Although the legends of Arthur have been popular throughout Europe from the middle ages onwards, the earliest references to Arthur are to be found in Welsh literature, starting with the Welsh-Latin Historia Brittonum which dates from the ninth century. By the twelfth century Arthur was a renowned figure wherever Welsh and its sister languages were spoken. O. J. Padel provides an overall survey of medieval Welsh literary references to Arthur and emphasizes the importance of understanding the character and purpose of the texts in which allusions to Arthur occur. Texts from different genres are considered together and shed new light on the use which different authors make of the multifaceted figure of Arthur, from the folk legend associated with magic and animals to the literary hero, soldier and defender of country and faith. Other figures associated with Arthur, such as Cai, Bedwyr and Gwenhwyfar, are also discussed. Arthur in Medieval Welsh Literature is an important and revealing contribution to Arthurian studies and will appeal to anyone interested in understanding more about the legends of Arthur and their sources in medieval Welsh tradition.

This new volume of eight short stories offers students of German at all levels the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of contemporary literature in the original, with the aid of parallel translations.

The majority of these stories have been written in the past decade, and reflect a rich diversity of styles and themes.  Complete with notes, the stories make excellent reading in either language.

This anthology gives students the opportunity of sampling a wide variety of Latin prose texts in a single volume. Each of the passages, ranging from Cicero, Livy and Tacitus to Seneca and Pliny is accompanied by a short introduction. This selection covers the entire range of Latin prose material from the second century BC to the fifth century AD.

1000 Jahre deutsche Literatur is organized by historic periods and includes carefully chosen readings, with notes and vocabulary, beginning with writings in Old High German through Gellert, Lichtenberg, and Lessing. Also included are numerous exercises and thought provoking questions for each chapter and support materials which emphasize the cultural and historical background of each historic period.

In tandem with Waltraud Maierhofer's Deutsche Literatur im Kontext 1750-2000, these two volumes provide a modern approach to German literature in its cultural, historical and linguistic context.

A woman has been found strangled in front of a local church. On her lap, a bag full of coins and a note "For masses for her soul." In a nearby convent for young society ladies, the chaplain is having "unconventional" encounters with his novices. Capitan Alatriste will soon discover how these two facts are connected by an entangled net of power, faith, and death.

M. O'C. Walshe, has now completely rewritten the work to meet the needs of the student whose prime concern is with the reading of Middle High German literature rather than with the language as such. Nevertheless the grammatical introduction, though recast, is still quite extensive, in order to show the often subtle and confusing differences from modern German.

Told from the perspective of a young French boy, this collection of charming stories--presented in French--isn't just for young readers. It doubles as an entertaining primer for anyone who is studying the French language.

"A Reflection of Reality" is an anthology of modern Chinese short stories designed as an advanced-level textbook for students who have completed at least three years of college-level Chinese. While many advanced-level Chinese language textbooks stress only practical communication, this textbook uses stories from well-known Chinese authors not only to enhance students' language proficiency, but also to expose students to the literature, history, and evolution of modern Chinese society.

The twelve stories selected for this textbook are written by such contemporary authors as Yu Hua, Wang Anyi, and Gao Xingjian, and have appeared in various newspapers and magazines in China. Each story is filled with useful sentence structures, vocabulary, and cultural information, and is followed by an extensive vocabulary list, numerous sentence structure examples, grammar exercises, and discussion questions. The textbook also includes a comprehensive pinyin index. "A Reflection of Reality "will effectively improve students' Chinese language skills and their understanding of today's China.Advanced-level Chinese language textbook Selected short stories reflect contemporary Chinese society and cultureExtensive vocabulary lists, sentence structure examples, grammar exercises, and discussion questionsComprehensive pinyin index