Bücher der Reihe Cambridge Companions to Literature

An invaluable introductory guide for students, this Companion features thirteen new essays from leading international experts on William Carlos Williams, covering his major poetry and prose works. It addresses central issues of recent Williams scholarship and considers his relationships with contemporaries as well as the importance of his legacy.

This second edition, including some new chapters, provides an essential introduction to all aspects of George Eliot's life and writing. Accessible essays by some of the most distinguished scholars of Victorian literature provide lucid and often original insights into the work of one of the most important novelists of the nineteenth century.

Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca, 1304-74) was a scholar and poet who helped shape the literature of his time and influenced the development of Renaissance humanism. This Companion offers an account of his life and works, gathering the great themes and problems of the age around this charismatic, symptomatic and influential figure.

Tacitus is universally recognised as ancient Rome's greatest writer of history. In this clear and accessible Companion, experts analyse each of Tacitus' works, discuss his methods and style, assess his views of history and freedom, and trace his influence from the Renaissance through to the twentieth century.

The Cambridge Companion to Nineteen Eighty-Four is aimed at undergraduates, postgraduates, and academics. Situating the novel in multiple frameworks, including contextual considerations and literary histories, the book asks new questions about the novel's significance in an age in which authoritarianism finds itself freshly empowered.

An essential companion to the complex and fascinating medieval poem Piers Plowman, consolidating the most enduring research with a provocative range of new directions for studying it. Lucid chapters by leading experts provide the most exciting vistas of studying Piers Plowman in the twenty-first century.

This updated Companion has been fully revised to reflect the most up-to-date scholarship. With an extensively overhauled bibliography, it also includes four new chapters by leading scholars, discussing Shakespearean form, Shakespeare and philosophy, Shakespeare's tragedies in performance, and Shakespeare and religion.

Featuring a chronology and guide to further reading, this book is a valuable and insightful companion for those studying and reading Hughes in the context of his role in the development of modern poetry.

This 1992 Companion addresses both British and international performance, on subjects such as British performing tradition, tragic and comic acting, and women performers of Shakespeare. Designed for readers interested in past and present productions of the plays and to accompany courses in the history of Shakespeare in performance.

The Cambridge Companion to the Novel is for students, professors, and general readers who are looking to understand what this 2,000 year-old genre of the novel is and where it came from, how it works, and where it might be going in the digital age.

Daniel Defoe's account of a man surviving alone on an island has challenged readers, and prompted imitators, since his novel first appeared in 1719. This Companion examines what influenced Defoe to write, what ideas he explores, and how readers have responded to the novel and its iconic protagonist.

The Cambridge Companion to Postcolonial Travel Writing provides a variety of perspectives and approaches on a new and exciting field of academic scholarship in the humanities, appealing to students, graduates and scholars.

This Companion introduces readers to major ideas and practices of world literary studies. Its accessible yet sophisticated essays raise fundamental questions about imagining the totality of literature; comparing literary works across histories, cultures and languages; and understanding how literature is affected by forces such as imperialism.

There are many anthologies of British Black and Asian literature, but few books provide a critical account of the qualities and impact of this literature comparatively with drama and performance. This Companion offers a comprehensive account of the influence of contemporary British Black and Asian writing in British culture.

Theoretically informed but accessibly written, this volume of sixteen original essays explores the many aspects of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and explores the novel in social, literary, scientific and historical contexts, showing how critical theories such as ecocriticism, posthumanism and queer theory generate new and important discussion.

The Cambridge Companion to Lesbian Literature examines literary representations of lesbian sexuality, identities, and communities, from the medieval period to the present. In so doing, it delivers insight into the variety of traditions that have shaped the present landscape of lesbian literature.

This Companion provides an engaging account of the postcolonial novel, from Joseph Conrad to Jean Rhys. Covering subjects from disability and diaspora to the sublime and the city, this Companion reveals the myriad traditions that have shaped the postcolonial literary landscape.

Drawing on the latest scholarship and criticism, this volume provides an authoritative, accessible introduction to T. S. Eliot's complete oeuvre. It extends the focus of the original 1994 Companion, addressing issues such as gender and sexuality and challenging received accounts of his at times controversial critical reception.

Featuring fourteen essays from international experts, this Companion provides an accessible overview of English-language short fiction outside of North America. It discusses the development and impact of the short story - including a variety of subgenres such as detective fiction and flash fiction - from the early nineteenth century to the present.

The Companion uses accessible approaches and practical examples to help readers engage pleasurably with Shakespeare's challenging language. It will appeal to upper level undergraduate and graduate students of Shakespeare and Renaissance literature and drama, as well as students of English language and the history of language.

This Companion is a thorough introduction to the writings of Nobel Prize winner Alice Munro. Uniting the talents of distinguished creative writers and noted academics, this book explores new understandings of the fine world and short stories of Munro and will interest students and scholars of Alice Munro and Canadian literature.

From Aboriginal writing to Margaret Atwood, this fully revised second edition is a multi-authored English-language introduction to Canadian writing in English and French. Paying special attention to works from the 1960s and after, it includes a separate section discussing major genres in French, a detailed chronology and an extensive bibliography.

This volume provides a broad ranging introduction to the major trends in the development of the Italian novel from its early modern origin to the contemporary era. Novelists examined include some of the most influential of the twentieth century inside and outside Italy: Primo Levi, Umberto Eco and Italo Calvino.

This Companion is a comprehensive interdisciplinary appraisal of the modernist movement, with contributions from fourteen leading scholars. Chapters address the major literary genres, the intellectual, religious and political contexts, and parallel developments in film, painting and music.

This Companion is a comprehensive interdisciplinary appraisal of the modernist movement, with contributions from fourteen leading scholars. Chapters address the major literary genres, the intellectual, religious and political contexts, and parallel developments in film, painting and music.

Containing twenty-one essays, this Companion is perfect for readers seeking a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to Shakespeare's works. It includes stimulating chapters on familiar topics such as Shakespeare's life and the genres in which he wrote, and pioneering accounts of topics including Shakespeare's appearance in new digitalised media.

Containing twenty-one essays, this Companion is perfect for readers seeking a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to Shakespeare's works. It includes stimulating chapters on familiar topics such as Shakespeare's life and the genres in which he wrote, and pioneering accounts of topics including Shakespeare's appearance in new digitalised media.

Film adaptations of Shakespeare's plays are increasingly popular and now figure prominently in the study of his work and its reception. This updated Companion is a lively collection of critical and historical essays by an international team of leading scholars on the films adapted from, and inspired by, Shakespeare's plays.

This Companion offers a wide-ranging and innovative guide to one of the most exciting and important periods in British theatrical history. Chapters cover subjects such as actors and acting, playwrights and performers and the major theatrical forms of the period such as tragedy, melodrama and pantomime.