This Companion presents the current state of criticism in the field of American fiction from the earliest declarations of nationhood to secession and civil war.

• Draws heavily on historical and cultural contexts in its consideration of American fiction


• Relates the fiction of the period to conflicts about territory and sovereignty and to issues of gender, race, ethnicity and identity
  
• Covers different forms of fiction, including children's literature, sketches, polemical pieces, historical romances, Gothic novels and...

A Companion to Science Fiction assembles essays by an international range of scholars which discuss the contexts, themes and methods used by science fiction writers.

• This Companion conveys the scale and variety of science fiction.
  
• Shows how science fiction has been used as a means of debating cultural issues.
  
• Essays by an international range of scholars discuss the contexts, themes and methods used by science fiction writers.
  
• Addresses general topics, such as the history and origins of the genre, its...

The Companion combines a broad grounding in the essential texts and contexts of the modernist movement with the unique insights of scholars whose careers have been devoted to the study of modernism.

• An essential resource for students and teachers of modernist literature and culture
• Broad in scope and comprehensive in coverage
• Includes more than 60 contributions from some of the most distinguished modernist scholars on both sides of the Atlantic
• Brings together entries on elements of modernist culture, contemporary intellectual and aesthetic...

A Companion to Tragedy is an essential resource for anyone interested in exploring the role of tragedy in Western history and culture.

• Tells the story of the historical development of tragedy from classical Greece to modernity
  
• Features 28 essays by renowned scholars from multiple disciplines, including classics, English, drama, anthropology and philosophy
  
• Broad in its scope and ambition, it considers interpretations of tragedy through religion, philosophy and history
  
• Offers a fresh assessment of Ancient Greek tragedy and...

A Companion to Medieval English Literature and Culture, c.1350-c.1500 challenges readers to think beyond a narrowly defined canon and conventional disciplinary boundaries.

A ground-breaking collection of newly-commissioned essays on medieval literature and culture.

• Encourages students to think beyond a narrowly defined canon and conventional disciplinary boundaries.
• Reflects the erosion of the traditional, rigid boundary between medieval and early modern literature.
• Stresses the importance of constructing contexts for reading literature.
...

Through original essays from a distinguished team of international scholars and Hardy specialists, A Companion to Thomas Hardy provides a unique, one-volume resource, which encompasses all aspects of Hardy's major novels, short stories, and poetry

• Informed by the latest in scholarly, critical, and theoretical debates from some of the world's leading Hardy scholars
  
• Reveals groundbreaking insights through examinations of Hardy's major novels, short stories, poetry, and drama
  
• Explores Hardy's work in the context of the major intellectual and...