Cliffs notes

Contains: Was The Fire and the Hearth Pantaloon in Black The Old People The Bear Delta Autumn Go Down, Moses

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. In CliffsNotes on The Handmaid's Tale, you come to realize that for every utopia, there's a corresponding dystopia. This tale of a bleak future depicts a time where women are valued only for their reproductive capacities. While this cautionary tale of repression and totalitarianism is horrifying, there are moments of poetic warmth and humor. It is a brilliant satire. This concise supplement to Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale helps you understand the overall structure of the novel, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author. Features that help you study include Chapter-by-chapter summarie...

The epic and tragic story of the Compson family, three generations of Southern aristocrats on the brink of ruin. Unprecedented for its time, Faulkner weaves a tale spanning nearly two decades and told from multiple points of view in a style all its own. Featuring some of the most memorable characters in literature—the beautiful and rebellious Caddy; the haunted and neurotic Quentin; the brutal and cynical Jason; and Dilsey, the matriarchal servant who observes them all—this novel is a heartrending investigation of family, legacy, social change, and the decline of a once powerful aristocratic dynasty.

A failed revolutionary attempt drives the hero of Hudson's novel to seek refuge in the primeval forests of south-western Venezuela. There, in the "green mansions" of the title, Abel encounters the wood-nymph Rima, the last survivor of a mysterious aboriginal race. The love that flowers between them is soon overshadowed by cruelty and sorrow. - Back cover.

Written in stream-of-consciousness style with multiple narrators, the story follows a journey wherein the family of a dead woman try to transport her body to her birthplace in Mississippi in accordance with her wishes. When a ford across a river is flooded they are forced to take a roundabout route and it becomes a desperate race to complete their mission before the body begins to decompose.

"I am a sick man . . . I am a spiteful man," the irascible voice of a nameless narrator cries out. And so, from underground, emerge the passionate confessions of a suffering man; the brutal self-examination of a tormented soul; the bristling scorn and iconoclasm of alienated individual who has become one of the greatest antiheroes in all literature. Notes From Underground, published in 1864, marks a turning point in Dostoevsky's writing: it announces the moral political, and social ideas he will treat on a monumental scale in Crime And Punishment, The Idiot, and The Brothers Karamazov.

The Deerslayer is part of Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, set in the mid-1700s, and tells a wild, savage story about nature and man. It is an adventure story, to be sure, but also a perspective of how America was formed.

Three great swordsmen, Porthos, Aramis, and Anthos, with their protege, D'Artagnan, match wits with the sinister Cardinal Richelieu who seeks to divide the royalty in his own quest for power.

The series of essays that comprise The Federalist constitutes one of the key texts of the American Revolution and the democratic system created in the wake of independence. Written in 1787 and 1788 by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to promote the ratification of the proposed Constitution, these papers stand as perhaps the most eloquent testimonial to democracy that exists. They describe the ideas behind the American system of government: the separation of powers; the organization of Congress; the respective positions of the executive, legislative, and judiciary; and much more. The Federalist remains essential reading for anyone interested in politics and government, and indeed for anyone seeking a foundational statement about democracy and America.

This modern American play watches an evening with two couples and the lies they fabricate about themselves to keep on living. It is a vicious and haunting drama.

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in the series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. Edgar Allan Poe is celebrated as the genius of the gothic horror story. Emphasizing the grotesque, the mysterious, the desolate, and the horrible, he arouses fear in readers. He is the champion of storytelling that gives us a nervous sense of the ghostly and the supernatural. CliffsNotes on Poe's Short Stories takes you inside the mind of this one-of-a-kind American author. Consider his place in the Romantic movement and examine his critical theories with the insightful essays in this book. In-depth critical commentaries cover the following stories and more: "The Fall of the House of Usher" "The Murders in the Rue Morgue"

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer a look into critical elements and ideas within classic works of literature. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. CliffsNotes on Crime and Punishment takes you into a masterpiece of Russian literature, a work published during the time the western world was moving away from romanticism and into a new realistic approach to writing. Following the story of an impoverished young man who expects to enrich humanity by rising to a level above the law, this study guide provides a character list, character map, and character analyses to explore the personalities within Fyodor Dostoevsky's masterpiece. Other features that help you figure out this important work include Life and background of the author Introduction to and brief synopsis of the novel Summaries and expert commentaries for each chapter within the book Essays that explore aspects of the author's characters and theories A review section that tests your knowledge and suggests essay topics and practice projects A Resource Center full of books, publications, films, and Internet resources Classic literature or modern-day treasure -- you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background -- all to help you gain greater insight into great works you're bound to study for school or pleasure. In CliffsNotes on Sartre's No Exit & The Flies, you examine two well-known plays by Jean-Baptiste Sartre and discover how Sartre uses his work to put forth his philosophy of existentialism. Both plays were written during the Nazi occupation of France in WWII and deal with the central of theme of freedom, which is a hallmark of Sartre's existential philosophy. In this study guide, you'll find Life of the Author, as well as detailed Summaries and Commentaries of both plays. You'll also find critical essays on the following topics: Sartrean existentialism: Principles and philosophies, existentialism before Sartre, an overview of existentialism, and Sartre's specific principles of existentialism Sartre's political ideas Sartre's dramatic formula Plus suggested essay topics and a selected bibliography Classic literature or modern-day treasure -- you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.