ABC-CLIO
Alphabetically arranged entries on more than 80 diverse literary genres survey the state of popular literature and reading in 21st-century America.
There's a strong interest in reading for pleasure or self-improvement in America, as shown by the popularity of Harry Potter, and book clubs, including Oprah Winfrey's. Although recent government reports show a decline in recreational reading, the same reports show a strong correlation between interest in reading and academic acheivement. This set provides a snapshot of the current state of popular American literature, including various types and genres. The volume presents alphabetically arranged entries on more than 70 diverse literary categories, such as cyberpunk, fantasy literature, flash fiction, GLBTQ literature, graphic novels, manga and anime, and zines. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and provides a definition of the genre, an overview of its history, a look at trends and themes, a discussion of how the literary form engages contemporary issues, a review of the genre's reception, a discussion of authors and works, and suggestions for further reading. Sidebars provide fascinating details, and the set closes with a selected, general bibliography.

Book News
This four-volume set for general readers and high school and college students contains chapters on genres or areas in contemporary American literature, arranged alphabetically. Each chapter includes a historical overview of the development of the genre, a definition, and discussion and brief analyses of works, with the most emphasis on those published by major authors from 1980 to the present. Chapters also discuss major trends and themes in the genre, contexts and issues, and reception, including criticism, film adaptations, and relationships to popular culture. Chapters include children's literature, genres of fiction, humor, poetry, travel writing, Native American literature, memoir, chick lit, Christian fiction, literary journalism, magical realism, true crime, comic books, ecopoetry, GLBTQ literature, graphic novels, manga and anime, and zines. An index is provided in the last volume only, which also has a list of contemporary authors by genre. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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