These two dark stories, and the most notable works of the short career of Nathanael West, remain stunningly powerful pieces of fiction more than 75 years after their original publication.

This CliffsNotes guide includes everything you’ve come to expect from the trusted experts at CliffsNotes, including analysis of the most widely read literary works.

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background - all to help you gain greater insight into great works you're bound to study for school or pleasure. CliffsNotes on West's Miss Lonelyhearts & The Day of the Locust offers a close look at the painstaking craftsmanship of Nathanael West's two best novels, which provide material for engrossing entertainment and serious thought. Each of these books demonstrates West's incisive psychological and social probing into how society can crush or leave empty all who live in it. In this study guide, you'll find Life and Background of the Author, Introductions to the Novels, Lists of Characters, and more: Critical Commentaries Character Analyses Critical Essays Essay Topics and Review Questions Selected Bibliography Classic literature or modern-day treasure - you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.