One of the great observers of Australian life, Henry Lawson looms large in our national psyche. Yet at his best Lawson transcends the very bush, the very outback, the very up-country, the very pub or selector's hut he conveys with such brevity and acuity- he make specific places universal. Henry Lawson is too often regarded as a legend rather than a writer to be enjoyed. In this selection Lawson is revealed as an author whose delightful, humorous, wry and moving short stories continue to delight generations of readers. This is the essential Lawson collection - the classic of Australian classics. 'Lawson's sketches are beyond praise.' Joseph Conrad'Lawson gets more feelings, observation and atmosphere into a page than does Hemingway.' Edward Garnett

This work comprises a collection of the poetic works of Thomas Hardy. Hardy's poetry spanned over 50 years from the last half of the 19th century to the period after World War I, and ranges from pessimistic works to those which were witty and fanciful.

"Great authors" are increasingly being encountered by general audiences and critics thanks to films and television programs that have been adapted from their best-known works. Thomas Hardy is one of those authors. His work has inspired filmmakers from the silent age and modern times. This book is the first book-length study in what has become a growing field of interest in film adaptations of Hardy's novels. Part One of this book analyzes the popular image of Hardy and his work, the reproduction of this image in film adaptations, and critical stereotypes about him and his fiction. Part Two juxtaposes Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd and Schlesinger's adaptation, Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Polanski's adaptation, and Hardy's Jude the Obscure and Winterbottom's adaptation. Each discussion of the novel and adaptation in question considers the novel itself, the critical history of the novel, how it has been adapted to film, and how the individual filmmakers have struggled with problems inherent in Hardy's novels. Part Three analyzes adaptations of The Woodlanders, The Scarlet Tunic, and The Claim, all of which have scarcely been seen in the United States or which were not distributed in the United States, and four television movies and miniseries that were based on Hardy's work.

For more than thirty years, books and essays on Thomas Hardy have been at the forefront of developments in academic literary studies. This collection brings together exciting new readings of Hardy's work by established and emerging critics which also reflect on continuities and changes in contemporary literary studies. Covering a wide range of topics and approaches, Thomas Hardy and Contemporary Literary Studies shows how Hardy's writing continues to provoke its readers to re-examine important issues in literary criticism and critical and cultural theory. Contributors include Terry Eagleton and J. Hillis Miller.