Thought of as Shakespeare's most powerful works, the four great tragedies, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello and Macbeth, are texts of unparalleled richness and depth, stimulating and exciting to study. This book takes extracts and examines them, explaining how the critic can use particular techniques to bring out complexities of meaning, understand the patterns of metaphor and the rhythms of the poetry and appreciate the ever-living drama. Chapters on the openings and endings of plays, heroes and heroines, society, humour, imagery and the tragic universe guide the student on a...

This study focuses on how Frankenstein works: how the story is told and why it is so rich and gripping. Part I uses carefully selected short extracts for close textual analysis, while Part II examines Shelley's life, the historical and literary contexts of the novel, and offers a sample of key criticism.

Daniel Defoe's writings have bred controversy since their first appearance in the eighteenth century: 'Robinson Crusoe' fuels virulent disagreements among critics, while Defoe's two scandalous women, 'Moll Flanders' and 'Roxana', can still shock us and challenge the range of our sympathies.

This essential study:
- takes a fresh look at these intriguing novels and leads the reader into close analysis of Defoe's texts, encouraging an open-minded approach to interpretation
- features chapters on the novels' openings, conscience and repentance, society and economics, women and...

Focusing on Songs of Innocence and Experience, this book uses close analysis and interpretation of individual poems to build the reader's confidence when approaching Blake's lyrics. The new edition includes additional textual analyses, expanded contextual material, discussion of the work of recent critics, and fully updated Further Reading.

Jane Austen's novels are among the most polished and carefully-crafted works in the English literary heritage. This book takes extracts and examines them in close detail, bringing out the extraordinary richness of irony and implication in Jane Austen's writing. Using the tool of textual analysis, the reader is taught to explore and enjoy the delicate comedy of her narratives, and to inquire into the serious moral purpose that lies behind each of these four novels. This guide does not simplify the study of Jane Austen, but invites the reader to pursue and revel in the ironic subtlety of her...

Opening chapters in this book on the narrative frame, characters, imagery and symbols, structure and themes use practical analysis to build and refine our insight into Wuthering Heights. It goes on to give information about Emily Bronte's life and works, a discussion of this novel's place in the development of fiction, and a comparison of three important critical views.

This volume focuses on three widely-studied novels: Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow and Women in Love. Chapters on narrative texture, impulse and emotion in Lawrence's characters, the quest for a male-female relationship, class and society, and imagery, symbols and structures, use practical analysis to build and refine our insight into the novels as well as equipping the readers with techniques and approaches which enable them to continue studying Lawrence independently. Suggestions for further reading, fully explained examples of analysis and suggestions for further...

Controversy rages around Larkin's character and life. This book takes a fresh look at his poems through close analysis, discussion of Larkin's major concerns and demonstrating how to approach these enigmatic works. It provides background information including an account of his life, discussion of cultural context and major critical views

This stimulating study takes a fresh look at two of Dickens' most widely-studied texts. Part I uses carefully selected short extracts for close textual analysis, while Part II examines the historical and literary contexts and key criticism. The volume is an ideal introductory guide for those who are studying Dickens' novels for the first time.