Book 1: Encounter the enigmatic forces shaping destiny in “The Beast in the Jungle by Henry James.” James, the master of psychological insight, crafts a haunting tale that explores the complexities of human relationships and the profound impact of missed opportunities. This novella invites readers to reflect on the unpredictable nature of fate. Book 2: Step into the world of societal expectations and personal growth with “Watch and Ward by Henry James.” James' early novel navigates the nuances of love and duty, presenting a captivating exploration of a young man's journey to self-discovery amidst the constraints of societal norms. Book 3: Experience the chilling ambiguity of “The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.” James' classic ghost story challenges perceptions of reality as a governess grapples with supernatural occurrences. This psychological thriller continues to captivate readers with its eerie atmosphere and lingering sense of uncertainty.

This set treats the whole of American literature, from the European discovery of America to the present, with entries in alphabetical order. Each of the 350 substantive essays is a major interpretive contribution. Well-known critics and scholars provide clear and vividly written essays thatreflect the latest scholarship on a given topic, as well as original thinking on the part of the critic. The Encyclopedia is available in print and as an e-reference text from Oxford's Digital Reference Shelf.At the core of the encyclopedia lie 250 essays on poets, playwrights, essayists, and novelists. The most prominent figures (such as Whitman, Melville, Faulkner, Frost, Morrison, and so forth) are treated at considerable length (10,000 words) by top-flight critics. Less well known figures arediscussed in essays ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 words. Each essay examines the life of the author in the context of his or her times, looking in detail at key works and describing the arc of the writer's career. These essays include an assessment of the writer's current reputation with abibliography of major works by the writer as well as a list of major critical and biographical works about the writer under discussion.A second key element of the project is the critical assessments of major American masterworks, such as Moby-Dick, Song of Myself, Walden, The Great Gatsby, The Waste Land, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Death of a Salesmanr, or Beloved. Each of these essays offers a close reading of the given work,placing that work in its historical context and offering a range of possibilities with regard to critical approach. These fifty essays (ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 words) are simply and clearly enough written that an intelligent high school student should easily understand them, but sophisticatedenough that a college student or general reader in a public library will find the essays both informative and stimulating.The final major element of this encyclopedia consists of fifty-odd essays on literary movements, periods, or themes, pulling together a broad range of information and making interesting connections. These essays treat many of the same authors already discussed, but in a different context; they alsogather into the fold authors who do not have an entire essay on their work (so that Zane Grey, for example, is discussed in an essay on Western literature but does not have an essay to himself). In this way, the project is truly "encyclopedic," in the conventional sense. These essays aim forcomprehensiveness without losing anything of the narrative force that makes them good reading in their own right.In a very real fashion, the literature of the American people reflects their deepest desires, aspirations, fears, and fantasies. The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature gathers a wide range of information that illumines the field itself and clarifies many of its particulars.

Contains entries that examine authors, texts, literary developments, ideas, programs, and themes in the history of American literature, and includes photographs, a chronology, and a topical outline of articles; arranged alphabetically from Acad to Essa.

Short biographies of poets and playwrights and novelists, plot synopes and character sketches from important works ; literary movements, terms and awards.