Literature

This introductory volume provides an overview of the history of Literature as a cultural concept, and reflects on the contemporary nature, place and function of what the literary might mean for us today. Literature: • offers a concise history of the canonic concept of'literature'from its earliest origins • illustrates the kinds of theoretical issues which are currently invoked by the term'literary'• provides a definition of the'literary'for the twenty-first century With Literature Peter Widdowson provides a thought-provoking essay on the contemporary relevance of the'literary'for students.

Scandinavian literature--History and criticism

Nordic Literature: A comparative history is a multi-volume comparative analysis of the literature of the Nordic region. Bringing together the literature of Finland, continental Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Sápmi), and the insular region (Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands), each volume of this three-volume project adopts a new frame through which one can recognize and analyze significant clusters of literary practice. This first volume, Spatial nodes, devotes its attention to the changing literary figurations of space by Nordic writers from medieval to contemporary times. Organized around the depiction of various “scapes” and spatial practices at home and abroad, this approach to Nordic literature stretches existing notions of temporally linear, nationally centered literary history and allows questions of internal regional similarities and differences to emerge more strongly. The productive historical contingency of the “North” as a literary space becomes clear in this close analysis of its literary texts and practices.

Literature--Philosophy, Concrete poetry, Brazilian, and Latin American literature--History and criticism

Anti-Literature articulates a rethinking of what is meant today by “literature.” Examining key Latin American forms of experimental writing from the 1920s to the present, Adam Joseph Shellhorse reveals literature's power as a site for radical reflection and reaction to contemporary political and cultural conditions. His analysis engages the work of writers such as Clarice Lispector, Oswald de Andrade, the Brazilian concrete poets, Osman Lins, and David Viñas, to develop a theory of anti-literature that posits the feminine, multimedial, and subaltern as central to the undoing of what is meant by “literature.” By placing Brazilian and Argentine anti-literature at the crux of a new way of thinking about the field, Shellhorse challenges prevailing discussions about the historical projection and critical force of Latin American literature. Examining a diverse array of texts and media that include the visual arts, concrete poetry, film scripts, pop culture, neo-baroque narrative, and others that defy genre, Shellhorse delineates the subversive potential of anti-literary modes of writing while also engaging current debates in Latin American studies on subalternity, feminine writing, posthegemony, concretism, affect, marranismo, and the politics of aesthetics.

Law in literature, Law and literature, Censorship, and Intellectual property in literature

María José Falcón y Tella invites us on a fascinating journey through the world of law and literature, travelling through the different eras and meeting eternal and as such current issues. Law in Literature is undoubtedly the most fertile and documented perspective of this book.

Geography and literature

In a period marked by the Spatial Turn, time is not the main category of analysis any longer. Space is. It is now considered as a central metaphor and topos in literature, and literary criticism has seized space as a new tool. Similarly, literature turns out to be an ideal field for geography. This book examines the cross-fertilization of geography and literature as disciplines, languages and methodologies. In the past two decades, several methods of analysis focusing on the relationship and interconnectedness between literature and geography have flourished. Literary cartography, literary geography and geocriticism (Westphal, 2007, and Tally, 2011) have their specificities, but they all agree upon the omnipresence of space, place and mapping at the core of analysis. Other approaches like ecocriticism (Buell, 2001, and Garrard, 2004), geopoetics (White, 1994), geography of literature (Moretti, 2000), studies of the inserted map (Ljunberg, 2012, and Pristnall and Cooper, 2011) and narrative cartography have likewise drawn attention to space. Literature and Geography: The Writing of Space Throughout History, following an international conference in Lyon bringing together literary academics, geographers, cartographers and architects in order to discuss literature and geography as two practices of space, shows that literature, along with geography, is perfectly valid to account for space. Suggestions are offered here from all disciplines on how to take into account representations and discourses since texts, including literary ones, have become increasingly present in the analysis of geographers.

