Böcker i Reader's Guides-serien

William Blake is a popular romantic poet, partly because of the relevance of his insights into psychological, political and social issues. This title introduces the readers to Blake's major themes and then moves on to reading his key works. It also includes sections on its context and critical adaptation, and an annotated guide to further reading.

Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" is one of the most famous literay works of the nineteenth century and has inspired generations of students. This guide to the text introduces its contexts, language, reception and adaptation from its first publication to the present. It also includes points for discussion, and suggestions for further study.

Gilles Deleuze is one of the influential thinkers of the twentieth century. "Difference and Repetition" is a classic work of contemporary philosophy and a key text in Deleuze's oeuvre. This book offers an introduction to important work. It offers guidance on: philosophical and historical context; key themes; and reading the text.

Martin Heidegger is one of the important thinkers of the twentieth century. His later writings are profoundly original and innovative, giving rise to much of postmodernist thinking, yet they are infamously difficult to approach. This guide offers an introduction to eight of Heidegger's important essays.

"Dracula" (1897) is one of the most commonly studied gothic novels and has been hugely influential through adaptations in fiction, on stage and in cinema. This book introduces its context, language, themes, criticism and afterlife, leading students to an understanding of the text.

"The Great Gatsby" (1925) is a classic of modern American literature and is often seen as the quintessential novel of 'the jazz age'. This guide sets "The Great Gatsby" in its historical, intellectual and cultural contexts, offering analyses of its themes, style and structure. It includes points for discussion and suggestions for further study.

Offers an account of Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics" - a key philosophical work. This book sets Aristotle's work in context, introduces the major themes and provides a detailed discussion of the key sections and passages of the text. It goes on to explore some of the areas of thought that the "Nicomachean Ethics" has impacted upon.

Thomas Hobbes' most enduring work, "Leviathan", is a key text in the study of political philosophy. Explaining the philosophical background against which the text was written, this book guides the reader to a clear understanding of the text as a whole, and then, explores the reception and influence of this classic philosophical work.

"A Thousand Plateaus" is the engaging and influential second part of "Capitalism and Schizophrenia", the remarkable collaborative project written by the philosopher Gilles Deleuze and the psychoanalyst Felix Guattari. This guide offers an introduction to this hugely important and yet challenging work.

Rousseau's "The Social Contract" is one of the most important works of political thought in the history of philosophy. This book offers guidance on philosophical and historical context, key themes, reading the text, reception and influence and advice on further reading.

Challenging the twin orthodoxies of Lacanian psychoanalysis and Althusserian Marxism, "Anti-Oedipus" is an important and exciting, yet challenging piece of philosophical writing. This work is a suitable companion to one of the twentieth-century's most influential philosophical works. It is suitable for undergraduate students.

J D Salinger's 1951 novel, "The Catcher in the Rye", is the definitive coming-of-age novel and one of the most controversial, and successful, books of post-war America. This study opens up ways of thinking about the novel.

Joseph Conrad's novella, "Heart of Darkness" is a key text in the development of modernism and one of the most important literary works of the early twentieth century. This guide provides an introduction to reading this work and includes sections on its contexts, language and style, critical reception and literary and film adaptations.

A readers guide to Kant, the philosopher who best typifies the thought and ideals of the Enlightenment. He was influenced by the modern physics of Newton, the rationalist perfectionism of Leibniz and Wolff, the critical empiricism of Locke and Hume, and Rousseau's celebration of liberty and individualism.

"Aristotle's Metaphysics" is an extremely rich and important philosophical work, unique in that it is an inquiry devoted to discovering a doctrine, rather than a treatise that defends a doctrine. This title presents an introduction to the text, offering guidance on: philosophical context; key themes; reading the text; and, reception and influence.

Part of a series, which provides an overview of the context, criticism and influence of key works. This title is not only one of the last great novels to be written by Dickens but is also one which centres around his primary themes: the importance of childhood in relationship to adult life, concepts of guilt and imprisonment.

Nietzsche is one of the important philosophers and his "On the Genealogy of Morals" is one of the frequently studied works - a key text in the study of moral philosophy. This title explains the philosophical background against which the book was written, the context of Western morality in general and the key themes and topics inherent in the text.

In the "Politics", Aristotle sets out to discover what is the best form that the state can take. This book presents an introduction to Aristotle's "Politics" - a classic of political theory, widely considered to be the founding text of Western political science.

Provides an account of the philosophical and historical context of Wittgenstein's work - "Tractatus". This book provides a detailed outline of the themes and structure of the text, guiding the reader towards an understanding of this remarkable text. It explores the reception and influence of the work and offers a detailed guide to further reading.

Schopenhauer's "The World as Will and Representation" is widely considered to be one of the most important and influential texts in nineteenth-century German philosophy. This title introduces students to the context, key themes and influence of Schopenhauer's major work, a key text in 19th Century German thought.

A staple of undergraduate courses in Classical Studies, Latin, English and Comparative Literature, Ovid's "Metamorphoses" is arguably one of the most important, canonical Latin texts. This title offers guidance on: literary, historical and cultural context; key themes; reading the text; reception and influence; and, further reading.

Offers an account of the key philosophical work. This book sets Plato's work in context, introduces the major themes and provides a discussion of the key sections and passages of the text. It explores some of the areas of thought that the Republic has impacted upon and provides useful information on further reading.

This is the ideal companion to study of this most influential and challenging of texts.