The Companion to Henry Fielding

Now best known for three great novels - Tom Jones, Joseph Andrews and Amelia - Henry Fielding (1707-1754) was one of the most controversial figures of his time. Prominent first as a playwright, then as a novelist and political journalist, and finally as a justice of peace, Fielding made a substantial contribution to eighteenth-century culture, and was hugely influential in the development of the novel as a form, both in Britain and more widely in Europe.

The Companion to W. B. Yeats

This accessible and thought-provoking Companion is designed to help students experience the pleasures and challenges offered by one of the twentieth century's greatest poets. A team of international contributors examine Yeats's poetry, drama and prose in their historical and national contexts. The essays explain and synthesise major aspects and themes of his life and work: his lifelong engagement with Ireland, his complicated relationship to the English literary tradition, his literary, social, and political criticism and the evolution of his complex spiritual and religious sense.

The Companion to the Arthurian Legend

The Arthurian legend has inspired European writers and artists for almost fifteen hundred years. From shadowy beginnings in early medieval chronicles and poems, it has developed through medieval romance to modern films and TV series. What can account for the evergreen popularity of the ‘Once and Future King’? There is no simple answer, but the Companion outlines the evolution of the legend from the earliest documentary sources to Spamalot and analyses how some of the major motifs of the legend have been passed down in both medieval and modern texts.

The Companion to Christopher Marlowe

The Companion to Christopher Marlowe provides a full introduction to this famed pioneer of both the Elizabethan stage and modern English poetry. Sixteen leading scholars provide accessible and authoritative chapters on all relevant topics of Marlowe's life and works, including his texts and style, his use of classicism, his representations of sexuality and gender and of geography and identity. The volume also considers the religious, political, courtly and literary contexts of Marlowe's authorship, his presence in modern film and theatre, and his influence on subsequent writers.

An Introduction to Greek Tragedy

This book provides a brief and accessible introduction to Greek tragedy for students and general readers alike. Whether readers are studying Greek culture, performing a Greek tragedy, or simply interested in reading a Greek play, this book will help them to understand and enjoy this challenging and rewarding genre. An Introduction to Greek Tragedy provides background information; helps readers appreciate, enjoy, and engage with the plays themselves; and gives them an idea of the important questions in current scholarship on tragedy. Ruth Scodel seeks to dispel misleading assumptions about tragedy, stressing how open the plays are to different interpretations and reactions.