Essays on the writers whose works are the story of modern American poetry to World War II - the story of successive generations of writers increasingly gaining familiarity in and security with the American idiom, gaining confidence in being American poets without having to turn to Europe for models or for approval, nor of having to turn away from Europe.

An outstanding research guide for undergraduate students of American literature, this best-selling book is essential when it comes to researching American authors. Bracken and Hinman identify and describe the best and most current sources, both in print and online, for nearly 300 American writers whose works are included in the most frequently used literary anthologies. Students will know exactly what information is available and where to find it.

Literary biographies of French fiction writers of the Naturalism movement, with its emphasis on political and social questions and topics and the assimilation of the lessons of realism and symbolism.

The ethnically diverse scope, broad chronological coverage, and mix of biographical, critical, historical, political, and cultural entries make this the most useful and exciting poetry reference of its kind for students today. American poetry springs up out of all walks of life; its poems are "maternal as well as paternal...stuff'd with the stuff that is coarse and stuff'd with the stuff that is fine," as Walt Whitman wrote, adding "Of every hue and caste am I, of every rank and religion." Written for high school and undergraduate students, this two-volume encyclopedia covers U.S. poetry from the Colonial era to the present, offering full treatments of hundreds of key poets of the American canon. What sets this reference apart is that it also discusses events, movements, schools, and poetic approaches, placing poets in their social, historical, political, cultural, and critical contexts and showing how their works mirror the eras in which they were written. Readers will learn about surrealism, ekphrastic poetry, pastoral elegy, the Black Mountain poets, and "language" poetry. There are long and rich entries on modernism and postmodernism as well as entries related to the formal and technical dimensions of American poetry. Particular attention is paid to women poets and poets from various ethnic groups. Poets such as Amiri Baraka, Nathaniel Mackey, Natasha Trethewey, and Tracy Smith are featured. The encyclopedia also contains entries on a wide selection of Latino and Native American poets and substantial coverage of the avant-garde and experimental movements and provides sidebars that illuminate key points.

Essays on nineteenth-century American fiction writers that suggest a depth and richness marked by both national expansion and regional division. Includes coverage of neglected writers, marking the first meaningful assessment of their lives and roles inthe literary and cultural history of the United States. Contains discussions of two genres, the detective story and the supernatural tale.

Essays on some of the most prominent Eastern European writers from the twentieth-century from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Discusses the contributions of these authors who played a significant role in the growth, development, and preservation of their respective literatures. This rich and diverse literary history of Eastern Europe mirrors the depth and complexity of its social and political history.

Essays on American prose writers during a period marked by enormous cultural change in a short period of time. Like female sexuality, issues of race and ethnicity were some of the most volatile themes addressed in women's prose writings of this period. Some of the many ethnic and religious groups that emerged as significant literary voices were Jewish, Native American, African American, Euramericans, and Asian.

Focuses on how the declining market for short-story writers after World War II saw the migration of these writers to universities where they not only continued to write, but established creative writing classes that would in turn inspire and develop new generations of writers of various genres.

Concentrates on major figures of a particular literary period, movement or genre.