These eleven essays, by an international team of leading Joyce scholars and teachers, explore the most important aspects of Joyce's life and art. The topics covered include his debt to Irish and European writers and traditions, his life in Paris, and the relation of his work to the "modern" spirit of skeptical relativism. The whole volume is informed by current debates about literature and literary study, and it demonstrates the central place occupied by Joyce's revolutionary achievement in those debates. This Companion, designed primarily as a student's reference work will deepen and extend the enjoyment and understanding of Joyce for the new reader.
Leading scholars present a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to Jane Austen's works in the contexts of her contemporary world, and of present-day critical discourse. Besides discussions of Austen's novels and letters, there are essays on religion, politics, class consciousness, publishing practices, domestic economy, style in the novels and the significance of her juvenile works. A chronology provides biographical information, and assessments of the history of Austen criticism highlight the most interesting recent studies in a vast field of critical diversity.
More than any other period of British literature, Romanticism is strongly identified with a single genre. Romantic poetry has been one of the most enduring, best loved, most widely read and most frequently studied genres for two centuries and remains no less so today. This Companion offers a comprehensive overview and interpretation of the poetry of the period in its literary and historical contexts.
Byron's life and work have equally fascinated readers around the world for two hundred years, but it is the complex interaction between his art and his politics, beliefs and sexuality that has attracted so many modern critics and students. In three sections devoted to the historical, textual and literary contexts of Byron's life and times, these essays by eminent Byron scholars provide a compelling picture of the diversity of Byron's writings. This Companion provides an invaluable resource for students and scholars, including a chronology and a guide to further reading.
Providing a new critical platform for the study of Caryl Churchill's extraordinary theatrical career, this Companion presents fresh scholarship on Churchill's collaborations, influences and performance innovations. Perfect for undergraduates and advanced theatre scholars alike, the book investigates the major plays in relation to social topics including politics and revolution.