Literature--History and criticism

Introduces the most important terms for understanding literature, past and present. Literature Now argues that modern literary history is currently the main site of theoretical and methodological reflection in literary studies. Via 19 key terms, the book takes stock of recent scholarship and demonstrates how analyses of particular historical phenomena have modified our understanding of crucial notions like archive, book, event, media, objects, style and the senses. The book not only reveals a rich diversity of subjects and approaches but also identifies the most salient traits of literature and literary studies today. Leading literary critics and historians offer thought-provoking arguments as well as authoritative explorations of the key terms of literary studies providing students as well as scholars with a rich resource for exploring theoretical issues from a historically informed perspective. Key Features Organised around the key terms used in literary studies today: archive, book, medium, translation, subjects, senses, animals, objects, politics, time, invention, event, generation, period, beauty, mimesis, style, popular and genre Puts literary history at the forefront of theoretical and methodological reflection in literary studies Original chapters by leading literary critics, theorists and historians

Spanish American literature--21st century--History and criticism, Spanish American literature--20th century--History and criticism, Literature and globalization, Literature and society--Latin America, and Sovereignty in literature

Examines literary responses to the impact of economic and technological globalization in Latin America.

Literature--Philosophy and Values in literature

While scholars frequently discuss different types of value separately, this book approaches values of literature in the plural. It shows how and why the ethical, aesthetic, cognitive, affective, social, historical, and existential values of literature should be explored in connection with each other. Through their interplay, the book argues, literature engages in its own distinctively literary forms of value inquiry.

Expatriate authors--Europe--20th century and Authors, Exiled--Europe--20th century

This book brings together papers presented at an international conference held in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2013, and organised by the Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature and the Georgian Comparative Literature Association (GCLA).It represents the first in-depth analysis of the different angles of the problem of emigration and emigrant writing, so painful for the cultural history of Soviet countries, as well as many other European countries with different political regimes. It brings together scholars from Post-Soviet countries, as well as various other countries, to discuss a range of issues surrounding emigration and emigrant writing, highlighting the historical and cultural experience of each particular country. The book deals with such significant problems as the fate of writers revolting against different political regimes, conceptual, stylistic and generic issues, the matter of the emigrant author and the language of his fiction, and the place of emigrant writers'fiction within their national literatures and the world literary process.

Education

Fantasy literature, often derided as superficial and escapist, is one of the most popular and enduring genres of fiction worldwide. It is also—perhaps surprisingly—thought-provoking, structurally complex, and relevant to contemporary society, as the essays in this volume attest. The scholars, teachers, and authors represented here offer their perspectives on this engaging genre.Within these pages, a reader will find a wealth of ideas to help teachers use these texts in the classroom, challenging students to read fantasy with a critical eye. They employ interdisciplinary, philosophical, and religious lenses, as well as Marxist and feminist critical theory, to help students unlock texts. The books discussed include epic fantasy by such authors as Tolkien and Le Guin, children's fantasy by Beatrix Potter and Saint-Exupéry, modern fantasy by Rowling and Martin, and even fairy tales and comic books. The contributors offer provocations, questioning the texts and pushing the boundaries of meaning within the fantasy genre. And in doing so, they challenge readers themselves to ponder these tales more deeply.But through each of these chapters runs a profound love of the genre and a respect for those who produce such beautiful and moving stories. Furthermore, as with all the books in this series, this volume is informed by the tenets of critical pedagogy, and is focused on re-envisioning fantasy literature through the lens of social justice and empowerment. Prepare to be challenged and inspired as you read these explorations of a much-loved genre.

Criticism--History--20th century and Literature

'If Bakhtin is right,'Wayne C. Booth has said,'a very great deal of what we western critics have spent our time on is mistaken, or trivial, or both.'In Literature and Spirit David Patterson proceeds from the premise that Bakhtin is right.Exploring Bakhtin's notions of spirit, responsibility, and dialogue, Patterson takes his reader from the narrow arena of literary criticism to the larger realm of human living and human loving. True to the spirit of Bakhtin, he draws the Russian into a vibrant dialogue with other thinkers, including Foucault, Berdyaev, Gide, Lacan, Levinas, and Heidegger. But he does not stop there. He engages Bakhtin in his own insightful and unique dialogue, meeting the responsibility and taking the risk summoned by dialogue. Literature and Spirit, therefore, is not a typically cool and detached exercise in academic curiosity. Instead, it is a passionate and penetrating endeavor to respond to literature and spirit as the links in life's attachment to life. The author demonstrates that in deciding something about literature, we decide something about the substance and meaning of our lives. Far from being a question of commentary or explication, he argues, our relation to literature is a matter of spiritual life and death. The reader who comes before a literary text encounters the human voice. And Patterson enables his reader to hear that voice in all its spiritual dimensions.Unique in its questions and in its quest, Literature and Spirit addresses an audience that goes beyond the ordinary academic categories. It appeals not only to students of literature, philosophy, and religion, but to anyone who seeks an understanding of spiritual presence and meaning in life. Through his affirmation of what is dear, Patterson responds to the needful question. And in his response he puts the question to his audience: Where are you? Literature and Spirit thus speaks to those who face the task of answering,'Here I am.'

