Edited by Philip Thody, translated by Ellen Conroy Kennedy. "Here now, for the first time in a complete English translation, we have Camus' three little volumes of essays, plus a selection of his critical comments on literature and his own place in it. As might be expected, the main interest of these writings is that they illuminate new facets of his usual subject matter."--The New York Times Book Review "...a new single work for American readers that stands among the very finest."--The Nation

The essays in this volume were written during the years that its author's first four books were published in France. They chart the course of Barthe's criticism from the vocabularies of existentialism and Marxism (reflections on the social situation of literature and writer's responsibility before History) to a psychoanalysis of substances (after Bachelard) and a psychoanalytical anthropology (which evidently brought Barthes to his present terms of understanding with Levi-Strauss and Lacan).

"Originally published in Great Britain under the title Patrick O'Brian: Critical appreciations and a bibliography"--T.p. verso.

This work presents both the range of Arendt's political thought and the patterns of controversy it has elicited. The essays are arranged in six parts around important themes in Arendt's work: totalitarianism and evil; narrative and history; the public world and personal identity; action and power; justice, equality, and democracy; and thinking and judging. Despite such thematic diversity, virtually all the contributors have made an effort to build bridges between interest-driven politics and Arendt's Hellenic/existential politics. Although some are quite critical of the way Arendt develops her theory, most sympathize with her project of rescuing politics from both the foreshortening glance of the philosopher and its assimilation to social and biological processes. This volume treats Arendt's work as an imperfect, somewhat time-bound but still invaluable resource for challenging some of our most tenacious prejudices about what politics is and how to study it. The following eminent Arendt scholars have contributed chapters to this book: Ronald Beiner, Margaret Canovan, Elisabeth Young-Bruehl, Seyla Benhabib, Jürgen Habermas, Hanna Pitkin, and Sheldon Wolin.

This collection offers a generous selection of reviews and essays tracing the critical reputation of James Baldwin. The editors' introduction provides a survey of the principal sources for the study of Baldwin as well as a lucid discussion of key trends in Baldwin criticism and scholarship. Avoiding frequently-anthologized essays, this collection presents fresh and engaging essays on different aspects of Baldwin's multifaceted career. ISBN 0-8161-8879-3: $38.00.

Many scholars recognize the importance of Harry Potter as a vehicle for discussions about society--from race relations and gender studies to economic, political, religious and educational applications of the texts. This interdisciplinary collection of new essays brings to the forefront a critique of modern Western society, using Harry's world as a mirror to our own. Covering issues surrounding parenting and family relations, social class, life and death, the link between identity and morality and even the risks of time travel, this collection provides many jumping-off points for scholars and nonscholars alike to spark discussions about both Harry's world and our own.