Literary History & Criticism

An intellectual detective story, this history audiobook directs probing questions at orthodox history, presenting disturbing new evidence that historians have tried - but failed - to explain....

Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a modern American classic....

Joan Didion is revealed at last in this outrageously provocative and profoundly moving new work "that reads like a propulsive novel" (Oprah Daily) on the mutual attractions—and mutual antagonisms—of Didion and her fellow literary titan, Eve Babitz.

Just before Christmas in 1843, a debt-ridden and dispirited Charles Dickens wrote a small book he hoped would keep his creditors at bay....

Discover the powerful and universal lessons from the music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, the genius behind such musical theater masterworks as Company, West Side Story, and Into the Woods.

Celebrated, iconic, and indispensable, Joan Didion’s first work of nonfiction, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, is considered a watershed moment in American writing. First published in 1968, the collection was critically praised as one of the “best prose written in this country.”

A brilliant investigation into the motivations and methods, Dumbledore dives between the lines of the Harry Potter books to create a portrait of the controversial Headmaster....

In the rigid theocracy of Salem, Massachusetts, rumors that women are practicing witchcraft galvanize the town....

An invaluable reassessment of what we think we know about the daily lives of women in medieval Europe.

For the last 20 years, George Saunders has been teaching a class on the Russian short story to his MFA students at Syracuse University. In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, he shares a version of that class with us....

Savannah Cade's dreams are coming true. The Claire Donovan, editor-in-chief of the most successful romance publishing company in the country, has requested to see the manuscript Savannah's been secretly writing.

The Heroine’s Journey describes contemporary woman’s search for wholeness in a society where she has been defined according to masculine values....

Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners has been written especially for students from beginner to intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, a feeling of progress and, most importantly, enjoyment....

This collection of writings from revered Native Americans offers timeless, meaningful lessons on living and learning....

Notes of a Native Son inaugurated Baldwin as one of the leading interpreters of the dramatic social changes erupting in the United States in the 20th century, and many of his observations have proven almost prophetic....

Los Angeles, 1948: Easy Rawlins is a black war veteran just fired from his job at a defense plant....

Esteemed translator and best-selling author Stephen Mitchell energizes a heroic tale so old it predates Homer's Iliad by more than a millennium....

Published posthumously in 1964, A Moveable Feast remains one of Ernest Hemingway's most beloved works....

In You Can’t Joke About That, Kat Timpf shows why much of the way we talk about sensitive subjects is wrong....

From the acclaimed author of American Comics and Jewish Comedy comes a highly entertaining book that examines the American obsession with horror—and what it tells us about ourselves.

One of William Faulkner’s finest novels, As I Lay Dying, originally published in 1930, remains a captivating and stylistically innovative work. The story revolves around a grim yet darkly humorous pilgrimage, as Addie Bundren’s family sets out to fulfill her last wish....

With passion and wit, Mary Oliver skillfully imparts expertise from her long, celebrated career as a disguised poet....

From breakout stand-up comedian Iliza Shlesinger comes a subversively funny collection of essays and observations on a confident woman's approach to friendship, singlehood, and relationships....

The tellers of Greek myths—historically men—have routinely sidelined the female characters....

LIVE recordings of new, previously unreleased David Sedaris stories....

From the childhood nostalgia of Peter Pan in Speak Now to the haunted halls of Rebecca in Evermore, Taylor Swift’s lyrics are packed with literary connections. Make sure you’re catching them all with this expert guide to the novels, poems, and plays that influenced her songwriting. Let a literature professor and a musical theater artist guide you through the Swift canon—from Shakespeare to Dickinson to the Brontë sisters. Learn what “New Romantics” has to do with the old Romantics, get to know the Gothic monsters haunting Midnights, and spot Taylor’s many Great Gatsby references.

From Wilkie Collins to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the traditional image of the Victorian detective is male. Few people realize that women detectives successfully investigated Victorian Britain, working both with the police and for private agencies, which they sometimes managed themselves. Sara Lodge recovers these forgotten women’s lives. She also reveals the sensational role played by the fantasy female detective in Victorian melodrama and popular fiction, enthralling a public who relished the spectacle of a cross-dressing, fist-swinging heroine.

Renowned critic and translator Robert Alter’s The Art of Biblical Narrative has radically expanded our view of the Bible by recasting it as a work of literary art deserving studied criticism. In this seminal work, Alter describes how the Hebrew Bible’s many authors used innovative literary styles and devices such as parallelism, contrastive dialogue, and narrative tempo to tell one of the most revolutionary stories of all time: the revelation of a single God. In so doing, Alter shows, these writers reshaped not only history, but also the art of storytelling itself.

Appian's Civil Wars offers a comprehensive account of the unstable epoch from the time of Tiberius Gracchus (133 BC) to the great conflicts which followed the murder of Julius Caesar. For the events between 133 and 70 BC Appian is the only constant surviving narrative source, making his diaries an invaluable source to understand this brutal and formative moment in history.

Aristotle's Poetics (Greek: Περὶ ποιητικῆς; Latin: De Poetica) is the earliest surviving work of dramatic theory and first extant philosophical treatise to focus on literary theory. In it, Aristotle offers an account of what he calls "poetry" (a term that derives from a classical Greek term, ποιητής, that means "poet; author; maker" and in this context includes verse drama – comedy, tragedy, and the satyr play – as well as lyric poetry and epic poetry).

In "Appreciating Shakespeare" a master teacher and theatrical dramaturge makes the essentials for deeply appreciating the meaning in Shakespeare's works easily understandable for listeners and playgoers of all ages. Part 1 provides background on Shakespeare's life, language, poetic and dramatic techniques, theatrical context, and historical and cultural background. Part 2 offers short essays on twenty-two plays and one on selected sonnets.

¿Por qué y para qué se escribe? ¿De dónde provienen las ideas que estimulan y alimentan a un escritor? ¿Cuál es el motor que impulsa la creatividad? Para Federico Reyes Heroles estas preguntas constituyen una curiosidad esencial, el núcleo de una pasión de vida. Para responderlas, nos propone un recorrido que parte de su experiencia personal y sigue las pistas de otros escritores que sondearon sus propios procesos creadores. Al poco tiempo, el explorador descubre que no puede quedarse en el ámbito de la literatura.

Duman, taş, kil, deri, kumaş, ağaç ve ışık... İlk sayfalar, ilk kitap, ilk kütüphane, ilk kitapçı... ve yazılı sözcüklerin peşinde bugüne kadar uzanan serüven... Yazılı anlatımın izini süren okurlara yazılmış gelmiş geçmiş tüm kitapların mucizevi hikâyesidir Papirüs. Sözcüklerin uzay-zamanda yolculuk edebilmesi için icat ettiğimiz nesnenin ve neredeyse otuz asırdır onu koruyanların yolculuğuna dair bir anlatı.

In this one-of-a-kind guide, Million Breath unveils the secrets of the Japanese language and culture, focusing on expressions and idioms revolving around the concept of "breath." Whether you're a seasoned language enthusiast or a novice in Japanese studies, this book will deepen your understanding of everyday conversations and enrich your learning experience.

Prepare to embark on a voyage through J. Edwards Holt's fictional universe with this illustrative guidebook. From the author who spun tales in childhood daydreams to crafting acclaimed short stories and poetry, “The Seven Branches” unveils the mythology behind his enchanting narratives. Whether you're a seasoned fantasy enthusiast or a newcomer eager for adventure, this book promises an unforgettable journey into a world where the extraordinary becomes reality.