The Oxford Dictionary of Allusions [Hardcover]

Andrew Delahunty (Author), Sheila Dignan (Author), Penny Stock (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198600313 | ISBN-13: 978-0198600312 | Publication Date: July 12, 2001 | Edition: Ex-Library

Allusions give us a marvelous literary shorthand, drawing on our collective knowledge of literature, mythology, and the Bible to help us describe people, places, feelings, and events. A miser is a Scrooge, a strong man is a Samson or a Hercules, a beautiful woman is a Venus or a modern-day Helen of Troy. We can suffer like Sisyphus or linger like the smile of the Cheshire Cat.
Ranging from classical mythology to modern movies and TV shows, this new reference work explains the meanings of the allusions in use in modern English, from Abaddon to Zorro, Tartarus to Tarzan, and Rubens to Rambo. Based on an extensive reading program that has identified the most commonly used allusions, this fascinating volume includes numerous quotations to illustrate usage, from a range of authors and sources, from Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens to Bridget Jones's Diary. Moreover, the dictionary is thematically structured, so that readers not only can look up Medea to find out who she was and how her name is used as an allusion, but also can look up the theme of "Revenge" and find, alongside Medea, entries for other figures used to allude to revenge, such as The Furies or The Count of Monte Cristo.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-This volume arranges literary, mythological, biblical, and popular references by theme. A line or two introduces each subject noting common associations, and/or scope of the entries that follow. "Nonconformity" includes brief entries on Bohemia, Holden Caulfield, James Dean, Galileo, and other characters and individuals. Many of these entries are accompanied by an excerpt illustrating its use in a work of literature (with author, title, and date). "Abundance and Plenty," "Change," "Destiny and Luck," "Freedom," and "Time" are just a few of the broad topics examined. There are also some in-depth discussions of allusions to Don Quixote, Odysseus, Achilles, the Trojan War, Moses, and other characters, events, and concepts. One of these covers David, describing the Old Testament hero's battle with Goliath, his relationship with Bathsheba, and the rebellion of Absalom, while cross-references will lead readers to other related entries. A list of the topics examined is given in the front of the book. Students will find using this resource similar to working with a thesaurus and will appreciate the simplicity of the dual index containing both themes and references. Purchase as an aid to creative writing and literary analysis.

Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Wonderfully conceived and extraordinarily useful, this new literary dictionary has been created by a team of freelance lexicographers who have compiled many dictionaries, and their experience shows. The contents have been drawn from a wide-ranging reading program designed to identify the allusions encountered most frequently in literature both modern and canonical. Thus, it covers classical myths and modern culture and ranges from "Ahab" to "Teflon," "Eve" to "Darth Vader." The dictionary is alphabetical but can be searched both by the word used as an allusion and by the theme represented. The dictionary is particularly well laid out, with the major theme of the allusion captioned and explained, followed by the words representing that allusion. Many entries include a quotation illustrating the allusion in use. For allusions based on names, the editors have added explanatory sections describing who these figures were and why they and/or their stories represent various themes. What results is a supremely useful dictionary that is highly recommend for all libraries. Neal Wyatt, Chesterfield P.L., VA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Ex-Library edition (July 12, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198600313
• ISBN-13: 978-0198600312
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,784,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars References, NOT Allusions, September 7, 2008

By 

Nathan King (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Oxford Dictionary of Allusions (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Mass Market Paperback)

While this book has many interesting tidbits of information that may make their way into writing, they are most definitely not allusions. At best they are simply literary REFERENCES and therefore this book provides little beyond what you would find in a typical encyclopedia entry about the keyword. Who was Ahab, Frodo, Medusa, etc. Where is hell, olympus, or Narnia. What was manna and so on. Unfortunately, the examples follow the same pattern. Whereas an allusion is indirect and subtle, the examples in this book are direct and explicit references to the keywords (ie "He was crazy like Ahab," instead of something like a subtle quotation from Moby Dick suggesting the character of Ahab). I got this book mainly for the examples in order to see the different ways allusions have been used, but all the examples are simply examples of literary references, not allusions.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars waking our language, March 21, 2008

By 

Nancy Hodges - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oxford Dictionary of Allusions (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Mass Market Paperback)

The day the Oxford Dictionary of Allusions arrived, I unwrapped it, poured a cup of coffee, and took it and my cup of coffee out to the patio where I opened it randomly. The first entry I saw was Worzel Gummidge. Now, I can use that. I am working on a character sketch of a locally known celeb of sorts, and have been searching for just the right word... the picture to put in the reader's mind. And there it is. Perfect. Never heard of it before.
Another entry that caught my eye as I flipped through the pages was Mrs. Malaprop. I have been teased for years. "Turn off the cat and put out the light", I said once when the family was going out the door. Nobody ever told me I was making malapropisms. I love our language, but sometimes it gets stale, repetitious . We become lazy, use the same old expressions, and forget the countless colorful idioms that can dance in our imaginations.
You cannot put this book down. You will find old favorite words you've forgotten and many new ones you may never have known. Your heart will be happier, your conversations more inspiring.
I'm going to get another cup of coffee and go back to painting the Forth Bridge. If you want to know what that means, buy this book and look it up.

8 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Limited, October 20, 2002

By 

Bert Wiefels (Banning, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oxford Dictionary of Allusions (Hardcover)

The Oxford Dictionary of Allusions is limited in content. I would have preferred something more complete.