Best Medieval Literary Critism
The great epic of Western literature, translated by the acclaimed classicist Robert Fagles Robert Fagles, winner of the PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, presents us with Homer's best-loved and most accessible poem in a stunning modern-verse translation. Odysseus' reliance on his wit and wiliness for survival in his encounters with divine and natural forces during his ten-year voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War is at once a timeless human story and an individual test of moral endurance. Odysseus, on his way home from the Trojan War, encounters all kinds of marvels from one-eyed giants to witches and beautiful temptresses. His adventures are many and memorable before he gets back to Ithaca and his faithful wife Penelope. His translations include Sophocles’s Three Theban Plays , Aeschylus’s Oresteia (nominated for a National Book Award), Homer’s Iliad (winner of the 1991 Harold Morton Landon Translation Award by The Academy of American Poets), Homer’s Odyssey , and Virgil's Aeneid . His works include The Heroic Temper: Studies in Sophoclean Tragedy, Oedipus at Thebes: Sophocles’ Tragic Hero and His Time and Essays Ancient and Modern (awarded the 1989 PEN/Spielvogel-Diamonstein Award).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Peter Green states in the introduction that he is following in the footsteps of Lattimore, to preserve as much of the poem in Greek--wording, sentence structure, meter, and so on--in English, but to also make it declaimable. There is the Fagles translation, in modern free verse, is wonderful to read aloud. The Fagles Odyssey was on Selected Shorts once, and for a long time after I insisted that there was no other worthwhile contemporary translation of Homer. Lombardo's translation is pretty common in colleges because of the price and the slangy presentation. In the Greek, the Iliad has "μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος" Quite literally, "Rage! The first word is the theme of the poem, the way it is directed first against Agamemnon, then toward the Trojans, and then tempered for a common moment of humanity, is the internal trajectory of the whole epic. Make it into readable English, and you wind up with a host of compromises where thousands of close translations might do. Go far enough you wind up with Girardoux's "The Trojan War Will Not Take Place," worthwhile on its own, but not really a "translation." The introduction includes a plot summary of the whole Trojan War, of which the Iliad only covers a small portion. There is also a synopsis of the poem keyed to the poem in the back matter to help find your place, an enlightening glossary of names and concepts to help you through your first read, and footnotes to inform the reader of context that has since been lost."
"With many books, translations are negligible, with two obvious exceptions, one is the Bible, and surprisingly the other is The Iliad. -Translated by Robert Fagles, 1990. “Sing, O Goddess, the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a heroes did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures for so were the counsels of Zeus fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles first fell out with one another.”. -Translated by Samuel Butler, 1888. “Rage: Sing, Goddess, Achilles’ rage, Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks. Incalculable pain pitched countless souls. Of heroes into Hades’ dark, And let their bodies rot as feasts. For dogs and birds, as Zeus’ will was done. Begin with the clash between Agamemnon—. The Greek Warlord—and godlike Achilles.”. -Translated by Stanley Lombardo, 1997. “Anger be now your song, immortal one, Akhilleus’ anger, doomed and ruinous, that caused the Akhaians loss on bitter loss. and crowded brave souls into the undergloom, leaving so many dead men—carrion. for dogs and birds; and the will of Zeus was done. Begin it when the two men first contending. broke with one another—. the Lord Marshal Agamémnon, Atreus’ son, and Prince Akhilleus.”. -Translated by Translated by Robert Fitzgerald, 1963. “Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus’ son of Achilleus and its devastation, which puts pains thousandfold upon the Achains, hurled in the multitudes to the house of Hades strong souls of heroes, but gave their bodies to be the delicate feasting of dogs, of all birds, and the will of Zeus was accomplished since that time when first there stood the division of conflict Atrecus’ son the lord of men and brilliant Achilleus.”. –Translated by Richmond Lattimore, 1951. “Sing, goddess, of Peleus’ son Achilles’ anger, ruinous, that caused the Greeks untold ordeals, consigned to Hades countless valiant souls, heroes, and left their bodies prey for dogs or feast for vultures. Zeus’s will was done from when those two first quarreled and split apart, the king, Agamemnon, and matchless Achilles.”