World Literature

Rating:
Summary: good collection
Review: this book is a great collection of stories from around the world. anyone would enjoy reading it.

Rating:
Summary: A great introduction to literature from around the globe.
Review: This is an excellent text for use in introductory world literature courses at either the high school or college levels. It offers a wide array of short stories, drama, and poetry by respected authors throughout history and up into the 20th century. Included are ancient pieces such as Akhenaton's "Hymn to the Aton" and Psalm 23 from the Bible, works by modern authors like Alice Walker, and everything in between, including Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Kafka, Dante, Dostoyesvsky, Yeats, Brontë, Wordsworth, Sophocles, Schiller, Ibsen, Colette, Bombal, Hemingway, Poe, Dickinson, and many more. There are 76 pieces in all, categorized by continent / region: the Mediterranean, Continental Europe, Africa, the Far East, Latin America, North America, and Great Britain.

Each piece, usually one of that particular author's best and most famous, is introduced by the editor with information on the author's life, times, and works. There are also accompanying critical questions for each story, play, and poem. I found that these were very useful as jumping-off points for the analysis of a piece, helping to start the critical thinking process. In addition, the editor suggests a few creative writing exercises to go along with each piece. I enjoyed using this book and feel that I gained a lot from it. The pieces are well-selected and give a nice sampling of literature from all geographical regions and time periods, including works in all genres and literary styles. Definitely a recommended text.