This set of 37 volumes is a revival of the original Critical Idiom series. First published between 1969 and 1979, the volumes in this series provide concise and accessible introductions to a range of critical terms which are key to the study of literature. This set will be a valuable resource for students working with complex literary terminology.
By Harry Sieber
January 17, 2019
First published in 1977, this book studies the picaresque as a literary genre. It begins by discriminating between the literature of roguery and the picaresque in particular before discussing the origins of the genre in Spain and tracing its development into Europe. The book concludes with a brief ...
By Ian Reid
January 17, 2019
First published in 1977, this book examines the short story, which is one of the most widely read of all modern genres. The study begins by examining some preliminary problems of definition before going on to trace the emergence of what is usually meant by ‘the modern short story’ and examine the ...
By Ernst Häublein
January 17, 2019
First published in 1978, this work bridges the gap between the study of poetic form, which tends to isolate form from meaning and structural poetics, which tends to focus on meaning without considering the stanza’s impact. Beginning with an examination of the various definitions of the stanza, the ...
By Clifford Leech
January 17, 2019
First published in 1969, this work examines the genre of Tragedy from its origins in ancient Greece, to the modern day. Beginning with an overview of the meaning of tragedy in Europe through the ages, it goes on to explore common aspects of tragedies such as the tragic hero, the chorus and unities,...
By Damian Grant
January 16, 2019
First published in 1970, this book provides an introduction to literary realism. After considering what realism is and its philosophical roots, it goes on to examine the emergence of the idea of realism in nineteenth-century France and its gradual spread across the wider republic of letters. This ...
By Peter Dixon
January 16, 2019
First published in 1971, this book provides a historical account of the fortunes of Rhetoric. Beginning with a study of classical rhetorical theory and practice, it goes on to explore the impact of rhetoric on English literature and the renunciation of rhetoric from the late 17th century. The book ...
By Lilian R. Furst
January 16, 2019
First published in 1969, this work traces the evolution of Romanticism and in doing so, demonstrates its novelty as an imaginative and emotional perception of the world in contrast to the rationalistic approach which was dominant in the seventeenth century. It identifies the fundamental ...
By Philip Thomson
January 16, 2019
First published in 1972, this book provides a helpful overview of the grotesque and its use in a number of literary genres including novels, drama and poetry. After providing a historical summary of the term, the book discusses the various defining aspects of the grotesque and its relationship to ...
By Gillian Beer
January 16, 2019
First published in 1970, this work provides an overview of the Romance from the medieval period to the 20th century and tracks how the genre has changed with time, including its interaction with other forms of literature such as gothic novels, realism and science fiction. It explores a myriad of ...
By John Fuller
January 16, 2019
First published in 1972, this book examines the sonnet, one of the most complex yet accessible of verse forms. It traces its history, concentrating primarily on its technical development, and fully explains the differences between the Italian and English sonnet. The study looks at several different...
By Peter V. Marinelli
June 22, 2018
First published in 1971, this book explores the theme of the pastoral in literature and the way in which it adapts itself to various forms. It examines some of the ways in which it has manifested itself, such as ‘the golden age’, ‘Arcadia’, ‘Sparta’ and childhood, whilst also identifying the ...
By Terence Hawkes
July 04, 2018
First published in 1972, this work examines the complex concept of metaphor. It defines the term by placing the various key ideas about the nature of metaphor in their literary and social context, and in doing so, it traces the developing history of the concept. This account has considerable range,...