Literature

This online edition was reviewed and selectively updated by William L. Andrews and Frances Smith Foster in 2011.

This abridged and updated edition of the acclaimed Oxford Companion to African American Literature presents more than 400 biographies of authors, critics, literary characters, and historical figures, and 150 plot summaries of major works.

A breathtaking achievement, it covers an enormous range of writers - from Sojourner Truth to Frederick Douglass, Ralph Ellison to Toni Morrison. It contains entries on major works (including synopses of novels) and also incorporates information on literary characters, as well as on character types such as Aunt Jemima and Brer Rabbit. Icons of black culture are addressed, including Muhammad Ali, John Coltrane, Marcus Garvey, Jackie Robinson, John Brown, and Harriet Tubman. There are general articles on poetry, fiction, and drama; on autobiography, slave narratives, Sunday School literature, and oratory; as well as on a wide spectrum of related topics.

For more than half a century, The Oxford Companion to American Literature has been an unparalleled guide to America's literary culture, providing one of the finest resources to this country's rich history of great writers.

There are over 2,000 biographical profiles of important American authors (with information regarding their style, subjects, and major works) and influential foreign writers as well as other figures who have been important in the nation's social and cultural history. There are more than 1,100 full summaries of important American novels, stories, essays, poems (with verse form noted), plays, biographies and autobiographies, tracts, narratives, and histories.

Brewer's Dictionary of Irish Phrase & Fable is dedicated to the history, culture, and mythology of the Emerald Isle. With a stunningly eclectic array of more than 6,000 entries on words, phrases, names, titles, people, events, and places, it is an invaluable work of reference. And in the great tradition of Brewer's, it is guaranteed to intrigue, inform, and delight lovers of the arcane, the esoteric, and the unexpected.

A work of nearly 900 pages in print, now available for the first time digitally, the uniquely wide-ranging and addictively browsable Brewer's Dictionary of Irish Phrase & Fable takes you on a fascinating journey around the island of Ireland. From Pearse to Paisley, the Floozie in the Jacuzzi to the Hags with the Bags, Kerrygold to Kerry jokes, and Beckett to Boyzone, it is a cabinet stuffed with Irish curiosities of every conceivable variety.

A vivid and affectionate celebration of the whole island of Ireland, this is the perfect book for anyone passionate about Ireland and its history.

From the Bloomsbury Group to the Camberwell Carrot and Samuel Johnson to Boris Johnson, Brewer's Dictionary of London Phrase and Fable shines a welcome light into the enticingly shadowy corners of London's language, culture, and history. More than 2,000 entries encompass words, phrases, historical events, notable London characters (both real and fictional), customs and ceremonies, institutions, artistic and literary works, celebrations and events, inventions, streets and districts, anecdotes, names and nicknames, terminology, and slang.

Whether you are a Londoner through and through or whether you prefer to experience this bustling and cacophonous city from the safety of your armchair, Brewer's Dictionary of London Phrase and Fable will bring the heart and soul of London to your (virtual) bookshelf.

With thousands of contemporary words and phrases and a wide selection of entries on the cultural preoccupations of our times, Brewer’s Dictionary of Modern Phrase & Fable is an invaluable guide to modern language and culture. Focusing on the 20th and 21st centuries, it applies the trademark Brewer’s treatment to a fascinating selection of buzzwords, catchphrases, slang, nicknames, fictional characters and intriguing cultural phenomena from pop culture to politics, literature to technology.

Encompassing everything from the Battle of Britain to the Brazilian wax, McCarthyism to McDonald’s and Waiting for Godot to Wallace and Gromit, Brewer’s Modern is wonderfully diverse, addictively browsable and bound to broaden your horizons.

Much loved for its wit and wisdom since 1870, Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable takes you on a captivating adventure through its trademark blend of language, culture, myth and legend. As Susie Dent explains in the foreword, Brewer’s “is not a straightforward dictionary, nor is it an encyclopaedia. It is, in fact, unlike any other reference book that exists, anywhere.” This nineteenth edition encapsulates all the charm and wit that characterise its predecessors and maintains the standards of scholarship and eclecticism that have long been its hallmark.

Thoroughly updated with over 100 new and revised entries – think crowdsourcing, cyberpunk, iPad and mash-up – this unique resource is guaranteed to delight, entertain and inspire in the best Brewer’s tradition. Discover Brewer’s take on angels, heraldry, pub signs and recluses, and delve into the lexicographical world of the eggcorn. Whether you are a committed Brewerphile or a newcomer to its pages of fascinating entries, this edition will draw you in and keep you glued to its rich mix of eccentric nuggets.

Over 1,500 entries

For nearly half a century, James D. Hart's Oxford Companion to American Literature has offered a matchless guided tour through American literary culture, both past and present, with brief biographies of important authors, descriptions of important literary movements, and a wealth of information on other aspects of American literary life and history from the Colonial period to the present day.

