history and criticism

Analyzes Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy and how it is rooted in scientific truth.

Provides biographical and career information on twenty-three modern Japanese authors, each with a selected bibliography; and includes an essay that examines the work of the atomic bomb writers.

A guide to reading and understanding Homer's "The Odyssey" that discusses the background of the poem and how the epic is built upon the interplay of themes such as travel, hospitality, loyalty, family affection, and women.

Contains articles that provide critical analyses of topics and authors representative of feminist literature, from antiquity through the twentieth century, and includes a chronology of key events, suggestions for further reading, and author, title, and subject indexes.

Inlcudes entries on 300 jazz greats from blues to modern jazz, covers major movements, jazz history, and instruments favored by jazz musicians.

Analyzes the performances, words, and lives of African-American blues artists Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday, and attempts to explore the feminist implications of their recorded music. Includes original transcriptions of the lyrics of all available recordings by Rainey and Smith.

Contains key documents that provide biographical and critical information about three women writers of the American South, including photographs, letters, interviews, notebook and diary entries, and book reviews. Includes a cumulative index.

Documents the history, evolution, and modes of Black comedy.