30-Second Literature

The 50 most important forms, genres and styles, each explained in half a minute

Ella Berthoud

• Publisher: Ivy Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781782408468
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literary Criticism History & Theory
• Index: Literature

Whether you're looking for a new author or genre to explore, 30-Second Literature provides you with summaries of the major literary genres, styles and histories. Part of the 30-Second series, this introductory guide to literature is split into 7 chapters that cover:

• The History of Literature – from Sanskrit to Modernism
• The Novel – in all its gloriousgenres
• Literary Prose – non-fiction from diaries to philosophies
• Poetry – from the sonnet to the haiku
• Drama – interesting theatrical forms and genres
• Literary Devices – the techniques authors use in their works
• Literary Styles – thefeatures and history of different styles of writing

Each topic is summarized in 300 words and contains a small bibliography for you to expand your bookworm horizons. You can also brush up on literary terms ahead of that book-club meeting, as each chapter features its own glossary. Interspersed throughout the book are profiles of key literary figures that have impacted one of our most beloved hobbies.

Literature is not just any written work; it is work that has stood the test of time, that is most widely thought to be of lasting merit. Just howparticular books are elevated to literary status, reflects the values and judgements of society and mirrors the development of civilisation. This book is a broad overview of the multitude of voices used to describe our human experience.

If you like this, you might also be interested in 30-Second Mythology, 30-Second Numbers or any of the other title sin the 30 Second series!

APPENDICES

RESOURCES

BOOKS

Poetics

Aristotle

(Penguin Classics, 1996)

The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories

Christopher Booker

(Continuum, 2005)

The Book of Forgotten Authors

Christopher Fowler

(Quercus, 2017)

Mythologies

Roland Barthes

(Hill & Wang, 1973)

The Art of Fiction

David Lodge

(Vintage, 2011)

A Glossary of Literary Terms

M. H. Abrams and Geoffrey Harpham

(Wadsworth Publishing; 10th edn, 2011)

The Elements of Eloquence:

How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase

Mark Forsyth

(Icon Books, 2016)

An Introduction to Literature Criticism and Theory

Andrew Bennet

(Routledge, 5th edn, 2016)

The Poetry Handbook

John Lennard

(Oxford Unversity Press, 2nd edn, 2006)

The Ode Less Travelled:

Unlocking the Poet Within

Stephen Fry

(Arrow, 2007)

A Little History of Literature

John Sutherland

(Yale University Press, 2013)

History of the Theatre

Oscar G. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy

(Pearson, 10th edn, 2007)

Global Literary Theory: an Anth...

Table of contents

• Introduction
• History of Literature
• The Novel
• Literary Prose
• Poetry
• Drama
• Literary Devices
• Literary Styles
• Appendices
• Copyright