Esther's Classic Literature Blog June 2004 Archive

Out of his many tortured years in exile, Dante Alighieri created "The Divine Comedy," one of the greatest literary masterpieces of all time. In "Dante in Love," Harriet Rubin follows ... Read More

At first glance, you're sure to see that the book is a parody of all that we hold dear in literature. On the cover, Garrison Keillor says: "Funny and well-done... ... Read More

Lisa Hopkins sorts fact from fiction to create a more realistic picture of this literary master: his life, his adventures, his works, and even his death. "To some extent," Hopkins ... Read More

In recent years, Jane Austen's works have been converted to music and book adaptations, along with television, film, and stage productions. In "Jane Austen in Hollywood," Linda Troot and Sayre ... Read More

In "Flaubert: A Life," Geoffrey Wall dramatizes the life and times of Gustave Flaubert, who was one of the most enigmatic writers in literary history. Flaubert seems larger than life--too ... Read More

Love is defined as a deep feeling of tenderness and affection for a person, often involving an intense desire or attraction. In literature, writers have written extensively about the wonders ... Read More

In a futuristic society based on pleasure without moral repercussions, Aldous Huxley places a few oddball characters to stir up the plot. Even though "Brave New World" is now considered ... Read More

In the "Introduction," Gerald Haslam writes, "Jack London has been more widely read and translated than any other American author in history." This book offers selections from many of London's ... Read More

Zora Neale Hurston wrote stories, novels, plays, and folklore. A born storyteller, she was part of the Harlem Renaissance of African-American writers. "I have been in Sorrow's kitchen and licked ... Read More

Out of his many tortured years in exile, Dante Alighieri created "The Divine Comedy," one of the greatest literary masterpieces of all time. In "Dante in Love," Harriet Rubin follows ... Read More

Writers have created a literature around summer: at the beach, on vacation, in the sweltering heat or in the shade. Whether it's relaxation or intensity, a profusion of flowers, or ... Read More

At first glance, you're sure to see that the book is a parody of all that we hold dear in literature. On the cover, Garrison Keillor says: "Funny and well-done... ... Read More

Kate Chopin was known for her storytelling skills, a talent she learned from her great-grandmother. Even with that talent, and with the writing she'd dabbled in while at school, it's ... Read More

Imagine discovering an unknown poem by a great poet like Emily Dickinson. It may shed new light on her life and works! Who would want to think that such a ... Read More

Death is considered from many different standpoints in literature from around the world. We face death, deal with the death of a loved one, discuss the religious or philosophical significance ... Read More

James Joyce fans from around the world celebrate his legacy on Bloomsday--June 16th. The day is celebrated in at least 60 coutries, though the place to be is Dublin, Ireland. ... Read More

Alan Paton began writing "Cry the Beloved Country" in a hotel room in Norway while he was undertaking a world-wide survey of correctional facilities. Once he'd started writing in a ... Read More

Langston Hughes called "Uncle Tom's Cabin" America's "first protest novel." Harriet Beecher Stowe first published the novel in 1852, as an outcry against slavery after the Fugitive Slave Act was ... Read More

Yeats was born on June 13, 1865. In 1917, Yeats wrote: "A poet when he is growing old, will ask himself if he cannot keep his mask and his vision, ... Read More

Anne Frank (1929-1945) was born on June 12th, in Frankfurt, Germany. She went into hiding in an annex of rooms above her father’s office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Her journals ... Read More

Playing the literary detective, Zacks takes us through the sordid tale. We know that "Over the centuries, novelists, relentless treasure hunters, and even historians have stoked [Captain Kidd's] pirate legend." ... Read More

Washington Irving was America's first internationally acclaimed author, perhaps most famous for "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," and "Rip van Winkle." After spending 17 years traveling through Europe in search ... Read More

With this new biography, Fred Kaplan offers a new perspective to the oft-told tales of Mark Twain's life and works. Although biographers have long navigated the ambiguous and misleading labyrinth ... Read More

Mark Twain is one of the most famous names in American literature. Read more about the life and works of Mark Twain, including "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "A Connecticut ... Read More

Nature is a mysterious force that has been a concern of some of the greatest writers. Several writers are recognized for their writings about nature: John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, ... Read More

In his review, Duchan Caudill writes, "Perhaps the most profound text in the canon of Hindu literature is 'The Bhagavad-Gita,' a sacred text, which most translators call 'Song of the ... Read More

"McCullers' gift," writes Joyce Carol Oates, "was to evoke, through an accumulation of images and musically repeated phrases, the singularity of experience, not to pass judgment on it." In her ... Read More

The ghosts of the past come back to haunt us. In "These Honored Dead," Thomas Desjardin mines the literature of the Battle of Gettysburg to demythologize the bloodiest, and most ... Read More

If you're passionate about literature, you may wish to visit the sites where your favorite writers created literary classics. Visit the haunts of J.R.R. Tolkien; walk the streets of Dublin, ... Read More

The novels in this newest volume of collected works begin to explore new frontiers in John Steinbeck's writing, as he takes us to Europe, to Mexico, and then back home ... Read More

How do you live with books? It's not always as easy as it may seem. Books take up space; they sometimes need to be repaired; and how do you find ... Read More

Although the intended scope of this memoir was never fully realized, "My Brother's Keeper" offers a unique perspective on James Joyce. For many years, Stanislaus Joyce shared friends, books, misadventures, ... Read More

In "What Happens in Literature," Edward W. Rosenheim offers a brief discussion of the basics of literature, including poems, novels and plays. He argues that the main focus of reading ... Read More

Are you addicted to books? You may go to any lengths to find a particular book. Bibliomania is "a gentle madness," a joy that's been enjoyed by bibliomanics, bookworms, book ... Read More

Edna Ferber wrote nine plays, two autobiographies, eleven short story collections, and thirteen novels. Ferber also created "So Big," a novel which received the Pulitzer Prize in 1924, and is ... Read More

If you're searching for a book to read, look no further... These lists feature top books related to what to read, how to read, the enjoyment of reading, the "must ... Read More

"When Washington Was in Vogue" is a love story--told in a series of letters from Davy Carr to Bob Fletcher, a friend in Harlem. The book is remarkable as the ... Read More

If you're passionate about literature, you may wish to visit the sites where your favorite writers created literary classics. Visit the haunts of J.R.R. Tolkien; walk the streets of Dublin, ... Read More