Customer Reviews

Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature professes to be a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the world of literature - authors, works, terms, and topics - from all eras and all parts of the world. In my view this joint effort of Merriam Webster and Encyclopedia of Britannica is exactly what it claims to be. I have used this valuable resource for several years and I highly recommend it.

This is a rather heavy, thick book and not suitable for a carrying in a backpack. I keep my copy readily accessible in my favorite reading area. Whenever I look up a topic, I pencil-in a small check mark. My little check marks are now scattered throughout this reference book.

The short descriptive passages, generally around 100 to 500 words, are well written and often sufficiently intriguing that I find myself moving from one related topic to another. This compilation is ideal for students and teachers, but I recommend this single volume encyclopedia for anyone that enjoys literature.

The references include literary works, classic authors, contemporary authors, mythology and folklore, literary terms, literary styles, historical literary movements, scholars and critics, and literary awards and prizes. I rarely fail to find whatever I am looking for. I would be quite surprised if this compilation did not meet your needs.

I also have a copy of another good reference work, Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia, possibly the best-known literary encyclopedia. Benet's compilation overlaps considerably with the Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature, but the two are not identical.

Benet's reference work contains less literary references, most notably fewer literary terms and definitions. Benet's is less likely than Merriam-Webster to have a short essay on a specific literary work or poem. For example, Benet's does not have an entry for The Name of the Rose, I Sing the Body Electric, Love in the Time of Cholera, For the Union Dead, or many other titles found in Merriam Webster.

However, Benet's compilation is wider in scope, having many historical definitions (e.g., Napoleon Bonaparte, Congress of Vienna, Vietnam War, Vikings), more religious terms (e.g., trimurti - Hindu and tripitaka - Buddhist), and more art and music references (e.g., Grandma Moses, Picasso, and Mozart).

I give 5 stars to Merriam Webster and 4 stars to Benet.

You will not find, regardless of what others may say, a more complete literature encyclopedia on the market. While shopping for one a few years back I did a comparison between M-W's Encyclopedia of Literature and Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia. M-W's had far more entries and far better descriptions and definitions. I credit this book with helping me do well on the GRE Literature exam since I pulled much of my study material from it. This is a must have for all students and teachers of literature.

Merriam Webster's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LITERATURE is a 1200 page overview of literature, with entries documenting important written materials from antiquity to contemporary times. Arranged alphabetically, this volume is easy to use. Readers can look up authors, individual works, literary devices and forms, and schools of thought - the important ones are all there. Because so much is included, the entries themselves are short, usually one or two paragraphs. This volume is wonderful if you want to remind yourself of an author's major works or what the definition of a sonnet is. You can use the thumbnail entries as starting points for additional research, or as a quick way to check dates and titles.

As an overview of literature throughout the ages, this encyclopedia is well worth owning. If you want more in-depth analysis, I suggest looking for books particular to your topic of interest.

One of the more affordable literature encyclopedias on the market, this tome is not 100 percent exhaustive, but it will have all the major authors, literary terms, and critical approaches. I have found it an invaluable reference as a student of English literature, and I reccomend it for any graduate or undergraduate student.

This is an informative and interesting volume, equally valuable for research or just simply browsing. The entries are fairly brief, but serve as a good springboard for further investigation if one so desires. The important authors, works, and literary terms are all here. Truly a useful reference tool.

Since this is a reference I haven't read the whole thing. I was very pleased recently when I looked up Commedia dell'Arte. There were several complete descriptions of the characters and history. I have been looking for many years for just this much information about the subject. Also, I have many interesting side trips when I use this book. It's great!

This is a very handy resource to find short information articles on authors, literary works, major characters, terms of literary art, and a few pictures of the major writers. It is not limited to English and American writers, but it is European in focus - though there are writers and works from other parts of the world as well.

Each term has a pronunciation guide, which can be helpful. The articles are helpful, but brief. The biographical entries are also helpful, but cursory. It has to be that way in a book of this size given the number of terms covered. Additional bibliographical entries are not provided.

This is a handy resource if not as comprehensive as the dust jacket claims. Given the prices of used copies, it is a steal.

I bought this book because it was one of the recommendations by Writer's Digest to get a large resource in a compact package that gives descriptions of most of the worlds most known authors and what they have written. I had no idea how jam-packed it is with information. Highly recommended as a textbook for all English Majors and/or wanna-be writers!

As an English major, I have greatly benefited from having this book in my personal library. A wonderful place to start for any serious reader or student.

I know how valuable the Encyclopedia of Literature is as a literary resource since I no longer have it on hand. As a writer, presenter of the classics and avaricious reader. it provided jump start information to help me choose a book and answer the who and when questions my audience might ask. The succinct reviews of each work were a perfect length to read quickly, and along with Masterpieces of Literature became the bread and butter of my handouts and sendouts (with the source duly noted when necessary.) The pages were easy to flip, works were arranged alphabeticaly, and the encyclopedia as a whole was a delight to browse. The blurbs always inspired me to look for the 'jelly" to the bread and butter and made me a more thorough researcher. .
Why ish't it on hand? The ten by eight. 1,286-page paperback, I slipped throutgh since 1995, like its owner, got weak in the joints. Its cover began to curl and its pages began to fall out. The replacement I ordered from Amazon went to the wrong recipient who lives 35 miles away with no time to mail the heavy tome. Or perhaps he became as intrigued with it as I am. My old edition?. I bound it with rubber bands and it is enjoying a well-deserved retirement. C'est le livre!