Specialized Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
- Bloomsbury Dictionary of English Literature. edited by Marion Wynne-Davies. Bloomsbury, 1997. Rev. ed.
- Contains over 800 entries on writers from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Martin Amis and Caryl Churchill, over 1000 entries on individual works, over 300 Biblical and mythological characters and events, over 600 literary and critical terms and movements, and over 1000 entries describing historical, cultural and social events. [publisher]
- Cambridge Guide to English Literature. Stapleton, Michael. New York: Cambridge UP, 1983.Uris Ref PR l9 C17+; Olin Ref PR l9 C17+
- A single volume guide to the literature of the English-speaking world. Covering more than a thousand years, it includes the literature of Great Britain, the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. It also includes the English writing from Ireland and South Africa and contributions from the West Indies and Nigeria since World War II. Entries are for authors, individual works of litera ture, main characters in novels and plays, relevant historical events and technical literary terms. Illustrated.
- Cambridge Guide to Literature in English. Head, Dominic, ed. New York: Cambridge UP, 2006. [1993 edition online; 2006 ed. in print at Olin Ref PR 85 C29 2006+
- Not to be confused with the Cambridge Guide listed above, this alphabetically-arranged compendium covers some of the same material, but expands its coverage to Africa, India, and other areas, and aims to include more material on contemporary literary figures. Illustrated.
- Cambridge History of Literary Criticism. Cambridge [England]; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1989- 8 vols. Online in Cambridge Histories Online; also in print at Olin stacks PN86 C17
- Contents: v. 1. Classical criticism / edited by George A. Kennedy -- v. 3. The Renaissance / edited by Glyn P. Norton -- v. 4. Eighteenth century / edited by H.B. Nisbet and Claude Rawson -- v. 5. Romanticism / edited by Marshall Brown -- v. 7. Modernism and the new criticism / edited by A. Walton Litz, Louis Menand, and Lawrence Rainey -- v. 8. From formalism to poststructuralism / edited by Raman Selden -- v. 9. Twentieth-century historical, philosophical and psychological perspectives / edited by Christa Knellwolf and Christopher Norris.
- Continuum Encyclopedia of British Literature, Steven R. Serafin and Valerie Grosvenor Myer, editors. New York: Continuum, 2003. Olin Ref PR19 C66x 2003 +
- "...envisioned as a comprehensive survey of the growth and development of literature that is by definition British in scope or origin, including he literatures written in English from the colonial to the postcolonial experience in Africa, Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, India, and New Zealand." (Intro). Entries are both topical and biographical, with selected bibliographies added. Includes a historical-literary timeline as well as lists of Britisn monarchs, poets laureate and literary award winners. Indexed.
- Dictionary of English Literature. Adams, W. Davenport, 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale, 1966. Uris Ref PR 19 A21 1966; Olin Ref PR 19 A21 1966
- Although subtitled "A Comprehensive Guide to English Authors and Their Works," this compact volume tends to be more a miscellaneous collection of generally very short entries on prominent English writers, famous phrases, translations into English of works by foreign writers as well as longer articles on such topics as "The Drama", "Newspapers", "Epics", "Other", etc. The 1966 publication date given above is actually the reprinting date as the Dictionary was actually published by Cassel Petler Galpin and Co. in London in 1878.
- A Dictionary of English Manuscript Terminology, 1450 to 2000 by Peter Beal. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2008. Olin Ref Z106.5 G7 B43 2008
- Provides definitions and some illustrations of terms related to the study of post-1450 manuscripts in the English-speaking world, including terminology related to physical forms and features, condition, writing instruments, scripts, containers, editing, paleography, postal features and more.
