Books in the Cambridge Introductions to Literature first batch set 10 Volume Paperback Set series

This is an eloquent and accessible introduction to one of the most important writers of the twentieth century. This book provides biographical and contextual information, but more fundamentally, it also considers how we might think about an enduringly difficult and experimental novelist and playwright who often challenges the very concepts of meaning and interpretation. It deals with his life, intellectual and cultural background, plays, prose, and critical response and relates Beckett's work and vision to the culture and context from which he wrote. McDonald provides a sustained analysis of the major plays, including Waiting for Godot, Endgame, and Happy Days and his major prose works including Murphy, Watt and his famous 'trilogy' of novels (Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable). This introduction concludes by mapping the huge terrain of criticism Beckett's work has prompted, and it explains the turn in recent years to understanding Beckett within his historical context.

This wide-ranging introduction to the short story tradition in the United States traces the genre from its beginnings in the early nineteenth century with Irving, Hawthorne and Poe, via Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Faulkner to Raymond Carver and Flannery O'Connor.

This is a clear and informative introduction to Woolf's life, works, and cultural and critical contexts, covering the major works in detail, including To the Lighthouse, Mrs Dalloway, The Waves and the key short stories. All students of Woolf will find this a useful and illuminating overview of the field.

An essential book for students of the twentieth-century novel and of modernism, this introduction is aimed at students studying Conrad for the first time. John G. Peters explains how the key themes of travel and conflict are explored in the major works, Nostromo, Lord Jim and Heart of Darkness.

T. S. Eliot is not only one of the most important poets of the twentieth century; as literary critic and commentator on culture and society, his writing continues to be profoundly influential. This informative and accessible book provides the perfect introduction to Eliot's life and work.

This introduction provides the essential facts about Joyce's life and works, and explains the contexts in which he was writing. All Joyce's major works, including Ulysses, Finnegans Wake and Dubliners are covered, with a guide to further reading. Students will find this an accessible introduction to understanding and enjoying Joyce.

This 2006 introduction to English theatre, including illustrative quotations and carefully selected visual images, guides the reader through the turbulent history of the stage from the restoration of Charles II to the death of Queen Victoria. A lively read, the book is ideal for students, teachers and lecturers alike.

Covering early English theatre from the earliest recorded vernacular texts in the late medieval period to the closing of the theatres in 1642, this introduction gives an accessible overview of the historical development of theatre. It includes full chronologies, helpful text boxes and over twenty illustrations.

This introduction to one of the twentieth century's most important writers examines Yeats's poems, plays and stories in relation to biographical, literary, and historical contexts. While using this introduction, students will have instant access to the essential facts about his life and literary career and suggestions for further reading.