Literary Criticism

22626 books

The Playwright's Voice: American Dramatists on Memory, Writing and the Politics of Culture - Paperback

$20.95

by David Savran (Editor)This new volume of interviews with contemporary playwrights attests to the fact the dramatic art is alive and well in America and celebrates the art and talent of fifteen of the theatre's most important artists. In extensive interviews, they discuss their work, influences and their craft and how the art form relates to our cultural heritage, as well as the state of theatre-its-meaning and purposes as we approach the 21st Century. David Savran lays out their remarkable ...

J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator - Paperback

$29.95

by J. R. R. Tolkien (Illustrator), Wayne G. Hammond (Editor), Christina Scull (Editor)J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) renowned author of THE HOBBIT, THE LORD OF THE RINGS and THE SILMARILLION, was an artist in pictures as well as in words. Though he often remarked that he had no talent for drawing, his art has charmed his readers and has been exhibited to large and appreciative audiences the world over. In fact, his talent was far more than he admitted, and his sense of design was natural and keen...

The American Transcendentalists: Essential Writings - Paperback

$22.00

by Lawrence Buell (Editor), Ralph Waldo Emerson (Author), Henry David Thoreau (Author)Transcendentalism was the first major intellectual movement in U.S. history, championing the inherent divinity of each individual, as well as the value of collective social action. In the mid-nineteenth century, the movement took off, changing how Americans thought about religion, literature, the natural world, class distinctions, the role of women, and the existence of slavery.Edited by the eminent scholar ...

Daoist Master Changchun's Journey to the West: To the Court of Chinggis Qan and Back - Hardcover

$61.54

by Li Zhichang (Author), Ruth W. Dunnell (Editor), Ruth W. Dunnell (Translator)The Hsu-Tang Library presents authoritative and eminently readable translations of classical Chinese literature, in bilingual editions, ranging across three millennia and the entire Sinitic world. In the early years of the Mongol empire, the Quanzhen Daoist master Qiu Chuji (1148-1227, religious name Changchun) made an arduous three-year round-trip journey from north China to the Hindu Kush in 1221-23 in response t...

Robert Frost: Sixteen Poems to Learn by Heart - Hardcover

$24.00

Report copyright infringementby Robert Frost (Author), Jay Parini (Author)Celebrate Robert Frost's 150th birthday with a deluxe keepsake edition featuring 16 of his greatest poems--with brilliant essays highlighting his special genius and the power of memorization to unlock the magic of his language During a public reading Robert Frost was once asked why he so frequently recited his poems from memory. With typical wit, he replied: "If they won't stick to me, I won't stick to them." Remarkably...

$7.95

by Plato (Author), W. H. D. Rouse (Translator), Matthew S. Santirocco (Introduction by)"Plato is philosophy, and philosophy, Plato."--Emerson The Republic and other great dialogues by the immortal Greek philosopher Plato are masterpieces that form part of the most important single body of writing in the history of philosophy. Beauty, love, immortality, knowledge, and justice are discussed in these dialogues, which magnificently express the glowing spirit of Platonic philosophy. Translated by ...

$12.91

by Aristotle (Author), Anthony Kenny (Author)"What is poetry, how many kinds of it are there, and what are their specific effects?" Aristotle's Poetics is the most influential book on poetry ever written. A founding text of European aesthetics and literary criticism, it has shaped much of our modern understanding of the creation and impact of imaginative writing, including poetry, drama, and fiction. This brief volume brims with Aristotle's timeless insights into such topics as the nature of ...

The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson - Paperback

$25.00

by Ralph Waldo Emerson (Author), Brooks Atkinson (Editor), Mary Oliver (Introduction by)Introduction by Mary Oliver Commentary by Henry James, Robert Frost, Matthew Arnold, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Henry David Thoreau The definitive collection of Emerson's major speeches, essays, and poetry, The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson chronicles the life's work of a true "American Scholar." As one of the architects of the transcendentalist movement, Emerson embraced a philosophy that cha...

