An invaluable collection of encyclopedias analyzing individual literary genres, the Companion to Literature series focuses on drama, short stories, novels, and poetry as they are studied in high school and college curricula. Concentrating on the main authors, works, and movements that comprise each genre, the books also include minor authors and works. Beginning with an introduction discussing the genre and its significance, each A-to-Z encyclopedia contains hundreds of clearly written entries on authors, literary works and terms, themes, historical places, and more. The books are defined by...

Wilkie Collins: A Literary Life draws on recently available business and personal correspondence to establish a fresh portrait of one of Victorian Britain's busiest authors. The book takes in Collins's notoriously complicated private life as well as his work as a professional author in the changing world of Victorian publishing.

Most famous for his novel Dracula, Bram Stoker was nonetheless a prolific writer. This new book offers an introduction to the range of his work - novels, short stories, biography and criticism. It provides a discussion of recent scholarship on Stoker including the many attempts to write his life and find the 'real' Bram Stoker, and the lurid speculation this provokes. Moving beyond this, the author focuses on Stoker's career as a late-Victorian and Edwardian novelist in the commercial marketplace, looking at the fictional trends (horror, romance, adventure, crime) which his work encompasses....

The short story remains a crucial - if neglected - part of British literary heritage. This accessible and up-to-date critical overview maps out the main strands and figures that shaped the British short story and novella from the 1850s to the present. It offers new readings of both classic and forgotten texts in a clear, jargon-free way.

British Theatre and the Great War examines how theatre in its various forms adapted itself to the new conditions of 1914-1918. Contributors discuss the roles played by the theatre industry. They draw on a range of source materials to show the different kinds of theatrical provision and performance cultures in operation not only in London but across parts of Britain and also in Australia and at the Front. As well as recovering lost works and highlighting new areas for investigation (regional theatre, prison camp theatre, troop entertainment, the threat from film, suburban theatre) the book...