Children's literature, English--History and criticism and Children's literature, American--History and criticism

Provides a thorough history of British and North American children's literature from the 17th century to the present day Now fully revised and updated, this new edition includes: • a new chapter on illustrated and picture books (and includes 8 illustrations);• an expanded glossary;• an updated further reading section. Children's Literature traces the development of the main genres of children's books one by one, including fables, fantasy, adventure stories, moral tales, family stories, school stories, children's poetry and illustrated and picture books. Grenby shows how these forms have evolved over 300 years and asks why most children's books, even today, continue to fall into one or other of these generic categories. Combining detailed analysis of particular key texts and a broad survey of hundreds of books written and illustrated for children, this volume considers both long forgotten and still famous titles, as well as the new classics of the genre †“ all of them loved by children and adults alike, but also fascinating and challenging for the critic and cultural historian. Key Features • Broad historical range• Coverage of neglected as well as well-known texts• Focus on the main genres of children's literature• Thoroughly up-to-date in terms of primary texts and critical material

Tumbuka language--Ideophone

Tumbuka is the dominant language in the Northern Region of Malawi. It is, however, also spoken in large pockets of Kasungu District in the Central Region and also in the Eastern Province of Zambia, and in Lundazi District in particular. Tonga, spoken in Nkhatabay and Nkhotakota, is like a cousin to Tumbuka with a close resemblance in their phonetics. Like other Bantu languages, Tumbuka is very expressive, but can also be very economic in communication or use of words, and yet clearly delivering the desired message. This can be done through the use of idioms, proverbs, or ideophones. This collection is on commonly used Tumbuka ideophones, where an ideophone shall mean'a word describing a situation, or a state of affairs, or a set of actions - all in one word.'It is the intention of this collection to provoke both interest in the use of ideophones as a form of expression in literature and to expound on the richness of Bantu languages.

Death in literature

Death is an inevitable, yet mysterious event. Fiction is one way to imagine and gain knowledge of death. Death is very useful to literature, as it creates plot twists, suspense, mysteries, and emotional effects in narrations. But more importantly, stories about death seem to have an existential importance to our lives. Stories provide fictional encounters with death and give meaning for both death and life. Thus, death is more than a physical or psychological experience in literature; it also highlights existential questions concerning humanity and storytelling. This volume, entitled Death in Literature, approaches death by examining the narratives and spectacles of death, dying and mortality in different literary genres. The articles consider literary representations of death from ancient Rome to the Netherlands today, and explore ways of dealing with death and dying. The discussions also transcend the boundaries of literature by studying literary representations of such socially relevant and death-related issues as euthanasia and suicide. The articles offer a broad perspective on death's role in literature as well as literature's role in the social and cultural debates about death.

Discourse analysis, Literary, Literature--History and criticism, and Literature--Philosophy

How is it that some texts achieve the status of literature? Partly, at least, because the relationship they allow between their writers and the people who respond to them is fundamentally egalitarian. This is the insight explored by members of the Åbo literary communication network, who in this new book develop fresh approaches to literary works of widely varied provenance. The authors examined have written in Ancient Greek, Táng Dynasty Chinese, Middle, Modern and Contemporary English, German, Romanian, Polish, Russian and Hebrew. But each and every one of them is shown as having offered their human fellows something which, despite some striking appearances to the contrary, amounts to a welcoming invitation. This their audiences have then been able to negotiate in a spirit of dialogical interchange.Part I of the book poses the question: How, in offering their invitation, have writers respected their audiences'human autonomy? This is the province of what Åbo scholars call'communicational criticism'. Part II asks how an audience negotiating a literary invitation can be encouraged to respect the human autonomy of the writer who has offered it. In Åbo parlance, such encouragement is the task of'mediating criticism'. These two modes of criticism naturally complement each other, and in their shared concern for communicational ethics ultimately seek to further a post-postmodern world that would be global without being hegemonic.

