Bücher der Reihe Cambridge Companions to Literature

Edmund Burke is a key thinker in the history of modern political thought. His writings, speeches and actions reflect complex views on jurisprudence, politics, empire, aesthetics, rhetoric, religion and moral philosophy. This comprehensive Companion examines each facet of Burke's thought and concludes with an evaluation of his legacy and reputation.

This second edition has been updated fully, taking account of new research and critical methodologies, and includes four brand new chapters. Designed to appeal to students, teachers and readers, these essays reflect the very latest approaches to reading and understanding Victorian fiction.

An accessible introduction to the key trends in nineteenth-century thought within philosophy, history, political thought, economics, religion and the social sciences, as well as feminism and imperialism. This Companion will appeal to scholars and advanced students of these disciplines.

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.

Two centuries on from the first publication of Pride and Prejudice in 1813, this Companion investigates some of the sources of the novel's power with a combination of original readings and factual background information.

This updated edition introduces students to the literature of Anglo-Saxon England in a collection of seventeen essays. The Companion has been thoroughly revised to take account of recent scholarship and includes five new chapters by distinguished scholars on topics including preaching and teaching, Beowulf and Old English after 1066.

Providing a new critical platform for the study of Caryl Churchill's extraordinary theatrical career, this Companion presents fresh scholarship on Churchill's collaborations, influences and performance innovations. Perfect for undergraduates and advanced theatre scholars alike, the book investigates the major plays in relation to social topics including sexual politics and revolution.

This Companion, first published in 1997, provides an introduction and guide to the works and life of one of the most challenging and wide-ranging writers in English literary history. Chapters on the major works, his life, conversation, letters, and critical reception feature alongside fresh thematic essays, a chronology, and guide to further reading.

The Cambridge Companion to Spenser provides an accessible and rigorous introduction to Spenser. Fourteen specially commissioned essays provide all the essential information required to appreciate and understand Spenser's rewarding and challenging work. A chronology and further reading lists make this volume indispensable for any student of Spenser.

The Cambridge Companion to Proust, first published in 2001, aims to provide a broad account of the major features of Proust's A la recherche du temps perdu. Progressing from background and biographical material, the chapters investigate such essential areas as the composition of the novel, its social dimension, its intellectual parameters and its humour.

Don Quixote de la Mancha is one of the classic texts of Western literature, yet Cervantes himself remains an enigmatic figure. The Cambridge Companion to Cervantes, first published in 2002, offers a comprehensive treatment of Cervantes' life and work, and provides suggestions for further reading, a detailed chronology, and a guide to electronic resources.

A specially commissioned collection designed for use by students and first published in 2001. It provides an overview of the history of writing by women in the period, and offers several valuable tools for students, including a chronology of works and suggestions for further reading.

The Companion provides a new perspective on Russian literary and cultural development. The contributors present recent scholarship on historical and cultural contexts of twentieth-century literature, and situate the most influential individual authors within these contexts, including Boris Pasternak, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Joseph Brodsky, Osip Mandelstam, Mikhail Bulgakov and Anna Akhmatova.

In this Companion an international team of scholars discusses Herodotus' Histories, the first major surviving prose work from antiquity, and explores their background, methodology and ideas. Each chapter introduces the reader to relevant Herodotean scholarship, providing critical insights and a guide to further reading on the subject.

This Companion gives an overview of Heaney's career, with detailed readings of his major publications. Designed for students, this volume will also have much to interest and inform the general reader and admirer of Heaney's unique poetic voice.

Introduction for students and non-specialists to this wide-ranging body of poetry, which includes work by such famous poets as Sappho and Pindar. It takes full account of the exciting new papyrus finds and new critical approaches which have advanced our understanding of the poetry and its performance and transmission.

As a leading thinker of the European Enlightenment, Voltaire is a central figure in France's collective cultural memory. This Companion is the most comprehensive book on Voltaire available in English, comprising a series of original essays with a chronology and a guide to sources.

Brian Friel is widely recognized as Ireland's greatest living playwright, winning an international reputation through such acclaimed works as Translations (1980) and Dancing at Lughnasa (1990). This 2006 collection of essays is a comprehensive study of Friel's, and includes a chronology and further reading suggestions.

A comprehensive overview of rhetorical practice and theory in Graeco-Roman antiquity, from Homer to early Christianity, aimed primarily at students and non-specialists. It examines the relationship between rhetoric and other, competing, verbal arts and also investigates the role of rhetoric in social and political life.

The Cambridge Companion to Machiavelli brings together sixteen original essays by leading experts, covering his life, his career in Florentine government, his reaction to the dramatic changes that affected Florence and Italy in his lifetime, and the most prominent themes of his thought.

This wide-ranging and stimulating Companion covers literature composed in French from the ninth century to the Renaissance, including the Chanson de Roland, the Roman de la Rose, Christine de Pisan and the Tristan romances. This is the ideal starting-point to discover the riches of the French medieval tradition.

The ideal introduction to the English novel for students and teachers, this book assesses the importance of the finest novelists in the English language (excluding living writers). Each writer is introduced in his or her literary context, and the major works are analysed.

Presenting a clear overview of the diverse approaches to Performance Studies, this Companion provides a complete guide for students and scholars seeking a perspective on trends in the field. Bridging live art practices with technological media, and social sciences with humanities, it reflects the hybrid and experimental nature of this vibrant discipline.

These specially commissioned essays examine Victorian literature in depth and explore its boundaries: the links and overlap with Romanticism in the 1830s, and the roots of modernism. This Companion brings together the most important aspects of this prolific and popular period of English literature.

Although little known during her lifetime, Kate Chopin is now recognised as a unique voice in American literature, with her seminal novel, The Awakening (1899), now widely read and studied. This volume, aimed at students and scholars of American, nineteenth-century, and feminist literature, brings a fresh perspective to Chopin's writing.

This Companion introduces readers to more than a hundred major and minor novelists. It demonstrates continuities in novel-writing throughout the century and presents leading critical ideas about English fiction's themes and forms. Students of modern literature will find this Companion an indispensable guide to the history of the English novel.

This book provides the new reader with the essential knowledge and conceptual tools for reading the literature of World War II. With its chronology and guide to further reading, it will be an invaluable source of information and inspiration for students and scholars of modern literature and war studies.

This book offers essays from an international team of scholars, providing an introduction to McCarthy's life and works that will appeal to teachers and scholars. Essays include broad thematic treatments of multiple works, including Outer Dark, Blood Meridian, All the Pretty Horses and The Road, and cover McCarthy's extensive work in film.

This book offers essays from an international team of scholars, providing an introduction to McCarthy's life and works that will appeal to teachers and scholars. Essays include broad thematic treatments of multiple works, including Outer Dark, Blood Meridian, All the Pretty Horses and The Road, and cover McCarthy's extensive work in film.

This Companion maps the dynamic literary landscape of the American South. Featuring newly commissioned essays from leading scholars, the text highlights patterns and connections amongst Southern writers across generations, making it a valuable guide for students and teachers of American literature, American studies and the history of storytelling in America.