The Essentials of Literature in English, pre-1914

Covers the leading works and authors of literature written before World War I and gives the reader an engaging and knowledgeable insight into the books, their writers, and the connections between them. This collection covers Shakespeare and Austen and literary classics such as David Copperfield, Jane Eyre, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Each entry gives a plot summary, an analysis of the major themes, a look at the literary techniques employed by the author and quotes from the original text, as well as a guide to further resources. A full list of authors and a glossary of literary terms are also included and are fully cross-referenced to the alphabetically ordered collection of entries on novels, plays, and poems.