Masterplots II

Library Journal

Magill is the prolific editor of Masterpieces of African-American Literature (HarperCollins, 1992), which is shorter than but similar in content to this reference. This three-volume set follows the same style and format as the previous nine, offering author, dates, type of work, plot summary, short analysis, critical view, and annotated bibliography. All entries are signed. The writers covered are impressive: Angelou, Kincaid, Gates, Du Bois, Morrison, and Wright are joined by lesser-known writers such as Ann Petry (The Street) and Gordon Parks, film director/photographer/writer. The one great flaw in the entire series is that it is not as useful as one would like. Cliff Notes offer more detailed plot summaries, and students who have read a particular book or are searching for an author to read will find Masterplots useful only as a starting point to further exploration in subject-specific titles and bibliographies. Recommended for public and undergraduate libraries only; for most libraries, the Norton Anthology of Afro-American Literature (Norton, 1990), edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr., is a richer resource.-Neal Wyatt, Mary Washington Coll. Lib., Fredericksburg, Va.

From The Critics

This eleventh set in the "Masterplots II" series offers "536 essays that examine the most important books of fiction and nonfiction authored by women." Works included are by authors worldwide and range in time from ancient Greece to modern times. An impressive array of women's writings is discussed here--these works could serve as a respectable "best books" list or as a standard reading list on the topic of women writers. Such nonfiction feminist works as "Backlash" by Susan Faludi are side by side with autobiographies such as "One Writer's Beginnings" by Eudora Welty; plays, poetry, and essays; and novels from Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" to Terry McMillan's "Waiting to Exhale". In familiar "Masterplots" style, each article gives the author's dates, type of work, publication date, and other pertinent information, which varies by the type of work. Essays examine the work in detail and conclude with sources for further study. Title, author, type-of-work, and geographic indexes are found at the end of the last volume Libraries that purchase the "Masterplots" series will find this one a good addition, since women's literature sources are heavily requested. As for duplication from other "Masterplots" sets, well over half of the works considered here are the subjects of essays in other sets. However, the essays are newly written for this set in the context of women's literature, and the sources for further study are newly written or updated. For public, high-school, and some academic libraries.

Booknews

Examines 327 works of twentieth century drama never before covered in translation from countries including France, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Sweden. The set reflects considerable variety of experiences and voices, and 148 playwrights from around the world are represented. The arrangement is alphabetical by title, with each essay divided into six sections. The top matter gives the author and his or her birth and death dates, the time and place of the work's first performance, the setting, and the principal characters. Following sections cover: action and plot, themes and meanings, dramatic devices, critical context, and sources for further study. This is how it should be done--clearly written, cleanly produced. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)