Discusses Orwell's writings from his first book, Down and Out In Paris and London, through his documentaries, novels and essays to his last major works - Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four.

The purpose of this series is to promote the study of writing in the English language through the introduction of the major figures writing in English throughout the ages. They provide an analytical and historical framework for understanding their subjects. This study explores Philips Larkin's major collections of poetry as well as his main prose writings, making a balanced judgement of his achievements. It shows Larkin's consistent quality as a poet, as well as his limitations of culrural conservatism and his equivocal commitment to love.

Despite her prominence as an actress, fashionista, social activist and the "sexiest woman in the world," Scarlett Johansson has kept her life private. Her work ethic has been strong since her film debut in North (1994) at age 10. Then in 2003, Lost in Translation brought kudos and launched her adult career. While she never abandoned the independents, Johansson became a leading lady in very big films, including eight outings as former Russian assassin Black Widow thwarting alien incursions in The Avengers and other films in the Marvel Universe. This book surveys Johansson's life and films from childhood to her 2019 Academy Award nominations for Jojo Rabbit and Marriage Story. Each film entry includes a plot synopsis, extracts from contemporary reviews, behind-the-scenes information, and the author's analysis of the film. Looked at in-depth are the three Woody Allen collaborations, her role as Black Widow, and the films in which she becomes "the other."

Warren Hope's poetry is firmly grounded in reality. A lyricist of the everyday, Hope recognises and captures in words the small transformative moments of living. The poems of First Light are those of a poetic craftsman, one fully at ease with his chosen discipline. At its finest, his work straddles the vibrant vernacular of the United States and the formality of the traditional lyric. The tension between these two idioms - and Hope's reaction to it - produces a satisfying and challenging collection.

Theories stating that plays attributed to Shakespeare were in fact written by other authors have existed for more than 200 years; some theories have been ridiculed and reviled while some have gained growing popular and scholarly support. The history of the Shakespeare controversy is presented in this revised edition of the 1992 work, with much new information and three additional chapters. Part I documents and critically assesses the most important theories on the authorship question. Part II is an annotated bibliography, arranged chronologically, of the many works that deal with the controversy from its vague beginnings to the present.

Warren Hope's poems have appeared on both sides of the Atlantic. Brief, frequently lyrical and tender, they counter the brutalizing ethos of contemporary life, speaking of and for the virtues of modesty, honesty and gentleness in an individual way.

Robert Frost's accumulation of fame and social honours continued to the end of his long life. Warren Hope considers carefully Frost's poetic output and touches on his troubled life and the role of poetry in it.

The purpose of this series is to promote the study of writing in the English language through the introduction of the major figures writing in English throughout the ages. They provide an analytical and historical framework for understanding their subjects. In this critical study of the poetry of Seamus Heaney, Warren Hope finds a sharp disparity between the size and nature of the Irish poet's reputation and the quality of his verse. Hope argues that Heaney is best when he has something moving to say and allows himself to say it in personal, often akward language that reads as if it has been compelled. He too often writes when he has little or nothing to say, and in language that is contrived and artificial - the result of ambition and professionalism, rather than inspiration.