Social issues in literature

Provides background on the life of American novelist S. E. Hinton and her influences, features sixteen articles that explore teenager issues in her novel "The Outsiders," and examines teenage issues in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Examines the portrayal of slavery in the novel "Beloved," written by American author Toni Morrison.

Contains eighteen essays that explore the theme of power in "Macbeth," and includes information on the life, times, and writings of Shakespeare.

A collection of essays exploring poverty depicted in John Steinbeck's "The Pearl", with background information about the author, historical and contemporary views on poverty, and a time line of the author's life and work.

Explores how Ken Kesey portrayed mental illness in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," what role drugs played in his writing, how he formed his impressions of mental institutions, and other related topics.

A collection of essays exploring the role gender plays in Lorraine Hansberry's novel "A Raisin in the Sun.".

Contains sixteen essays discussing the depiction of family dysfunction in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie.

Provides background on the life of author Sue Monk Kidd, features eight articles that explore coming of age as portrayed in her book "The Secret Life of Bees," and examines contemporary perspectives on coming of age.

Explores the concept of colonialism in Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," with background information on the author.

Collects essays that examine how Emily Bront? depicted the theme of class conflict in her "Wuthering Heights," providing historical context on Bront?'s life and times, and discussing the tensions between the Earnshaws and the Lintons, nineteenth-century class conventions, and twenty-first century perspectives on class conflict.