Narrative Discourse: An Essay in Method

This book should be required reading for anyone who wants to look seriously at narrative theory. Genette's analysis of the construction of time in narrative discourse is the still the model for theorists writing since then. Such categories as order, frequency, and duration in the narrative presentation of story-time show how narrative decisions on the part of authors can have dramatically different rhetorical effects. Genette views these narrative strategies as a form of rhetorical figuration and gives them terms drawn from classical rhetoric (e.g., "prolepsis" for a flashing forward, "analepsis" for a flashback).

English Funerary Elegy in the Seventeenth Century: Laws in Mourning

Examining the funerary elegy in the context of early modern funerary ritual, this book also analyzes the political, aesthetic, moral, and religious developments in the period 1606-1660 and discusses the works of Donne, Jonson, Milton and Early Modern women's writing. Brady discusses both death and the body, combining literary theory, social and cultural history, psychology and anthropology to produce exciting and original readings of neglected source material.

Fantasy Literature for Children and Young Adults

Teachers, librarians, and students of children's and young adult literature will appreciate the breadth and clarity of this book, as well as the impressive bibliographies of fantasy and of professional reading on it. The authors first set down the definition of and criteria for successful fantasy and then break the genre down into its subgenres, using plenty of examples to illustrate the literature's various manifestations, from fairy tales (both traditional and original) to talking-animal tales to gothic fantasy to heroic-ethical fantasy, and everything in between.

Postcolonial Theory and Autobiography

Cultural theory has often been criticized for covert Eurocentric and universalist tendencies. Its concepts and ideas are implicitly applicable to everyone, ironing over any individuality or cultural difference. Postcolonial theory has challenged these limitations of cultural theory, and Postcolonial Theory and Autobiography addresses the central challenge posed by its autobiographical turn.

Despite the fact that autobiography is frequently dismissed for its Western, masculine bias, David Huddart argues for its continued relevance as a central explanatory category in understanding postcolonial theory and its relation to subjectivity.

Louise Erdrich : A Critical Companion (Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers)

Louise Erdrich, following in the Native American narrative tradition has, crafted enduring tales of homecomings. Her widely acclaimed debut novel Love Medicine garnered prestigious awards, and quickly made its way onto bestseller lists and into readers' hearts. In this full-length critical volume, Stookey uncovers the layers of wisdom and humor embedded in Erdrich's engaging writing. Stookey, analyzing each novel in turn, examines the characters and themes that recur in Erdrich's canon of interconnected stories. This insightful analysis helps students and lovers of fine literature approach Erdrich's work with greater appreciation for her bold narrative style.