Irresistible Readings

This book provides you with the combined efforts of teachers, writers, and editors who have studied, taught, and analyzed what literary classics mean to literature as a whole and to you in particular. You should use these summaries as starting points to open yourself to encountering, understanding, and appreciating literature. These summaries are intended as a supplementary aid to all students of literature or those who are interested in literary readings in general. They are also helpful in preparing for an examination, eliminating the burden of trying to reread the full text under pressure and sorting through class notes to find that which is of central importance. A thorough appreciation of literature allows no shortcuts.