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- Literary Biography: An Introduction by Literary Biography: An Introduction illustrates and accountsfor the literary genre that merges historical facts with theconventions of narrative while revealing how the biographicalcontext can enrich the study of canonical authors. Provides up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of issues andcontroversies in life writing, a rapidly growing field ofstudy Offers a valuable biographical and historical context for thestudy of major classic and contemporary authors Features an interview with Wilfred Owen's biographer, DominicHibberd; a gallery of literary portraits with commentaries; closereadings that illustrate the differences between fiction andbiography; speculation about likely future developments; anddetailed suggestions for further readingLocation: OnlinePublication Date: 2009
Biography: A Brief History by
For thousands of years we have recorded real lives--the lives of others, and of ourselves. For what purpose and for whom has this universal and timeless pursuit endured? What obstacles have lain in the path of biographers in the past, and what continues to confound biographers today? Above all, how is it that biographies and autobiographies play such a contested, popular role in contemporary Western culture, from biopics to blogs, from memoir to docudrama? Award-winning biographer and teacher Nigel Hamilton addresses these questions in an incisive and vivid narrative that will appeal to students of human nature and self-representation across the arts and sciences. Tracing the remarkable and often ignored historical evolution of biography from the ancient world to the present, this brief and fascinating tour of the genre conveys the passionate quest to capture the lives of individuals and the many difficulties it has entailed through the centuries. From the Epic of Gilgamesh to American Splendor, from cuneiform to the Internet, from commemoration to deconstruction, from fiction to fact--by way of famous biographical artists such as Plutarch, Saint Augustine, Sir Walter Raleigh, Samuel Johnson, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Lord Byron, Sigmund Freud, Lytton Strachey, Abel Gance, Virginia Woolf, Leni Riefenstahl, Orson Welles, Julian Barnes, Ted Hughes, Frank McCourt, and many others--Nigel Hamilton's Biography: A Brief History will change the way you think about biography and real lives.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2010
Little Women Abroad: The Alcott Sisters' Letters from Europe, 1870-1871 by
In 1870, Louisa May Alcott and her younger sister Abby May Alcott began a fourteen-month tour of Europe. Louisa had already made her mark as a writer; May was on the verge of a respected art career. Little Women Abroad gathers a generous selection of May's drawings along with all of the known letters written by the two Alcott sisters during their trip. More than thirty drawings are included, nearly all of them previously unpublished. Of the seventy-one letters collected here, more than three-quarters appear in their entirety for the first time. Daniel Shealy's supporting materials add detail and context to the people, places, and events referenced in the letters and illustrations.By the time of the Alcott sisters' sojourn, Louisa's Little Women was already an international success, and her most recent work, An Old-Fashioned Girl, was selling briskly. Louisa was now a grand literary lioness on tour. She would compose Little Men while in Europe, and her European letters would form the basis of her travel book Shawl Straps. If Louisa's letters reveal a writer's eye, then May's demonstrate an eye for color, detail, and composition. Although May had prior art training in Boston, she came into her own only during her studies with European masters. When at a loss for words, she took her drawing pen in hand. These letters of two important American artists, one literary, the other visual, tell a vibrant story at the crossroads of European and American history and culture.
Location: Mugar Stacks PS1018 .A44 2008 and OnlinePublication Date: 2008
Reading in Time: Emily Dickinson in the Nineteenth Century by Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2012
The luminaries of contemporary African American letters - poets, novelists, critics and actors - gathered in October, 2012 to pay tribute to Toni Morrison, read from her writings and share what it has meant to their lives and work.
- McCray, Judith. Sheer Good Fortune: Celebrating Toni Morrison. San Francisco, CA: California Newsreel, 2014. Web. The luminaries of contemporary African American letters - poets, novelists, critics and actors - gathered in October, 2012 to pay tribute to Toni Morrison, read from her writings and share what it has meant to their lives and work.