Anthony and Cleopatra: The Oxford Shakespeareanthony and Cleopatra - Paperback

$10.95

by William Shakespeare (Author), Michael Neill (Editor)Now available in beautiful World's Classics editions--with handsome, four-color covers and new low prices--The Oxford Shakespeare offers new and authoritative edions of Shakespeare's plays. In each volume, an introductory essay provides all relevant background information together with an appraisal of critical views and the play's performance history. In addition, the detailed commentaries pay particular attention to the language and stag...

Julius Caesar: No Fear Shakespeare Side-By-Side Plain English - Paperback

$7.99

by William Shakespeare (Author), Sparknotes (Author)Read Shakespeare's plays in all their brilliance--and understand what every word means! Don't be intimidated by Shakespeare! These popular guides make the Bard's plays accessible and enjoyable. Each No Fear guide contains: The complete text of the original play A line-by-line translation that puts Shakespeare into everyday language A complete list of characters, with descriptions Plenty of helpful commentary Author BiographyWILLIAM SHAKESP...

...and Then You Die of Dysentery: Lessons in Adulting from the Oregon Trail - Hardcover

$14.99

by Lauren Reeves (Author), Jude Buffum (Illustrator)A quirky, nostalgic send-up to the Oregon Trail computer game, featuring snarky and hard-earned life lessons from the trail. Pack your wagons, find your ride-or-(literally) die friends, and roll up to Matt's General Store with a sack of cash--it's time to hit the Oregon Trail, twenty-first-century style! ...And Then You Die of Dysentery is the perfect send-up to the sometimes frustrating, always entertaining, and universally beloved Oregon...

The Complete Euripides: Volume I: Trojan Women and Other Plays - Paperback

$15.99

by Peter Burian (Editor), Alan Shapiro (Editor)Based on the conviction that only translators who write poetry themselves can best re-create the celebrated and timeless tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the Greek Tragedy in New Translations series offers new translations that go beyond the literal meaning of the Greek in order to evoke the poetry of the originals. The tragedies collected here were originally available as single volumes. This new collection retains the informati...

Beneath the Moon: Fairy Tales, Myths, and Divine Stories from Around the World - Hardcover

$18.00

by Yoshi Yoshitani (Author)Powerful and universal retellings of seventy-eight divine stories, legends, and myths from around the world, each accompanied by a gorgeous illustration from acclaimed artist Yoshi Yoshitani. Many of the lessons we learn are shared stories passed among cultures and generations. In this riveting collection of fables and folktales from cultures across the globe, characters from beloved fairytales, cultural fables, ancient mythologies, and inspirational deities are bro...

The Norse Myths: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes Vividly Retold - Paperback

$17.99

by Tom Birkett (Author)The great Norse Myths are among the most dramatic and unforgettable stories in all human history. These fascinating, fantastical tales have inspired centuries of art, culture and literature, including the storytelling of Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones, Wagner's Ring Cycle and Marvel Comics. The Norse Myths takes us on a thrilling journey through the Norse cosmos, from the creation of the world to Ragnarok, the final world-destroying conflict...

$11.95

by Elizabeth Von Arnim (Author), Isobel Maddison (Editor)'To Those who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine. Small medieval castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be let For the month of April, above a bay on the Italian Riviera.' Four very different women--the dishevelled and downtrodden Mrs Wilkins, the sad, sweet-faced Mrs Arbuthnot, the formidable widow Mrs Fisher, and the ravishing socialite Lady Caroline Dester--are drawn to the shores of the Mediterranean that April. As each, in turn...

The Illustrated Walden: Or, Life in the Woods - Hardcover

$27.99

by Henry David Thoreau (Author)A beautiful illustrated edition of Thoreau's classic treatise on man and nature. "Our life is frittered away by detail. . . . Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!" Henry David Thoreau built his small cabin on the shore of Walden Pond in 1845. For the next two years, he lived there as simply as possible, learning to eliminate the unnecessary material and spiritual details that intrude upon human happiness. Thoreau described his experiences in Walden, using vivi...

