Mary Jean DeMarr's Books

Adolescent Female Portraits in the American Novel 1961-1981

By: Jane S. Bakerman,Mary Jean DeMarr

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Adolescent Female Portraits in the American Novel 1961-1981

By: Jane S. Bakerman,Mary Jean DeMarr

Originally published in 1983, this title lists and annotates reference sources which will help readers select primary materials useful in studies of the literary portraits of women and their societal roles. The years 1961 to 1981 were set as boundaries for this volume because the author’s initial research revealed that a twenty-year span was a manageable unit, because the novels published between those dates yielded abundant materials for such a reference work, and because significant changes in the way portraits of adolescent females were being drawn took place during the period – for example, sex-role stereotyping became a shade less prevalent, young women’s sexuality was discussed more forthrightly, and some topics (such as single women’s pregnancies and lesbianism) were treated more overtly, sometimes less judgementally.

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Page Count

190

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1000652378

ISBN 13

9781000652376

John Jakes

A Critical Companion

By: Mary Ellen Jones

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John Jakes

A Critical Companion

By: Mary Ellen Jones

John Jakes, often called the people's author and godfather of the historical novel, has made American history come to life in his series The Kent Family Chronicles and The North and South Trilogy. Through these novels, Jakes conveys the sweep of American history, both its glory and its grim scenes, from the American Revolution to the opening moments of the 20th century. Never glossing over the nation's flaws (slavery, materialism, a double-edged Manifest Destiny), Jakes nevertheless affirms American values. This is the first full-length critical study of his work. It examines in detail Jakes' 13 major novels to date and assesses his methods as America's history teacher. In Part I, following a chapter on Jakes' life, Jones examines the early novels and Jakes' use of the genres of historical fiction, the western, and the historical family sage. Part II, The Kent Family Chronicles, devotes an individual chapter to each of the novels in this series, The Bastard, The Rebels, The Seekers, The Furies, The Titans, The Warriors, The Lawless, and The Americans. Part III, New Beginnings, features chapters on North and South, Love and War, and Heaven and Hell, and chapters on California Gold and Homeland. The examination of each novel in this study includes sections on plot development, character development, and thematic issues. Jones also offers an alternative critical perspective from which to read each novel—such as feminist literary criticism, New Historicism, Marxist criticism, and Deconstructionism—that gives the reader an alternative viewpoint from which to consider the novel. A complete bibliography of all of John Jakes' work, works about John Jakes, and a listing of reviews of all the novels examined in the book concludes the study.

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Page Count

242

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0313008329

ISBN 13

9780313008320

John Grisham

A Critical Companion

By: Mary Beth Pringle

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John Grisham

A Critical Companion

By: Mary Beth Pringle

With his seven legal thrillers, all published since 1989, John Grisham has won a huge following of readers and set a standard few contributors to the genre can match. Because of the success of his novels, the legal thriller is the most popular genre in American fiction today. In this study, Pringle explains how Grisham's legal thriller evolved from the thriller tradition and borrowed from the heroic romance novel, gothic novel, crime novel, and detective fiction. She shows how his novels examine contemporary social and legal problems that do not have simple solutions—ecology, ethnic relations, capital punishment, corporate greed, and health insurance—and how he depicts both the legal system and lawyers in their best and worst lights. Following a biographical chapter that focuses on Grisham's childhood in Arkansas, education, political career, and development as a writer, Pringle examines the legal thriller, its antecedents, and Grisham's contribution to the genre. An individual chapter is devoted to analysis of each of his novels. Each chapter synopsizes the novel, discusses its reception by critics, and features sections on plot development, character development, social/historical context and issues, and an alternative critical perspective from which to approach the novel, such as psychoanalytic theory or feminist criticism. The work includes a complete bibliography of Grisham's work, critical sources, and list of reviews of all of his novels. Because of Grisham's popularity with adults and young adults and the contemporary issues he raises, this study is valuable to students, book discussion group participants, and other interested readers, and is an essential purchase for school and public libraries.

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Page Count

153

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0313008248

ISBN 13

9780313008245

Barbara Kingsolver

A Critical Companion

By: Mary J. Demarr

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Barbara Kingsolver

A Critical Companion

By: Mary J. Demarr

Barbara Kingsolver wears the feminist mantle with joyful pride, and her spirited embrace of political themes is contagious. Responding to richly-drawn heroines along their journeys to do right by family and community, readers embrace Kingsolver's political novels, making them bestsellers. From the haunting Arizona landscape of Kingsolver's early trilogy of novels, to the lush African jungle that sets the scene in her latest, The Poisonwood Bible, Kingsolver weaves colorful tapestries with vivid prose, exceptional intelligence, and unexpected humor. DeMarr's comprehensive treatment covers not only Kingsolver's four novels, each with its own chapter, but also discusses with considerable insight her background as a feminist, as a journalist, and, most importantly, as a humanist. Introducing readers to Kingsolver, DeMarr devotes a chapter to her life and work, showing how the two are deeply intertwined. While Kingsolver's writing is never strictly autobiographical, the well-researched section on politics and genre discusses how experiences in Kingsolver's own life and in her work as a political journalist have influenced her fiction writing. In addition to the celebrated novels that readers have come to love: The Bean Trees, Pigs in Heaven, Animal Dreams, and The Poisonwood Bible, as well as the poems and short stories, DeMarr covers the nonfiction: the essays and political writings. A full chapter analyzes each novel in terms of plot and character development, thematic content, symbolism, and the importance of place and language. Students and fans of Kingsolver will find this work, including its well-organized bibliography, accessible and interesting.

