Saul and Charlotte: Poems Commemorating a Father and Mother is Louis Daniel Brodsky's tribute to his parents, who died almost nine years apart. It commends the beauty and laments the tribulations of their longevity. Though the poems deal with death's complexities, it is death itself that elicits Brodsky's reflections on his parents' lives -- sensitive poems that neither dwell on sorrow and grief nor rely on sentimentality. This book's complementary parts, "Heavenward" and "Homeward," suggest that his father and mother are journeying to the same place, where they'll live together, forever, their love eternal.
Anne Tyler's novels strike a deep chord of responsiveness in her readers because her novels bring to life contemporary characters to whom we can instantly relate and in whose experiences we can see mirrored our own. Tyler's novels deal with the human experience: relationships between marital partners, between parents and children...between siblings; the meaning of love; the nature of identity; impermanence and change; and loss and continuity. In Anne Tyler novels, life is a complexity whose texture is built out of multiple layers. In this insightful study, Paul Bail shows us how Tyler constructs the complex reality of life through character, narrative point of view, theme, and literary devices. With the exception of Tyler's earliest two novels, which she prefers to forget, a chapter is devoted to each of the other novels she has written. Among the twelve are her unforgettable novels of family relationships and love...loss and renewal, such as Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, The Accidental Tourist, and Breathing Lessons. Also included is an analysis of Tyler's most recent novel, A Patchwork Planet. Following a biographical chapter that relates Tyler's life to her work, Bail discusses the novels within the literary tradition of Southern regional literature, women's literature, and popular culture. He also explores the influence of religion on her writing. Each novel is discussed in an individual chapter that includes sections on plot, characters, themes, literary devices, historical setting, and point of view. Bail also offers an alternate critical approach from which to read the novel, such as feminist or multicultural criticism. This study is ideal for students and readers of Anne Tyler and will enrich the reading and appreciation of her novels.
Commended for the 2007 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Choice Selection It is Christmas 1912, and Charlotte McEwan is 15 years old. The coal-mining town of Extension, British Columbia, on Vancouver island has hit hard times. When the opportunity to work in a local dynamite factory presents itself, Charlotte braves the disapproval of her mother for the chance to bring in some extra cash and keep the vow she made to herself to get her family as far away from the mine as possible. But the job is more dangerous than she bargained for, and soon Charlotte is at risk in more ways than one.
Bright, determined and focused Abby Taylor has not lost her sense of humor in spite of taking an indefinite leave of absence from her position as Professor of Anglo Saxon Studies at Vassar College due to Polycystic Kidney Disease. And she certainly doesn't go out looking for trouble any more than her attractive companion, Northern Arizona Forestry Professor David Neale does. But once again it finds them. And once again, Abby's beloved Corgi dog Francis will do all that he can to protect his humans. In the midst of the beautiful ranching country near Prescott, AZ, where their borrowed house is located, Abby and David, along with the faithful Francis, should be enjoying a pleasant break from daily cares and concerns. But alas, disturbing events begin unfolding left and right. Who would poison a Hereford Yearling? Who would shoot an innocent and much respected Basque sheepherder? And who would turn the highway going down from Mingus Mountain into a death trap? As they try to live their peaceful lives amidst the splendor of the high desert, it becomes evident that some questions must be answered if Abby, David, and Francis are going to stay alive... in Arizona.
A Companion to the Brontës brings the latest literary research and theory to bear on the life, work, and legacy of the Brontë family. Includes sections on literary and critical contexts, individual texts, historical and cultural contexts, reception studies, and the family’s continuing influence Features in-depth articles written by well-known and emerging scholars from around the world Addresses topics such as the Gothic tradition, film and dramatic adaptation, psychoanalytic approaches, the influence of religion, and political and legal questions of the day – from divorce and female disinheritance, to worker reform Incorporates recent work in Marxist, feminist, post-colonial, and race and gender studies