Meditation, Contemplation, and Religions

An anthology of primary texts on meditation and contemplative prayer from a wide range of religious traditions.

Postcolonialism in literature

Introduces postcolonial literary studies through close readings of a wide range of fiction and poetry This guide places the literary works themselves at the centre of its discussions, examining how writers from Africa, Australasia, the Caribbean, Canada, Ireland, and South Asia have engaged with the challenges that beset postcolonial societies. Dave Gunning discusses many of the most-studied works of postcolonial literature, from Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart to Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, as well as works by more recent writers like Chris Abani, Tahmima Anam and Shani Mootoo. Each chapter explores a key theme through drawing together works from various times and places. The book concludes with an extensive guide to further reading and tips on how to write about postcolonial literature successfully. Key Features Close analysis of texts including, Sam Selvon's The Lonely Londoners, J.M Coetzee's Disgrace, Roddy Doyle's A Star Called Henry, Shani Mootoo's Cereus Blooms at Night, Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions, Zadie Smith's White Teeth, Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Tahmima Anam's A Golden Age, Michael Ondaatje's Anil's Ghost, and Amitav Ghosh's In an Antique Land, as well as poetry by Derek Walcott, Eavan Boland, Agha Shahid Ali, Chris Abani and others. Discusses important new themes in postcolonial literature including global Islam, postcolonial sexualities and the representation of military conflict. Includes a Chronology, a Guide to Further Reading, and Tips on Writing about Postcolonial Literature.

Plants in literature

Myth, art, literature, film, and other discourses are replete with depictions of evil plants, salvific plants, and human-plant hybrids. In various ways, these representations intersect with “deep-rooted” insecurities about the place of human beings in the natural world, the relative viability of animalian motility and heterotrophy as evolutionary strategies, as well as the identity of organic life as such. Plants surprise us by combining the appearance of harmlessness and familiarity with an underlying strangeness. The otherness of vegetal life poses a challenge to our ethical, philosophical, and existential categories and tests the limits of human empathy and imagination. At the same time, the resilience of plants, their adaptability, and their integration with their habitat are a perennial source of inspiration and wisdom. Plants and Literature: Essays in Critical Plant Studies examines the manner in which literary texts and other cultural products express our multifaceted relationship with the vegetable kingdom. The range of perspectives brought to bear on the subject of plant life by the various authors and critics represented in this volume comprise a novel vision of ecological interdependence and stimulate a revitalized sensitivity to the relationships we share with our photosynthetic brethren.

American literature--18th century--History and criticism, American literature--19th century--History and criticism, English literature--19th century--History and criticism, Gothic revival (Literature)--Great Britain, Gothic revival (Literature)--United States, and English literature--18th century--History and criticism

New edition of bestselling introductory text outlining the history and ways of reading Gothic literature.This revised edition includes: A new chapter on Contemporary Gothic which explores the Gothic of the early twentieth century and looks at new critical developments An updated Bibliography of critical sources and a revised Chronology The book opens with a Chronology and an Introduction to the principal texts and key critical terms, followed by five chapters: The Gothic Heyday 1760-1820; Gothic 1820-1865; Gothic Proximities 1865-1900; Twentieth Century; and Contemporary Gothic. The discussion examines how the Gothic has developed in different national contexts and in different forms, including novels, novellas, poems, films, radio and television. Each chapter concludes with a close reading of a specific text – Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, Dracula, The Silence of the Lambs and The Historian – to illustrate ways in which contextual discussion informs critical analysis. The book ends with a Conclusion outlining possible future developments within scholarship on the Gothic.

Children--Books and reading--Great Britain and Children's literature--History and criticism

A volume in the Writers and Their Work series, which draws upon recent thinking in English studies to introduce writers and their contexts. Each volume includes biographical material, an examination of recent criticism, a bibliography and a reappraisal of a major work by the writer.