** I was provided an electronic ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

As a professor with two English Language & Literature Degrees, and a constant focus on literature in all of my classes taught, I found this a delightful little concept when I was reading the first blurb for it. The concepts that go into the types of literature out there are manifold and deeply researched/abounding with information. This book takes all of it, and pulls down to a small digestible set of fun, fast facts. The research in here is undeniably good and you can tell the author was making sure to be accurate, while also making a handy, quick use, tool.

I totally had to get a copy of this book, and I plan to give it as a gift to so many friends/colleagues!

I really learned a lot from this book. As someone who enjoys writing and wants to do it more, but definitely needs to understand things this book was really helpful. I like that I can just go back to a page and spend seconds re reading for more information rather than having to read a full book. It's great for brushing up and getting Ideas.

I love the 30-Second books. They convey in a condense and easily-digestible matter the most important aspects and timeline(s) and forms of in this case literature. Definitely a good option as a gift for a literature student or an interested and avid reader.

30-Second Literature is a text which acknowledges the limitations of the piece from the outset. It makes up for this by listing some of the forms and movements missed out rather than leaving the work to you.

Each section opens with a quick glossary which was fantastic. This would be a great tool to have for quick refreshers, or to serve as a point of inspiration when you want to find something new to read as there’s a few recommendations for each form.

There were far more images than I expected, they accompany each form and take up an entire page. This does mean that the summary pages for the forms can be quite overwhelming. The 3-minute theme is confusingly named as it’s shorter than the 30-second thesis. I’m not sure if this time is allotted to mull over the theme? That said, the 3-second bibliographies might be my favourite feature. I also loved the science-fiction collage!

A great overview of the different types of literature. Despite having a bachelors degree in Literature I never realised there were so many! Well set out, and easy to follow, with a brief explanation of each one. A fascinating book and a really useful reference book.

Thank you to Ella Berthoud, Net Galley and the publisher, Ivy Press for an ARC.

Typical 30-second series fare, full of interesting facts about the topic.

Rated low as I was disappointed to find that children's fiction - despite being the largest contributor to book sales around the world - wasn't even mentioned, let alone explored.

An interesting little book, with lots of information whittled down into bite-sized pieces. Though not a complete list of literary forms, quite a bit is covered here, and this book gives a good overview of literature. The collage-style illustrations are fun, and go nicely with the text. This would be a good coffee table book for bibliophiles!

#30SecondLiterature #NetGalley

What a wonderful resource for avid readers, English majors, and literature lovers alike! 30-Second Literature is an excellent tool for anyone looking to learn more about genre and style, as well as writers looking to expand their knowledge and craft. I look forward or reading more of these compilations in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

A great overview of the different types of literature. I never realised there were so many! Well set out, and easy to follow, with a brief explanation of each one. A fascinating book and a really useful reference book. Thank you to Ella Berthoud, Net Galley and the publisher, Ivy Press for an ARC.

The idea of this book is excellent. I enjoyed it from the beginning. It's a perfect work for people that are looking for some light reading, for those starting their literature studies, and for people that have no idea of some related terminology.

I received this copy in a .ascm format, so I don't know how it would look in a tablet or in a physical format, but I think it'd work splendidly in a digital way since it has tiny sections that can send you to other pages with related content, as well as extra bibliography.

I would've liked the inclusion of a couple of more authors biographies' for each section and that they would've dedicated time for children's and erotica's literature since they have been earning new readers and more relevance nowadays.

If I ever see this book, I'm gonna buy it.

I thought this would be an interesting coffee table book to have out. This book talk about all different kinds genres in books through out history. I also like how each section is short and gives little blurbs to learn something, but no overwhelm you with information.

3.5/5
This book gives us insights about literature history, the novel, literary prose, poetry, drama, literary devices and literary styles. Each topic above is divided into a few smaller parts that give us brief and short explanations. Just like the title of the book. Though, I need to re-read some parts to understand. Moreover, the book gives us the time and the example of the literary works. This book also provides us with glossary in each topic that makes us easier to know important definitions. Furthermore, this book gives us awesome illustrations. I like to look at them. All in all, this book is good for you if you want to know a thing or two about literature. Thank you for writing this book! :)

This is necessary reading for:

*lovers of the English language
* students of the English language
* literature enthusiasts

Hoo boy this was great. So informative, funny in places, educational... just get it.

These kind of books are right up my alley. I like reading books about books and literature.
In this one the author manages to give us all the information we need regarding forms, genres and styles of literature,in texts that are short but fully understandable.
It covers all the important genres, styles and forms of literature and at the same time gives you examples and further reading material.
It's a great reference book and perfect for every bibliophile out there.

