Engaging, authoritative, and affordably priced, The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms is a comprehensive reference that clearly and accessibly defines hundreds of important literary and critical terms from classical times to the present, making them real and relevant to twenty-first century students through examples drawn from contemporary literary and popular culture.

With an introduction by Xiaolu GuoA classic memoir set during the Chinese revolution of the 1940s and inspired by folklore, providing a unique insight into the life of an immigrant in America. When we Chinese girls listened to the adults talking-story, we learned that we failed if we grew up to be but wives or slaves. We could be heroines, swordswomen.

Throughout her childhood, Maxine Hong Kingston listened to her mother's mesmerizing tales of a China where girls are worthless, tradition is e...