American Writers Classics, Vol 1 (Hardcover)

The "Scribner Writers Series has set the standard for literary reference for more than 25 years. In addition to addressing the lives and careers of important writers, the articles discuss the themes and a styles of major works and place them in pertinent historical, social and political concerns for today's readers. Novelists, playwrights, essayists, poets, short story writers, and more recently, genre writers in science fiction and mystery, are all expertly discussed in the more than 17 sets comprising this series. To see listings of writers for any volume in this section, go to the "Scribner Writers Series section online at www.gale.com/scribners. Each of the 20 essays in these volumes focuses on a single work of American literature. Written in clear, jargon-free style by college and university professors, each explores the nuances of the work--themes, characterization, use of language--enabling the student to comprehend, interpret and write about the classics. Volume 1 includes essays on Toni Morrison's "Beloved," J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye," Jack Kerouac's "On the Road," Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge of Courage," John Updike's "Rabbit, Run" and others. Volume 2 covers Theodore Dreiser's "An American Tragedy," Sarah Orne Jewett's "The Country of the Pointed Firs," Saul Bellow's "Herzog," Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man," Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" and others. Volumes also feature timelines, author chronologies, bibliographies with further reading suggestions and more.