Critical Insights: Literature in Times of Crisis

Book excerpt: Almost since its inception, literature has emphasized and explored crises of various sorts, including political upheavals, social turmoil, destructive warfare, familial and personal conflicts, and devastating external dangers, especially those involving disease, the environment, the economy, and natural disasters. This book explores a wide range of kinds of crises and the ways they have been written about in literature of various genres and time periods. It also emphasizes the artistry involved in the various works it examines.