Shakespeare's tragedies contain an astonishing variety of suffering, from suicides and murders to dismemberments and grief. Stanley Wells considers how the bard's tragic plays drew on the literary and theatrical conventions of his time. Discussing the individual plays, he also explores why tragedy is regarded as a fit subject for entertainment.

Draws on the research to illuminate late medieval society at its peak, from the triumphalism of Edward III in 1360 to the collapse of Lancastrian rule. This book centres on the deposition of Richard II in 1399 and the establishment of the House of Lancaster, which was in turn overthrown in the "Wars of the Roses".

Ayesha is a 2,000-year-old queen who rules a fabled lost city. She has the occult wisdom of Isis, the eternal youth and beauty of Aphrodite, and the violent appetite of a lamia. This edition of the 1887 classic features an introductory essay by literary critic Regina Barreca.

This edition brings together four eighteenth-century comedies that illustrate the full variety of the century's drama: Fielding's The Modern Husband, Garrick and Colman's The Clandestine Marriage, Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer, and O'Keeffe's Wild Oats.

Word count 6,280 Bestseller

Shirley is Charlotte Bronte's only historical novel and her most topical one. The introduction to this new edition considers its autobiographical overtones as well as its social context, and includes revised notes and bibliography.

The Short Oxford History of English Literature is the most comprehensive and scholarly history of English literature on the market. It offers an introductory guide to the literature of the British Isles from the Anglo-Saxon period to the present day in eleven chapters covering all the major periods of English literature chronologically. Professor Sanders provides detailed analysis of the major writers and their works and examines the impact of British literature on contemporary political, social and intellectual developments. This third edition has been revised and updated for a 21st century reader, incorporating discussion of a greater number of female and contemporary authors.

People with mental illness commonly describe the stigma and discrimination they face as being worse than their main condition. 'Shunned' presents clearly for a wide readership information about the nature and severity of discrimination against people with mental illness and what can be done to reduce this.