A Study Guide for Graham Greene's "Destructors," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Short Stories for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Short Stories for Students for all of your research needs.

Description: Movie Press Kits.

A companion volume to "one of the most original works of recent American Cinema"* Donnie Darko was the surprise cult hit of 2001. Appearing nationwide on critic's year-end top-ten lists, the quirky independent film's effortless blending of science fiction, horror, adolescent angst, and social satire defied description while simultaneously providing "an unexpectedly poignant catharsis for Sept. 11 blues" (Jan Stuart, Newsday). Its Möbius strip-like narrative about Donnie, a troubled teenager who can see into the future, continues to inspire fans to obsessive heights. The Donnie Darko Book includes the film's screenplay, an in-depth interview with writer-director Richard Kelly, facsimile pages from The Philosophy of Time Travel book that Donnie uses to go back in time, as well as photos and drawings from the film and the artwork it inspired.

These wide-ranging tales of menace, tragedy, and comedy offer ample proof that “in the short story, as well as the novel, Graham Greene is the master” (The New York Times). Written between 1929 and 1954, here are twenty-one stories by a “master storyteller” (Newsweek). Whatever the crime, whatever the pursuit, whatever the mood—from the tragic and horrifying to the ribald and bittersweet, Graham Greene is “the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man’s consciousness and anxiety” (William Golding). In “The End of the Party,” a game of hide-and-seek takes a terrifying turn in the dark. In “The Innocent,” a romantic gets a rude awakening when he finds a hidden keepsake from a childhood crush. A husband’s sexual indiscretion is revealed in a most public and embarrassing way in “The Blue Film.” A rebellious teen’s flight from her petit bourgeois life includes a bad boy, a gun, and a plan in “A Drive in the Country.” In “A Little Place off the Edgware Road,” a suicidal man’s encounter with a stranger in a grubby cinema seals his fate. A young boy is ushered into a dark world when he discovers the secrets adults hide in “The Basement Room.” And in “When Greek Meets Greek,” a clever con between two scoundrels carries an unexpected sting. In these and more than a dozen other stories, Greene confronts his usual themes of betrayal and vengeance, love and hate, faith and doubt, guilt and grief, and pity and pursuit.

The complete stories of a 20th century master of fiction Affairs, obsessions, ardors, fantasy, myth, legends, dreams, fear, pity, and violence—this magnificent collection of stories illuminates all corners of the human experience. Including four previously uncollected stories, this new complete edition reveals Graham Greene in a range of contrasting moods, sometimes cynical and witty, sometimes searching and philosophical. Each of these forty-nine stories confirms V. S. Pritchett’s declaration that Greene is “a master of storytelling.” This Penguin Classics edition features an introduction by Pico Iyer. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Blending philosophy and humor, here are 250 thought-provoking, challenging, and strange questions—from the profound “what is the meaning of life?” to the playful “is a hotdog a sandwich?” and everything in between. Life is complex, confusing, and weird. But have you ever stopped to think about just how weird the world around you can be? For example: Which invention has caused the most unhappiness: fire, the wheel, or the internet? If a werewolf landed on the moon, would it touch down as a man or a wolf? When sitting at a movie theater, which armrest is yours? What’s the most untrustworthy animal? Would you rather kiss a person with jellybeans for teeth or a banana for a tongue? In Questions for Deep Thinkers, you’ll find 250 thought-provoking, challenging, and sometimes completely ridiculous questions that you (probably) never thought to even ask. Perfect for large group parties, hanging out with friends, or if you just want a moment to ponder some of life’s absurdities, this collection of head-scratching “deep questions” will leave you either in an argument or saying, “hmm, I never thought of that…” Don’t let the world’s most pressing mysteries pass you by!

Maurice Castle is a high-level operative in the British secret service during the Cold War. He is deeply in love with his African wife, who escaped apartheid South Africa with the help of his communist friend. Despite his misgivings, Castle decides to act as a double agent, passing information to the Soviets to help his in-laws in South Africa. In order to evade detection, he allows his assistant to be wrongly identified as the source of the leaks. But when suspicions remain, Castle is forced to make an even more excruciating sacrifice to save himself. Originally published in 1978, The Human Factor is an exciting novel of espionage drawn from Greene’s own experiences in MI6 during World War II, and ultimately a deeply humanistic examination of the very nature of loyalty. This edition features a new introduction by Colm Tóibín. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Stories in the Travelman Short Stories series take the reader to places of mystery, fantasy, horror, romance, and corners of the universe yet unexplored. In turn, readers take them on the bus or subway, slip them into briefcases and lunchboxes, and send them from Jersey to Juneau. Each classic or original short story is printed on one sheet of paper and folded like a map. This makes it simple to read while commuting, convenient to carry when not, and easy to give or send to a friend. A paper envelope is provided for mailing or gift-giving, and both are packaged in a dear plastic envelope for display. The cost is not much more than a greeting card.

Driven away from his parish by a censorious bishop, Monsignor Quixote sets off across Spain accompanied by a deposed renegade mayor as his own Sancho Panza, and his noble steed Rocinante – a faithful but antiquated SEAT 600. Like Cervantes’s classic, this comic, picaresque fable offers enduring insights into our life and times.

For Arthur Rowe the charity fair was a trip back to childhood, to innocence, a welcome chance to escape the terror of the Blitz, to forget twenty years of his past and a murder. Then he guesses the weight of the cake, and from that moment on he's a hunted man.