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Since the publication and cinematic success of 1992's Along Came a Spider, James Patterson seems to have taken up permanent residence on the bestseller lists. In the ensuing decade, his hit detective novels, with memorable nursery rhyme titles like Cat and Mouse, (1997) and Pop! Goes the Weasel (1999), came in rapid-fire succession and generated similar popularity and praise. His Alex Cross series created one of the most recognizable detectives in literature, and one of the first urban African American detectives to appeal, on such a grand scale, to audiences of all demographics. With full literary analyses of ten of his most popular works of fiction, this critical companion offers readers a...
Hayao Miyazaki's career in animation has made him famous as not only the greatest director of animated features in Japan, the man behind classics as My Neighbour Totoro (1988) and Spirited Away (2001), but also as one of the most influential animators in the world, providing inspiration for animators in Disney, Pixar, Aardman, and many other leading studios. However, the animated features directed by Miyazaki represent only a portion of his 50-year career. Hayao Miyazaki examines his earliest projects in detail, alongside the works of both Japanese and non-Japanese animators and comics artists that Miyazaki encountered throughout his early career, demonstrating how they all contributed to the familiar elements that made Miyazaki's own films respected and admired among both the Japanese and the global audience.
Living with Strangers examines the history and cultural representation of bed-sitting rooms and boarding houses in England from the early twentieth century to the present. Providing a historical overview, the authors explore how these alternative domestic spaces came to provide shelter for a diverse demographic of working women and men, retired army officers, gay people, students, bohemians, writers, artists, performers, migrants and asylum seekers, as well as shady figures and criminals. Drawing on historical records, case studies, and examples from literature, art, and film, the book examines how the prevalence and significance of bedsits and boarding houses in novels, plays, detective sto...
The trade in books has always been and remains an ambiguous commercial activity, associated as it is with literature and the exchange of ideas. This collection is concerned with the cultural and economic roles of independent bookstores, and it considers how eight shops founded during the modernist era provided distinctive spaces of literary production that exceeded and yet never escaped their commercial functions. As the contributors show, these booksellers were essential institutional players in literary networks. When the eight shops examined first opened their doors, their relevance to literary and commercial life was taken for granted. In our current context of box stores, online shopping, and ebooks, we no longer encounter the book as we did as recently as twenty years ago. By contributing to our understanding of bookshops as unique social spaces on the thresholds of commerce and culture, this volume helps to lay the groundwork for comprehending how our relationship to books and literature has been and will be affected by the physical changes to the reading experience taking place in the twenty-first century.
Asian Americans are a growing, minority population in the United States. After a 46 percent population growth between 2000 and 2010 according to the 2010 Census, there are 17.3 million Asian Americans today. Yet Asian Americans as a category are a diverse set of peoples from over 30 distinctive Asian-origin subgroups that defy simplistic descriptions or generalizations. They face a wide range of issues and problems within the larger American social universe despite the persistence of common stereotypes that label them as a “model minority” for the generalized attributes offered uncritically in many media depictions. Asian American Society: An Encyclopedia provides a thorough introduction...
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Sara Paretsky's groundbreaking mystery series about Chicago private investigator V.I. Warshawski debuted in 1982 and is still going strong. She is a co-founder of Sisters in Crime (worldwide organization supporting women writers), a sought-after public speaker and the 2015 president of the Mystery Writers of America. This book is the first comprehensive reference work on Paretsky, providing an overview of the Warshawski novels and short stories, her other novels, a volume of collected essays, her anthologies and journalism. Special attention is paid to the character of Warshawski--the tough, street-smart detective who challenges stereotypical representations of women in crime fiction--and to the significance of the Chicago setting. A guide to the scholarly and critical debates is included, along with discussion of media adaptations and references to key websites.
From The Murder of Roger Ackroyd to Magpie Murders, and related diversions including cryptic crosswords and Cain’s Jawbone, The Murder Game examines the games authors played with their readers and the importance of puzzles in Golden Age whodunits.
Five twist in the tail playlets for two women, all set on a seaside promenade, are by turns funny and poignant. In Shoppers, two well to do shopaholics have a surprising secret. Early Blight is a heartbreaking exploration of a doomed mother daughter relationship. Dancers wittily dissects the tea dancing world of two skittish widows. In Late Frost, a woman finds out her best friend had an affair with her late husband. Doggies is a hilarious tale about two dog owners.-2 women
Now in The Fatal Art of Entertainment: Interviews with Mystery Writers, Herbert provides answers in a volume that will introduce anyone from the literary scholar to the mystery fan to the talented, calculating, and witty minds that commit murder on the printed page, much to the entertainment and fascination of millions of readers. In a unique collection of interviews, Herbert provides three types of portraits of each of thirteen authors: a photographic likeness; an essay describing each author's personality, place in the crime writing genre, and the environment of the interview; and a conversational visit that enables the reader to feel personally acquainted with each author. These revealing interviews with such luminaries as P. D. James, Tony Hillerman, John Mortimer, Sue Grafton, Julian Symons, and Patricia D.