Bøger i Social Issues in Literature serien

Responding directly to the era of U.S. politics known as McCarthyism, Arthur Miller's 1953 play The Crucible positions the Salem witch trials at the center of a narrative that seeks to dance with and around questions of justice, power, and suspicion. This compelling edition presents readers with an insight into Arthur Miller's life, work, and inspirations, with a specific eye toward his writing of The Crucible. Readers are invited to explore the theme of justice through a series of essays, from writers and figures such as Michael Moore and Andy Worthington, that present varying viewpoints on the play's subject matter and tackle ideas such as the misuse of the legal system and the relationship between religion and the courtrooms. Perspectives on modern-day issues pertaining to justice are presented for consideration, allowing readers to link the themes of the play to the issues of the present.

Published shortly after his assassination, The Autobiography of Malcolm X recounts Malcolm X's painful childhood, from his early experiences with racism, to his conversion to the Nation of Islam while in prison, to his years of activism as a leader and proponent of Black Nationalism. This volume offers a diverse range of perspectives on the role of racism in the life of Malcolm X and his autobiography. Essays discuss Malcolm X's life, his quest for racial truth, the psychological impact of racism, black identity shaped by white racism, and Malcolm X as spokesman and leader.

When an extramarital affair with a minister results in a child, Hester Pryne is publically shamed and ostracized by her community in Puritan Boston. Her subsequent attempts at a quiet life are complicated by a vengeful husband, her rambunctious daughter, her refusal to name the father of her child, and finally, by a desperate attempt to escape from Boston. This compelling edition takes a critical look at Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter through the lens of women's issues. The text presents readers with a biographical snapshot of the author and examines women's issues in the novel. Essays discuss topics such as feminism in the nineteenth century, forced marriage, and the subservience of women. The text also provides contemporary perspectives on current women's issues, creating a dialogue between the events of the text and the world of today.

This volume presents biographical and critical information on Salinger, viewpoints on the depression, and contempora ry assessments well as a chronology of important date s in the author's life, discussion questions, a guide to additional literary works that focus on the same issues, a bibliography for further resea rch and a thorough subject index.

Jane Austen pioneered the modern novel by focusing on realistic depictions of ordinary people, with an eye toward unraveling the social structures that ruled Victorian England. This volume explores the role of class in Jane Austen's life and in Pride and Prejudice, providing a critical background on the life of the author and the influences that shaped her writing. Ten articles explore topics such as the rapidly changing class structures in Britain during the time of the novel, and what class meant for women. The book also includes twenty-first-century perspectives on the intersection of class and gender. Contributors include Emily Auerbach, Terry Eagleton, and Sarah Mahoney.

The struggle to locate one's personhood and role within a rapidly-changing society can present even the most well-adjusted adults and adolescents with deep psychological and emotional trauma. Arthur Miller's award-winning play Death of a Salesman pushes the context of this universal struggle even further, confronting what it means to live in a world wherein mediocrity and failure seem not only inevitable but imminent. This informative edition presents essays that examine the treatment of suicide in Death of a Salesman, discussing topics such as alienation, the lack of meaning in contemporary industrial society, and the power of the American Dream. Contemporary perspectives regarding suicide as it pertains to family, work, and society allow readers to link the themes of the text with modern discourse.

Ernest Hemingway's 1925 novel The Sun Also Rises sought to capture the resilient spirit of the Lost Generation through a series of love connections between a group of men and a liberated divorcee who finds herself at the center of their affections and attentions. Themes of gender, role according to gender, and the influence of masculinity and femininity saturate the novel, as the main characters grapple with what it means to expect integrity and morality in a modern world. This compelling edition provides background on the life of Ernest Hemingway and the influences that shaped his life. The book features articles that explore gender roles as portrayed in his novel The Sun Also Rises and also examines issues of gender roles in the twenty-first century.

A collection of critical reviews that investigate the background of industrialism in the works of John Steinbeck.

One of the most influential works in the canon of black American literature, Maya Angelou's autobiographical work I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings offers readers a frank and inspirational personal portrait of what it means to overcome and move past personal trauma and racism. This compelling edition provides readers with an in-depth biography of the author and presents a series of essays that discuss racism as it relates to Angelou's work. Topics include race and gender, humor and folklore, and death and rebirth. Modern perspectives on the issue of racism are presented as well, allowing readers to connect the themes of the text to the world of today.

Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is taught in classrooms nationwide and is widely hailed as one of literature's most compelling depictions of racism in the South. This informative edition presents essays that examine racism and other related issues in To Kill a Mockingbird, discussing such topics as new and old Southern values, and the connection between class, gender, and racial prejudice. Modern perspectives on race issues are presented as well, allowing the reader to create a link between the themes of the text and the realities of today's world.

When four Chinese immigrant mothers meet through their church in 1949, they begin to play mahjong together, forming what eventually becomes the Joy Luck Club. The novel, which centers around these women and their first-generation daughters, tells varied stories about what it means to live, work, and love as an immigrant, with a focus on the bond of female empowerment. This essential edition presents readers with essays that examine women's issues in The Joy Luck Club, discussing topics such as gender and ethnic identity, cultural conflict, and stereotypes about immigrant women. The text also explores contemporary perspectives on women's issues in relation to immigration, urging readers to contextualize the themes of the novel within the issues of the present.

One of the most beloved franchises in history, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series follows a trio of wizards-in-the-making through their years at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This expansive edition provides background on the life of British author J.K. Rowling and the influences that shaped her work. The book features eleven articles that explore political issues as portrayed in her Harry Potter series of novels, tackling topics such as race relations and human rights. The volume also examines politics in the twenty-first century.