CliffsNotes on American Poets of the 20th Century


Book Description

This literary companion carries you into the lives and poetic lines of 41 of America's most admired poets from the last century. From popular favorites such as Robert Frost and Carl Sandburg to the more esoteric T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound, this handbook also introduces you to living poets, such as Rita Dove, who are still inscribing their places in literary history. The book opens with an approach to analyzing poetry, and each author-specific chapter includes sections devoted to Chief Works, Discussion and Research Topics, and a Selected Bibliography. Complete list of authors covered in this comprehensive guide: Edgar Lee Masters, Edward Arlington Robinson, Robert Frost, Amy Lowell, Carl Sandburg, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, Ezra Pound, Hilda Doolittle (H. D.), Robinson Jeffers, Marianne Moore, T. S. Eliot, John Crowe Ransom, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Jean Toomer, Louise Bogan, Hart Crane, Allen Tare, Sterling Brown, Langston Hughes, Countée Cullen, Elizabeth Bishop, John Berryman, Randall Jarrell, Gwendolyn Brooks, Robert Lowell, Richard Wilbur, James Dickey, Denise Levertov, A.R. Ammons, Allen Ginsberg, W. S. Merwin, James Wright, Anne Sexton, Adrienne Rich, Sylvia Plath, Amiri Baraka, Wendy Rose, Joy Harjo, Rita Dove, Cathy Song




CliffsNotes on Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales


Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also features glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. Join Chaucer's band of pilgrims on their journey in CliffsNotes on The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer's narrators represent a wide spectrum of society with various ranks and occupations. From the distinguished and noble Knight, to the pious abbess, the honorable Clerk, the rich landowner, the worldly and crude Wife, and on down the scale to the low, vulgar Miller and Carpenter, and the corrupt Pardoner. Let this study guide reveal Chaucer's genius at understanding basic human nature as reflected in his tales. You'll also gain insight into the background and influences of the author. Other features that help you study include Character analyses of major players A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters Critical essays A review section that tests your knowledge A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites Classic literature or modern-day treasure—you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.




CliffsNotes on Huxley's Brave New World


Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also features glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. The new world in CliffsNotes on Brave New World is not a good place to be. Readers have used the word "dystopia," meaning "bad place," to describe Huxley's fictional world. But your experience studying this novel won't be bad at all when you rely on this study guide for help. Meet John the Savage and enter Huxley's witty and disturbing view of the future. Other features that help you study include Character analyses of major players A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters Critical essays A review section that tests your knowledge A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites Classic literature or modern-day treasure—you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.




CliffsNotes on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet


Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. In CliffsNotes on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, you explore Shakespeare's greatest tragedy—the heartbreaking love story of Romeo and Juliet amid the conflict between their two feuding families, the Montagues and the Capulets. This study guide carefully walks you through every twist and turn of Shakespeare's classic by providing chapter summaries and critical analyses of each act and scene of the play. You'll also explore the life and background of the "Bard" himself—William Shakespeare. Other features that help you study include Character analyses of major players A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters Critical essays The history of the play's development, as well as its first performance A review section that tests your knowledge A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites Classic literature or modern-day treasure—you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.




CliffsNotes on Dickens' Great Expectations


Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer a look into key elements and ideas within classic works of literature. The latest generation of titles in this series also features glossaries and visual elements that complement the familiar format. CliffsNotes on Great Expectations explores Charles Dickens's renowned work, a novel that gives you plots that twist and turn, themes of good and evil, and people who want for means to make sense of their lives. Following the story of an orphaned boy whose first-person take on the world around him gives readers a detailed picture of Victorian England, this study guide provides summaries and critical commentaries for each chapter within the novel. Other features that help you figure out this important work include Personal background on the author Introduction to and synopsis of the book In-depth character analyses Critical essays on topics of interest Review section that features interactive questions and suggested essay topics and practice projects Resource Center with books, films, and websites that can help round out your knowledge Classic literature or modern-day treasure—you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.




CliffsNotes on Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea


Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. In CliffsNotes on The Old Man and the Sea, you explore Hemingway's short masterpiece about Santiago, an old man who conquers a magnificent fish, endures its heartbreaking loss, and rises gallantly above his defeat. This study guide takes you along on Santiago's journey by providing summaries and critical analyses of each of the book's parts. You'll also explore the life and background of the author, Ernest Hemingway, easily the most recognizable name in American literature. Other features that help you study include Character analyses of major players A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters Critical essays on topics like Hemingway's style and themes in the novella A review section that tests your knowledge A Resource Center full of books, films, and Internet sites Classic literature or modern-day treasure—you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.




CliffsNotes on Shaara's The Killer Angels


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The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. With CliffsNotes on The Killer Angels, you gain insight into the novel, which tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg from the points of view of four main characters. Get a glimpse of the realities of war, with its losses and tragedies, and the motivations and deep emotions of the men there. This study guide carries you through this terrible and bloody event by providing chapter summaries and critical analyses. You'll also gain insight into life on the battlefield, the problems that officers and soldiers faced, how decisions were made, and the effect of those decisions. Other features that help you study include Character analyses of major players A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters Critical essays and theme discussions A review section that tests your knowledge Glossaries of key words and terms Classic literature or modern-day treasure—you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.




CliffsNotes on Crane's The Red Badge of Courage


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The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. Stephen Crane wrote the first draft of The Red Badge of Courage in only ten days. This CliffsNotes supplement carries you along as the story of a young boy named Henry Fleming faces his first battle—not only in war but with his own fear, pride, and cowardice—unfolds. It still remains as one of the best novels about the American Civil War. This study guide carefully walks you through every step of Henry’s ordeal by providing summaries and critical analyses of each chapter of the novel. You'll also explore the life and background of the author and gain insight into how he came to write The Red Badge of Courage. Other features that help you study include A character map to highlight the relationships between characters Glossaries after each chapter to define new and unfamiliar terms Critical essays covering topics like figurative language and the structure of the novel A review section that tests your knowledge A Resource Center with books and websites for more study Classic literature or modern-day treasure—you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.




CliffsNotes on Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird


Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. In CliffsNotes on To Kill a Mockingbird, you explore Harper Lee's literary masterpiece—a novel that deals with Civil Rights and racial bigotry in the segregated southern United States of the 1930s. Told through the eyes of the memorable Scout Finch, the novel tells the story of her father, Atticus, as he hopelessly strives to prove the innocence of a black man accused of raping and beating a white woman. Chapter summaries and commentaries take you through Scout's coming of age journey. Critical essays give you insight into racial relations in the South during the 1930s, as well as a comparison between the novel and its landmark film version. Other features that help you study include Character analyses of the main characters A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters A section on the life and background of Harper Lee A review section that tests your knowledge A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites Classic literature or modern-day treasure—you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.




CliffsNotes on Baldwin's Go Tell It on the Mountain


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The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. CliffsNotes on Go Tell It on the Mountain explores the Great Migration, a time in American history characterized by a mass exodus of African Americans from the rural south to northern cities. Follow the simple story of a young boy coming of age, a tale that gains complexity as it interweaves with the experiences of his mother, father, and aunt. This concise supplement to James Baldwin book about religion, racism, and familial expectations features summaries and commentaries on each part within the novel. Other features that help you study include Background on the author Descriptive character map and analyses Critical essays on racism, the church, and homosexuality as a subtext A quiz, plus suggested essay questions and practice projects Classic literature or modern-day treasure—you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.