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Greek Tragedy sets ancient tragedy into its original theatrical, political and ritual context and applies modern critical approaches to understanding why tragedy continues to interest modern audiences. An engaging introduction to Greek tragedy, its history, and its reception in the contemporary world with suggested readings for further study Examines tragedy’s relationship to democracy, religion, and myth Explores contemporary approaches to scholarship, including structuralist, psychoanalytic, and feminist theory Provides a thorough examination of contemporary performance practices Includes detailed readings of selected plays

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This book investigates who Lady Godiva was, how the story of her naked horseback ride through Coventry arose, and how the whole Godiva legend has evolved from the thirteenth century through to the present day. Traces the erotic myth of Lady Godiva back to its medieval origins. Based on scholarly research but written to be accessible to general readers. Combines history, literature, art and folklore. Focuses on the twin themes of voyeurism and medievalism. Contributes to our understanding of cultural history, medievalism and the history of sexuality.

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This inclusive guide to Modernist literature considers the ‘high’ Modernist writers such as Eliot, Joyce, Pound and Yeats alongside women writers and writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Challenges the idea that Modernism was conservative and reactionary. Relates the modernist impulse to broader cultural and historical crises and movements. Covers a wide range of authors up to the outbreak of World War II, among them Oscar Wilde, Joseph Conrad, Henry James, Langston Hughes, Samuel Beckett, HD, Virginia Woolf, Djuna Barnes, and Jean Rhys. Includes coverage of women writers and gay and lesbian writers.

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This witty and accessible book traces the history of Arthurian romance from medieval to modern times, explaining its enduring appeal. Traces the history of Arthurian romance from medieval to modern times. Covers art and films as well as the great literary works of Arthurian romance. Draws out the changing political, moral and emotional uses of the story. Explains the enduring appeal of the Arthurian legend. Written by an author with vast knowledge of medieval literature.

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The two plays presented in full in this volume – Wycherley's The Country Wife and Congreve's The Way of the World – illustrate the evolution of Restoration comedy between 1675 and 1700. Includes full texts of Wycherley's The Country Wife and Congreve's The Way of the World. Demonstrates how Restoration comedy evolved between 1675 and 1700. Introduces general readers or students to the genre. An editorial introduction guides readers through the plays and the period.

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This volume distils into two hundred pages some of the most influential poetry of the Victorian period. Distils into one volume the key poems of the Victorian era. Organised chronologically, allowing readers to perceive continuities and changes through the century. Includes a general introduction, giving readers an overview of the poets and the period. Represents texts in their entirety where possible.

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This reader-friendly introduction makes Joyce asscessible by combining the excitement of reading his words with the excitement of interpreting them.

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In this compelling first volume in the Blackwell Introductions to Literature series, Roy Flannagan, editor of The Milton Quarterly, provides a readable and uncluttered critical account of a complicated and sophisticated author, and his poetry and prose. Puts John Milton under the microscope, using the still-evolving critical perspectives of the last fifty years. Looks at Milton’s life, and the cultural background to his work, as well as examining his writing. Considers how and why Milton’s work has endured the centuries to educate, entertain and intrigue so many generations of readers. Ideal for the reader falling in love with Milton’s poetry and prose, who longs to know more about what people think about the poetry, the man or the historical context.

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Considered by many to be the most influential US novelist the world has known, William Faulkner's roots and his writing are planted in a single obscure county in the Deep South. A foremost international modernist, Faulkner's subjects and characters, ironically, are more readily associated with the history and sociology of the most backward state in the Union. He experimented endlessly with narrative structure, developing an unorthodox writing style. Yet his main goal was to reveal the truth of «the human heart in conflict with itself,» ultimately defining human nature through the lens of his own Southern experience. This comprehensive account of Faulkner's literary career features an exploration of his novels and key short stories, including The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, Absalom, Absalom!, and many more. Drawing on psychoanalytic, post-structuralist, feminist, and post-colonial theory, it offers an imaginative topography of Faulkner's efforts to reckon with his Southern past, to acknowledge its modernization, and to develop his own modernist method.

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This book introduces Mark Twain through close readings of his seven major works, including Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Connecticut Yankee and Pudd’nhead Wilson. Introduces Mark Twain through close readings of his seven major works, including Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Connecticut Yankee and Pudd’nhead Wilson. Investigates the tension between the real-life person, Samuel Clemens, and the fictional person, Mark Twain. Provides an original reading of Twain’s obsession with performance and popularity. Analyses the significance of Twain’s books for American culture and identity. Illustrated with images from first editions of Twain’s works. A short appendix directs readers to the author’s award-winning website on ‘Mark Twain in his Times’.