Edited by an author of many books on African writers and literature,
this encyclopedia covers all aspects of African literature produced in
all of the major languages. Both sub-Saharan and North African
literatures are represented, although for works in Arabic the focus is
on the modern period.
More
than 600 signed articles by academic specialists treat mostly
individual authors, both well known and less established. Longer essays
deal with historical and cultural issues concerning the study of
African literature, including criticism and theory and its development
as a field of scholarship. Essays on Autobiography, Feminist criticism, and Islam in African literature, as well as regional overviews such as Gikuyu literature and West African literature in English,
make this a useful starting point for exploration of African
literature. Because these more general articles are one of the
strengths of the work, it would have been helpful to list them in the
fore matter, as it is a guessing game to find them. Most articles,
including the biographical entries, have a very small list of
references for further reading. Although reasonably up-to-date, these
lists are often a mixture of a few primary and secondary works, not the
most impressive feature of the volume.
Medieval literature encompasses a broad sweep of people, cultures, and styles. "Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature" offers a comprehensive account of the literary works, writers, and concepts of the Middle Ages; from 500 to 1500 CE. Covering not only European literature but also that of India, the Far East, and the Muslim world, this invaluable A-to-Z guide is one of the most inclusive single-volume references of its kind. Approximately 700 entries cover works, authors, and terms from the following cultures and languages: English: Old English and Middle English, ncluding Beowulf, Chaucer, morality play, Sir Thomas Malory, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Robin Hood, and Troilus and Criseyde; French: Joan of Arc, Marie de France, Parzival, The Song of Roland, and Francois Villon; Provencal: troubadours and Peire Vidal; Celtic: Cuchulain, The Mabinogion, and Ulster cycle; German: The Nibelungenlied, Tristan, Ulrich von Lichtenstein, and Gottfried von Strassburg; Old Norse: Egil's Saga, skaldic poetry, and Snorri Sturluson; Latin: Peter Abelard, Bede, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia Regum Britanniae, Psychomachia, and St.Augustine of Hippo; Japanese: Muromachi Period, The Pillow Book, and The Tale of Genji; Chinese: The Story of Ying-ying and Li Po; Islamic: Omar Khayyam, the Koran, and The Thousand and One Nights; Indian: Govindadasa and Mahadeviyakka; Spanish; Hebrew; and more.
The Discourse of Advertising is a very readable book that is well suited for undergraduate students whatever their academic background (literature, linguistics, cultural studies, communication studies, etc.). The balance between theory and practice is excellent. Advertising examples are mostly recent, and taken from a variety of supports (e.g. billboards, Internet, TV, magazines). The application of theoretical concepts to ads and literature provides a better understanding of these concepts, and especially allows for the distinction between the two genres. An excellent introductory tool not only to the field of advertising but also to the larger field of discursive studies in general, provided that instructors complete it with examples of ads particularly meaningful for their students..
