Books in the Cultural History of Literature series

Written in a clear, accessible, storytelling style, Black Theater: A Cultural Companion 1850 - Today will shine a bright new light on the culture which has historically nurtured and inspired Black Theater. The book takes the reader on a journey to discover how social realities impacted the plays dramatists wrote and produced.

In this book, Tim Whitmarsh offers an innovative new introduction to ancient Greek literature. The volume integrates cutting--edge cultural theory with the latest research in classical scholarship, providing a comprehensive, sophisticated and accessible account of literature from Homer to late antiquity.

* The first book to offer a cultural history of French literature from its very beginnings. * Highlights the unique nature of the society that, over a millennium, has produced French culture .

* A wide-ranging overview of Detective Fiction from its origins to the present day. * Combines general socio-historical background with 'casebook' chapters, providing students with close readings of key texts and introducing them to a variety of critical approaches.

* This is the first volume to cover science fiction right up to the present day and includes a substantial last chapter on the rejuvenation of science fiction in the 1990s. * Written specifically for students and non-specialists, in an accessible style throughout.

* Introduction to the literature of the eighteenth century and its cultural, social and political contexts. * Ties literary developments to the shaping of modernity during the period, including the growth of cities, global trade and travel, and rights for women, workers and slaves.