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Described as the Mona Lisa literature and the world's first detective story, Sophocles' "Oedipus the King" is a major text from the ancient Greek world and an iconic work of world literature. This book covers the afterlife of the play in depth and provides a comprehensive guide to further reading for students.

Part of a series, which provides an overview of the context, criticism and influence of key works. This title is not only one of the last great novels to be written by Dickens but is also one which centres around his primary themes: the importance of childhood in relationship to adult life, concepts of guilt and imprisonment.

Nietzsche is one of the important philosophers and his "On the Genealogy of Morals" is one of the frequently studied works - a key text in the study of moral philosophy. This title explains the philosophical background against which the book was written, the context of Western morality in general and the key themes and topics inherent in the text.

An invaluable guide to this classic text surveying the book's composition and central arguments, the intellectual context of its composition, and its continuing influence.

A staple of undergraduate courses in Classical Studies, Latin, English and Comparative Literature, Ovid's "Metamorphoses" is arguably one of the most important, canonical Latin texts. This title offers guidance on: literary, historical and cultural context; key themes; reading the text; reception and influence; and, further reading.

A comprehensive survey of modern American drama beginning with its antecedents in Victorian melodrama through to the present. The author discusses the work of more than 70 playwrights, from the golden eras of Broadway to the rise of Off-Broadway and regional theatre.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988) is one of the most significant and challenging of 20th century theologians. This guide shows how his reworking of theology around the transcendentals of being, the beautiful, the good and the true, is influenced not just by classical philosophy and theology but also by his involvement with contemporary figures.

A comprehensive student guide to studying Emily Bronte's classic novel "Wuthering Heights". It introduces its contexts, language, reception and adaptation since its first publication.

Margaret Atwood's popular dystopian novel "A Handmaid's Tale", engages the reader with a broad range of issues relating to power, gender and religious politics. This guide provides an overview of the key critical debates and interpretations of the novel and encourages you to engage with key questions and readings in your reading of the text.

Thomas Aquinas' major work, the "Summa Theologiae", is one of the most important theological works of the Middle Ages. This guide presents the basic principles that underlie the "Summa Theologiae" both as a whole and with respect to its three parts, and the varying treatises found within them.

Friedrich Nietzsche was arguably the most important and influential thinker of the nineteenth century. "The Birth of Tragedy", his first published work, is a classic text that remains an essential read for those seeking to understand the development of Nietzsche's ideas. This title offers an introduction to this important and yet challenging work.

In many regards the dialectical counterpart of the "Republic, the Symposium" is one of the richest and most influential of the Platonic dialogues, resonating not only with Western philosophy, but also with literature art and theology. This title presents an introduction to the text.

This is the ideal companion to study of this most influential and challenging of texts.

A guide to Mary Shelley's gothic novel, "Frankenstein" - a key text for introductory literature courses at undergraduate level. It is helpful for reading and studying the novel, setting it in its historical, intellectual and cultural contexts, and offering analyses of its themes, style and structure.