The Handy Literature Answer Book
An Engaging Guide to Unraveling Symbols, Signs and Meanings in Great Works
From the legends of Gilgamesh to the modern memoir, storytelling and reading are an integral part of our lives. Great literature can shape and form thoughts and opinions as well as influence politics and predict the future. Reading can truly enrich lives, but it is not necessarily easy to get the most out of a great work of literature.
The Handy Literature Answer Book: Understand and Enjoy Meanings, Symbolism, and Signs in Great Works is an engaging look at literature basics such as themes, symbols, context, and other literary devices. Various literary forms, including novels, poems, plays, short stories, and nonfiction, are analyzed. Hundreds of great works are used as illustrative examples. It deciphers and analyzes great works through in-depth answers to nearly 400 common questions, including How is reading literature different from other kinds of reading?" "How do you recognize the difference between story and plot in a short story?" and "What defines a novel?"
Deborah G. Felder is a graduate of Bard College, where she studied Drama and Literature. She worked as an editor at Scholastic, Inc., and has been a freelance writer and editor for over 30 years. The author of 20 publications, including fiction and nonfiction books, and articles for middle grade, young adult, and adult readers, including 100 American Women Who Shaped American History and A Bookshelf of Our Own: Works That Changed Women’s Lives. She has also written book reviews for The New York Times Book Review, Kirkus Reviews, and Publishers Weekly.