From Isabel Allende to Emile Zola and from Shakespeare to Sartre, literary works have often engaged political issues, and many political writings give close attention to literary concerns. The first work of its kind, this 3-volume encyclopedia explores the complex relationship between literature and politics. International in scope, it covers its field from the ancient Greeks to the present. At the same time, the encyclopedia gives special attention to the conflicts and controversies of the modern world and to works written in English. The encyclopedia benefits from the expert feedback of a distinguished advisory board, including:
Timothy A. Brennan
Paul Buhle
Barbara Foley
Laura Hapke
Barbara Harlow
Andreas Huyssen
Fredric Jameson
Neil Larsen
Jane C. Marcus
Bruce Robbins
Epifanio San Juan, Jr.
And Alan M. Wald. The encyclopedia contains more than 500 alphabetically arranged entries written by more than 200 expert contributors. These entries cover authors, critics, theorists, and historical figures; major literary works; national literatures and important literary movements; broad critical categories; and specific themes, concepts, and genres. Included are entries on such writers and theorists as:
Anna Akhmatova
Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin
James Baldwin
Angela Carter
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Philip K. Dick
Charles Dickens
Ralph Ellison
Nadine Gordimer
Maxim Gorky
Aldous Huxley
Henry James
James Joyce
Denise Levertov
Primo Levi
Karl Marx
Sean O'Casey
George Orwell
Leslie Marmon Silko
Max Weber
Raymond Williams
And many more. In addition, the encyclopedia discusses a number of works, including:
Beloved
A Bend in the River
Brave New World
For Whom the Bell Tolls
The Grapes of Wrath
Invisible Man
Midnight's Children
Native Son
The Republic
A Vindication of the Rights of Women
And many more. There are also entries on such topics as:
African American Literature
Alientation
Apartheid
Brazilian Literature
Canons and Canonicity
Chinese Literature
Communist Party
Dystopian Literature
English Studies and Politics
Federal Writers' Project
Feminist Criticism and Theory
The French Revolution
Gender and Literature
Gothic Literature
The Haitian Revolution
Holocaust Literature
Latino/a Literature
Popular Culture
And many more.
Features:
Synthesizes the research of more than 200 scholars.
Provides more than 500 substantive entries.
Covers literature and politics from around the world.
Ranges from antiquity to the present.
Entries cite current scholarship.
Includes an extensive bibliography.
Offers an alphabetical list of entries.
Lists entries grouped in topical categories.
Entries are fully cross-referenced.
Includes a detailed index. Benefits:
Aids students in understanding works central to the curriculum.
Introduces students to less widely read authors.
Helps students use literature to study contemporary political and social issues.
Reveals links between literature and history.
Helps students understand the contemporary significance of literary works.
Serves as a model for student analysis and writing.
Fosters interdisciplinary studies.
Challenges students to evaluate and assess rhetorical strategies and political views.
Exposes students to the literary and political traditions of different cultures and eras.
Encourages students to conduct further research. High school students and teachers will need this work to examine literature in its political contexts and to use literature to explore such pressing social issues as censorship and propaganda. Public libraries will want this work to support student research and to help general readers learn more about enduring political concerns through literary works. Academic libraries will find this reference a valuable guide for undergraduates studying literature, history, political science, law, and other disciplines.
