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This collection of critical and creative work reconceptualizes what home and being at home means for women writers worldwide. Rather than focusing on how concepts of exile, nomadism, and displacement structure women's cultural and literary texts-as many recent critics have done-these essays and poems, many of which are published here for the first time, re-evaluate the meanings of home, community and relocation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent collection
This is an excellent collection, well worth the expense.It is diverse: poetry, reviews, personal anecdotes,history, politics.... from writers from the USA (including African American and Native American), Ireland, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, Palestine, Germany and beyond.I purchased this book as a kickstart to my PhD thesis on women, writing, creativity and the home.Although many of the contributions are written by academics, it is notable that several are not; I feel that it would also be an enjoyable read outside of academia. ... Read more

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The Writer’s Guide to Fantasy Literature offers an overview of the main styles of fantasy, with scores of practical tips and techniques, along with examples of great fantasy writing from today’s best mythic-fiction writers. This thoughtful guide will help you navigate your way from dragon’s lair to hero’s quest—on your personal path to success! Get advice on generating ideas, tips on planning, writing and revising, and how to submit your work for publication. Step inside and learn techniques from the experts like Joan Aiken, Peter S. Beagle, Ursula Le Guin, Terry Pratchett, and Jane Yolen. If you ever wanted to try your own hand at writing spellbinding tales of wonder, here is a wealth of advice from some of the all-time masters of the field! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Advice from the Professionals
This is a collection of essays and interviews from various fantasy authors. They share their views, thoughts, and techniques about writing fantasy. This is a book for people who want to learn from professional and successful fantasy authors.

I enjoyed this book because I was interested in what these authors had to say about fantasy. They gave very helpful advice about writing. I thought this book was very informative about the field of fantasy. It covers everything from generating ideas for novels to sending novels to publishers.

If you want to learn from the pro's, this is the book for you.

The zen of writing fantasy literature
I was expecting much more of a nuts and bolts book on writing fantasy, but a lot of the material in the book seemed targeted toward having a better appreciation of fantasy or what's required to write it, rather than the actual mechanics of writing. I enjoyed reading the book anyway, but it was not entirely what I had expected. The first part of the book introduced the concept of fantasy literature. I found Chapter 1, which analyzed the popularity of the Harry Potter series, to be very interesting. Chapter 2 introduced the general concept of fantasy literature and Chapter 3 categorized fantasy literature into five types with an accompanying essay or interview for each type. Although interesting, Chapter 3 was probably the weakest section of the book. The interviews, often about a single book the author wrote, were not the most effective means for conveying information. The second part of the book addressed the story itself. Chapter 4 discussed character development and was fairly informative, although like most of the book about a third to a half of the material are passage quotations from fantasy books. The two contributed portions of this chapter were not as informative as the material written by the author. Chapter 5 was similar in content and quality, but addressed places rather than characters. Chapter 6 discussed common themes often found in fantasy-such as magic, riddles, and prophecies-and also included two author interviews. Chapter 7 addressed plot and common story lines in fantasy literature and also included an interview and contributed article. The third part of the book addressed many of the mechanics of the writing process. Chapter 8 discussed generated ideas; Chapter 9 discussed the mechanics of the layout and order of which chapters to write first; Chapter 10 discussed how to set goals and remain motivated in the writing process; Chapter 11 discussed revising material; and Chapter 12 discussed submitting your work for publication. This last chapter was the only one in this part that included contributed material. I particularly enjoyed the interview with Terry Pratchett and the article by Ray Bradbury. The fourth part of the book included some reference material: publisher addresses and web/print references. Overall, as a 'How To' book for writers I give this book four stars. While all of the material was interesting, the usefulness of it was uneven. Betters books are "Worlds of Wonder" by David Gerrold or "How To Write Science Fiction & Fantasy" by Orson Scott Card. However, if you love fantasy and just want a better appreciation of what goes into writing it, then this book is definitely five stars.

Excellent reference
Unlike most writing books, which are filled with common sense fluff, this book gets down into the nuts and bolts of writing for the fantasy genre.Definately worth reading.Make sure you have a highlighter handy.

A truly inspiring and insightful "must-read"
Philip Martin's The Writer's Guide To Fantasy Literature: From Dragon's Lair To Hero's Quest is a collection of informative essays specifically written to help both aspiring and established writers improve the quality of their work, and create fantasy worlds to suspend disbelief and capture the imagination. Essay contributors include such notable talents as Patricia A. McKillip, Jane Yolen, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Peter S. Beagle. Chapters and essays cover such issues as generating ideas, constructing a coherent plot, and enhancing settings with your own brand of magic. The Writer's Guide To Fantasy Literature is a truly inspiring and insightful "must-read" for anyone looking to improve their fantasy writing - and the majority of its tips, tricks, and techniques would also apply to the writing of science fiction, historical fiction, or genre novels of any sort! ... Read more

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Indispensable Guide to Mystery and Crime Fiction
A Catalogue of Crime has been my companion in reading mystery and crime literature for over 20 years and it has been an indispensable guide to reading the best of such works.As anyone who reads mystery and crime fiction knows, for every Sayers or Christie, there are 20 or 30 others whose works are formulaic, unimaginative and a waste of your time.Barzun and Taylor's book has been the means to separate out the worthwhile from the incredible amount of dross out there.

