Bøger i Social Issues in Literature serien

When the matriarch of the Bundren family dies, her family must confront the daunting task of transporting her body across the state of Mississippi for burial in her hometown. As they embark on this journey, with the coffin in tow, they face several trials and tribulations that not only complicate their travel but also highlight the innate dysfunction of the family's complex dynamic. This comprehensive volume explores the themes of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying through the lens of family dysfunction, offering readers a critical look at the intersection between literature and sociology. The book examines Faulkner's life and influences and explores concepts such as the role of maternal influence and sibling rivalry within the novel and within the broader context of society. Chapters also offer a contemporary perspective on family dysfunction through discussion of topics such as the effects of emotional neglect and the role of maternal instincts.

This volume explores the life and work of Sue Monk Kidd, focusing particularly on the coming of age theme in her novel The Secret Life of Bees. The book presents readers with a collection of essays that address topics such as community as a place for transformation, Lily's development at the expense of black individualism, and the role of social consciousness and spirituality. Modern perspectives on adolescence are also presented, allowing readers to make important connections between the text and the concerns of today's world.

"Colonialism in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness: Background on Joseph Conrad; Colonialism in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness; Contemporary Perspectives on Colonialism"--

This did not happen is a common refrain throughout the stories in The Things They Carried. Tim O'Brien's account of the Vietnam War purposely blurs the line between fact and fiction to get closer to the truth of what soldiers actually experienced. This compelling volume explores the life of Tim O'Brien and his attempts to wrestle with the trauma and shame of war in The Things They Carried. A collection of related essays explore topics such as the moral complexity of war, writing as a path to spiritual redemption, and the novel's portrayal of gender. Contemporary perspectives on war, such as the need to help soldiers suffering from PTSD and not repeating the mistakes of Vietnam, are also presented.

Published in 1952, The Old Man and the Sea is Hemingway's last major work of fiction and is widely revered for its compelling use of death and legacy. This concise volume explores Hemingway's life and influences, takes a look at key ideas related to death in the novel, including notions of the killing, hunting, and aging, and provides a selection of contemporary perspectives on death. Essayists include Lillian Ross, A.E. Hotchner, Carlos Baker, Wolfgang Wittkowski, and Dolores T. Puterbaugh.

This informative edition explores the poetry of Langston Hughes through the lens of race. Coverage includes an examination of Hughes's life and influences; a look at key ideas related to race in Hughes's poetry, including the influence of African-American music, the use of poetry to address racial problems, and the politics of Hughes's anti-lynching poems; and contemporary perspectives on race, such as the decline of civil rights reform and the role of hip-hop in shaping black music.

"Explores the life and work of Jon Krakauer, focusing particularly on the theme of wildness adventure in his popular book Into the Wild, and possible parallels between the real-life adventurer Chris McCandless and Krakauer himself"--

A veteran of World War I, Erich Maria Remarque found himself in a unique position to render the experience of war, both its internal and external ravages, in an intimate and realistic way. Responding directly to the then-nameless trauma many veterans and soldiers experienced in their lives, Remarque's novel is often hailed as pacifist work, though it often defies classification as a result of its undeniable loyalty to simple storytelling. This compelling volume explores the life and work of Erich Maria Remarque and expands upon the theme of war present in his classic novel. Readers are presented with a diverse set of essays that provide a wide range of perspectives on questions such as whether war results in a loss of innocence, and whether the book offers critiques of modern warfare. This edition also touches upon current perspectives related to war and peace, allowing readers to connect the events of the text to the issues of today's world.

Ernest Hemingway's depiction of war in his novel For Whom the Bell Tolls is one without clear ideological or moral imperatives. The story wrestles with themes of wartime and violence, as readers follow Robert Jordan, an American teacher, who volunteers to lead an ill-disciplined band of guerrillas during the Spanish Civil War. This illuminating volume explores themes surrounding war as they relate to Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls. A series of essays focus on topics such as the distinction between a war novel and a propaganda novel about war, the war against civilians in Spain, and civil wars being waged in the Middle East today.

This informative edition explores Walt Whitman's poetry through the lens of democracy. Chapters include an examination of Whitman's life and influences, a look at key ideas related to democracy in Whitman's poetry, and a series of essays that explore topics such as Whitman's views of democratic comradeship, the role of bonds between men, Whitman's approach to patriotism, and Whitman's contradictory views on slavery and race. Readers are also presented with contemporary perspectives on democracy, such as the importance of an informed electorate and the impact of American individualism on contemporary politics.

