Literature Research Guide: Background Information

Includes essays on American poets, playwrights, essayists and novelists, as well as major works and essays on literary movements, periods, and themes from the 1600s to the present day.

An international survey of world literature in English, from Old English to contemporary writing. Covers poems, novels, literary journals and plays.

Comprehensive coverage of the history of literature in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland in the major literary languages, including biographies and major themes or movements.

An A-Z reference of writers and themes in African literature.

An A-Z reference of people, places, themes, and terms important to Irish literature.

An A-Z reference with entries on writers, on individual texts, and on general terms, genres and movements.

Focuses on writers and works published since 1950. The majority of the authors surveyed are African American, but representative African and Caribbean authors are also included

An A-Z reference of novelists, their individual works, and literary themes and genres.

Documents and interprets the books read by children worldwide; includes biographies of major authors and illustrators, and essays on all genres of children's literature, individual works, and prominent trends and themes.

Spans all facets of gothic literature, including visual and performing arts, society and culture, themes, and settings. Includes primary source documents and critical material to provide a contextual perspective, a related chronology of key events, full-text commentaries, and lists of further readings.

This collection examines works that chronicle a life or are compiled from narrated memories. The entries focus on autobiographies, diaries, journals and oral histories from around the world and various time periods to bring us closer to the human experience of history. Some entries look at those who carry on the tradition of oral history, such the West African Griot, Scandinavian Skald, British and Gaelic bards, and Native American

Contains 300 entries that explore literary works that deal with propaganda. The set includes a wide variety of genres and has an international scope. It explores the works of authors shaped by a variety of political, social, and economic movements, and places each work in its historical context. Each entry includes an overview of the work, historical context, primary themes and style, and critical discussion.

Provides historical, cultural and social context of works that focus on armed conflict throughout the world and time. It highlights the realities of war, its impact on society, and how it affects our understanding of it.

raphic novels -- novels merging pictures and rich language to create a unique experience of literature and art -- are enjoying a renewed popularity, especially with students and young adults. U*X*L's Graphic Novelists introduces researchers to the authors and illustrators behind these works, taking care to define and explore the distinction between comic books and graphic novels.

Entries provide in-depth historical background information on each movement as well as modern critical interpretation of each movement's characteristic styles and themes.

Provides entries on the important concepts, theorists and trends in post-1900 literary and cultural theory.

An A-Z reference of themes and movements in literary and cultural criticism.

An A-Z reference of people, places, movements, genres, and terms important to narrative theory.

This six-volume set explores the history of women and feminism throughout literature, from classical antiquity to modern times. Topics covered include misogyny and women's social roles in ancient civilizations, 16th-century women's devotional literature, 17th- and 18th-century women's captivity narratives, the women's suffrage movement in 19th-century America, women writers of the "Lost Generation," lesbian literature, and much more

A guide to the history and development of feminist literary criticism and an assessment of the main issues and authors in the field.

Covers American authors from many periods and genres, building a broad understanding of the various contexts - from the biographical to the literary to the historical - in which literature can be viewed.

Presents literature not as a simple inventory of authors or titles but rather as a historical and cultural field viewed from a wide array of contemporary perspectives. The set, which is "new historicist" in its approach to literary criticism, endorses the notion that not only does history affect literature, but literature itself informs history.

Covers world authors from many periods and genres, building an understanding of the various contexts -- from the biographical to the literary to the historical -- in which literature can be viewed. Identifies the significant literary devices and global themes that define a writer's style and place the author in a larger literary tradition as chronicled and evaluated by critics over time.

Provides in-depth commentary on characters, themes, and the historical and social context of 300 most-studied literary works, including novels, plays, poems, speeches, and short stories, both international and American.