This book is a survey of more than ninety essays that I consider important, from Clasical Greece and Rome to contemporary critical schools such as pragmatism, structuralism, deconstruction, psychological criticism, feminism, and new historicism. It is intended for anyone interested in establishing a basis for reading and interpreting both literature and culture - two aspects of the same complex activity. Along with comments on the authors and selected works, this book offers students and teachers a pedagogical apparatus at the end of every chapter that includes key words and concepts for each author and work, as well as short essay topics with model essays.