. -Translated by Herbert Jordan, 2008. “An angry man-there is my story: the bitter rancor of Achillês, prince of the house of Peleus, which brought a thousand troubles upon the Achaian host. Many a strong soul it sent down to Hadês, and left the heroes themselves a prey to the dogs and carrion birds, while the will of God moved on to fulfillment.”. -Translated and transliterated by W.H.D. Rouse, 1950. “Achilles’ wrath, to Greece the direful spring. Of woes unnumber’d, heavenly goddess, sing! That wrath which hurl’d to Pluto’s gloomy reign. The souls of mighty chiefs untimely slain; Whose limbs unburied on the naked shore, Devouring dogs and hungry vultures tore. Peleus’ son; His wrath pernicious, who ten thousand woes. Caused to Achaia’s host, sent many a soul. Illustrious into Ades premature, And Heroes gave (so stood the will of Jove). To dogs and to all ravening fowls a prey, When fierce dispute had separated once. The noble Chief Achilles from the son. Of Atreus, Agamemnon, King of men.”. -Translated by William Cowper, London 1791. “Achilles’ baneful wrath – resound, O goddess – that impos’d. Infinite sorrow on the Greeks, and the brave souls loos’d. From beasts heroic; sent them far, to that invisible cave*. That no light comforts; and their limbs to dogs and vultures gave: To all which Jove’s will give effect; from whom the first strife begun. Betwixt Atrides, king of men, and Thetis’ godlike son*”. -Translated by George Chapman, 1616. “The Rage of Achilles—sing it now, goddess, sing through me. the deadly rage that caused the Achaeans such grief. and hurled down to Hades the souls of so many fighters, leaving their naked flesh to be eaten by dogs. and carrion birds, as the will of Zeus was accomplished. Begin at the time when bitter words first divided. that king of men, Agamemnon, and godlike Achilles.”. -Translated by Stephen Mitchell. “Sing now, goddess, the wrath of Achilles the scion of Peleus, ruinous rage which brought the Achaians uncounted afflictions; many of the powerful souls it sent to the dwelling of Hades, those of the heroes, and spoil for the dogs it made it their bodies, plunder for the birds, and the purpose of Zeus was accomplished__”. -Translated by Rodney Merrill. “Sing, goddess, the anger of Achilles, Peleus’ son, the accused anger which brought the Achaeans countless. agonies and hurled many mighty shades of heroes into Hades, causing them to become the prey of dogs. and all kinds of birds; and the plan of Zeus was fulfilled.”. -Translated by Anthony Verity. Antony does not attempt to be poetic. “Of Peleus’ son, Achilles, sing, O Muse, The vengeance, deep and deadly; whence to Greece. Unnumbered ills arose; which many a soul. Of mighty warriors to the viewless shades. Ultimately sent; they on the battle plain. Unburied lay, to rav’ning dogs, And carrion birds; but had Jove decreed,”. -Translated by Edward Smith-Stanly 1862. “Sing, Goddess of the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus-. that murderous anger witch condemned Achaeans. to countless agonies and threw many warrior souls. deep into Hades, leaving their dead bodies. carrion food for dogs and birds-. all in the fulfillment of the will of Zeus”. - Translated by Professor Ian Johnston, British Columbia 2006. “The rage, sing O goddess, of Achilles, son of Peleus, The destructive anger that brought ten-thousand pains to the. Achaeans and sent many brave souls of fighting men to the house. of Hades and made their bodies a feast for dogs. and all kinds of birds. For such was the will of Zeus.”. - Translated by Barry B. Powell. “Wrath, goddess, sing of Achilles Pēleus’s son’s calamitous wrath, which hit the Achaians countless ills many the valiant souls it saw off down to Hādēs, souls of heroes, their selves left as carrion for dogs and all birds of prey, and the plan of Zeus was fulfilled from the first moment those two men parted in fury, Atreus’s son, king of men, and the godlike Achilles.”. -Translated by Peter Green. “Sing, goddess, the wrath of Achilles Peleus' son, the ruinous wrath that brought on the Achaians woes innumerable, and hurled down into Hades many strong souls of heroes, and gave their bodies to be a prey to dogs and all winged fowls; and so the counsel of Zeus wrought out its accomplishment from the day when first strife parted Atreides king of men and noble Achilles.”. - Translated by Andrew Lang, M.A., Walter Leaf, Litt.D., And Ernest Myers, M.A. --------. Wrath–sing, goddess, of the ruinous wrath of Peleus’ son Achilles, that inflicted woes without number upon the Achaeans, hurled fourth to Hades many strong souls of warriors. and rendered their bodies prey for the dogs, for all birds, and the will of Zeus was accomplished; sing from when they to first stood in conflict-. Ateus’ son, lord of men, and godlike Achilles. We have the wide conflict between the Trojans and Achaeans over a matter of pride; the gods get to take sides and many times direct spears and shields. That of Achilles, son of Peleus and the greatest individual warrior and that of Agamemnon, lord of men, whose power comes form position."
