The Companion combines a broad grounding in the essential texts and contexts of the modernist movement with the unique insights of scholars whose careers have been devoted to the study of modernism. An essential resource for students and teachers of modernist literature and culture Broad in scope and comprehensive in coverage Includes more than 60 contributions from some of the most distinguished modernist scholars on both sides of the Atlantic Brings together entries on elements of modernist culture, contemporary intellectual and aesthetic movements, and all the genres of modernist writing and art Features 25 essays on the signal texts of modernist literature, from James Joyce's Ulysses to Zora Neal Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God Pays close attention to both British and American modernism.

What was it about epistolarity that appealed so strongly to the Greek imagination? The first reference in Greek literature to a letter occurs in our oldest extant Greek poem, Homer’s Iliad. But letters can be found lurking in every corner of ancient Greek writing. This book aims to bring the literary letters themselves into clear view for contemporary readers.

By now Jacques Derrida′s legacy has taken the form of a veritable (post-)deconstructive Babel. Its lasting presence is marked by a crucial oscillation between the echoes of its earlier success and the claims of a radically different sensibility. This volume takes stock of the controversy in three main fields: philosophy, literary studies, and law. For all those who are confronted with the variety of Derrida′s legacy this book serves as an invaluable map and takes a reconstructive approach to move beyond deconstruction.

The Encyclopedia of Erotic Literature is a two-volume work that contains some 540 entries on erotic literature on an international scale. The Encyclopedia has an unprecedented scope, the first scholarly reference resource to bring the field together in all its fascinating variety. The entries examine the history of the literature in different countries and languages from classical antiquity to the present day, individual writers from around the world (not all of them necessarily known as specialist writers of erotic literature), significant works, genres and critical approaches, and general themes pertinent to erotic literature (nudity, prostitution, etc.). The definition of erotic literature is broad, encompassing all the material recognized in the study of the field: not just fiction in all genres (novels, poetry, short stories, drama), but also essays, autobiographies, treatises and sex manuals from different cultures. This Encyclopedia deals with sexually explicit texts characterized by sexual representations and suggestions. All types of sexuality are included.

The nineteenth-century author Nikolai Gogol occupies a key place in the Russian cultural pantheon as an ardent champion of Russian nationalism. Indeed, he created the nation’s most famous literary icon: Russia as a rushing carriage, full of elemental energy and limitless potential. In a pathbreaking book, Edyta M. Bojanowska topples the foundations of this russocentric myth of the Ukrainian-born writer, a myth that has also dominated his Western image. She reveals Gogol’s creative engagement with Ukrainian nationalism and calls attention to the subversive irony and ambiguity in his writings on Russian themes. While in early writings Gogol endowed Ukraine with cultural wholeness and a heroic past, his Russia appears bleak and fractured. Russian readers resented this unflattering contrast and called upon him to produce a brighter vision of Russia. Gogol struggled to satisfy their demands but ultimately failed. In exploring Gogol’s fluctuating nationalist commitments, this book traces the connections and tensions between the Russian and Ukrainian nationalist paradigms in his work, and situates both in the larger imperial context. In addition to radically new interpretations of Gogol’s texts, Bojanowska offers a comprehensive analysis of his reception by contemporaries. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully argued, Edyta Bojanowska fundamentally changes our understanding of this beloved author and his place in Russian literature.

Whatever critical scalpel one selects for dissecting the literary works of Bruno Schulz (1892-1942), there will always be a certain degree of textual resistance which cannot be broken. Or in other words, taking off one of Schulz's many masks, one will probably never avoid the impression that a new mask has emerged. This book contributes to the three most typical critical strategies of reading Schulz's works (combinations, fragmentations, reintegrations) - being fully aware, of course, of the relativity of each particular approach. In addition, the book sets out to explore all of Schulz's creative output (i.e. his stories as well as his graphic, epistolary and even literary critical works), as one of Schulz's main goals was exactly to cross artificially set up boundaries between, among other things, different artistic media of expression. The book for the first time brings together leading Schulzologists (Jarzębski, Markowski, Robertson) and their prospective successors (Augsburger, Gorin, Kato, Suchańska-Drażyńska, Underhill, Wojda), established Polish academics (Dąbrowski, Skwara, Weretiuk) and their foreign counterparts (De Bruyn, Gall, Meyer-Fraatz, Schulte, Sproede, Zieliński), scholars primarily working on other authors (Anessi, Śliwa, Żurek) and those focusing on other art forms (Sánchez-Pardo, Watt). The editors' introduction offers an overview of seven decades of Schulzology. The book is of interest for both readers with a general interest in (world) literature and/or a particular interest in Polish and Jewish studies.