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Page Count

172

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0313007608

ISBN 13

9780313007606

Colleen McCullough

A Critical Companion

By: Mary J. Demarr

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Colleen McCullough

A Critical Companion

By: Mary J. Demarr

Although best known for The Thorn Birds, her blockbuster family saga set in her native Australia, Colleen McCullough is a versatile novelist who has written in a variety of genres. This is the first full-length examination of her work. It highlights her versatility and her refusal to be confined to any one genre or type of writing, even though that refusal has lost her part of the wide readership she gained with ^IThe Thorn Birds^R. DeMarr discusses, analyzes, and evaluates each of McCullough's eight novels in turn, relates it to the genre to which it belongs, and compares it to her other work. This study also features a biographical chapter and a chapter which discusses the variety of genres in which McCullough has written. DeMarr shows how McCullough's romances (Tim and The Ladies of Missalonghi) and her other novels which make heavy use of romance elements (The Thorn Birds and An Indecent Obession) differ dramatically from each other. She also compares McCullough's novels of ideas (A Creed for the Third Millennium^ and the three recent historical novels set in ancient Rome, The Masters of Rome series). Each novel or series is discussed in a separate chapter, which contains sections on plot development and structure, character development, setting, style, and themes. Each novel is also examined from an alternate critical approach, such as feminist, allegorical, anti-generic, and deconstructionist criticism, to widen the reader's perspective. A complete bibliography of McCullough's work, general criticism, and listings of reviews of each novel complete the work. This work will be of particular interest to public and school libraries.

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Page Count

224

Publisher

Greenwood

Published Date

ISBN 10

0313294992

ISBN 13

9780313294990

Kaye Gibbons

A Critical Companion

By: Mary J. Demarr

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Kaye Gibbons

A Critical Companion

By: Mary J. Demarr

Born to a tobacco farmer in rural North Carolina, Kaye Gibbons found her literary voice by speaking through the strong southern women who inhabit her novels. While concentrating on the places and people she knows well, Gibbons has managed to speak for people who struggle to find their own place, wherever they are, and her books have reached a worldwide audience. Whether for students assigned to read Ellen Foster or for lovers of literature, this companion—the first and only book-length study of its kind—provides insights and interpretations that will help readers enjoy and better appreciate the novels of Kaye Gibbons. Beginning with a biographical chapter, this companion shows how Gibbons's own life came to shape her fiction. Her place in and contributions to the genre of the southern novel are considered, and readers are taken through each of her six novels, starting with the highly acclaimed Ellen Foster (1987) and concluding with On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon (1998). For each work, lucid analyses of plot, character development, theme, and style are provided, along with an alternate critical perspective. The select bibliography includes reviews and further information on biographical and critical sources.

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Page Count

171

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0313052751

ISBN 13

9780313052750

Barbara Kingsolver

A Literary Companion

By: Mary Ellen Snodgrass

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Barbara Kingsolver

A Literary Companion

By: Mary Ellen Snodgrass

Barbara Kingsolver--a writer of fiction, documentary, verse and essay--supports entertaining stories with profound themes of ecological responsibility and defense of human rights. This work is an introduction and overview of the author's literary achievements, opening with an annotated chronology of Kingsolver's life, activism, works, and awards, followed by a family tree. The 122 alphabetical entries in the main text provide data and analysis on characters, dates, historical figures and events, allusions, literary motifs, and themes from Kingsolver's works, combining insights with generous citations from primary and secondary sources. Each entry concludes with a selected bibliography. Appendices include a timeline of events in The Poisonwood Bible, a list of 46 writing and research topics, a bibliography, and a comprehensive index.

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Page Count

248

Publisher

McFarland

Published Date

ISBN 10

1476611173

ISBN 13

9781476611174

Revisiting John Grisham

A Critical Companion

By: Mary Beth Pringle

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Revisiting John Grisham

A Critical Companion

By: Mary Beth Pringle

John Grisham is one of the most prolific and beloved mystery writers today, still reaching the top of the bestseller lists with books like The Testament (1999) and King of Torts (2003). In recent times, he has also experimented with different genres, such as A Painted House (2001), a semi-autobiographical work, and Skipping Christmas (2001), a holiday narrative. This volume follows up the critical analysis of Grisham's work in John Grisham: A Critical Companion, examining his writing from 1997 to the present.