In celebration of of the 75th anniversary of this classic bestseller, this stunningly illustrated, beautifully packaged, larger-format hardcover edition will be beloved by fans of Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology of all ages. She regarded as the high point of her life a 1957 ceremony in which King Paul of Greece named her an honorary citizen of Athens.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It's a classic for good reason."
"Required for freshman English class."
"Good book, but mine came with the spine bent ever so slightly diagonally that it drives me insane."
"This book gives you details about the gods that you didn't know you wanted to know!"
"Edith Hamilton's classic."
"Needed this For my English IS class and it provided spot on and flawless information over Greek mythology down to the core."
"books are great (and we ha to have it for school)."
For the first time, this facsimile, complete with elaborate folding sections, allows readers to explore this enigma in all its stunning detail, from its one-of-a-kind “Voynichese” text to its illustrations of otherworldly plants, unfamiliar constellations, and naked women swimming though fantastical tubes and green baths. "For the first time, a complete reproduction [of] The Voynich Manuscript (Yale University Press), has been published, featuring essays exploring what is known about the book and extra-wide margins so readers can record their responses to its beguiling, beautiful strangeness. "For people who like a good historical mystery, this first authorized publication of the fifteenth- or sixteenth-century Voynich Manuscript will fascinate. This beautiful facsimile will make it available for many more people to become enticed and entranced by it.”—David V. Barrett, Fortean Times. This fascimilie and the accompanying series of essays give a clear sense of the current state of knowledge on the manuscript and reveal the findings of new research.”—H.R. "The publication by Yale University Press of an actual-size colored facsimile, with an informative set of specialist essays on the manuscript’s history, materials, cryptological puzzles, and public impact, will no doubt encourage wider engagement with its enigmas and set off a multitude of amateur as well as professional attempts to decipher it. For the first time, Yale has reprinted the manuscript in full, in a gorgeous new edition coupled with scholarly essays on the book. "A mouthwatering facsimile of the incunabulum, complete with foldout pages — one origamied into six folios — and a handful of scholarly interrogations. Clemens and his collaborators have done an extraordinary job teasing out some of the secrets and wonders of the enigmatic Voynich Manuscript in ways that will make this volume an invaluable resource for many years to come.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"(Yale University's Beinecke Library is the current owner of the manuscript) This volume contains detailed, 1:1 scale, photographic reproductions of every page of the manuscript."
"I found a fabulous recipe for elbow softening, and the ladies' bath cure sounds nice."
"Very good version and scan of the original."
"A bevy of insight from experts in the field accompanies high-resolution scans of the admittedly impenetrable manuscript, complete with fold-out sections that mirror the fold-out sections found in the original."
"But overall, a good purchase."
"OH THIS BOOK!!!!!!!"
"Beautiful book, and we're all still trying to decipher the mystery of the artwork and writing."
"Well done, although text could be a little bit larger."
