Specialized Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
- American Literature: a Study and Research Guide. New York: St. Martins, 1976. Olin Ref Z1225.L43 A5
- This is a guide to contemporary writings about American literature. The first nine chapters deal with more general literature (i.e. Types and Schools of Criticism, Studies in Genre, Literary Histories, and so on.) while Chapter 10 covers the literature about twenty-eight major American writers (e.g. Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe, Ernest Hemingway, etc.). A final chapter discusses the Research Paper and how to go about writing it. An index of authors is located at the end of the volume.
- Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature. New York: Harper Collins, 1991. Olin Ref PS 21 R28 1991
- This alphabetically-arranged volume covers American literature "from the period of European exploration to the early 1990s," and includes entries on authors, titles, characters, literary genres, periodicals, groups and movements, and historical persons and events. Extended sections outline the history of American literature. Also includes material on Canadian and Latin American literature.
- Cambridge Handbook of American Literature. Cambridge:
Cambridge, 1986. Olin Ref PS 21 C17
- The 750 or so entries of this handbook "are designed to be factual and informative, biographical and bibliographical" and "represents a core list of those writers, works, and movements of which some knowledge is essential to all serious students of American literature." (Preface) Arrangement is alphabetical, includes a brief chronology and a Select Bibliography of the most important critical and historical studies of American literature of the last 50 years.
- Chicano Literature: A Reference Guide. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1985. Olin Ref PS 153 M4 C53
- This guide provides an alphabetical arrangement of entries on major Chicano authors and important topics in the study of Chicano literature. The term "Chicano literature" is defined as the literary output of Mexican-Americans since 1848. Each author entry includes brief biographic information, a discussion of major works, a bibliography of the authors writings, and sources of criticism.
- Dictionary of American Literary Characters. New York: Facts on File, 1990. Uris Ref PN 43 D55
- A dictionary describing the significant characters in major American novels. An index lists characters by author and novel.
- 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.
- Encyclopedia of American Poetry. The Twentieth Century, edited by Eric L. Haralson. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001. Olin Ref PS323.5 E53x 2001+
- "contains over 400 entries that treat a broad range of individual poets and poems, along with many articles devoted to topics, schools, or periods of American verse in the century. Entries fall into three main categories: poet entries, which provide biographical and cultural contexts for the author's career; entries on individual works, which offer closer explication of the most resonant poems in the 20th-century canon; and topical entries, which offer analyses of a given period of literary production, school, thematically constructed category, or other verse tradition that historically has been in dialogue with the poetry of the United States." (publisher)
- Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Literature, edited by Tarshia L. Stanley. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2009. Olin Ref PS153 N5 E53 2009 +
- "Coverage includes authors, genres, and works, as well as on the musical artists, fashion designers, directors, and other figures who make up the context of Hip Hop literature. Entries cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia concludes with a selected, general bibliography." (publisher)
- Greenwood Encyclopedia of Latino Literature, edited by Nicolás Kanellos. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2008. 3 v. Olin Ref PS153 H56 G74 2008+
- "...more than 700 alphabetically arranged entries on individual Latino/a writers, genres, ethnic and national literatures, movements, historical topics and events, themes, concepts, associations and organizations, and publishers and magazines. Special attention is given to the cultural, political, social, and historical contexts in which Latino literature has developed. Entries cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia closes with a selected, general bibliography." (publisher)
- Greenwood Encyclopedia of Multiethnic American Literature, edited by Emmanuel S. Nelson. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, c2005. 5 vols. Olin Ref PS153 M56 G74 2005+
- "Included are more than 1100 alphabetically arranged entries by more than 300 scholars. While most of the entries are biographical, others cover genres, ethnic stereotypes, seminal works, significant places, major historical events, key pieces of legislation, and various other topics that are part of the context of multiethnic America literature." (publisher)
- Handbook of African American Literature, Hazel Arnett Ervin. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, c2004. Olin Ref PS153 N5 E78 2004; also Africana Ref PS153 N5 E78 2004
- "An A to Z compilation of 415 literary terms, ages, movements, periods, and cultural sources, all cross-referenced....Definitions provide substantive discussion and cite specific examples from the works of major critics and major and minor writers from the 1700s to the present... Eight full-length essays, which serve as introductions to important aspects of literary theory and criticism, cover major terms... In addition to discussions of the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement, the book describes the Chicago Renaissance of the 1930s to 1950s, the New Renaissance of the 1950s, and the new black aesthetics of the 1980s..[also includes]a literary timeline, divided into sections for African, African American, and Anglophone Caribbean literature that illustrates what was written during the same years in different parts of the world. The book also lists awards and honors given to African American authors." (publisher)
- Hispanic Literature of the United States: a Comprehensive Reference, Nicolás Kanellos. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2003. Olin Ref PS153 H56 K36 2003+
- Provides a detailed historical overview of Hispanic literature in the United States from the Spanish colonial period to the present, as well as biographical profiles for more than 100 authors. Separate chapters discuss significant movments and themes, Hispanic drama, and publishing trends. Bibliography. Indexed.
- Literary History of the United States. 4th rev. ed. 2 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1974. Olin Ref PS 88 L77 1974
- A collection of essays presenting a survey from colonial times to the present day. Volume I is a history, Volume II a bibliography. The latter is divided into four main sections: 1) Guide to Resources; 2) Literature and Culture; 3) Movements and Influences; and 4) Individual Authors. This fourth section is a valuable source of biographical materials on 207 authors. Each volume contains its own index.
- Native American Literatures : an Encyclopedia of Works, Characters, Authors, and Themes. Kathy J. Whitson. Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c1999. Uris Ref PS153.I52 W47x 1999
- An encyclopedia of Native American literatures featuring articles on individual authors, on individual works, on important characters in works, and on terms and events of historical significance that figure in many of the works.
- Oxford Illustrated Literary Guide to the United States. New York: Oxford, 1982. Olin Ref PS 141 E33+
- This guide was compiled "to help travelers find places associated with the lives and works of writers....Thousands of literary sites are identified and located in 1,586 hamlets, villages, towns, and cities." (Preface) Entries are arranged alphabetically by place within state and regional chapters. The volume is lavishly illustrated and includes an index to authors.
- Oxford Companion to American Literature. 6th ed. New York: Oxford, 1995. Olin Ref PS21 H32 1995; also online
- A ready reference work in dictionary format. It includes short biographies of American authors with lists of their major works, and information regarding their style and subjects. Provides summaries of American novels, essays, and poems as well as definitions and outlines of literary schools and movements.
- [HarperCollins] Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature. 2nd ed. New York: Harper Resource, 2002. Uris Ref PS21 B46 2002
- A comprehensive dictionary of American authors, critics, literary movements, periodicals, and geographical features which have influenced Americas literature from its beginning to the present. Some of the longer articles are signed and references are given to full-length biographical and critical studies. A glossary of literary terms is provided and there are numerous portraits throughout the volume.
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