This comprehensive edition explores the life of John Howard Griffin as well as the issue of race as presented in his most famous work, Black Like Me, which details Griffin's experiment darkening his skin to pass as a black man during the Jim Crow era. This volume also presents modern perspectives on race in twenty-first-century America, with commentators asserting that while progress has been made, racism is still a significant issue.

A selection of essays exploring the themes and issues raised by Shakespeare's 1606 drama.

This critical volume explores S.E. Hinton's classic novel The Outsiders through the lens of teen issues. The text discusses a variety of topics, including Hinton's life and influences, whether the novel offers an overly romanticized view of teen life, and whether social bonds are important for economically disadvantaged teens. The book also explores contemporary perspectives on teen issues, such as a look at modern teen class divisions and the relationship between parenting, masculinity, and teen violence.

Discusses the concept of poverty as it relates to John Steinbeck's novel, "The Pearl."

Because wherever I sat, on the deck of a ship or at a street café in Paris or Bangkok, I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air. Readers who are familiar with Sylvia Plath's work may recognize this well-known quotation from her first and only novel, The Bell Jar, which tackles issues of depression, mental illness, and the search for individuality. This compelling volume examines Sylvia Plath's life and writings, with a specific look at key ideas related to The Bell Jar. A collection of twenty-three essays offers readers context and insight to discussions centering around the pervasive impact of illness, the novel as a search for personal identity, and the autobiographical nature of the work. The book also examines contemporary perspectives on depression, such as the sometimes deadly pressure of perfectionism on gifted teens, and the idea that depression and risk of suicide run in families.

Published in 1899, Kate Chopin's The Awakening refused to shy away from its progressive depictions of femininity and womanhood, defying and challenging the status quo. This informative edition explores the theme of women's issues as they relate to The Awakening, investigating topics such as independence, inequality, and identity. Readers are provided with an extensive bibliography of author Kate Chopin, a series of essays the expand upon themes of gender found within the text, and a selection of modern thought on gender and gender roles.

A selection of essays discusses the themes of Ralph Ellison's 1952 novel.

Wuthering Heights is unique among novels of its time for its poetic presentation, its lack of authorial comment, and its unusual narrative structure, exerting the energies of hate and love from the confined world of the story. The book deeply challenged embedded Victorian conventions regarding gender equality, religion, and class. This compelling volume discusses the author Emily Bronte's background, the details of which are still not well understood; class conflict in the context of rural and industrial Britain; and contemporary perspectives on class conflict.

A collection of articles and scholarly essays on themes of oppression, coercion, dystopia, and women's roles found in The Handmaid's tale.

This informative edition examines the important literary work of writer Anne Frank, whose meticulous diaries, which were kept and updated during her time in hiding, remain a haunting and necessary reminder of the ravaging effects of hatred. Readers are provided with a biographical sketch of Anne Frank, a series of essays that tackle the significance of her diaries as Holocaust documents, and a collection of modern thought on genocide in the twenty-first century.

"The Social issues in literature series brings together the disciplines of sociology and literature in a unique format designed to support cross-curricular studies. Each volume explores a work of literature through the lens of the major social issue reflected in it, and features carefully-selected content representing a variety of perspectives. All volumes in the series contain biographical and critical information about the author; secondary excerpts offering both historical and contemporary views of the highlighted social issue; a timeline of the author's life; a "For further reading" section of other works on the issue; and a detailed subject index"--

When a French doctor is imprisoned for eighteen years, he is released and united with his daughter, whom he has never met. The story of their life in London, and the conflict between her husband and the people who imprisoned her father, bring back ghosts from the past. Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities is known for its opening sentence, but the novel raises questions that explore income inequality, globalization, and the fate of civil rights when a government dissolves, topics we still grapple with today. This volume explores the life and work of Charles Dickens, focusing particularly on the theme of class conflict in the novel, and includes viewpoints on class conflict and income inequality in the present day, including the role that technology plays in increasing income inequality and class conflict, and the generational nature of class conflict.

This compelling volume explores Toni Morrison's classic novel through the lens of slavery. The book examines Morrison's life and influences and takes a critical look at key ideas related to slavery in Beloved, such as the role of slavery in both the forging and destruction of an African-American identity, the impact of slavery on family relationships, and the psychological trauma caused by slavery. Contemporary perspectives on the subject of slavery are presented as well, touching upon topics such as the global problem of human trafficking and the role of multinational corporations in modern day slavery.