The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms by
From Jacques Derrida's différance to Henry James's ficelle, the vocabulary of literary theory and criticism can seem difficult if not opaque. Yet a grasp of these terms can often enhance our enjoyment and understanding of literature. To help clarify the reader's bafflement, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms provides succinct and often witty explanations of over one thousand terms, covering everything from the ancient dithyramb to the contemporary dub poetry, from the popular bodice-ripper to the aristocratic masque, and from the social realism of Stalin's era to the magic realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Salman Rushdie. Baldick provides the clearest coverage available of the newly coined terms of important contemporary theories--such as post-structuralism, deconstruction, semiotics, reader-response criticism--offering lucid, up-to-date definitions of terms such as logocentrism, metacriticism, gynocriticism, narratology, and foregrounding. Of course, he also includes extensive coverage of traditional drama, versification, rhetoric, and literary history, of literary schools from Alexandrianism to Transcendentalism, and of terms from languages other than English, such as samizdat, Grand Guignol, and negritude. Throughout, the author's emphasis is on helping readers use these terms more confidently, whether in writing (he includes plural and adjectival forms, and other relevant derivations) or in speaking (easy-to-use pronunciation guides clarify more than 200 potentially troublesome terms). In addition, the dictionary is thoroughly cross-referenced. A model reference book, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms will prove invaluable for both general readers and literature students at all levels.
Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of American Literature / Anne Marie Hacht (Editor)
This four-volume set covers American 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 American Literature allows a reader to analyze an authors work as a reflection of the heritage, traditions and experiences of the authors personal life and the beliefs, events, and lifestyles of the United States at the time, given such context as: Tarzan author Edgar Rice Burroughs was interested in eugenics -- the study of methods to improve the human gene pool, and the same science that Hitler used to try to legitimize the Holocaust. Known mostly for her portrayal of her mental health issues, Sylvia Plath was also a feminist writer who channeled her frustration as a woman with a career during the conservative, post-World War II society. Ralph Waldo Emerson was instrumental in building an American culture of literature and arts distinct from the parent culture| of England and Europe. The nearly 500 entries also identify the significant literary devices and global themes that define a writers style and place the author in a larger literary tradition as chronicled and evaluated by critics over time. For example: Kurt Vonnegut Jr. repeatedly featured characters in his fiction who fall into self-doubt when they lose w
Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance / Aberjhani; Sandra West (Editor); Clement Alexander Price (Editor)
In the decades of the 1920s and 1930s in Harlem, New York City, there developed a unique awakening of mind and spirit, of race conciousness and artistic advancement. This declaration of African-American independence became known as the Harlem Renaissance and this is a study of the era.
Encyclopedia of African-American Writing / Sherry Hatch (Editor)
A timely survey of an important sector of American letters, The Encyclopedia of African-American Writing covers the role and influence of African American cultural leaders, from all walks of life, from the 18th century to the present. Readers will explore what inspired various African-American writers to create poems, plays, short stories, novels, essays, opinion pieces and numerous other works, and how those writings contributed to culture in America today.
American Women Writers : A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to the Present / Taryn Benbow-Pfalzgraf (Editor)
Including up-to-date coverage of 1300 writers and spanning from colonial days to the present, this reference offers biography, criticism, bibliography and much more.
This Is Who We Were: in The 1940s (1940-1949) / Laura Mars (Editor)
World War II and the Postwar Years in America / William H. Young; Nancy K. Young
Provides a look at one of the most tempestuous decades in recent American history, describing the everyday activities of Americans as they dealt first with war, and then a difficult transition to peace and prosperity.
