This handbook series has been designed to offer students and researchers a compact means of orientation in their study of Anglophone literary texts. Each volume - involving a particular historical or theoretical focus - introduces readers to current concepts and methodologies, as well as academic debates, by combining theory with text analysis and contextual anchoring. It is this bridging between abstract survey and concrete analysis which is the central aim and defi ning feature of the series, bringing together literary history and interpretation, theory and text. At a time when students of English and American literary studies have to deal with an overwhelming amount of highly specialized research literature, such a handbook series is indispensable. However, this series is also catering to the requirements of scholars who would like to keep up with the current state of various fields within their discipline. Individual volumes in this Handbook series will typically provide: - knowledge of relevant literary periods, genres, and historical developments; - knowledge of representative authors and works of those periods; - knowledge of cultural and historical contexts; - knowledge about the adaptation of literary texts through other media; - knowledge of relevant literary and cultural theories; - examples of how historical and theoretical information weaves fruitfully into interpretations of literary texts.