- "Compiled by one of the best-known authorities on the Bard's works, this dictionary offers up-to-date information on all aspects of Shakespeare in his own time and on his impact and influence on later ages. It includes entries on the plays and the major characters, on Shakespeare's life and his contemporaries, on actors from Edmund Kean to Peter O'Toole, on theatres and directors, plus comments on Shakespeare by later authors such as Jane Austen, Dr Johnson, and Bernard Levin." [publisher]
- Encyclopedia of Catholic Literature, edited by Mary R. Reichardt. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, c2004. 2 vols. Olin Ref PN485 E53 2004
- "...covers the vast realm of Catholic literature from its origins to today. Included are alphabetically arranged entries on more than 70 major works from around the world. Special attention is given to women writers and to writers from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Included are entries on such authors and works as St. Augustine's Confessions, Catherine of Siena's Dialogue, Dante's The Divine Comedy, Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and Muriel Spark's Memento Mori. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and includes a biography of the writer, a plot summary of a major work, an extended critical discussion, an overview of the work's critical reception, and a selected bibliography. The entries give detailed attention to particular works and explore their relation to Catholic thought. A selected general bibliography concludes the encyclopedia." [publisher]
- Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature. Kathy J. Whitson. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2004. Olin Ref PN471 .W455 2004+
- "...includes alphabetically arranged entries on roughly 70 women writers whose works are widely read in English, and on some 20 related topics. While some of the writers profiled are widely known, others have not yet received as much attention. And while most of the writers are from England and America, the volume also profiles Chilean, Brazilian, Indian, South African, Australian, French, and German authors. The writers selected are feminist, in that their works have challenged traditional gender roles, explored female oppression, or critiqued patriarchal social structures. In addition to providing biographical information, the entries include interpretative summaries of major works." [publisher]
- Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature, edited by Robert T. Lambdin and Laura C. Lambdin. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1998. Olin Ref PN669 E53x 1998
- "A comprehensive guide to medieval literature. While the volume is devoted primarily to the literature of medieval England, its multicultural scope also encompasses Islamic, Mongolian, Celtic, Hispanic, Italian, Russian, and Germanic works. Longer entries treat major authors, entire genres, and important texts, while shorter entries provide valuable contextual information through their coverage of significant kings, religious leaders, artists, historical events, and other topics. Each of the more than 420 entries includes a brief bibliography, and the volume closes with a list of general works for further reading." (publisher)
- Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English, edited by Eugene Benson and L.W. Conolly. London ; New York : Routledge, 1994. 2 v. Olin Ref PR9080.A52 E53x 1994 +
- From the Introduction: "We use the term 'post-colonial'...to cover all the culture affected by the imperial process from the moment of colonization to the present day...The entries encompass genres, major subjects, and criticial biographies of writers." National and regional literatures in English covered include those of Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, the Caribbean, East Africa, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, St. Helena, South Africa, South Central Africa, the South Pacific, and West Africa. Indexed.
- Literary History of England. Baugh, Albert C., ed., 2nd ed. New York: Appleton, 1967. Uris Ref PR 83 B34 1967; Olin Ref PR 83 B34 1967
- A comprehensive and scholarly history of the literature of England. Arranged by period and genre, with numerous footnotes indicating standard editions and an extensive bibliographical supplement listing, by chapter and page, the most important books and articles in which the reader may pursue further the writings of authors discussed.
- Oxford Companion to English Literature. Margaret Drabble, ed. 6th ed. Oxford: Clarendon, 2000. Olin Ref PR l9 O94 2000
- Available online and in print. Provides brief articles on authors and literary works from all periods of English literature are arranged alphabetically in this comprehensive single volume handbook.Contains extensive cross-references. Appendices include a chronology of English literature, and lists of poets laureate and major literary award winners.
- Oxford Companion to the Literature of Wales. Stephens, Meic, ed., New York: Oxford, 1986. Olin Ref PB 2206 O98
- A general introduction to the literature of Wales from the sixth century to the present day. It is described in the Preface as "much more than a gazetteer of writers and their works," as it includes a chronology of the history of Wales and other historical information. Includes some 2,825 entries arranged alphabetically with an emphasis on biographical and bibliographical details of the selected works of poets, editors, almanackers and other "men of letters whose writing forms the corpus of the country's literature."
- Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature. David Scott Kastan, editor in chief. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, c2006. 5 vols. Olin Ref PR19 O95 2006
- "Covers the entire history of British literature from the seventh century to the present, focusing on the writers and the major texts of what are now the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. In five hundred substantial essays written by major scholars, the Encyclopedia of British Literature includes biographies of nearly four hundred individual authors and a hundred topical essays with detailed analyses of particular themes, movements, genres, and institutions whose impact upon the writing or the reading of literature was significant." (publisher) Table of contents
- Oxford English Dictionary.
- The OED presents in alphabetical series the words that have formed the English vocabulary from the time of the earliest records down to the present day, with all the relevant facts concerning their form, sense-history, pronunciation, and etymology. It embraces not only the standard language of literature and conversation, but also the main technical vocabulary, and a large measure of dialectical usage and slang. This edition contains the complete A to Z sequence of the Second Edition, its three-volume Additions Series, and also draft material from the revision programme, which represents the latest progress towards the Third Edition. Second edition available in print at Olin and Uris Reference PE1625 M98 1989
- Oxford Illustrated Literary Guide to Great Britain and Ireland. Dorothy Eagle and Hilary Carnell, comp. and ed. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1992. Olin Ref PR lO9 E12 1992+
- "The main part of the book consists of entries for places in Great Britain and Ireland with literary associations, each headword being followed by a grid reference to the maps at the end...the place names are arranged in alphabetical order and refer to towns, villages, mansions, cottages, mountains, lakes, and rivers: places where writers have been born, educated, and buried, where they lived and worked; and where they met and talked and struck sparks off each other." (Preface)Includes an author index and many illustrations and photographs. Fictitious names of real places are entered as cross-references.
- Post-Colonial Studies: the Essential Glossary. Thieme, John. London: Arnold, 2003. Olin Ref JV22 T45x 2003
- Alphabetically arranged guide to terms ("counter discourse"), people ("Buchi Emecheta"), concepts ("nationalism") and other topics found in postcolonial studies across the disciplines. Includes bibliography.
Dictionary of Shakespeare. Stanley Wells, with the assistance of James Shaw. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1998.
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