$18.95

by Kim Hyesoon (Author), Don Mee Choi (Translator)An iconic figure in the emergence of feminist poetry in South Korea and now internationally renowned, Kim Hyesoon pushes the poetic envelope into the farthest reaches of the lyric universe. In her new collection, Kim depicts the memory of war trauma and the collective grief of parting through what she calls an "I-do-bird-sequence," where "Bird-human is the 'I.'" Her remarkable essay "Bird Rider" explains: "I came to write Phantom Pain Wings af...

The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable - Paperback

$18.00

by Amitav Ghosh (Author)Are we deranged? The acclaimed Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh argues that future generations may well think so. How else to explain our imaginative failure in the face of global warming? In his first major book of nonfiction since In an Antique Land, Ghosh examines our inability--at the level of literature, history, and politics--to grasp the scale and violence of climate change. The extreme nature of today's climate events, Ghosh asserts, make them peculiarly resistant...

$6.99

by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Author)"The political cataclysms and cultural revolutions of our century . . . confirm the status of Notes from Underground as one of the most sheerly astonishing and subversive creations of European fiction."--from the Introduction by Donald Fanger "I am a sick man . . . I am a spiteful man," the irascible voice of a nameless narrator cries out. And so, from underground, emerge the passionate confessions of a suffering man; the brutal self-examination of a tormented so...

Monster Girl Encyclopedia II - Hardcover

$29.99

by Kenkou Cross (Author)The second volume of the ultimate guide to monster girls that took fandom by storm--for Mature fans only! The definitive source guide for the sexy monster girl genre! Told from the perspective of a wandering scholar of monsters, this tantalizing tome includes 100 gorgeous full-color illustrations of seductively dangerous monster girls. Replete with fascinating lore, elaborate bios, and intricate descriptions, this book has everything you ever wanted to know about mons...

Macbeth: No Fear Shakespeare Side-By-Side Plain English - Paperback

$7.99

by William Shakespeare (Author), Sparknotes (Author)Read Shakespeare's plays in all their brilliance--and understand what every word means! Don't be intimidated by Shakespeare! These popular guides make the Bard's plays accessible and enjoyable. Each No Fear guide contains: The complete text of the original play A line-by-line translation that puts the words into everyday language A complete list of characters, with descriptions Plenty of helpful commentary Author BiographyWILLIAM SHAKES...

$22.95

by Charles Perrault (Author), Christopher Betts (Author)"Oh grandmama, what great big teeth you have!" Charles Perrault's versions gave classic status to the humble fairy tale, and it is in his telling that the stories of Little Red Riding-Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and the rest have been passed down from the seventeenth century to the present day. Perrault's tales were enjoyed in the salons of Louis XIV as much as they were loved in the nursery, and it is their wit, humor, and lively ...

Memories of Socrates: Memorabilia and Apology - Paperback

$13.99

by Xenophon (Author), Martin Hammond (Author), Carol Atack (Author)'Who would you say knows himself?' In 399 BCE Socrates was tried in Athens on charges of irreligion and corruption of the young, convicted, and sentenced to death. Like Plato, an almost exact contemporary, in his youth Xenophon (c. 430-c. 354 BCE) was one of the circle of mainly upper-class young Athenians attracted to Socrates' teaching. His Memorabilia is both a passionate defence of Socrates against those charges, and a kal...

