The best-selling Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms (formerly the Concise dictionary) provides clear, concise, and often witty definitions of the most troublesome literary terms from abjection to zeugma. It is an essential reference tool for students of literature in any language. It is now available in a new and expanded edition and includes increased coverage of new terms from modern critical and theoretical movements, such as feminism, and schools of American poetry, Spanish verse forms, life writing, and crime fiction. It includes extensive coverage of traditional drama, versification, rhetoric, and literary history, as well as updated and extended advice on recommended further reading and a pronunciation guide to more than 200 terms. New to this edition are recommended entry-level web links updated via the Dictionary of Literary Terms companion website.
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About the Author
Chris Baldick is Professor of English at Goldsmiths' College, University of London. He edited The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales (1992), and is the author of The Oxford English Literary History, Volume 10 (1910-1940): The Modern Movement (2004), In Frankenstein's Shadow (1987), Criticism and LiteraryTheory 1890 to the Present (1996), and other works of literary history. He has edited, with Rob Morrison, Tales of Terror from Blackwood's Magazine, and The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre, and has written an introduction to Charles Maturin's Melmoth the Wanderer (all available in the Oxford World's Classics series).
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By charliebee
Format:Paperback
This book was invaluable for my English literature work.
It has all kinds of entries from all genres, dictionary style, and gives recommendations for further reading within the definitions.
My work and general understanding of the literary terms has greatly improved, and I know I can always consult this!
It has all kinds of entries from all genres, dictionary style, and gives recommendations for further reading within the definitions.
My work and general understanding of the literary terms has greatly improved, and I know I can always consult this!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Misbah
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
An invaluable book for any student of English Literature. This book contained terms that I had never even even heard of prior to starting my university course and has been extremely useful in explaining many of the technical terms. I feel as though my knowledge of literary terms has greatly increased and this is reflected in the improved marks which I have recently attained in my essays as a result of this.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've had this book for about a year now and have been popping in and out of it regularly, looking for an explanation of what terms mean in the literature books I study. The terms I've looked up have always been in the book. The explanations are always good enough for me to understand what the terms mean.
The book is well organised and I've been impressed with the willingness of the writer(s?) to refer to examples and then print them. Such as under 'sibilance' which I recently had to look up; the book describes what the term means "The marked reference of the 'hissing' sounds known as sibilants", then gives examples such as "(usually spelt s, sh, zh, c)" then says where it's usually used "The effect, also known as sigmatism after the Greek letter sigma, is often exploited in poetry, as in Longfellow's lines" and then a proper example: "Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing;\ Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness".
It's arranged alphabetically and there's a pronunciation guide at the front (which I've never used as I'm only reading or writing these terms).
Looking through the terms, it's pretty broad what they've included. For example I wouldn't have expected to find synaesthesia in there, as it's not a literary term, but it says it's found in poetry including Keats.
So yes, I do recommend this book to all students and scholars of literature, particularly those who are expected to understand and use poetic terms.
The book is well organised and I've been impressed with the willingness of the writer(s?) to refer to examples and then print them. Such as under 'sibilance' which I recently had to look up; the book describes what the term means "The marked reference of the 'hissing' sounds known as sibilants", then gives examples such as "(usually spelt s, sh, zh, c)" then says where it's usually used "The effect, also known as sigmatism after the Greek letter sigma, is often exploited in poetry, as in Longfellow's lines" and then a proper example: "Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing;\ Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness".
It's arranged alphabetically and there's a pronunciation guide at the front (which I've never used as I'm only reading or writing these terms).
Looking through the terms, it's pretty broad what they've included. For example I wouldn't have expected to find synaesthesia in there, as it's not a literary term, but it says it's found in poetry including Keats.
So yes, I do recommend this book to all students and scholars of literature, particularly those who are expected to understand and use poetic terms.
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4.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential
This book is an absolute must have for all students of English lit. There are some words missing but it's a concise book, and it covers most areas.
Published 2 months ago by Other J
4.0 out of 5 stars
Would recommend
Good info in this book needed for My son at Uni studying English.
He said he keeps dipping into it for info.
He said he keeps dipping into it for info.
Published 4 months ago by stevie e
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you have to choose one dictionary, choose this one!
In the school/college library we keep several different dictionaries of literary terms as each one is (obviously! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jan
3.0 out of 5 stars
Slightly dated
This really needs bringing up to date now and it was supposed to be the new edition. I suppose it is inevitable that it will be slightly dated but not this bad
Published 4 months ago by Mair
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for study
If you are studying English Lit then this book is vital. It is easy to read and the layout is good. I have used it time after time. Read more
Published 6 months ago by pip
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for the teacher or student of Literature
This paperback (preferable to the Kindle version for ease of use and browsing) is a gem: arranged with the terms in alphabetical order, it lists what seem to be hundreds of... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Doc Barbara
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great source of literary information
The book is a huge help for all stages of literary study. I used it starting from my undergraduate degree up until my PhD, and it seems it will keep proving to be valuable.
Published 12 months ago by ersewius
5.0 out of 5 stars
Literary terms
This book has been invaluable to me as I have begun teaching A Level English Literature and I don't know all the terms! Read more
Published 18 months ago by JDavies
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dictionary of Literary Terms
This book has practically every literary word in it you could possibly ever want. However I do remember looking for a quite simple word just to get a written definition of it for... Read more
Published on 10 Nov 2009 by Rachel Robson
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