In a time of mass culture and pulp fiction, can great literature still be discerned, much less defended? Why is literature so compelling? What should we read? Literary critic R. V. Young addresses these timely issues in this guide to Western literature and poetry. He demonstrates that literature liberates the mind from cultural and temporal provincialism by expanding our intellectual and emotional horizons. Learn how great fiction and poetry are integral to a liberal education, and more than that, learn to love the classic works of literature again—or for the first time.

Now appearing in its third edition, Martin Stephen's classic text and course companion to English literature has been thoroughly revised and updated, taking account of the changes which have occurred in the subject since publication of the second edition.

Enjoying poetry and novels can seem irrelevant and out of touch in a world of texting, tweeting, and blogging. But even in this technological age literature matters. Seasoned professor Louis Markos invites us into the great literary conversation that has been taking place throughout the ages and illuminates the wisdom to be found therein. He offers both a guide to studying and understanding literature, especially poetry, and an inspiring look at what it means to think like poets and view the world through literary eyes. This book holds out a truth for all: that the understanding and appreciation of literature draws us closer to God, his Word, and his work in the world.

This useful guide educates students in the preparation of literature reviews for term projects, theses, and dissertations. The authors provide numerous examples from published reviews that illustrate the guidelines discussed throughout the book.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, chronicler of the "Jazz Age," is one of the finest writers in the history of American literature. As both a leading participant and an observer of the times he described, he captured the spirit of an era perhaps as no other writer, before or since, ever has. Today, Fitzgerald's novels, stories, and essays are nearly all recognized as American classics. His novel The Great Gatsby is often described as the "Great American Novel." In this Student's Guide to F. Scott Fitzgerald, the career of this literary giant is examined, offering accessible insight for young readers. Each work is placed in historical and biographical context, with special emphasis on Fitzgerald's curriculum-related works such as The Great Gatsby, Tender Is the Night, and The Beautiful and Damned, along with several of his short stories and other works. Book jacket.

Studying English Literature is a unique guide for undergraduates beginning to study the discipline of literature and those who are thinking of doing so. Unlike books that provide a survey of literary history or non-subject specific manuals that offer rigid guidelines on how to write essays, Studying English Literature invites students to engage with the subject's history and theory whilst at the same time offering information about reading, researching and writing about literature within the context of a university. The book is practical yet not patronizing: for example, whilst the discussion of plagiarism provides clear guidelines on how not to commit this offence, it also considers the difficulties students experience finding their own 'voice' when writing and provokes reflection on the value of originality and the concepts of adaptation, appropriation and intertextuality in literature. Above all, the book prizes the idea of argument rather than insisting upon formulaic essay plans, and gives many ways of finding something to say as you read and when you write, in chapters on Reading, Argument, Essays, Sentences and References.

Robert Frost was the most popular poet of the 20th century. He won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry four times and was awarded the position of Consultant in Poetry at the Library of Congress (a position later called Poet Laureate of the United States). Poems are put into historical and biographical context, including Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, The Road Not Taken, The Gift Outright, and Fire and Ice.