Best Medieval Literature
Provides everything necessary to learn or teach Old Norse and runes. Prof. Byock teaches Old Norse, the Icelandic sagas, Viking history and archaeology and directs the Mosfell Archaeological Project (MAP) in Iceland.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A reviewer below complained about the amount of text given over to history and culture; in my mind, this is what makes this book so enjoyable."
"The only thing wrong is that there is a limited translation dictionary so he has to look a lot up."
"Just wish it also came as kindle format... easier to carry!"
"A good enough language primer."
"Yes, there is a lot of history and culture in English, but it actually adds to the language study."
"It is not an "immersion course" in that much of it is about Old Norse rather than being mostly in Old Norse, but that is what most people will likely be looking for who have no expectation of achieving some kind of conversational fluency: as advertised, it is for people want to get the vocabulary and structural familiarity they need to be able to read the sagas."
"Jesse Byock answered all of my questions about how the vowel sounds were written."
"It includes a "dictonary" of word for word translations alphabetically, including sections on the most frequently used words."
Best Renaissance Literary Criticism
In this classic guide to acquiring and maintaining political power, Machiavelli used a rational approach to advise prospective rulers, developing logical arguments and alternatives for a number of potential problems, among them governing hereditary monarchies, dealing with colonies and the treatment of conquered peoples. The person who held the aforementioned office with the tongue-twisting title was none other than Niccolò Machiavelli, who, suddenly finding himself out of a job after 14 years of patriotic service, followed the career trajectory of many modern politicians into punditry.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"What can one say about Nicole Machiavelli........He was prescient and wasn't, ultimately, afraid to present his views."
"For a more modern take, a modern, but much much better written book to this one in many ways is "The 33 Laws of power" by Robert Greene - a book i cannot recommend highly enough."
"There is nothing false about Niccolo Machiavelli."
"I have to agree with T. Simons previously - The idea of "reviewing" this is kind of silly, but I thought I'd put in a quick note for those looking to read it on the Kindle."
"This is a classic about how to run a government to stay in power and suit your own needs."
"The Prince is, of course the foundation stone for all modern political writings on the art and science of governing."
"Liked the great summary of the BIG general ideas of The Prince."
"Niccolo Machiavelli was a genius - he understood human nature."
Best Arthurian Romance Criticism
No other edition accurately represents the actual (and likely authorial) divisions of the text as attested to by its two surviving witnesses―Caxton’s 1485 print and, especially, the famous Winchester Manuscript. Stephen H. A. Shepherd is Associate Professor of English at Loyola Marymount University.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I'm sure there are any number of more pleasurable books of which one could listen to audio versions, but sometimes it's good to buckle down and get acquainted with something that boasts more historical relevance than literary value."
"In possession of a physical copy of the Norton edition, albeit sadly on another continent, I know that this text is not in fact the same as presented in that book."
"It is a very careful, scholarly edition, and...well...Malory is Malory."
"Baines, a poet, creates what I'd consider to be the definitive modern translation of Mallory's work for the casual reader."
"No need to recap its contents here; the stories are familiar through retelling by Twain, Steinbeck, T. E White, and others, and by films. A handwritten manuscript by a dead author, a first printing, and a new mechanical printing technology made possible many errors. Lumiansky managed a less awkward reorganization of chapters, cleaned up misprints, substituted modern spelling, added quotation marks for direct speech, and replaced obsolete words with modern equivalents."
Best Modern Literary Criticism
"On what slender threads do life and fortune hang" Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantes is confined to the grim fortress of If. Robin Buss (1939–2006) was a writer and translator who worked for the Independent on Sunday and as television critic for the Times Educational Supplement .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Material previously omitted by Victorian-era translators such as Franz' hashish-fueled sexual fantasies and the strongly implied lesbian relationship between Eugenie and Louise remain intact and uncensored. As another reviewer pointed out, Buss will provide footnotes to explain subtleties that aren't easily translated from French to English, such as insults delivered by using the formal you (vous) rather than the informal/friendly/intimate you (tu). A detailed appendix provides valuable historical and cultural context that aids the reader in understanding Dumas' masterpiece, and includes a primer on the rise, fall, return, and final downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte that is crucial to making sense of the politics driving the novel's plot."
