Product Description
Twayne's United States Authors Series presents concise critical introductions to great writers and their works.
Devoted to critical interpretation and discussion of an author's work, each study takes account of major literary trends and important scholarly contributions and provides new critical insights with an original point of view. An Authors Series volume addresses readers ranging from advanced high school students to university professors. The book suggests to the informed reader new ways of considering a writer's work. A reader new to the work under examination will, after reading the Authors Series, be compelled to turn to the originals, bringing to the reading a basic knowledge and fresh critical perspectives.
Each volume features:
- A critical, interpretive study and explication of the author's works
- A brief biography of the author
- An accessible chronology outlining the life, work, and relevant historical background of the author
- Aids for further study -- complete notes and references, a selected annotated bibliography and an index
- A readable style presented in a manageable length
Card catalog description
Paul Bowles serves as an introduction to this enigmatic figure. Caponi discusses all of Bowles's novels: The Sheltering Sky, the first American novel to articulate an existential philosophy; Let It Come Down, a further exploration of existentialism; The Spider's House, which explores the fall of the French colonial regime and the aftermath from the point of view of a Moroccan; and the thriller Up Above the World. In addition to the novels, Caponi examines Bowles's other writings - the poetry, travel essays, and stories - and also touches on his musical compositions. Accompanying her critical examination is extensive material from Caponi's illuminating interviews with Bowles. The quintessential introduction to an unusual figure in American literature, Paul Bowles will be welcomed by scholars and students of literature, and music.