Books in the Wiley Blackwell Introductions to Literature series

How did the historical figure of King Arthur and his totally fictitious knights come to inspire so many stories? And why does Arthurian myth continue to flourish in films today? This introduction takes readers on a quest through the history of Arthurian romance in order to find the answers.

Tragedy: A Short Introduction reinvigorates the genre for readers who are eager to embrace it, but who often find the traditional masterpieces too distant from their own language and world.

Introduces Mark Twain through close readings of his seven major works, including "Tom Sawyer", "Huckleberry Finn", "Connecticut Yankee" and "Pudd'nhead Wilson". This work analyses the significance of Twain's books for American culture and identity.

This unique introduction explores Herman Melville as he described himself in Billy Budd-"a writer whom few know. " Moving beyond the recurring depiction of Melville as the famous author of Moby-Dick, this book traces his development as a writer while providing the basic tools for successful critical reading of his novels.

This introductory guide to Walt Whitman weaves together the writer's life with an examination of his works. ? An innovative introductory guide to Walt Whitman. ? Weaves together the writer's life with an examination of his works. ? Focuses especially on Whitman's evolving masterpiece Leaves of Grass.

Written by a leading critic, this invigorating introduction to modernist American poetry conveys the excitement that can be generated by a careful reading of modernist poems. * Encourages readers to identify with the modernists' sense of the revolutionary possibilities of their art.

This introduction to American literature and culture from 1900 to 1960 is organized around four major ideas about America: that is it "big", "new", "rich", and "free". * Illustrates the artistic and social climate in the USA during this period.

In this compelling first volume in the Blackwell Introductions to Literature series, Roy Flannagan, editor of The Milton Quarterly, provides a readable and uncluttered critical account of a complicated and sophisticated author, and his poetry and prose.

The aim of this short book is to introduce Chaucer, "The Canterbury Tales", and far more briefly, some of his other works to the beginning student or reader.

This book introduces readers to the evolution of modern fiction in Spanish--speaking Latin America. aeo Presents Latin American fiction in its cultural and political contexts. aeo Introduces debates about how to read this literature.

The difficulties that students face when tackling Joyce's works are addressed by focusing on plot, implying that the "real" books are hidden behind the author's complex language and style. This book demystifies Joyce's style, demonstrating that everything students need to know in order to read his works may be discovered in the books themselves.

This volume offers a description of early modern habits of writing and reading, of publication and stage performance, and of political and religious writing. An introduction to early modern English literature for students and general readers.

From runic inscriptions to sagas, this book introduces readers to the world of Old Norse-Icelandic literature. It covers mythology and family sagas, as well as less well-known areas, such as oral story-telling, Eddaic verse and skaldic verse. It shows how a range of authors from Shakespeare to Seamus Heaney have been influenced by this literature.

This introduction provides the guidance that modern readers need to come to an informed appreciation of the writings of medieval England. An introduction to English literature written in the four centuries following the Norman Conquest. Written by the well-known medievalist, Thorlac Turville-Petre.

Presents an introduction to Old English literature that is structured around what the author calls 'figures' from Anglo-Saxon culture: the Vow, the Hall, the Miracle, the Pulpit, and the Scholar.

Presents an overview of some of the central texts of literary Modernism. This work includes discussion of major authors, including T S Eliot, Virginia Woolf, D H Lawrence, Wallace Stevens and H D.

* A jargon--free introduction to the whole history of the novel in the twentieth century. * Examines the main strands of twentieth--century fiction, including post--war, post--imperial and multicultural fiction, the global novel, the digital novel and the post--realist novel.

* A concise introduction to American drama from the end of the Second World War to the turn of the twenty-first century. * Provides a balanced assessment of the major plays and playwrights of the period, among them Arthur Miller, Eugene O'Neill and Tennessee Williams.

This introduction provides a concise overview of the central issues and critical responses to Shakespeare's sonnets, looking at the themes, images, and structure of his work, as well as the social and historical circumstances surrounding their creation.