Environment in Henry David Thoreau

VOYA - Jane Harper

Social issues are at the heart of most great books. Student readers and researchers who take the time to understand those issues in the context of the work are often rewarded with a deeper appreciation of literature. The titles in this Social Issues in Literature series address the need for an accessible, easy-to-use resource that helps students understand works of classic fiction by examining them through the lens of a particular social issue. Each volume explores a single literary work or a body of work. Social and Psychological Disorder in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe, like all of the books in this series, is organized in three sections, beginning with background information about the author and providing insight into how the author's experiences influenced his or her work. Another section presents articles that analyze the relationship between the work and the social issue, all from a variety of perspectives. A final chapter brings the highlighted social issue into contemporary times, discussing its status in society today. The articles, all signed, and all from individual contributors, are brief and clearly written, with students in mind. In the case of this particular title, they delve into the aspects of madness, murder, and obsession that make Poe's tales so fascinating to students. The Environment in Henry David Thoreau's Walden, too, highlights issues of concern and shows how the issues that compelled Thoreau to retreat to Walden Pond are just as important to students today. Both titles feature questions for further discussion and a bibliography of books, periodicals, and Web sites that provide more information about the given social issue. These titles will be a useful addition to the collection in libraries that serve students who are looking at literature in the context of social issues and who seek information about specific literary works explored in this series. Reviewer: Jane Harper