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Page Count

160

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0313344078

ISBN 13

9780313344077

Catholic Women Writers

A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook

By: Mary Reichardt

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Catholic Women Writers

A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook

By: Mary Reichardt

Women have been writing in the Catholic tradition since early medieval times, yet no single volume has brought together critical evaluations of their works until now. The first reference of its kind, Catholic Women Writers provides entries on 64 Catholic women writers from around the world and across the centuries. Each of the entries is written by an expert contributor and includes a biography of the author; a critical discussion of her works, especially her Catholic and women's themes; an overview of her critical reception; and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. Authors writing in all genres, including fiction, autobiography, poetry, children's literature, and essays, are represented. The entries give special attention to the authors' use of Catholic themes, structures, traditions, culture, and spirituality. The writers surveyed range from Doctors of the Church to mystics and visionaries, to those who employ Catholic themes primarily in historical and cultural contexts, to those who critique the tradition. An introductory essay places the writers within the historical and literary contexts of women's writing in the Catholic tradition, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography.

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Page Count

457

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0313016623

ISBN 13

9780313016622

Kaye Gibbons

A Literary Companion

By: Mary Ellen Snodgrass

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Kaye Gibbons

A Literary Companion

By: Mary Ellen Snodgrass

With novels like Ellen Foster and A Virtuous Woman, award-winning writer Kaye Gibbons has gained both critical acclaim and a large, devoted following among readers. This literary companion equips the reader with information about characters, plots, dates, allusions, literary motifs, and themes from the bestselling author's works. After an annotated chronology of Gibbons' life, the work presents 103 A-Z entries that include Snodgrass's analysis, cover the writings of reviewers and critics, and provide selected bibliographies. Appendices offer an historical timeline with references to corresponding historical events from Gibbons' novels, along with a list of 42 topics for group or individual research projects.

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Page Count

381

Publisher

McFarland

Published Date

ISBN 10

147661119X

ISBN 13

9781476611198

Reclaiming the American Farmer

The Reinvention of a Regional Mythology in Twentieth-Century Southern Writing

By: Mary Weaks-Baxter

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Reclaiming the American Farmer

The Reinvention of a Regional Mythology in Twentieth-Century Southern Writing

By: Mary Weaks-Baxter

In this stimulating study, Mary Weaks-Baxter views the Southern Renaissance, 1900--1960, from a fresh perspective. Many writers in the South began consciously to create new myths for the region at the start of the twentieth century, and these myths, Weaks-Baxter argues, reframed southern history and culture. Instead of being rooted in the plantation culture that had provided inspiration for nineteenth-century southern writers, the new literature was inspired by "southern folk," the common people who farmed the earth and whose values derived from Jeffersonian agrarianism and democracy. By glorifying the yeoman farmer -- a figure not only central to southern life but revered throughout the country -- southern writers confirmed the essential Americanness of southern literature and the southernness of American history, creating a viable myth that offered the promise of renewal and purpose. To illustrate how the myth crossed racial, gender, and economic boundaries as well as geographic lines, Weaks-Baxter examines the work of diverse writers, including Willa Cather, Ellen Glasgow, Olive Dargan, Zora Neale Hurston, Jean Toomer, Jesse Stuart, Elizabeth Madox Roberts, Harriette Arnow, William Faulkner, and the Nashville Agrarians. Their portrayals of the lives of common men and women provided hope for all Americans as they were confronted with industrialization and the Great Depression. Weaks-Baxter shows how this agrarian fable led to a new Southern Renaissance in the late twentieth century, influencing the work of contemporary southern writers such as Madison Smartt Bell, Wendell Berry, Alice Walker, Dori Sanders, and Bobbie Ann Mason. With lively arguments and keen insights, Reclaiming the American Farmer will change the terms of discussion about the Southern Renaissance and southern literature in general as it demonstrates how mythologies can unify southerners as well as divide them.

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Page Count

208

Publisher

LSU Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0807131296

ISBN 13

9780807131299

Adolescent Female Portraits in the American Novel 1961-1981

By: Jane S. Bakerman,Mary Jean DeMarr

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Adolescent Female Portraits in the American Novel 1961-1981

By: Jane S. Bakerman,Mary Jean DeMarr

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

190

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1000652378

ISBN 13

9781000652376

Book's by Mary Jean DeMarr

Adolescent Female Portraits in the American Novel 1961-1981

Adolescent Female Portraits in the American Novel 1961-1981

John Jakes

John Jakes

John Grisham

John Grisham

Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver

Colleen McCullough

Colleen McCullough

Kaye Gibbons

Kaye Gibbons

Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver

Revisiting John Grisham

Revisiting John Grisham

Catholic Women Writers

Catholic Women Writers

Kaye Gibbons

Kaye Gibbons

Reclaiming the American Farmer

Reclaiming the American Farmer

Adolescent Female Portraits in the American Novel 1961-1981

Adolescent Female Portraits in the American Novel 1961-1981

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