Novels for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Novels Volume 35

Abstract

Novels for Studentsaids readers in both analyzing for message and in determining how and why that message is communicated. In the discussion on Harper Lee’sTo Kill a Mockingbird(Vol. 2), for example, the mockingbird as a symbol of innocence is dealt with, among other things, as is the importance of Lee’s use of humor which ‘‘enlivens a serious plot, adds depth to the char-acterization, and creates a sense of familiarity and universality.’’ The reader comes to under-stand the internal elements of each novel discussed as well as the external influences that help shape it.