The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

by Margaret Drabble (Editor), Jenny Stringer (Editor), Daniel Hahn (Editor)
Key Phrases: court theatre, scarlet letter, recruiting officer, Collected Poems, New York, Old English (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Beautifully organized, replete with valuable information, and small enough to be easily handled, this inexpensive paperback volume is an ideal reference book."--Charlotte Lindgren, American Reference Books Annual


Product Description
Based on the vastly popular Oxford Companion to English Literature edited by Margaret Drabble, this indispensable volume offers over five thousand alphabetically arranged entries on individual novels, plays, songs, poems, novelists, poets, playwrights, essayists, philosophers, historians, fictional characters, literary movements, legends, and much more.
Like its parent volume, this abridgement features useful plot summaries, entries on important fictional characters, and countless biographical articles on authors and other influential figures in the world of letters, all presented with the same lightness of touch that has made the original work such a pleasure to read. Fully revised and updated, the third edition features dozens of new entries on writers ranging from literary giant Marcel Proust, to American writers Michael Cunningham, Harper Lee, and Cormac McCarthy, to rising British stars Monica Ali, Hari Kunzru, and Zadie Smith. Readers will now find concise, reliable accounts of postmodern philosopher Jean Baudrillard, literary critic Terry Eagleton, science fiction writer Douglas Adams, fantasy writer Philip Pullman, Jamaican poet Jean "Binta" Breeze, playwright Michael Poliakoff, and children's author J.K. Rowling. In addition, the edition includes updated appendices listing the winners of the Nobel, Booker, and Pulitzer prizes. There is also a new timeline, chronicling the development of literature from its origins right up to the present day.
With generous coverage of literature from around the world, entries on literary movements, critics, and critical theories, and updated information on modern authors and works, this is a book that readers will find indispensable. Written by a team of more than 140 distinguished contributors, headed by Margaret Drabble, it belongs on the shelves of all lovers of literature.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 752 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 3 edition (October 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199214921
• ISBN-13: 978-0199214921
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #693,994 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect pocket reference to literature, March 19, 2000

By	Laura Haggarty (Northern KY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

This book fills a niche, and does so perfectly. I wanted a reference work for literature, but I didn't want to pay $50 for one. This book gives short, concise blurbs, which is often all one needs. It is organized well and is inclusive enough for the average household. Not a book for specialists, but excellent for the layperson and student.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars handy English literature reference , May 21, 2007

By	Sunny "Sunny" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

This is a compact version of the 6th edition of the Oxford Companion to English Literature. The emphasis is naturally on British literature (John Galt is not listed as a character in Atlas Shrugged, but as a Scottish novelist). There is coverage of writers from the United States, Canada, Africa, the Caribbean, and India.

Among the entries are:
- short biographies of novelists, dramatists and poets, and also a few philosophers (Swedenborg), historians, scholars, critics, biographers, travel writers, and journalists
- plot summaries and descriptions of poems

Other notable entries:
- literary and intellectual movements, genres, and critical theory
- figures in Irish mythology
- gay and lesbian literature
- literary societies, libraries, publishers, and even coffee houses

Certain topics get a two-page treatment. (Black British literature, science fiction, structuralism and post-structuralism, ghost stories, post-colonial literature, romantic fiction, spy fiction, etc.)

There's no editorializing. They "describe and characterize rather than judge."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars English Major must have, November 12, 2007

By	Jonnie (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

I ordered the Oxford companion to help me study for my comprehensive exams. Even though I didn't use it much for that purpose, I think that it is a must have for anyone planning to major in English in college. The text is in dictionary format; many terms/concepts you find will come up in any college lit course. It is a great purchase and probably much cheaper than what you will find in a University bookstore.