The Poet as Philosopher: Petrarch and the Formation of Renaissance Consciousness - Paperback

$34.18

by Charles Trinkaus (Author) Number of Pages: 168 Dimensions: 0.36 x 9 x 6 IN Publication Date: November 07, 2008

Illuminations: Essays and Reflections - Paperback

$18.99

by Walter Benjamin (Author)A selection of works from one of the most original cultural critics of the twentieth century--as selected by Hannah Arendt and including a classic essay of her own about Walter Benjamin's life and philosophy. "There has been no more original, no more serious critic and reader in our time."--George Steiner An icon of criticism, Walter Benjamin was renowned for his insights on art, literature, and philosophy. This volume includes his views on Kafka, with whom he fe...

Hamlet: A Norton Critical Edition - Paperback

$37.26

by William Shakespeare (Author), Robert S. Miola (Editor)This Norton Critical Edition includes: - The Second Quarto text, edited by Robert S. Miola and accompanied by his footnotes, headnotes, and introductory materials. - Eighteen illustrations from 1604 to 2008, three of them new to the Second Edition. - The Actors' Gallery, presenting actors--from Sarah Bernhardt and Ellen Terry to Kenneth Branagh and David Tennant, two of them new to the Second Edition--reflecting on their roles in major ...

$17.00

by Mourid Barghouti (Author), Edward W. Said (Introduction by), Ahdaf Soueif (Translator)WINNER OF THE NAGUIB MAHFOUZ MEDAL FOR LITERATURE A fierce and moving work and an unparalleled rendering of the human aspects of the Palestinian predicament. Barred from his homeland after 1967's Six-Day War, the poet Mourid Barghouti spent thirty years in exile--shuttling among the world's cities, yet secure in none of them; separated from his family for years at a time; never certain whether he was a v...

More Than Meets the Eye: What Blindness Brings to Art - Paperback

$82.06

by Georgina Kleege (Author)In the quarter century following the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, art museums, along with other public institutions, were tasked with making their facilities and collections more accessible to people with disabilities. Although blind and other disabled people have become marginally more visible in recent years, the vast majority of blind Americans remain undereducated and unemployed. In More Than Meets the Eye, Georgina Kleege shows how the scru...

Much ADO about Nothing: No Fear Shakespeare Side-By-Side Plain English - Paperback

$7.99

by William Shakespeare (Author), Sparknotes (Author)Read Shakespeare's plays in all their brilliance--and understand what every word means! Don't be intimidated by Shakespeare! These popular guides make the Bard's plays accessible and enjoyable. Each No Fear guide contains: The complete text of the original play A line-by-line translation that puts the words into everyday language A complete list of characters, with descriptions Plenty of helpful commentary Author BiographyWILLIAM SHAKESPEA...

Flannery O'Connor: Collected Works (Loa #39): Wise Blood / A Good Man Is Hard to Find / The Violent Bear It Away / Everything That Rises Must Converge - Hardcover

$47.95

by Flannery O'Connor (Author)In her short lifetime, Flannery O'Connor became one of the most distinctive American writers of the twentieth century. By birth a native of Georgia and a Roman Catholic, O'Connor depicts, in all its comic and horrendous incongruity, the limits of worldly wisdom and the mysteries of divine grace in the "Christ-haunted" Protestant South. This Library of America collection, the most comprehensive ever published, contains all of her novels and short-story collections,...

$18.00

by Roland Barthes (Author), Richard Howard (Translator)With this book, Barthes offers a broad-ranging meditation on the culture, society, art, literature, language, and iconography--in short, both the sign-oriented realities and fantasies--of Japan itself.Author BiographyRoland Barthes was born in 1915 and studied French literature and the classics at the University of Paris. After teaching French at universities in Romania and Egypt, he joined the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, w...

The Gothic: A Very Short Introduction - Paperback

$12.99

by Nick Groom (Author)The Gothic is wildly diverse. It can refer to ecclesiastical architecture, supernatural fiction, cult horror films, and a distinctive style of rock music. It has influenced political theorists and social reformers, as well as Victorian home décor and contemporary fashion. This Very Short Introduction captures the history of the Gothic from ancient times to the present. It covers the sack of Rome by the barbarian tribes, mediaeval architecture, popular culture in the sixt...