Jane Austen and Mary Shelley and Their Sisters is an unprecedented work that provides an in-depth analysis of the work of women novelists from the Romantic age, a period that has long been exclusively designated as the province of canonized male poets. Although there are many volumes on the works of Austen and Shelley, this collection is the first to consider these writers and others in the wider context of English fiction by women during the 1780s to 1830s. Collectively, the authors examine the works of nearly fifteen women novelists of the Romantic period whose works encompass the prevailing social and political realities of the time. They demonstrate that women writers were not following a specific formula to produce their creative works but were instead responding to an insatiable market for their imaginative and infinitely varied wares. A must-read for scholars of women's studies as well as 19th century British literature, Jane Austen and Mary Shelley and Their Sisters is sure to be an important resource for years to come.

Jane Austen and Mary Shelley and Their Sisters is an unprecedented work that provides an in-depth analysis of the work of women novelists from the Romantic age, a period that has long been exclusively designated as the province of canonized male poets. Although there are many volumes on the works of Austen and Shelley, this collection is the first to consider these writers and others in the wider context of English fiction by women during the 1780s to 1830s. Collectively, the authors examine the works of nearly fifteen women novelists of the Romantic period whose works encompass the prevailing social and political realities of the time. They demonstrate that women writers were not following a specific formula to produce their creative works but were instead responding to an insatiable market for their imaginative and infinitely varied wares. A must-read for scholars of women's studies as well as 19th century British literature, Jane Austen and Mary Shelley and Their Sisters is sure to be an important resource for years to come.

William Shakespeare wrote during a great age of exploration, not only of England but around the globe. The locales featured in the playwright’s works are crucial to the drama that unfolds in each of his plays, from Shylock’s house in The Merchant of Venice to Kronberg castle in Hamlet. In All the World’s a Stage: A Guide to Shakespearean Sites, Joseph Rosenblum identifies and describes all of the settings featured in the bard’s plays—from modest dwellings noted in a brief scene or to the wide array of castles that featured prominently in many of his histories and tragedies. This volume delineates the historically prominent settings of Shakespeare’s epic dramas, such as the glorified Rome and the sensual Egypt that Marc Antony is torn between in his pursuit of Cleopatra. Rosenblum also discusses how some of Shakespeare’s settings were either altered for dramatic purposes, such as the imagined sea coast of Bohemia in A Winter’s Tale, or the invention of Prospero’s island in The Tempest. While the book contains much plot summary, the author analyzes the choice of location as well. Though focused on plays and poems, this volume also discusses locations associated with Shakespeare that do not appear in his works. In addition to descriptions of very real settings throughout Great Britain, the author notes underground stops in London ideal for tourist exploration. Indeed, anyone interested in a Shakespearean tour of England will find material here for designing such a trip. Meticulously researched, All the World’s a Stage: A Guide to Shakespearean Site is an invaluable resource for scholars, students, and fans of England’s greatest playwright.

This award-winning multi-volume series is dedicated to making literature and its creators better understood and more accessible to students and interested readers, while satisfying the standards of librarians, teachers and scholars. Dictionary of Literary Biography provides reliable information in an easily comprehensible format, while placing writers in the larger perspective of literary history. Dictionary of Literary Biography systematically presents career biographies and criticism of writers from all eras and all genres through volumes dedicated to specific types of literature and time periods. For a listing of Dictionary of Literary Biography volumes sorted by genre click here. 01