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 glorious genres
- 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 - the features 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, which is most widely thought to be of lasting merit. Just how particular 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.
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[Literature is imagination in the form of words on paper, or simply memorised and recited]***
(@Ivy_Press, 3 March 2020, 160 pages, hardback, borrowed from @GlasgowLib)
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I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun read. The book is richly illustrated throughout and easy to read in small, easy to digest chunks. A lot of the literary terms, styles and genres discussed here are already familiar to me such as Poetry, Flash Fiction and Short Story but I discovered a lot of new terms I'd never heard of or had only the vaguest knowledge of. I'm studying an English Literature course with The Open University at the moment and this proved to be a good companion piece to my course books with a lot of the terms and ideas resonating with my course work. This was surprisingly enjoyable.