In this second edition of the Concise version, Wendy Martin and Danielle Hinrichs bring the work up to date to more fully reflect the diversity of the subject. Their priorities have been, foremost, to fully represent the impact of writers of color and women writers on the field of American literature and to increase the usefulness of the work to students of literary theory.

To this end, over 230 new entries have been added, including many that cover women authors; Native American, African American, Asian American, Latino/a, and other contemporary ethnic literatures; LGBT, trans, and queer studies; and recent literary movements and evolving areas of contemporary relevance such as eco-criticism, disability studies, whiteness studies, male/masculinity studies, and diaspora studies.

Over 300 entries

This new dictionary provides clear definitions of the most important literary terms and devices in classical and modern Arabic literature. It covers technical terms and rhetorical devices, themes and motifs, concepts, historical eras, literary schools and movements, forms and genres, and significant figures and institutions. Defining terms such as ‘root-play’, highlighting schools such as the Mahjar poets, and exploring concepts such as ‘imaginary evocation’, the dictionary introduces students of Arabic and Arabic literature to the specificities of the Arabic literary tradition and equips them with the tools to understand the nuances and complexities of the texts they encounter.

Over 240 entries

From the Shi jing (Classic of Songs) of the eleventh century bc, to the to the wanglu wenxue (Internet literature) of the twenty-first century, this authoritative dictionary covers key terms relative to the study of Chinese literature, from antiquity to the present day. a–z entries on key literary figures, trends, schools, movements, and literary collections are included, as well as detailed descriptions of traditional literary works, plays, dramas, stories, novels, and other main literary texts.

This dictionary considers the Chinese literary tradition, and its relation to Chinese culture, customs, and court life, including the most up-to-date research materials with new scholarly assessments. Nearly all entries also contain bibliographies, opening another window for interested readers to pursue further study of the subject.

Over 750 entries

The most authoritative and up-to-date dictionary of critical theory available, covering the Frankfurt school, cultural materialism, cultural studies, gender studies, film studies, literary theory, hermeneutics, historical materialism, Internet studies, and sociopolitical critical theory. It explains complex theoretical discourses, such as Marxism, psychoanalysis, structuralism, deconstruction, and postmodernism clearly and provides biographies of figures who have influenced the discipline, such as Deleuze and Foucault.

This new edition has been updated to extend coverage of diaspora, race, and postcolonial theory, and of queer and sexuality studies, ensuring that it remains invaluable for students of literary and cultural studies and anyone studying a humanities subject requiring a knowledge of theory.

‘affords many pleasures to the curious... an intellectual inventory. ’ – Andrew Zurcher, Times Literary Supplement

This is the first Dictionary of English Manuscript Terminology ever to be published. Dealing with the subject of documentation—which affects everyone's lives (from every-day letters, notes, and shopping lists to far-reaching legal instruments, if not autograph literary masterpieces)—Peter Beal defines, in a lively and accessible style, some 1,500 terms relating to manuscripts and their production and use in Britain from 1450 to the present day.

The entries, which range in length from one line to nearly a hundred lines each, cover terms defining types of manuscript, their physical features and materials, writing implements, writing surfaces, scribes and other writing agents, scripts, postal markings, and seals, as well as subjects relating to literature, bibliography, archives, palaeography, the editing and printing of manuscripts, dating, conservation, and such fields as cartography, commerce, heraldry, law, and military and naval matters.

This is an encyclopedic dictionary covering hundreds of important philosophical, literary, and political terms and concepts that defy easy--or any--translation from one language and culture to another. Drawn from more than a dozen languages, terms such as Dasein (German), pravda (Russian), saudade (Portuguese), and stato (Italian) are thoroughly examined in all their cross-linguistic and cross-cultural complexities. Spanning the classical, medieval, early modern, modern, and contemporary periods, these are terms that influence thinking across the humanities. The entries, written by more than 150 distinguished scholars, describe the origins and meanings of each term, the history and context of its usage, its translations into other languages, and its use in notable texts. The dictionary also includes essays on the special characteristics of particular languages--English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Originally published in French, this one-of-a-kind reference work is now available in English, with new contributions from Judith Butler, Daniel Heller-Roazen, Ben Kafka, Kevin McLaughlin, Kenneth Reinhard, Stella Sandford, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Jane Tylus, Anthony Vidler, Susan Wolfson, Robert J. C. Young, and many more. The result is an invaluable reference for students, scholars, and general readers interested in the multilingual lives of some of our most influential words and ideas.

This dictionary comprises authoritative, highly accessible entries on writers, works, and literary movements. These entries are supplementary to other literature titles in the Quick Reference collection, and are written by specialist authors. The dictionary is an ongoing project, and more entries will be added over time.