"My husband ranks it up there as one of his top favorite movies, but aside from the brief sword fight and “Can we come up?” scene in V for Vendetta, I really had no reference point–I thought it was all about dueling. When I read The Black Count, though, and found out why Alexandre Dumas wrote CoMC–I knew I had to move it up the list. I found the characterization ridiculous and irregularly detailed, and I didn’t understand why we couldn’t just get to the point and action. Also, I learned in The Black Count that one of the most important things in the world to Dumas was never to forget a person, the way he felt his father was forgotten."
"The book does a great job of portraying the setting and the characters, to a point that it felt more like reading a description of a landscape painting."
Best Modernism Literary Criticism
In this dizzyingly rich novel of ideas, Mann uses a sanatorium in the Swiss Alps--a community devoted exclusively to sickness--as a microcosm for Europe, which in the years before 1914 was already exhibiting the first symptoms of its own terminal irrationality. “[Woods’s translation] succeeds in capturing the beautiful cadence of [Mann’s] ironically elegant prose.” – Washington Post Book World.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The protagonist, Hans Castorp, is Mann's bourgeois Everyman, and it's wonderful haw a powerhouse intellectual like Mann can create a sympathetic but also mediocre hero who stumbles through a series of awakenings (and drowsings) on top of a mountain. The Magic Mountain is also very much of its era."
"It provides a clear view of pre-war Europe with its changing mores and budding inventions of the times, and the odd seeming methods of treating tuberculosis in the thin cold air of the Alps before the advent of antibiotics."
"My most favorite book of of all time."
"the plot can be a little slow at times, but it is definitely very painterly and artisitc."
"The book was a welcome addition to reading and interpretation of The Magic Mountain."
"This is a brilliant work by an important author and I am so happy to see it in a kindle edition!"
Best Feminist Literary Criticism
"Within every woman there is a wild and natural creature, a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. Though the gifts of wildish nature come to us at birth, society's attempt to 'civilize' us into rigid roles has plundered this treasure, and muffled deep, life-giving messages of our own souls. In her now-classic book that spent 144 weeks on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list, and is translated into 35 languages, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D., shows how woman's vitality can be restored through what she calls "psychic archaeological digs" into the ruins of the female unconscious. Dr. Estés collects the bones of many stories, looking for the archetypal motifs that set a woman's inner life into motion. Her "La Loba" teaches about the transformative function of the psyche; in "Bluebeard," we learn what to do with wounds that will not heal; in her literary story "Skeleton Woman," we glimpse the mystical power of relationship and how dead feelings can be revived; "Vasalisa the Wise" brings our lost womanly instincts to the surface again; "The Handless Maiden" recovers the Wild Woman initiation rites; and "The Little Match Girl" warns against the insidious dangers of a life spent in fantasy. With them, we retrieve, examine, love, and understand her, and hold her against our deep psyches as one who is both magic and medicine. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D., is an internationally known poet, post-trauma recovery specialist, senior training psychoanalyst [Jungian], and cantadora [keeper of the old stories] in her mestizo Latina tradition. "Millennia of humans have gathered around fires to hear words that transferred hard-won wisdom and allowed dreams of unlimited possibilities. It is a road map of all the pitfalls, those familiar and those horrifically unexpected, that a woman encounters on the way back to her instinctual self. An African tale of twins who baffle a man represents the dual nature of woman; from the Middle East, a story about a threadbare but secretly magic carpet shows society's failure to look beyond appearances. At times, Estes's commentary--in which she urges readers to draw upon and enjoy their Wild Woman aspects--is hyperbolic, but overall her widely researched study offers usable advice for modern women. The precise nature of this wildness is difficult to fathom, but, at best, it seems to include a genuine capacity to access feelings and to accept one's contradictions, while, at worst, it appears to amount to the kind of self-indulgence that prevailed during the ``me'' generation.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"this book is my go to staple to feed my female soul."
"Amazing book all women need to have and read."
