Literature in Art Books

An outstanding accomplishment. Everyone can enjoy and learn from this work.

I was first introduced to Stephen Tchudi and Diana Mitchell's "Explorations in the Teaching of English" back in 1990. It is an invaluable tool to secondary-level teachers in particular.

Of all the resource texts for teachers that I have read since then (and I've read MANY), this is by far the best all-around resource for the classroom teacher.

The only problems with it now, in 1998, is that it hasn't been revised. Until a 4th edition is available, this is still a top-notch resource for English/Language Arts teachers - whether you've been teaching for years or are just starting out in the profession.

Rosemarie Garland Thomson has written a book that is groundbreaking and essential reading for anyone interested in the fields of disability theory, disability studies, and literary criticism. She has skillfully examined how the figure of the disabled body has been used in literature in different periods as a marker or boundary line for defining what the "normal" body is or should be. The disabled figure operates to displace anxiety from more "normal" folks, and in the process shows how what we consider to be normal functioning changes across historical periods and cultures. Thomson also compares the disabled figure to the cyborg, as both are figures that are not seen as "natural," and both are places/signifiers where we can then interrogate what the natural is, has been thought to be, and what it could include. This is an excellent book, and should not be missed.

Slightly wider than a standard paperback, this hardback book is like a mini-coffee table art book. It contains over 170 color illustrations, including a wide range of "paintings, frescoes, stained glass windows, icons, and sculpture." The book is structured into 13 chapters, each with an introductory essay by Margaret Barker, notes and comments on the paintings, quotes from significant thinkers and scriptures on topic, and interviews with theologians writers from various religious traditions (including Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and LDS). Those familiar with Barker's other works will recognize her distinctive approach emerging in her introductory essays and selection of quotations. Barker has authored 10 significant books of Biblical scholarship, and served a term as the president elect of the Society for Old Testament Study. She is also a Methodist preacher, and writes from a perspective of one involved and committed. Her writing is always vivid, insightful, and relevant. Those interested in angels for themselves, or as a gift book, will find here a delightful treasure of art and insight. Those interested in to Barker's approaches at an introductory level for general readers, either for themselves, or for others, should be well served here. Those familiar with her scholarship will be pleased that one of the art works depicted is the orthodox icon of Wisdom, which she discusses in several essays in The Great High Priest. Highly recommended, as are all her books.

Sylvia Plath is in the midst of a renaissance. Since the publication of her Unabridged Journals in 2000, hardly a week goes by without her name appearing in the news, and the publication of a succession of books continues to re-evaluate the poets status in the literary world. Although Plath proved to be one of the most contentious, interesting, and passionate writers of the 20th century, the 21st has been much kinder. The books about Plath published in the last seven years each attempt and succeed to change the way we read her works, examine archival material to enrich our readings, and call our attention to lesser-known poems, stories, and other creative products. This is most evident in Eye Rhymes: Sylvia Plath's Visual of the Art edited by Kathleen Connors and Sally Bayley.

In addition to six wonderful essays by leading scholars, Eye Rhymes publishes for the first time more than 70 art works by Plath. The earliest dates from when she was just seven years old, and the latest is her Cold War collage, perhaps the most familiar and talked about piece she created. The book marries the artwork and Plath's creative writing, illustrating a one-to-one translation between the two types of creativity; what Susan Gubar in her Afterword calls the "sister arts" of Sylvia Plath.

The essays draw heavily off the Sylvia Plath Materials held at the Lilly Library, Indiana University at Bloomington. It is evident, however, that The Sylvia Plath Collection at the Mortimer Rare Book Room at Smith College was used extensively as well. Plath's artwork informs and inspires each essayist; and it is Plath's writing, either contemporary to the artwork or her later, more mature writing, that allows for a clear, steady progression of Plath's talent. Often times, the essays show a kind of conversation taking place between ideas and themes present in Plath's art that resurface either immediately or much later in her poetry and prose. In a way then , Plath is talking back to herself, in addition to talking back to Ted Hughes by writing on the verso his compositions. Eye Rhymes, then, "follows the entire trajectory of Plath's creative genius, from her first signs of artistry on the seashores of New England, to the final culmination of her craft as a poet, essayist, and novelist..." (1). What the essays make perfectly clear that from early childhood straight through to her death, Plath continually worked creatively and that her adolescent and young adult interest in art translates and manifests itself in her best writing. The aim of the book is to "shed new light on Sylvia Plath as artist, critic, and intellectual, and the creative processes she employed throughout her life" (3).

As I state in my own biography of Plath, her pre-Smith years (1932-1950) are overlooked most often by scholars and researchers. Her published journals and letters both select her Freshman year at college as their starting point. Her Collected Poems start even later, in 1956. However, it is the formative, pre-college years that gave birth to this poet and, in the end, are responsible for The Bell Jar and the Ariel poems for which she is most famous. All the tools and values Plath needed to succeed as a writer came from this period, and it is a shame that it is so frequently neglected. No longer, as any reader of Eye Rhymes will develop a new appreciation for Plath the precocious child, Plath the driven adolescent, and Plath the talented artist. Eye Rhymes is a monumental contribution to Plath scholarship.

The author leads the reader from the birth of realism in the US in art, literature, history, etc. Although some of his points seem obvious once you read them, they are simply not matters that are taught in standard art history or other classes. I thought that this was truly a brilliant book. I shared many parts with my partner, etc.

As a writer/scholar, I appreciate good reference books such as this. Reasonably presented, reasonably priced.

As a student teacher I was given the assignment to teach Fairy Tales, Fables, Legends, and Myths. I had an idea as to what I wanted to do, but did not have a clue as how to start. This book put me on the right path with its concise defenitions of each category, plenty of examples, and great activities to do with the students. I originally borrowed this book from the library and I found it so helpful that I am adding it to my collection of must-have books. I give it 5 stars!

This is the best introduction to the field of mythology that I've come across.

Ms. Lowry starts off by defining what myths are, and what they do. She discusses how they provide personal guidance, support (or challenge) the social order, how they provide us with a sense of physical order, and how they help us face life's mysteries. She differentiates myth, legend, and folktale, and outlines the "diffusion vs. archetype" argument. The following sections cover the heroic pattern, the tension between chaos and an ordered cosmos, and the mystery of death. This is not merely an anthology of snippets from around the world; she discusses in-depth the underlying motifs, and the disguises they take on as they appear in different ages and cultures. The breadth of her scholarship is impressive...she's equally comfortable with Theseus and Gilgamesh, Horus and Beowulf. More than just a dry anthology, this book challenged me, taught me a great deal, and made me want to learn more. And you can't ask for much more than that.

Fabulous book. Wonderful photos. Most students of Stuart fashion have probably seen most of these illustrations, but the details are fabulous and the text chock full of relevant and revelatory reference material. Extremely beautiful book.