Literature by Place - Exodus Books

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It's kind of crazy to what extent geography can inform an author's work. Jack London spent most of his life at sea, dog-sledding across Alaska, boxing and generally being an adventurous guy who would put today's REI crowd to shame. Would he have penned some of the greatest American novels otherwise? especially ones concerned primarily with man battling the elements for survival in both a mental and physical sense? Very probably not, which explains why Oscar Wilde didn't write about wolves and crazy ship captains.

No, Oscar Wilde wrote primarily about fops and society people parrying witticisms incessantly. That's not to say his work has no place in a serious consideration of literature—au contraire, The Picture of Dorian Grey is one of the finest novels written in English. It's just more evidence that if you're an author who lives in the Canadian mountains or the clubs of London, your writing will reflect that.

Physical terrain isn't the only consideration. Sartre wrote about people lolling about with no real sense of purpose except to drink wine and smoke cigarettes and look languorous because he lived in France in the 1940s. Friedrich Nietzsche had immense mustaches and espoused a form of nihilism because he was German. The Russians wrote impossibly long novels because they lived in Russia. And Chinua Achebe was almost entirely influenced by his African upbringing.

That's not to say no one can write well about a context they haven't experienced firsthand. I'm pretty sure Robert Heinlein never visited Mars, and even if he did it wasn't as his books describe; the same goes for Bradbury. And no, Roald Dahl was never lost in a delightfully (though at times, terrifyingly) absurd chocolate factory. Yet even with these examples, the authors conveyed essentially the attitudes of the countries they came from—Heinlein and Bradbury from the U.S., Dahl from the U.K.