"I read it in French first."
"I first read this book about 15 years ago."
"My lady loves this inspiring read!"
"Estes writes with a clear voice and shares simple, fairy tales to help her readers along as they learn the importance of staying or getting empowered."
"Provides amazing insight and helpful for every woman's life's journey."
Best Surrealist Literary Criticism
"— Publishers Weekly, starred review From Dada to the Automatists, and from Max Ernst to André Breton, Gérard Durozoi here provides the most comprehensive history of the Surrealist movement. Tracing the movement from its origins in the 1920s to its decline in the 1950s and 1960s, Durozoi tells the history of Surrealism through its activities, publications, and reviews, demonstrating its close ties to some of the most explosive political, as well as creative, debates of the twentieth century. With its unprecedented depth and range, this massive new history of Surrealism (including 232 color plates and 777 halftones) from veteran French philosopher and art critic Durozoi will be the one-volume standard for years to come. Divided chronologically into seven chapters, beginning with 1919-1924 and ending with 1959-1969, the book discusses expertly the main surrealist artists like Jean Arp, Max Ernst, Ren Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Salvador Dali and Joan Miro, but also treats with considerable understanding the surrealist writing by Louis Aragon, Paul Eluard, Robert Desnos, Julien Gracq and, of course, the so-called "Pope of Surrealism," Andr Breton.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This change of emphasis reflects a very academic view of surrealism, one that does not necessarily get caught up in some of the more famous surrealist troubles, and instead wants to take us inside Breton's world and reconstruct what was significant for his inner circle."
"Excellent resource for studying surrealism."
"Great book that needs to be read over time."
"This book is awesome."
"I'm keeping this simple -- here's an art book where the text and editorial content matches the illustrations in terms of quality and awesome-osity."
"La voz de Durozoi. es ese soplo. de aire sahariano. que hacía falta. a la historiografía. del Surrealismo. en todas sus variantes: el pincel de nubes, el beso petrificado. y los alaridos elegíacos. que sueltan las sirenas. (esos cisnes de agua salada). al caer en las redes. de los sonámbulos."
"the book came quickly to me and it is new, with the plastic protection unopened."
Best Victorian Literary Criticism
"My greatest thought in living is Heathcliff.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In fact, I'm of the opinion that reading 160+ year old books on Kindle has the distinct advantage of access to the built-in English dictionary. In fact the novel was so gripping and compelling that the very fact that there were even chapters to break it up left me feeling somewhat impatient! As for the French passages I had mentioned earlier, they are really very few in number and even if you don't know any French, don't let it stop you from reading this novel."
"Jane Eyre is an educated, polite woman, that makes her path through life as almost a man, criticized for refusing to be against what's supposed to do as she's a poor relation in a family, has very little cultural capital. She's plain, refused and bullied on all the paths she went: The Reeds; Bessie, her nannie; Helen, chastises her by not turning the other face; Brocklehurst, rebukes her from not knowing the psalms; Rochester, than loves her without knowing, makes her serve as an employee to his future bride, a beauty; and the Rivers. Though Jane is bullied by her plainness, by herself even, she has so many more qualities that make for it: lovely soul, courage, intelligence. ", all the leading characters have to evolve and go to different, forking paths, face beautiful things, and eat garbage, become ill, almost marry, fall in love with another and almost die. Marriage was a crowning success at that time, even for plain Jane and damaged Rochester."
