A Handbook to Literature [Paperback]

C. Hugh Holman (Author), William Harmon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 1992 | ISBN-10: 0025534408 | ISBN-13: 978-0025534407 | Edition: 6

Provides clear explanations of English literary terms for all types of study. The book is divided into three sections - terms and their definitions, an outline of literary history and an index of names. The terms have been updated to reflect modern and ethnic usages.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This comprehensive text is the definitive reference text on literature and literary criticism in English. The text itself is an alphabetical listing of the terms that pertain to literature in English. Now in its seventh edition, it has been used by more than one million students. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Preface to the Seventh Edition o For more than ten years now, I have given part of every day to the fifth, sixth, and seventh editions of this handbook, and, even before the seventh is technically finished, I have started to make notes for the eighth. I have little to add to what has been said in earlier prefaces, except to report something I had not expected: this kind of work has been more to me and of me than creative writing. One of the improvements in the world since the first edition sixty years ago, as far as I am concerned, is such expansion and relaxation of literary studies that we may now pay to works of biography, history, philosophy, and social science the same kind of critical attention that was once austerely reserved for poems, plays, and novels. And, since the idea of "text" has been enlarged much beyond the realm of print, one may look at an objective work, like this handbook, as a personal text not too different from a poem. For what it may be worth, I can testify, after twenty-five years of publishing books of poetry, that verse is of my life a thing apart, but that the making of reference works like anthologies and handbooks is my whole existence. That exaggerates things somewhat, but it registers my sense of being on even in my dreams. With every conscious experience of a text television production, magazine, bumper sticker, tattoo, overheard conversationI can feel the gears grinding. And probably even more so with casual and unconscious experiences. My wife asks, "Is that a spoof?" and I immediately wonder if the handbook needs an entry for "spoof." TV Guide calls things "soap noir" (Twin Peaks) or "gender-bender" (a film in which a break-dancer with ESP solves a murder), and the machinery starts to hum. People who know me have probably learned to spot changes in my expression that mean "Hes handbooking." I want to thank them for their forbearance when I ask them about the meaning of "soap noir," "gender-bender," "spoof," "pseudomorph," or any of a thousand other things. I owe a special debt of gratitude to Valerie Matthews and Julia Stockton for help with proofreading and much else. Thomas Inge, George Kennedy, Roy McGalliard, Christoph Schweitzer, Mark Wallace, and Joon Yoon came through with advice about specific items. Reviews of larger scope were provided by Joseph W. Creech, Lucy Fischer, Martin Gardner, Russell Graves, Jacqueline Henkel, James G. Janssen, Dale Kramer, Marc Manganaro, John Ney Rieber, Joseph Rudman, Ellen J. Stekert, and Susan Wanlass. My failure to follow all of their recommendations does not mean that I am rejecting or ignoring them. Only so much can be done, and, as I say, there is already a file labeled "8e." William Harmon --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 615 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 6 edition (September 28, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0025534408
• ISBN-13: 978-0025534407
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #737,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A page-turner encyclopedia? You better believe it!, August 21, 2002

By 

R. Tiedemann "Sunnye" (Bellevue, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Handbook to Literature (8th Edition) (Paperback)

If you have a question about English or American literature, chances are you'll find the answer here. William Harmon, professor of English at the University of North Carolina has revised and updated this handbook, long popular in academia. He's added more than 100 entries which reflect current trends in literature and criticism.

If you don't have a student at home, get this book anyway. Read it. Just the outline of English and American literary history in the back of the book is worth the price. You undoubtedly will find books here you never knew existed. I thought I'd read all of Eudora Welty, for instance, but I found a "new" title listed here -- new to me, at least. I also discovered a James Gould Cozzens book I'd never heard of.

The handbook is actually an encyclopedia of words and phrases pertaining to the study of literature. Listings are defined, explained and often illustrated. There are cross references. Appendices include complete lists of Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize winners for fiction, poetry and drama. The index of proper names in the back lists over 2,300 authors and prominent literary figures.

This book is a must for the home library. Also, it's entertaining as well as informative reading. You may well find yourself curled up with it, unwilling to tear yourself away.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for Most Liberal Arts Students, December 14, 2000

By 

Renee Thorpe (Karangasem, Bali) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Handbook to Literature (Paperback)

With the possible exception of my Roget's Thesaurus, this was the most useful reference in my pursuit of a BA in English Lit and Art History. This was recommended by one of my professors and it served me very well.

Easy-to-use alphabetical format allows reader to look up terms essential to the analysis of literature, and is highly useful to students of other humanities. The definitions are easy to digest but are quite thorough and supply sufficient context. Take this to college and use it often. An excellent tool for your research and writing.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Handy, Handy, Handy!, May 30, 2001

By 

"engltchr" (Remerton, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Handbook to Literature (Paperback)

I love this book because it has complete, concise definitions of every literary facet you can think of. I have used it as a study tool for my certification tests, as a quick look up tool before tests, and as a way to explain difficult literary terminology to my students. I cannot stress how badly English teachers (and anyone else who loves literature) needs this book!