No-bullshit reference for those who want a quick refresher or fresh study on literature. Enjoyed the different options, such as the 3-seconder and 3-minute summaries, in capturing the essence of a genre. Every page also lists at least three recommended reads, some of which I noted, and most of the accompanying collages were fascinating to look at.

Well, this was a good book, but one that was a bit 'off'. It intends to cover the entirety of the written word and yet is fifty per cent illustration – however good those images may be, it's not really called for. It aims to cover all its subjects in thirty second bursts for the time-destitute, yet I can't get them done in that time. For I read aloud, even if I read aloud quickly, as I have found over the decades it makes me something closer to a careful reader. For one thing, each page-long entry is split into multiple sections, each with its own erroneous claim to its duration. So you get the core of the topic, the core of the topic redacted in two ways, a side-panel to the core of the topic, and a relevant reading list. In thirty seconds or whatever, it's more than an adult primer might have actually need bother with. It looks in preview form to be rather clunkily edited – an early instance of BC dating that is in the wrong order; an example of the book telling us Animal Farm didn't do A, but did do B, yet including it in the reading list for A. But I guess for a certain student it packs a punch, it carefully covers a lot of ground from individual genres and styles to literary techniques, and is certainly global and otherwise wide-ranging in its recommendations. Perhaps three and a half stars on a good day.

30-Second Literature is a short style guide to the most common literary forms, with short explanations for each. Due out 3rd March 2020 from Quarto on their Ivy Press imprint, it's 160 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is a collection and collaboration, well curated and edited by Ella Berthoud and compiled of essays and examples by a number of other authors. It delves into 50 different forms arranged roughly thematically: historical forms, the novel, literary prose, poetry, drama, literary devices, and styles. Each of the categories includes several notable forms such as early modern fiction, epistolary writing, tragedy, comedy, narrative voice, realism, etc. Each of the archetype chapters also contains an illustrative profile: Dostoevsky, Hafez, Aristophanes, and so on. Each of the chapters also includes a handy glossary with good layman accessible definitions.

Each of the entries also includes a definition, some deeper interpretation and related topics for further reading, along with a bibliography and (very) short text.

Graphically this book is beautifully appealing as well, with lots of varied paintings, drawings, relevant illustrations and tie-ins, cartoons and artistic work both original and reprinted.

This would make a superlative choice as a support text for literature/classroom/instruction use or as a personal reference work for the keen reader. The index is brief but satisfactory to its purpose.

Five stars.

Having owned 30-Second Elements and 30-Second Psychology I was excited to get my hands on 30-Second Literature.

This book provides a brief, but insightful, look at many concepts related to literature including the history of literature, types of literature and literary devices and styles. I loved that each section had examples of literature matching each concept. I also really loved the author spotlights.

I would definitely recommend this to others as a simple, but entertaining reference guide.

Thank you NetGalley and Ivy Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

30-Second Literature, in short, is a book about literature. It talks about a myriad of genres and forms of literature, extending from the beginning of story-telling like sanskrit or Sumerian all the way forward to modern times where it describes new types of novels like webtoons.

It functions as an academic text book about literature, but is so interesting and resourceful; on each page, there is a 30 second summary, but additionally, it contains recommendations of books based off the page topic and refers you to different pages that are relevant. I think this is an amazing addition to any library and a great gift for a scholarly reader.

I loved how it also featured pages on authors. Many of them I have never heard about, but their life and biography are so interesting to read about. It also reminds you how so many of these artists and writers have gone through very interesting life experiences which may have become a form of inspiration for their writing.

As a YA lover, I loved seeing modern references as well like Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It’s nice how the book is so comprehensive. Whether you’re a history fanatic or a modern reader, a book worm or a theater lover, there’s a little bit of everything for everyone in this book

You could see the amount of research and knowledge put into the book. The authors and contributors are well-versed in their field of study; some pursuing doctoral degrees, etc. This is definitely something I would love to buy for my English teacher or my friends studying lit.

Recommend if you liked:

– Bibliophile by Jane Mount but also looking for a more academic version of it

While I can't say the format of the ARC was very comfortable to read on a device, the information in this book about various literary terms and history of literature was fascinating. I particularly enjoyed getting to know more about the different literary devices and styles, because I'm very unfamiliar with them and I am hoping it will help me look at my reading in a different light and maybe even help in my blogging.

Definitely recommend for avid readers who want to know more about literature and writing in short detail.