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Although Frost's words may be well-known to most students, the life that inspired his work may not be. By discussing the time in which Frost lived; the events of his life; and an analysis of his themes, style, and language, this text introduces readers to the world of Robert Frost and shows them what made him an American poetry legend.
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For most of her life, Harper Lee was (reluctantly) famous for her classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee's newest book, Go Set a Watchman, caused quite a media frenzy even before its publication. This text examines how Lee's Southern background (she was a descendant of General Robert E. Lee) and racial tensions in the Deep South during that time came together to influence the plot, characters, and themes of To Kill a Mockingbird. This volume also...
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Living in the southern United States during the civil rights movement, William Faulkner's work is fraught with depictions of life in the changing South. Through the interpretation of key details of his life, as well as direct quotations and analysis of his word choice and themes, readers will learn how to examine and comprehend Faulkner's writing for themselves.
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To appreciate and understand John Steinbeck's stories, students must comprehend what it was like to live during the Great Depression, and they must understand the working man to whom Steinbeck was attempting to appeal. Through direct quotations; biographical details; and in-depth discussions of his style, themes, and form, this text will allow readers to ponder and interpret Steinbeck's works.
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No twentieth-century writer has achieved greater literary success than Ernest Hemingway. His early days in journalism resulted in his trademark lean prose and a compelling writing style that would influence generations of writers to come. A larger-than-life figure, the author pursued adventures that would provide the groundwork for compelling tales of wars, bullfights, and safaris. This insightful guide provides excerpts, quotes, and critical analysis...
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Jhumpa Lahiri understands what it means to be caught between two cultures. Born in London to Indian immigrants, she has spent most of her life in the United States but still struggles to feel "American." This is the challenge facing many new Indian Americans, and it is the focal point of Lahiri's novels and stories, which examine various aspects of the culture clashes that come from being a newcomer in a foreign land. This insightful guide takes readers...
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'The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.' Observations like this make Mark Twain the most widely read and quoted American author. This guide utilizes quotes, excerpts, biographical information, and critical analysis in examining Twain's vast output of novels, personal memoirs, social criticisms, and essays, both serious and hilarious. It also demonstrates how Twain...
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Jane Austen is one of the most beloved novelists of all time, yet despite her ever-growing popularity, there still remains a certain mystique about the woman herself. In this text, readers will get to know the novelist and her works in the context of Regency England society as well as the author's more intimate circle of family and friends. Students will come to a greater understanding of Austen's innovative writing style and universal themes through...
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Emily Dickinson's words may be well known to students, but they may know very little of her quiet solitary life. This text positions her work within the political climate in which she lived, the culture and expectations for an educated young woman of the day, and discusses what it meant to be a poet during the American Civil War. Through critical analysis of her themes, language, and style and direct quotations from Dickinson's many correspondences,...
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Growing up poor in a small town in Georgia, Alice Walker became aware of the effects of prejudice and segregation at a young age. She would later call on these early experiences when writing her most famous novel, The Color Purple. But the themes of Walker's prose and poetry extend far beyond race, including women's issues, religion, relationships, and culture. This text explores the many themes of her work, as well as her use of characterization,...
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As a young man, Eric Blair, better known as George Orwell, traveled to Spain to fight in that country's civil war. Although he was a British citizen, he felt the need to fight for the rights of the oppressed in that country. As the writer of the classics Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell used his pen to comment on power and corruption in government and how they affect society. This text takes an in-depth look at Orwell's novels and essays...
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For most students, the images stirred by the word "poet" are those of an introverted individual removed from the crowd and devoted more to his or her work than engaging in the company of others. Walt Whitman spent a lifetime avoiding these commonly held notions of what a writer should be. From founding his own newspaper to acting as a volunteer nurse during the Civil War, Whitman encountered years of progress and turmoil that dramatically influenced...
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The literary output of the Brontë sisters was small, but their novels remain immensely popular more than 150 years after their deaths. Each sister wrote a novel that challenged the ideas of the day on what was fit to print: Charlotte's Jane Eyre by examining the interior life of a young girl; Emily's Wuthering Heights by overturning the conventions of the novel, even while making use of traditional literary forms; Anne's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall...
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Arthur Miller is described by some as the greatest American playwright of the twentieth century. To fully understand and appreciate his work, students must comprehend the political climate in which he was writing and the changes facing the world at the time. This engaging text provides readers with critical analysis of his themes, style, and language; direct quotations from Miller; and relevant biographical details. Students will learn about the world...
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Toni Morrison has received the Nobel Prize for Literature, the Pulitzer Prize, and many other awards. But in order to fully appreciate what this amazing author has accomplished, students must know where she came from, the era in which she grew up, and how these details influenced the major themes, style, and language of her writing. Through critical analysis, excerpts, and direct quotations from Morrison herself, this text will allow readers to gain...
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Students often approach the complex poetry of T. S. Eliot with some degree of trepidation, but as this comprehensive text demonstrates, that need not be the case. With its thoughtful analysis and engaging writing style, this guide provides readers with the tools they need to approach Eliot's works with confidence, while at the same time encouraging them to draw their own meaning from the words and sounds of the poetry. The text also explores Eliot's...
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The world of J.R.R. Tolkien is one that is inhabited by hobbits, dwarves, elves, wizards, and dragons. As a young man, Tolkien created his very own language, and from there he went on to imagine an entire magical world and its detailed history. Students will take an in-depth and thought-provoking look at The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as well as The Simarillion, which provides the foundation for his classic works. The text includes an insightful...
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Playwright Eugene O'Neill dominated American theater for the first half of the twentieth century, and inspired most of the important dramatists of its second half. This text tells the story of O'Neill's often troubled life, then ties it in with his work: complex, lengthy dramas unlike anything seen on Broadway before. The playwright's main themes, which he returned to throughout his career, are carefully detailed, as are the various styles he employed...
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F. Scott Fitzgerald's books may reflect the glitz and glamour of the 1920s, but was his life anything like that of his characters? Through direct quotations and intriguing biographical information, this text helps readers understand how the era in which Fitzgerald wrote influenced his writing. Excerpts from original works and critical analysis of his themes, style, and word choice allow readers to immerse themselves in his world.
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Edgar Allan Poe's poems and short stories may be familiar to students, but the life that inspired these tales may still remain a mystery. This text provides readers with an understanding of how Poe's writing was influenced by the time period in which he lived and the circumstances of his tragic life. Students will learn how to ponder, interpret, and comprehend Poe's work through critical analysis of his themes, word choice, and style and through direct...
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