Ocean State Libraries

Essays draw on Kingsolver's biography to discuss the evolution of her political convictions and locate her as an inheritor of the political fiction of the 1930s; review the major pieces of Kingsolver criticism and the popular reception of her books; demonstrate how her first novel, The Bean Trees, affirms positive portrayals of racial and ethnic others; and offer an ecofeminist reading of Prodigal Summer.

Though Hemingway went on to write five more novels and dozens of short stories before winning the Nobel Prize in 1953, The Sun Also Rises, his second novel, endures as a quintessential American classic. With its vivid characters and spare, laconic prose, it effectively captures the despair, disillusionment, and muted hope of a generation struggling to find meaning in a world torn apart by war.

"Ernest Hemingway's public persona and reputation, literary style, affinity with modern painting, and conception of character are among the subjects of these commentaries on the author's life and work."--About this volume.

A collection of essays dealing with F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Easily one of America's most important novelists, John Steinbeck has been a favorite among readers of all kinds for decades. A versatile, restless writer who constantly experimented with new forms and genres, he seems to offer something for everyone-whether rapturous descriptions of the California landscape, fierce denunciations of social injustices, simple morality tales, or just picaresque adventure stories. His simple prose style makes him a perennial...

"This collection of essays offers a diverse selection of criticism of one of the most significant American playwrights of the twentieth century."-About this volume.