Our Literature by Place subcategories are admittedly Anglo-centric. North American literature features, well, American literature, and you can be pretty sure British literature reflects the same system; everything else goes in world literature. We have plenty of non-American or -British literature, we just don't have much from any one place besides those two. At any rate, we hope these categories are helpful, and if they guide you toward one book you're looking for (or maybe one you didn't even know existed), they've done their job.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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	Annotated Milton Complete English Poems by John Milton from Bantam Books for 11th-Adult in 17th Century Literature (Location: LIT4-17) $8.95
	Apologia Pro Vita Sua Dover Giant Thrift Editions by John Henry Newman from Dover Publications for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $7.00
	Ball and the Cross by G. K. Chesterton from Dover Publications Allegory for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.96
	Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace from Dover Publications for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $7.00
	Ben-Hur A Tale of the Christ Signet Classics by Lew Wallace from Signet Classics Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $9.95
	Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin Jr. from HarperCollins for 8th grade-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.99
	Brothers Karamazov Signet Classics by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, translated by Constance Garnett, edited with an introduction by Manual Komroff from Signet Classics Russian Epic Novel for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $7.95
	Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, introduced by Konstantin Mochulsky and translated by Andrew R. MacAndrew Reprint from Bantam Books for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, introduced and translated by David McDuff Reprint from Penguin Classics for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller from Bantam Books for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $8.99
	Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller from Harper & Row for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Christ the Lord Out of Egypt by Anne Rice from Fawcett Books for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.99
	City of God Penguin Classics by Augustine of Hippo (translated by Henry Bettenson) from Penguin Classics Ancient/Medieval Theology for 11th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $18.00
	Confessions of Saint Augustine Penguin Classics by Augustine of Hippo (introduction & translation by R.S. Pine-Coffin) from Penguin Classics Autobiography/Devotional Material for 11th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $10.00
	Confessions of Saint Augustine Penguin Classics by Augustine of Hippo (translation by John K. Ryan) from Image Autobiography/Devotional Material for 11th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $17.00
	Confessions of Saint Augustine Penguin Classics by Augustine of Hippo (translation by Maria Boulding) from Vintage Classics Autobiography/Devotional Material for 11th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $14.95
	Confessions of Saint Augustine Penguin Classics by Augustine of Hippo (translation by Garry Wills) from Penguin Classics Autobiography/Devotional Material for 11th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $16.00
	Confessions of Saint Augustine by Augustine of Hippo (translation by Sarah Ruden) from Modern Library Autobiography/Devotional Material for 11th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $16.00
	Confessions of Saint Augustine by Augustine of Hippo (translation by Thomas Williams) from Hackett Publishing Company Autobiography/Devotional Material for 11th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Crime and Punishment Signet Classics by Fyodor Dostoyevsky from Signet Classics Realistic Russian Novel for 11th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $7.95
	Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (translation by Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky) Reprint from Vintage Classics for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $18.00
	Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky from International Collectors Library Realistic Russian Novel for 11th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, unknown translator from Wordsworth Classics for 11th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Everyman and Other Miracle and Morality Plays Dover Thrift Editions by Anonymous from Dover Publications Medieval Drama for 9th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $5.00 $1.50 (9 in stock)
	Faerie Queene Penguin Classics by Edmund Spenser from Penguin Classics Allegory/Epic Poetry for 10th-Adult in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN) $22.00
	Favorite Father Brown Stories Dover Thrift Editions by G. K. Chesterton from Dover Publications Mystery for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $4.40
	Fellowship of the Ring Lord of the Rings Trilogy #1 by J. R. R. Tolkien from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 8th-12th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Goblin Market and Other Poems by Christina Rossetti from Dover Publications for 10th-Adult in Poetry (Location: POET-GEN) $4.00
	Heretics by G. K. Chesterton from Dover Publications Philosophy/Religion for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.96
	Hobbit There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien 2^nd edition from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 5th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Hobbit & Lord of the Rings - Mass-Market Boxed Set by J. R. R. Tolkien Mti from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 4th-12th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $35.96
	Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis from Dover Publications Devotional Material for 10th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $5.00 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis from Penguin Classics Devotional Material for 10th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $15.00
	In Praise of Folly Dover Thrift Editions by Desiderius Erasmus from Dover Publications Religious Satire for 9th-Adult in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN) $3.00
	Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott from Bantam Books Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	Ivanhoe Signet Classics by Sir Walter Scott from Signet Classics Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $5.95
	Ivanhoe Penguin Classics by Sir Walter Scott, edited by Graham Tulloch from Penguin Classics Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $12.00
	Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. Chesterton from Dover Publications Mystery for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.16
	Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. Chesterton from Waking Lion Press Mystery for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton Reprint from Penguin Putnam Mystery for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $9.60
	Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses by Martin Luther from P&R Publishing for 7th-Adult in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
	Murder Must Advertise (8) A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 8 by Dorothy Sayers from HarperCollins for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $17.99
	Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Dover Thrift Editions by Frederick Douglass from Dover Publications for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $4.50
	Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave & Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Frederick Douglass & Harriet Jacobs from Modern Library for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $6.95
	Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave by Frederick Douglass from Signet Classics for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $4.95
	Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky from Vintage Books for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $14.00
	Notes from Underground and The Double by Fyodor Dostoyevsky from Penguin Putnam for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $14.00
	Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford from Dover Publications for 9th-Adult in 17th Century Literature (Location: LIT4-17) $14.95
	On Slavery and the Civil War Selections from His Writings Dover Thrift Editions by Frederick Douglass from Dover Publications for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $2.00
	One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Signet Classics by Alexander Solzhenitsyn from Signet Classics Classic Literature for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.95
	Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton from Dover Publications Philosophy/Religion for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $8.76
	Out of the Silent Planet Space Trilogy Book 1 by C. S. Lewis 46th Printing from Collier Books for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan from Dover Publications Christian Prose Epic/Allegory for 10th-Adult in 17th Century Literature (Location: LIT4-17) $7.00
	Return of the King Lord of the Rings Trilogy #3 by J. R. R. Tolkien from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 8th-12th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Rob Roy Penguin Classics by Sir Walter Scott from Penguin Classics Historical Fiction for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $15.00
	Robinson Crusoe Signet Classics by Daniel Defoe from Signet Classics Realistic Adventure Novel for 8th-Adult in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18) $5.95
	Selected Poems of John Donne Dover Thrift Editions by John Donne from Dover Publications Lyrical Poetry for 10th-Adult in Poetry (Location: POET-GEN) $1.50 (1 in stock)
	She Stoops to Conquer Dover Thrift Editions by Oliver Goldsmith from Dover Publications Comedic Drama for 10th-Adult in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18) $5.00
	Song of Roland Penguin Classics by Dorothy Sayers, translator from Penguin Classics Medieval Poetic Epic for 10th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $14.00
	Summa of the Summa by St. Thomas Aquinas, edited by Peter Kreeft from Ignatius Press for 10th-Adult in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED) $25.50
	The Idiot Signet Classics by Fyodor Dostoyevsky from Signet Classics Realistic Russian Novel for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $6.95
	Thirty-Nine Steps Dover Thrift Editions by John Buchan from Dover Publications Action Adventure for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $3.00
	Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan from Penguin Classics Action Adventure for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $13.00
	To My Husband & Other Poems Dover Thrift Editions by Anne Bradstreet from Dover Publications for 10th-Adult in Poetry (Location: POET-GEN) $3.50
	Two Towers Lord of the Rings Trilogy #2 by J. R. R. Tolkien from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 8th-12th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Up From Slavery Penguin Classics by Booker T. Washington from Penguin Classics Autobiography for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $12.00
	Up From Slavery Dover Thrift Editions by Booker T. Washington from Dover Publications Autobiography for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $6.00 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Up From Slavery Penguin Classics by Booker T. Washington from Signet Classics Autobiography for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.95
	Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington from Gramercy Books Autobiography for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)

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