tracy) to the midcentury superhero boom (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman); from the moral panic of the Eisenhower era to the underground comix movement; from the grim and gritty Dark Knights and Watchmen to the graphic novel's brilliant rise (Art Spiegelman, Alison Bechdel, Joe Sacco). Dauber's story shows not only how comics have changed, but how American politics and history have changed them. Throughout, he describes the origins of beloved comics, champions neglected masterpieces, and argues that we can understand how America sees itself through whose stories comics tell"--Provided by publisher.

"Through discussions of literature, assessment ideas, teaching anecdotes, and student insights, this book outlines how a rigorous and relevant English class can also heal, empower, and provide wisdom for teens weathering social turbulence. Widely taught novels brim with lessons about courtship, love, heartbreak, sexuality, bonds, and belonging. Learning to tell stories, reflect, argue, speak confidently, and listen critically gives students necessary tools for self-expression, advocacy, and empathy in a world that too often feels unsafe and bereft of compassion"--.

A collection of writings by Henry Louis Gates Jr. in which he examines African American arts and culture, Africa and the African Diaspora, and other related topics.

Discusses Victorian England literature and culture, including the history, historical backgrounds,and more.