‘...a tremendous achievement...it resuscitates hundreds of authors and drives fresh pathways through the field’, Times Literary Supplement

This Companion examines the broad sweep of fiction-writing in the first decade and a half of the twentieth century, from 1900 to the outbreak of the First World War, a period when novels in Britain were produced more cheaply, and read more widely, than ever before. All of the classics of the period are explored: Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles, Henry James's The Golden Bowl, E M Forster's A Room with a View, Conrad's Lord Jim, and D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers. The Companion also surveys a huge variety of neglected and forgotten books, and covers genres such as spy fiction and feminist fiction, and institutions such as the suburb, the publishing trade, and the literary agent. Significant social developments and themes are examined in topic entries, which allow the reader to explore all the novels in a particular genre. Notably, women writers make up nearly half of the biographical entries, reflecting the unprecedented number of women who began to publish during the period.

Indispensable for students and lovers of literature, the Companion offers unique access to the works, writers, and preoccupations of this absorbing period in history.

Over 4,900 entries

Based on the bestselling Oxford Companion to English Literature, this is an indispensable guide to all aspects of English literature. Over 4,900 new and revised A to Z entries give unrivalled coverage of writers, works, historical context, literary theory, allusions, characters, and plot summaries.

For this fourth edition, the dictionary has been fully revised and updated to include expanded coverage of postcolonial, African, black British, and children's literature, as well as improved representation in the areas of science fiction, biography, travel literature, women's writing, gay and lesbian writing, and American literature.

The appendices listing literary prize winners, including the Nobel, Man Booker, and Pulitzer prizes, have all been updated and there is also a timeline, chronicling the development of English literature from c. 1000 to the present day.

Written originally by a team of more than 140 distinguished authors and extensively updated for this new edition, this book provides an essential point of reference for English students, teachers, and all other readers of literature in English.

This comprehensive guide spans sixteen centuries of the literature and literary culture of Ireland. From the ogam alphabet in the 4th century, to contemporary writers such as Roddy Doyle and Seamus Heaney, there is a wealth of information on writers and their works, movements, genres, topics, folklore, and historical, religious, and cultural events.

‘the finest reference book of its kind: a brilliant and meticulous interweaving of anecdote and quotation … it provides the ideal way to plan any kind of literary pilgrimage in Britain or Ireland … a book of quite extraordinary evocative power … permanent magic’ Richard Holmes, The Times

First published in 1977, this classic reference work is a gazetteer of almost 2,000 places - villages, towns, cities, and landscapes - in Britain and Ireland detailing their connections with the lives of famous writers. It invites the reader to explore the places where their favourite writers - from Jane Austen to Philip Pullman - were born, lived, were educated, worked, and drew inspiration. The entries elegantly interweave information with anecdote and quotation, to build a vivid picture of the day-to-day lives of the writers. The Guide is the ideal resource and companion for any literary pilgrimage in Britain or Ireland, and for the armchair literary traveller.

New to this edition are special feature entries on writers particularly associated with places, including the Brontes, Walter Scott, and James Joyce, contributed by high-profile authors including Margaret Drabble and John Sutherland. The Guide also provides an index of author names, with mini biographies, enabling the reader to track down all the places associated with their favourite writers.

‘a superb act of homage at a critical moment in French literary fortunes’, Observer

This Companion is a new and completely reconceived work, rather than a revision of the 1959 Oxford Companion to French Literature. As the change in title implies, it presents an authoritative guide not only to ten centuries of literature produced in the territory now called France, but also to the rich literary output of other French‐speaking countries around the world. Written by an international team of specialists, entries cover individual authors and works from the troubadours to Césaire, and from La Princesse de Clèves to La Vie mode d'emploi. Substantial essay‐entries reflect the latest scholarship on topics such as chivalry, Occupation and Resistance in wartime France, scholasticism, the sciences, literary movements and genres, as well as opera, cinema, and press.

Adventurous and wide‐ranging, The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French is an indispensable and hugely enjoyable reference work for all scholars, students and general readers.

This Companion offers a comprehensive record of New Zealand writing in easily accessible form. It contains more than 1,500 entries on writers, novels, plays, poetry, journals, periodicals, anthologies, literary movements, and professional organisations. The generous range of plot summaries and author entries will prove invaluable to students and the interested lay reader alike.

‘The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature is a landmark’ A. D. Hope, London Review of Books

Foremost in its field, the second edition of The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature offers a comprehensive record of Australian writing from European settlement to the early 1990s. Written in clear, accessible language, the Companion contains entries on writers, plays, novels, poems, newspapers, journals, anthologies, literary prizes, movements, and professional organizations. It also includes useful plot summaries, detailed biographies, and a number of essay-length articles on key areas, such as Aboriginal writing and science fiction.