This Guide examines the major trends and movements in critical interpretation of two of the most popular and widely-studied eighteenth-century novels, from the earliest reception history to the present day. The thematic organization of material points out similarities and differences between the two books and maps Defoe studies onto some of the obvious lines of development that criticism in general has taken over the last century in particular. The volume also features a bibliography and further reading section.

This Guide provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of the essential criticism on Julian Barnes's work, drawing from a selection of reviews, interviews, essays and books. Through the presentation and assessment of key critical interpretations and perspectives, the Guide examines the various issues in his work which have aroused critical interest (narration/voice, history/story, biography, infidelity, obsession). It also explores Barnes's combination of innovative techniques with conventional strategies in his novels, short stories and essays.

This essential overview of the large body of Beowulf criticism takes a chronological approach, moving from eighteenth-century reactions to twenty-first-century responses. Jodi-Anne George charts the changes in critical trends and also discusses popular culture's continuing fascination with the Old English poem.

This Guide provides a survey of the wide range of responses to Macbeth, as well as the key debates and developments from the seventeenth century to the present day. Chronologically structured, the Guide summarizes and assesses key interpretations, sets them in context and supplies extracts from criticism which exemplify critical positions.

In this Readers' Guide, Alison Chapman introduces and discusses the patterns of critical attention that Gaskell's work has attracted across the past hundred and fifty years. Beginning with contemporary press and critical reviews, and treatments by the Victorian and early twentieth-century literary establishment, the Guide sets out a background for the most recent and challenging reassessments of these novels, bringing the reader fully up to date on current critical approaches.

This Guide analyses the criticism of English-language literature from the major regions of the postcolonial world. Criticism on works by writers such as Jean Rhys, V.S. Naipaul and Salman Rushdie, is discussed to illustrate the themes and concepts essential to an understanding of postcolonial literature and the development of criticism in the field

Sara Lodge offers a lively introduction to the critical history of one of the most widely-studied nineteenth-century novels, from the first reviews through to present day responses. The Guide also includes sections devoted to feminist, Marxist and postcolonial criticism of Jane Eyre, as well as analysis of recent developments.

This Reader's Guide analyses the critical history of two of Hardy's major tragic novels, from the time of their publication to the present. Simon Avery traces the changing critical fortunes of the texts and explores the diverse range of interpretations produced by different theoretical approaches.

Sara Lodge offers a lively introduction to the critical history of one of the most widely-studied nineteenth-century novels, from the first reviews through to present day responses. The Guide also includes sections devoted to feminist, Marxist and postcolonial criticism of Jane Eyre, as well as analysis of recent developments.

Matthew Woodcock provides a survey of the critical responses to this popular play, as well as the key debates and developments, from the seventeenth century to the present day. Leading the reader through material chronologically, the Guide summarises and assesses key interpretations, setting them in their intellectual and historical context.