Book excerpt: This new four-volume set covers world authors from many periods and genres, building a broad understanding of the various contexts--from the biographical to the literary to the historical--in which literature can be viewed. The Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World Literature will allow a reader to analyze an author's work as a reflection of the heritage, traditions and experiences of the author's personal life and the beliefs, events, and lifestyles of the world at the time. The nearly 500 entries will also identify the significant literary devices and global themes that define a writer's style and place the author in a larger literary tradition as chronicled and evaluated by critics over time. Critical thinking and activity prompts, in addition to images, will further enhance the reader's own personal response to global literature.