Andrew Marvell (1621-78) is best known today as the author of a handful of exquisite lyrics and provocative political poems. In his own time, however, Marvell was famous for his brilliant prose interventions in the major issues of the Restoration, religious toleration, and what he called arbitrary as distinct from parliamentary government. This is the first modern edition of all Marvell's prose pamphlets, complete with introductions and annotation explaining the historical context. Four major scholars of the Restoration era have collaborated to produce this truly Anglo-American edition. From the Rehearsal Transpros'd, a serio-comic best-seller which appeared with tacit permission from Charles II himself, through the documentary Account of the Growth of Popery and Arbitrary Government, Marvell established himself not only as a model of liberal thought for the eighteenth century but also as an irresistible new voice in political polemic, wittier, more literary, and hence more readable than his contemporaries.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1869.

Aloysius Bertrand’s Gaspard de la Nuit (1842) is a familiar title to music lovers, thanks to Ravel’s piano work of the same name, and to specialists of French literature, especially those interested in Baudelaire’s prose poetry. Yet until very recently the collection and its author have generally been viewed almost exclusively through the prism of their pioneering role in the development of the prose poem. By placing Bertrand back in his original context, adopting a comparative approach and engaging with recent critical work on the collection, Valentina Gosetti proposes a substantial reassessment of Gaspard de la Nuit and promotes a new understanding of Bertrand in his own terms, rather than those of his successors. Through his playful and ironic reinterpretation of Romantic clichés, and his overt defiance of the boundaries of poetry and beauty, Bertrand emerges as a fascinating figure in his own right. This book is one of the first full-length studies of Bertrand’s work, and it will be of particular interest to specialists of the nineteenth century and of provincial literature, and to students of nineteenth-century poetry or the fantastic.

In 'Selections from the Prose Works of Matthew Arnold', readers are treated to a collection of insightful essays and criticism that showcase Arnold's unique literary style characterized by clarity, elegance, and intellectual depth. Arnold, a prominent Victorian poet and critic, reflects on topics such as poetry, literature, culture, and education, providing readers with thought-provoking perspectives that are still relevant today. His prose is marked by a blend of classical allusions, philosophical insights, and social critique, making this book a valuable resource for scholars and students of Victorian literature. Through his engaging prose, Arnold reinforces the importance of culture and intellectual pursuits in a rapidly changing world. His works serve as a bridge between the Romantic and Victorian literary traditions, offering a nuanced view of the era's cultural and social dynamics. 'Selections from the Prose Works of Matthew Arnold' is a must-read for those interested in the intersection of literature, society, and intellectual thought in the Victorian age.

This text contains 'The Prose Edda' - the wellspring of modern knowledge of Norse Mythology. From the dawn of the world's creation to its ultimate destruction, these enthralling Norse stories chronicle the victories and tragedies of both gods and men. Rich with picturesque poetry and human drama, these stories constitute a vivid pictures of the characters' personalities, intertwined with the comic and injurious results of passion and ambition. This text will appeal to those with an interest in Norse mythology and ancient legends in general, and would make for a worthy addition to any bookshelf. The chapters of this book include: 'Snorri Sturluson', 'Introduction', 'Prologue', 'Here Begins the Beguiling of Gylfi', and 'The Poesy of Skalds'. We are republishing this antiquarian book now in an affordable, modern edition - complete with a new biography of the author.

A Prussian Jew, killed in the second month of the First World War at the age of 25, 18 years before his father died, apparently of natural causes, and 28 years before his mother and two of his siblings were killed by the Nazis, Lichtenstein left no overtly autobiographical writings. Some of his poems clearly reflect his own painful experiences, both as a civilian and a soldier, and the figure of Kuno Kohn, the hunchback poet whose psychological agony informs some of his fiction and a few of his poems, critics agree represents their creator's grotesque alter ego. His sarcastic remarks about lawyers would seem to reflect his own experience as a student of law. Some drawings and a photograph of him have survived, and his contemporaries wrote about him sparingly. Most of the attention Lichtenstein has received from posterity so far concentrates on his poetry, which generally is classified as expressionist. Paratactic, stripped of most rhetorical ornaments, his short fiction, bearing resemblances to Kafka, is at least as strange as his poetry.