Best Postmodernism Literary Criticism
Considered an essential text since its publication thirty-five years ago, this guide for students and practitioners of both theater and literature complements, rather than contradicts or repeats, traditional methods of literary analysis of scripts. “In fewer than one hundred pages, this marvelously instructive book shows how to unlock the secrets of plot, character, theme, exposition, imagery, motivation, conflict, theatricality and pacing. Our editor says he learned more about dramatic structure in the few hours he spent with this ninety-six-page book than he has in his twenty years of theater experience.”— Stage Directions. Accessible to those both new to and familiar with script analysis, Ball's text paves the way for rich discussion and meaning making in the classroom and on stage.”— Elizabeth Horn , assistant professor of theatre, University of Central Florida. “David Ball's brilliantly conceived and written book is a valuable asset in all of my scripting classes. One of the strengths of the book is its ability to get students from such diverse backgrounds and levels of experience to work together and get on the same page.”— Richie Call, Utah State University. “Indispensable in my directing classes, this slender little volume contains an elusive mix of uncommon clarity, bracing provocation, and immediate usefulness. Never one to linger on his own cleverness, Ball makes an immediate case for action and propulsion in both script analysis and theatrical production. “David Ball's little tome may have been written for directors of theater, but I find its practical and straightforward manner in explaining how to read a script essential for writers. And so do their teachers.”— David Feldshuh, Cornell University. “ Backwards and Forwards is a brilliant, unique, and influential book. I have used it for many years in my work as a professional actor and director, as well as in the classroom when teaching directing and play analysis.”— Harold Dixon, distinguished professor emeritus, School of Theatre Arts, University of Arizona. “It's extremely rare that you will read a book and it changes your perspective on not only what you do creatively but also how you do what you do. The book’s deceptively simple, straightforward approach to play analysis not only is timeless but also continues to provide me with fresh insights as both a scholar and a practitioner.”— Inga Meier, Stephen F. Austin University. “In less than one hundred pages Backwards and Forwards has taught me more about theatre than any other book. I have used it faithfully as the key reference text guiding student actors through in-depth analyses of the classics of world theatre.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book does a very good job of breaking everything in a play down."
"I needed it for a class and borrowed it from the library, however, after reading it found it so helpful I bought it from Amazon."
"Great resource for learning how to analyze a play."
"Essential for directors, playwrights, and really anyone else who reads and works on plays."
"Great for the beginner who is getting into writing and reading various plays."
"Excellent for playwrights, script writers, fiction and non-fiction writers."
"It was a great book however I hated how the book took forever in arriving by mail, it actually arrived like two week after the due date."
"Some good instruction for reading plays, especially Shakespeare, to get the most out of them."
Best Ancient & Classical Literary Criticism
In celebration of of the 75th anniversary of this classic bestseller, this stunningly illustrated, beautifully packaged, larger-format hardcover edition will be beloved by fans of Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology of all ages. She regarded as the high point of her life a 1957 ceremony in which King Paul of Greece named her an honorary citizen of Athens.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I got this for my son to go along with his Percy Jackson books."
"It's a classic for good reason."
"Exactly what my daughter needed for her class."
"Required for freshman English class."
"This book gives you details about the gods that you didn't know you wanted to know!"
"Edith Hamilton's classic."
"Needed this For my English IS class and it provided spot on and flawless information over Greek mythology down to the core."
"books are great (and we ha to have it for school)."
Best Beat Generation Criticism
This version, capturing a moment in creative history, represents the first full expression of Kerouac’s revolutionary aesthetic. Pulsating with the rhythms of 1950s underground America, jazz, sex, illicit drugs, and the mystery and promise of the open road, Kerouac's classic novel of freedom and longing defined what it meant to be "beat" and has inspired generations of writers, musicians, artists, poets, and seekers who cite their discovery of the book as the event that "set them free." From the back cover of On the Road: The Original Scroll : Jack Kerouac displaying one of his later scroll manuscripts, most likely The Dharma Bums Kerouac's map of his first hitchhiking trip, July-October 1947 (click image to see the full map). Original New York Times review of On the Road (click image to see the full review). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"An epic love poem and American Odyssey with the stature and spirit of Whiman’s ‘Leaves Of Grass.’ Written in the late forties it lays the path followed by many of my generation in the sixties."
"LOVED IT!"
"It was also wonderful to read the in-depth information in advance of getting eyes on the actual scroll."
"It is basically a love poem to the America of open spaces and open minds."
"It's a soft cover, so not a book you want to keep for years on end."
"If he was looking for something, I'm not sure he found it: which may be the point."
"Twisting, winding and outright weird were the travels of Sal Paradise."
"It's a classic, worth reading!"