The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms

by Chris Baldick

Book Overview

From Jacques Derrida's diff rance to Henry James's ficelle, the vocabulary of literary theory and criticism can seem difficult if not opaque. Yet a grasp of these terms can often enhance our enjoyment and understanding of literature. To help clarify the reader's bafflement, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms provides succinct and often witty explanations of over one thousand terms, covering everything from the ancient dithyramb to the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198117337
• ISBN13: 9780198117339
• Release Date: September 1990
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Good review

The book is in excellent condition. I got in just in time for my class that I need it in.

Handy desktop reference, esp for novices

This is a quite serviceable dictionary, with 1000-odd entries. At only 250 pages, however, the treatment of complex terms, schools, and issues must often be cursory. This second edition, is however, nicely updated from the 1990 first edition, and presents a more readable typeface on better paper. Being relatively small, it may be the most convenient literary dictionary to keep by your side. For a similar investment, however, you might consider the vastly more thorough 1000-page PENGUIN Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory (4th edn by Cuddon & Preston, 1998, ISBN: 0140513639 ) - possibly out of print as of this writing, but a bargain reference at the used price being asked by some Amz connections [ perhaps Penguin is on verge of releasing a 5th edition? ]. For more *depth* of coverage for important literary concepts and controversies, serious literary students will more appreciate the BEDFORD Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms (Murfin & Ray, 1998). While the Oxford aims more at comprehensiveness in including terms (so that the reader can find "memoir-novel" and "misprision" for example), the Bedford strives for depth of explorations and interrelations of terms (a dictionary that could be considered "authored" as well as edited) - see review at ISBN 0312115601 . In summary, OXFORD is a *concise* dictionary; PENGUIN is a comprehensive dictionary; BEDFORD is a stimulating exploration and integration of terms and concepts.

Tool For English Majors

Literary dictionaries are usually tough nuts to crack. By the nature of the book, there is an educated obscurity to most of the terms. "The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms" conquers this by displacing the less useful words with very readable definitions of the words the book lists. For example, 'plurisignation,' a somewhat difficult word to say, sends the reader, sans definition, to 'ambiguity,' which enjoys a more sensible, approachable definition. Finishing the book is 'zeugma,' which Baldick describes as a figure of speech "by which one word refers to two others in the same sentence." He gives us a taste of William Shakespeare in a sample of a zeugma, "Give them thy fingers, me thy lips to kiss." It is adequately cross-referenced, and is accessible for browsing without becoming lost in heady terms. Who should read this? Any college freshman studying literature. This is a solid handbook, and is begging to be used in classrooms, taught letter-by-letter, entry-by-entry. Knowing these terms (about 1,000 in all) will clear up a lot of headaches while reading literary criticism and essays. I fully recommend "The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms" by Chris Baldick. Anthony Trendl editor, HungarianBookstore.com

An excellent, but not flawless, resource

"The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms" is an excellent reference work for students of literature or cultural studies, or for anyone who wants to enrich his or her vocabulary with a variety of fascinating terms. Beginning with "the absurd" and ending with "zeugma," Chris Baldick has assembled a marvelous bestiary of literary terms and has provided concise explanations of each one.Baldick's choices cover a wide range of history, geography, and ideology--from the Senecan tragedy to the campus novel, from the haiku to the Petrarchan sonnet, from Romanticism to Russian Formalism. Particularly useful is his inclusion of many originally non-English terms: "Sturm und Drang," "bricolage," and many more.Of course, no project of this nature can be exhaustive, particularly when it is crammed into 246 pages. And yet, I wonder at the rationale behind some of Baldick's inclusions and omissions. Why, for example, is there an entry for Homeric, but none for Dickensian? For the Harlem Renaissance, but not for the Black Arts Movement? For Brechtian, but not for Kafkaesque? For logocentrism, but not for phallocentrism? For science fiction, but not for horror? For braggadocio, but not for tragic mulatta?Nevertheless, this is still one of my favorite reference works. So if you're planning a Festschrift, if you're contemplating a revival of Vorticism, or if you want to spice up your latest jeremiad with some Spoonerisms, check out this book. It will make you feel like a true skald!

an unkown neccesity

my writing has been so enriched since i purchased this book. i can just taste the literary terms, and you know what? they're absolutely delicious!