It is important to understand that A Catalogue of Crime is no more readable as a book than a dictionary or an encyclopedia.It is a reference source.It is especially handy to have with you in a used book store.The book has helpful lists of especially good mysteries and worthwhile authors can also be found by browsing through the entries.

The major shortcoming of the book is that it hasn't been updated in decades.In the meantime, the output of mysteries and crime fiction has been, if anything, more prolific than ever.Unfortunately, most of the output seems to be poor, which was probably true of most of the output of the 'golden age' as well.

If you're a fan of well-crafted, well-written mysteries, A Catalogue of Crime is a must.

Top Crime Reference Guide!
Here are over 5,000 mystery titles briefly noted, each in about one paragraph. Alphabetically arranged by author and title, each short comment can guide you right thruough to which books may be worth your time. True, not all the comments are subjective, and you may disagree with many, as I feel they underrate SS Van Dine and JD Carr, and overrate Christie and Sayers. Rex Stout is among Prof. Barzun's favorites, a good pick, and many lesser known authors are given a royal treatment.S. Grafton is noted, with the conclusion that followups to "A is for Alibi" may never go to 26 titles ! All in all , one of the best browsers and references on this subject!

A Crime of a Catalogue
What could have been a very useful source of information about mysteries turned out to be a reference book to which I no longer refer.Page headings would have made it much more useful (as in an encyclopedia).Under an author's name, only some titles are included, but not necessarily the best, as a negative summary of the title seems to be as likely as positive.I find the book useful for dipping into for suggestions, but not necessarily for finding the best information.The most useful part was a list of "must-read" books at the end.

A Crime of a Catalogue
What could have been a very useful source of information about mysteries turned out to be a reference book to which I no longer refer.Page headings would have made it much more useful (as in an encyclopedia).Under an author's name, only some titles are included, but not necessarily the best, as a negative summary of the title seems to be as likely as positive.I find the book useful for dipping into for suggestions, but not necessarily for finding the best information.The most useful part was a list of "must-read" books at the end.

A Crime of a Catalogue
What could have been a very useful source of information about mysteries turned out to be a reference book to which I no longer refer.Page headings would have made it much more useful (as in an encyclopedia).Under an author's name, only some titles are included, but not necessarily the best, as a negative summary of the title seems to be as likely as positive.I find the book useful for dipping into for suggestions, but not necessarily for finding the best information.The most useful part was a list of "must-read" books at the end. ... Read more

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This book critically examines Le Guin's fiction for all ages, and it will be of great interest to her many admirers and to all students and scholars of children's literature. ... Read more

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This is the first thorough account of the many attempts during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to fashion a distinctly American epic literature from a wide range of potentially heroic New World subjects. McWilliams considers the cultural, political and literary implications of adapting Enlightenment news of republican progress to a genre that had traditionally celebrated the greatness of warriors.He shows how and why the epic in America had to be transformed from imitative narrative poetry into the new genres of prose history (Irving, Prescott, Parkman), fictional romance (Cooper, Melville), and free verse (Whitman). ... Read more

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Incredible
an amazing book, beautifully written. saw it in a bookstore started reading, and was captivated. It opened my eyes. ... Read more

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Un dcor pitoyable mais enchanteur, une population grouillante mais spirituelle, des vaches sacres mais squelettiques, des femmes voluptueuses mais violentes...reprsentations strotypes de l'Inde dans l'imaginaire occidental. Une image de l'Autre se rduit-elle ainsiune simple srie de relations hierarchises? Ne peut-elle pas tre prise comme une rflexion sur les carts diffrentiels rvlant autant sur la culture regarde que sur la culture regardante? Ce livre qui examine la nature et le fonctionnement des composantes de l'imagerie indienne dans le genre romanesque franais depuis 1947 s'efforce de traiter cette problmatique pose par l'criture sur l'Altrit. 1

English Translation: An enchanting yet a pitiable decor, a confused but spiritual population, sacred but skeletal cows, sensual but violent women... stereotypical representations of India in Western imagination! Can an image of the Other be thus reduced to a series of mere hierarchical relations? Can it not be considered as representing differential distances revealing as much about the perceiving culture as it does about the perceived one? This book, which examines the nature and function of the images of India in French fiction published since 1947, attempts to explore some of the issues raised by writings about the Other. ... Read more

