This new edition of an established text provides a succinct and up-to-date historical overview of the story of English literature. Focusing on how writing both reflects and challenges the periods in which it is produced, John Peck and Martin Coyle combine close readings of key texts with recent critical thinking on the interaction of literary works and culture. Providing a lively introductory guide to English literature from Beowulf to the present day, the authors write in their characteristically lucid and accessible style. A true masterpiece of clarity and compression, this is essential reading for undergraduate students coming across the vast areas of English literature for the first time and looking for a way of making critical sense of the texts being studied. In addition, the concise nature and narrative structure of this book makes it excellent reading for general readers. New to this Edition: - Revised chapter on twentieth century literature - Complete new chapter on twenty-first century literature - Updated Chronology and Further Reading section

This collection of essays is aimed at students who are working on The Merchant of Venice and who are looking for new ways of thinking about the play and new ways of thinking about their own practice as critics. The collection offers a spectrum of the more recent writings on the play, that open up its historical, cultural and political significance and serve to demonstrate some of the ways in which contemporary criticism is not only based upon critical theory but is also about the practice of criticism. This is a strong collection of essays about Shakespeare's most controversial play.

This Encyclopedia is the most comprehensive guide yet both to the nature and content of literature, and to literary criticism. In ninety essays by leading international critics and scholars, the volume covers both traditional topics such as literature and history, poetry, drama and the novel, and also newer topics such as the production and reception of literature. Current critical ideas are clearly and provocatively discussed, while the volume's arrangement reflects in a dynamic way the rich diversity of contemporary thinking about literature. Each essay seeks to provide the reader with a clear sense of the full significance of its subject as well as guidance on further reading. An essential work of reference, The Encyclopedia of Literature and Criticism is a stimulating guide to the central preoccupations of contemporary critical thinking about literature. Special Features * Clearly written by scholars and critics of international standing for readers at all levels in many disciplines * In-depth essays covering all aspects, traditional and new, of literary studies past and present * Useful cross-references within the text, with full bibliographical references and suggestions for further reading * Single index of authors, terms, topics

No text has attracted more controversy over the centuries than Machiavelli's The Prince. Placed on the Index of Prohibited Books by the Catholic Church in 1599, The Prince nevertheless proved to be the means by which Machiavelli came to be known throughout Europe, establishing his name as a byword for the cunning and unscrupulous politician. Written as the medieval world was giving way to the new dynamic of renaissance capitalism, The Prince embodies a whole series of vital issues that affect our understanding of modern politics, including power and morality, history and human nature, language and meaning, gender and government. It is these issues which the essays in this volume debate and explore from a variety of perspectives, from the original responses to The Prince through to feminist and deconstructive approaches. The result is a volume packed with ideas and insights. With contributions by international scholars and critics, a chronological table and select bibliography, this is an essential guide for anyone studying Machiavelli. -- .

This new edition of an established text provides a succinct and up-to-date historical overview of the story of English literature. Focusing on how writing both reflects and challenges the periods in which it is produced, John Peck and Martin Coyle combine close readings of key texts with recent critical thinking on the interaction of literary works and culture. Providing a lively introductory guide to English literature from Beowulf to the present day, the authors write in their characteristically lucid and accessible style. A true masterpiece of clarity and compression, this is essential reading for undergraduate students coming across the vast areas of English literature for the first time and looking for a way of making critical sense of the texts being studied. In addition, the concise nature and narrative structure of this book makes it excellent reading for general readers. New to this Edition: - Revised chapter on twentieth century literature - Complete new chapter on twenty-first century literature - Updated Chronology and Further Reading section

Aimed at students wishing to improve their writing skills, this guide deals with the key basics of grammar, punctuation and spelling while also showing students how to construct a sentence, how to build a paragraph and how to structure an essay. This third edition includes an expanded 'Spot the Mistake' section.

This book has long been established as the best-selling guide to the study of English literature. It offers a comprehensive introduction to English poetry, drama and the novel, complete with practical advice on how to analyse texts. Many students have described past editions of Literary Terms and Criticism as the single most useful book they have ever bought. This new edition, which contains updated material, additional discussion of critical terms and approaches and a revised further reading list, remains the indispensable guide to the subject.

This collection of essays is aimed at students who are working on "The Merchant of Venice" and who are looking for new ways of thinking about the play and new ways of thinking about their own practice as critics. The collection offers a spectrum of the more recent writings on the play, that open up its historical, cultural and political significance and serve to demonstrate some of the ways in which contemporary criticism is not only based upon critical theory but is also about the practice of criticism.

Practical criticism underlies everything students of English literature do. It is a way of reading the text closely, but with a grasp of the larger issues involved. This book is a practical, step-by-step guide which shows the student how to gain a sense of what a poem or passage of prose or drama is about, how to analyse it and how to build a successful essay. Easy to read and uncluttered by technical vocabulary, it will prove an invaluable resource for any student.

This book - for a decade the most highly regarded general introduction to Shakespeare - offers students a clear and practical method of approaching a Shakespeare play. This major new edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded to include five new chapters that illustrate the nature and impact of the new approaches to Shakespeare that have swept through literary studies in recent years: structuralism, poststructuralism, deconstruction, feminism, new historicism and cultural materialism.

What are the differences between traditional readings of Hamlet and those produced by modern criticism? What sort of questions does structuralist or feminist criticism raise? What issues are foregrounded by contemporary critics and how do these challenge our understanding of the play? This new collection on Hamlet brings together three traditional essays on the play and sets them alongside nine pieces of modern criticism that reflect the way in which contemporary discussion of Shakespeare is now heavily indebted to the ideas of structuralism, feminism, deconstruction, Marxism and new historicism. Complete with Introduction and a guide to Further Reading, the volume offers students a clear account of how the exciting developments in modern literary criticism and theory have influenced the current debate about Hamlet.