30-Second Literature The 50 most important forms, genres and styles, each explained in half a minute

by Berthoud, Ella

• ISBN13: 9780711254671
• ISBN10: 0711254672
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2020-03-03
• Publisher: Ivy Press

Summary

Whether you're looking for a new author or genre to explore, 30-Second Literature provides you with summaries of the major literary genres, styles and histories.

Part of the 30-Second series, this introductory guide to literature is split into 7 chapters that cover:

• The History of Literature – from Sanskrit to Modernism
• The Novel – in all its glorious genres
• Literary Prose – non-fiction from diaries to philosophies
• Poetry – from the sonnet to the haiku
• Drama – interesting theatrical forms and genres
• Literary Devices – the techniques authors use in their works
• Literary Styles – the features and history of different styles of writing

Each topic is summarized in 300 words and contains a small bibliography for you to expand your bookworm horizons. You can also brush up on literary terms ahead of that book-club meeting, as each chapter features its own glossary. Interspersed throughout the book are profiles of key literary figures that have impacted one of our most beloved hobbies.

Literature is not just any written work; it is work that has stood the test of time, that is most widely thought to be of lasting merit. Just how particular books are elevated to literary status, reflects the values and judgements of society and mirrors the development of civilisation. This book is a broad overview of the multitude of voices used to describe our human experience.

If you like this, you might also be interested in 30-Second Mythology, 30-Second Numbers or any of the other title sin the 30 Second series!

Author Biography

Ella Berthoud is a bibliotherapist at the international School of Life, prescribing literary cures to readers everywhere. She is the author of The Art of Mindful Reading,The Novel Cure and The Story Cure, and read English Literature at Cambridge University. Ella regularly gives talks on reading ailments and mindful reading at bookstores and festivals across the UK. She lives with her family in West Sussex, England.

Table of Contents

Introduction
History of Literature
GLOSSARY
The oral tradition
Early literature
Sanskrit literature
Medieval literature
Early modern literature
Modern literature
Profile: Hilda Doolittle
Modernist literature
Postcolonial literature
 
The Novel
GLOSSARY
The birth of the novel
Epistolary novel
Historical novel
Science fiction
Crime
Profile: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Horror
Utopia/Dystopia
Fantasy
Romance
Graphic novel
Young adult
LGBTQ+
 
Literary Prose
GLOSSARY
Short story
Diary
Autobiography & memoir
Profile: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Philosophical works
Religious texts
 
Poetry
GLOSSARY
Epic poem
Free verse
Sonnet
Ode
Profile: Hafez
Ballad
Haiku
Ghazal
 
Drama
GLOSSARY
Tragedy
Comedy
Profile: Aristophanes
Melodrama
Theater of the absurd
Passion play
Political play
 
Literary Devices
GLOSSARY
Irony
Allegory
Profile: Jorge Luis Borges
Symbolism
Anthropomorphism
Personification
Foreshadow & flashback
 
Literary Styles
GLOSSARY
Narrative voice
Realism
Profile: Ali Smith
Satire
Gothic
Postmodernism
Stream of consciousness
 
Appendices
Resources
Notes on contributors
Index
Acknowledgements