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The Eighteenth-century Which emerges in Dr. Bergstrom's book is a fascinating and intellectually fertile time, one quite different from that which we know from the standard literary histories. By looking at the lyric in the way he does, and using so many figures who have been long interredin literary and critical graveyards, Dr. Bergstrom opens up the whole period, giving us a literary history which will make us think anew about how the eighteenth century relates to the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries. ... Read more

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The great and eccentric German writer Heinrich von Kleist, famous for his enigmatic dramas and novellas, read the Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant in 1801. A series of letters written around this time speak of the distresshe felt as he absorbed the implications of Kantian thought. This sense of distress -- long considered important to understanding Kleist's subsequent works -- has become known to Kleist scholars as the 'Kant crisis,' and marks Kleist's abandonment of the hope of gaining metaphysical certainty about his life. But it has never been established which texts of Kant Kleist actually read, how well he understood them, and why they precipitated such despair. Kleisthimself -- aside from one paraphrasing of Kant in a letter of 1801 -- was never explicit about what he called this 'sad philosophy.' Yet the distress seems never to have left him and remains an abiding preoccupation throughout his dramas and stories. This collection of essays, all in German language, represents the most recent work of prominent scholars in the field. It takes the pervasive sense of metaphysical crisis in Kleist's works as a startingpoint. In the context of Kleist's response to Kant, the essays deal with his subversive treatment of the literary motifs and genres of his day, and with the ambiguity of truth in his works -- for his characters and readers alike.In tracing the source of crisis to specific writings of Kant and to other Enlightenment thinkers such as Rousseau and Wieland, the essays show Kleist's complex dialogue with the Enlightenment to be an important new approach to understanding this notoriously difficult writer. ... Read more

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Between 1945 and 1975, both France and Greece developed an interplay between literature and popular music, each making a new national canon. Literature provided the aesthetic criteria, the cultural prestige and the institutional basis for what aspired to be a higher form of popular song. Published poems were turned into popular songs, while a critical discourse, in return, celebrated songwriters not only for being as good as poets, but for being singing poets in their own right. In France, there were Georges Brassens, Leo Ferre and Serge Gainsbourg: in Greece, the presitigious title of tragoudopoios (maker of songs) was awarded to Mikis Theodorakis, Manos Hadjidakis and Dionysis Savvopoulos. This challenging and stimulating study draws on a wealth of materials, from theoretical writings by poets, through their lyrics, to the record sleeves and posters used to promote them. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Academic libraries Book lists; Best books; Academic libraries; Bibliography; Academic libraries/ United States/ Book lists; Language Arts ... Read more

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The assignment: Teaching the dreaded college research paper.
The challenge: Motivating students to take risks and think critically and imaginatively, while teaching them to infuse their argumentative essays with research.
The solution: Introducing the multi-voiced argument (MVA) into your syllabus.

The MVA explores the many perspectives of an argument by using multiple genres written from different points of view. As Cheryl Johnson and Jayne Moneysmith explain, the MVA is the instructor's answer to dullness, predictability, and disengagement-it invigorates teaching and energizes student writers by engaging them in informed role-playing, rigorous research, and sophisticated analysis.

Stimulate research and genuine intellectual conversation by using the MVA in your teaching of argument. Read Multiple Voices, Multiple Genres and find out why many voices are better than one. ... Read more

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Fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, and poetryare a few of the genres of literature depicted in the bulletin boardset. Activity sheet included.

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Romantic Women Poets: Genre and Gender focuses on the part played by women poets in the creation of the literary canon in the Romantic period in Britain. Its thirteen essays enrich our panoramic view of an age that is traditionally dominated by male authors such as Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, Keats and Scott. Instead th e volume concentrates on the poetical theory and practice of such extraordinary and fascinating women as Joanna Baillie, Charlotte Smith, Anna Laetita Barbauld, Dorothy Wordsworth, Helen Maria Williams, Lady Morgan, Ann Radcliffe, Mary Shelley, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Anna Seward, and Lady Caroline Lamb. Female and male poetics, gender and genres, literary forms and poetic modes are extensively discussed together with the diversity of behaviour and personal responses that the individual women poets offered to their age and provoked in their readers. There have been several important collections of essays in this particular area of study in the last few years, but this volume reflects and complements much of this earlier critical work with specific strengths of its own. ... Read more

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Student activities to expose students to a variety of types of literature. It includes the elements of Literature and the following literature Genres: Biography, Fantasy, Folklore, Historical Fiction, Poetry, Realistic Fiction, and Science Fiction. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Modern Language Review, published by Modern Humanities Research Association on July 1, 2003. The length of the article is 607 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Invisible Fences: Prose Poetry as a genre in French and American Literature.(Book Review)
Author: Clive Scott
Publication: The Modern Language Review (Refereed)
Date: July 1, 2003
Publisher: Modern Humanities Research Association
Volume: 98Issue: 3Page: 813-814

Article Type: Book Review

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