The Handy Literature Answer Book: An Engaging Guide to Unraveling Symbols, Signs and Meanings in Great Works

From the legends of Gilgamesh to the modern memoir, storytelling and reading are an integral part of our lives. Great literature can shape and form thoughts and opinions as well as influence politics and predict the future. Reading can truly enrich lives, but it is not necessarily easy to get the most out of a great work of literature.

The Handy Literature Answer Book: Understand and Enjoy Meanings, Symbolism, and Signs in Great Works is an engaging look at literature basics such as themes, symbols, context, and other literary devices. Various literary forms, including novels, poems, plays, short stories, and nonfiction, are analyzed. Hundreds of great works are used as illustrative examples. It deciphers and analyzes great works through in-depth answers to nearly 400 common questions, including How is reading literature different from other kinds of reading?” “How do you recognize the difference between story and plot in a short story?” and “What defines a novel?”