No book is more central to the study of nineteenth-century American literature than Herman Melville's Moby-Dick; or The Whale. First published it 1851, it still speaks powerfully to readers today. Combining reprinted documents with clear introductions for student readers, this volume examines the contexts of and critical responses to Melville's work. It draws together: *an introduction to the contexts in which Melville was writing and relevant contextual documents, including letters *chronology of key facts and dates *critical history and extracts from early reviews and modern criticism *fully annotated key passages from the novel *a list of biblical allusions *an annotated guide to further reading. Extensive cross-references link contextual information, critical materials and passages from the novel providing a wide-ranging view of the work and ensuring a successful and enjoyable encounter with the world of Moby-Dick.

John Keats was one of the central figures of English Romanticism and is still one of England's most popular poets. This sourcebook brings together texts and documents that provide a gateway towards an understanding of the man, his life and his work.

This student friendly book draws together text, context, criticism and performance history to provide an integrated view of one of the most dazzling works of the early modern theatre.

Whether read from beginning to end or used as a reference tool, this sourcebook reveals the varied life of 'David Copperfield' in the hands of generations of readers, critics and adaptors, and introduces the work in its social, biographical and literary contexts.

With a remarkable breadth of coverage and a focused, user-friendly approach, this sourcebook is the essential guide for any student of King Lear.

Table of contents

Booker-shortlisted for Time's Arrow and widely known for his novels, short stories, essays, reviews, and autobiographical works, Martin Amis is one of the most influential of contemporary British writers. This guide to Amis's diverse and often controversial work offers: an accessible introduction to the contexts and many interpretations of his texts, from publication to the present an introduction to key critical texts and perspectives on Amis's life and work, situated within a broader critical history cross-references between sections of the guide, in order to suggest links between texts, contexts and criticism suggestions for further reading. Part of the Routledge Guides to Literature series, this volume is essential reading for all those beginning detailed study of Martin Amis and seeking not only a guide to his works but also a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds them.

Robert P. Irvine's guide to Jane Austen and her work is essential reading for students of English Literature. It is suitable both for students at introductory level, as extended reading, or for those beginning a detailed study of Austen.

'Emma', a comedy of razor-sharp analysis of the English class system, is widely regarded as Jane Austen's most perfectly constructed novel. This text not only analyses her work, but also the social and historical contexts in which they were written.

Since its publication in 1859, A Tale of Two Cities has remained the best-known fictional recreation of the French Revolution, and one of Charles Dickens’s most exciting novels. A Tale of Two Cities blends a moving love story with the familiar figures of the Revolution—Bastille prisoners, a starving Parisian mob, and an indolent aristocracy. Taking the form of a sourcebook, this guide to Dickens's dramatic novel offers: extensive introductory comment on the contexts and many interpretations of the text, from publication to the present annotated extracts from key contextual documents, reviews, critical works and the text itself cross-references between documents and sections of the guide, in order to suggest links between texts, contexts and criticism suggestions for further reading. This volume is essential reading for all those beginning detailed study of A Tale of Two Cities and seeking not only a guide to the novel, but a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds Dickens' text.