Literature

Summary The novel begins in Cincinnati in 1873 as Sethe, a former slave, is living with her 18 year old daughter, Denver. Sethe’s mother-in-law, Baby Suggs, lived with her until her death 8 years prior to the opening of the novel and we learn that his Sethe’s two sons, Howard and Buglar ran away just prior to the death of her...

From: Literature Guides

Key Facts John Steinbeck wrote and published The Pearl in 1947 as his 11th novel. The novel was adapted from a folk tale that the author had heard while on a trip to Mexico in 1940. The author did not intend to create a novel and was actually meaning to write a film script instead. With the direction of Emilio Fernández, The...

From: Literature Guides

CONTENTS General Introduction Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman seemed to take its place in the canon of great American literature almost as soon as it deputed on Broadway in 1949. The play hits upon themes which have proved to resonate the world over but also has particular meaning for American audiences. Miller’s play ostensibly presents an idea American family, a...

From: Literature Guides

CONTENTS The story is set in the times of the Great Depression, during 1933-1935, in the fictional little town of Maycomb, Alabama. The protagonist of the story is a girl aged six, Jean Louise Finch (also called Scout), living with her family, who are Scout’s elder brother Jeremy (Jem) and their father, Atticus, a widowed lawyer. The children are friends...

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Thomas Moore was an Irish poet, songwriter, and entertainer who has best known for his subtle depictions of how differently he saw the world. In “If You Have Seen,” the poet asks his readers a few specific questions about life which he feels the reader needs to see to have seen the universe. If You Have Seen BY THOMAS MOORE...

From: Poem Examples

Elizabeth Bishop’s "Filling Station" is about a person’s visit to a gas station; a simple event that should have no possible concurrent effects except for the fact that it does. The person is amazed as she keenly observes every single aspect of the station only to realize how it has a vibrant personality of it’s own. Filling Station BY ELIZABETH...

From: Poem Examples

Key Facts The origins and authorship of Le Morte d’Arthur are murky. There were numerous people who went by the name of Thomas Mallory around the time of the publication of the book. Scholars generally agree the author was one "Knyght presoner Thomas Malleorre" ("Sir Thomas Maleore" according to Caxton), born in 1416, who was the actual author of the book....

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Quotations and Analysis “Who in the world am I?” Ah, that’s the great puzzle.” In Chapter 2, Alice asks herself this question after she has grown to an enormous size. In this quotation we see how Alice is attempting to not only understand Wonderland, but also herself. As she is plunged into a world in which none of her beliefs...

From: Literature Guides

CONTENTS Key Facts The novel is based on Hemingway’s trip to Spain in 1925 in which he experienced European café life and the running of the bulls in Pamplona. He wrote the novel in about two months, spending just a few months on revisions. It was published in 1926. The novel is an example of the Roman a clef, in...

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CONTENTS Introduction White Noise by Don Delillo is considered one of the most important American postmodern novels. By postmodern, critics and scholars mean that the novel treats our most basic understandings of what we consider to be reality, our basic fear of death, the split between high culture and popular culture, and the idea of the nuclear family. While the...

From: Literature Guides