Wagering on Transcendence explores the question of ultimate meaning in literature. Through essays, Mount Mary College professors from various disciplines analyze several pieces of literature from a variety of genres and authors to show how each depicts the human struggle to find meaning.

The essays analyze concrete examples of spiritual journeys, the ways in which nature can be an avenue of transcendence, the transforming effect that the search for meaning can have on the individual, how transcendence can be experienced through community, the roles of language and story in the quest for transcendence, and the wager itself: how our bets about the existence of the Divine determine how we live our lives.

The relationship between James Joyce and Samuel Beckett has long been of interest to literary critics and readers alike and Re: Joyce 'n Beckett explores that relationship more fully that any other single work of the current scholarship. This volume provides the reader with an overview of the main trends and dilemmas that have dominated discussions on the complex Joyce/Beckett relationship, and pulls together previously scattered materials into a cohesive whole. It also contains an extensive bibliography of particular interest to scholars who will find this composite of sources priceless. The main section offers eleven engaging new essays written from many points of view on a variety of topics including, the impact of biographies written on both Joyce and Beckett, the handling of Irish materials in the short story form, the use of allusion as well as larger narrative structures, the portrayal of the concept of the artist, and the way in which each author deals with the problem of "authority" in their writings. An original one-act play by Denis Regan is also included; the play premiered in April 1990 at the Milwaukee Irishfest. This work does much to challenge previous misconceptions about the Joyce/Beckett relationship. Re: Joyce 'n Beckett is a rich, lively work that brings the relationship of these two, crucially important literary figures of the twentieth century together in one definitive volume.

The relationship between James Joyce and Samuel Beckett has long been of interest to literary critics and readers alike and Re: Joyce 'n Beckett explores that relationship more fully that any other single work of the current scholarship. This volume provides the reader with an overview of the main trends and dilemmas that have dominated discussions on the complex Joyce/Beckett relationship, and pulls together previously scattered materials into a cohesive whole. It also contains an extensive bibliography of particular interest to scholars who will find this composite of sources priceless. The main section offers eleven engaging new essays written from many points of view on a variety of topics including, the impact of biographies written on both Joyce and Beckett, the handling of Irish materials in the short story form, the use of allusion as well as larger narrative structures, the portrayal of the concept of the artist, and the way in which each author deals with the problem of "authority" in their writings. An original one-act play by Denis Regan is also included; the play premiered in April 1990 at the Milwaukee Irishfest. This work does much to challenge previous misconceptions about the Joyce/Beckett relationship. Re: Joyce 'n Beckett is a rich, lively work that brings the relationship of these two, crucially important literary figures of the twentieth century together in one definitive volume.

The full range of literary traditions comes to life in the Twayne Critical Essays Series. Volume editors have carefully selected critical essays that represent the full spectrum of controversies, trends and methodologies relating to each author's work. Essays include writings from the author's native country and abroad, with interpretations from the time they were writing, through the present day.

Each volume includes:

-- An introduction providing the reader with a lucid overview of criticism from its beginnings -- illuminating controversies, evaluating approaches and sorting out the schools of thought

-- The most influential reviews and the best reprinted scholarly essays

-- A section devoted exclusively to reviews and reactions by the subject's contemporaries

-- Original essays, new translations and revisions commissioned especially for the series

-- Previously unpublished materials such as interviews, lost letters and manuscript fragments

-- A bibliography of the subject's writings and interviews

-- A name and subject index