The Reader's Companion to World Literature

By Lillian Herlands Hornstein

Book Overview

Compiled and edited by a board of distinguished educators, this single-volume encyclopedia contains vital information on the world's greatest literary masterpieces-and is an essential reference source... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• ISBN: B000H0O4MS
• ISBN13: 9789995609252
• Release Date: January 1962
• Publisher: MENTOR
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The Reader's Companion to World Literature

This book, in one form or another, has been with me since the 1950s. It has helped me through classes on literature from Junior High through Graduate School. The information gleemed from this epistle has encouraged me to read an entire book that I might have skimmed over. The accurate summation of literary movements and historical background is invaluable to any person who loves literature. This reference book is definitely not limited to students unless you consider yourself a student for life. I am such.

Literary Companion

In an era of the Internet and instant global communication, I believe that the need for an accessible 'hard copy' in book form, with an extended shelf life, is greater than ever. Books, especially this reader's companion, gives the reader opportunities to pursue the multiplicity of connections between entries - to stop, note, review, compare and question. The Reader's Companion to World Literature will fulfil an important function, not least in its use in checking detail (Authors, titles, literary movements, historical movements, technical terms and phrases) and then by the discursive nature of this book, encourage an enlarged understanding of literary concepts and new perspectives. My criticisms are minor, in the sense that there are no entries on Maugham, Capote or Carver, for example. That said, I do think this is an excellent companion to browse in when needed, or for a journey of discovery. It stands alone, in range and depth. A Highly recommended purchase.

Good Book

This is a good book. I'm a teacher, and this book comes in handy all the time. It is an excellent resource for a teacher who needs to get thorough literary information FAST!! It's a lifesaver when making lesson plans or teaching lessons.

The truth is in the details

I have used this book for many years. It is an encyclopediac guide to the major works, and concepts, literary terms of world- literature. What I have usually found is that even if I had studied the subject before, reading the entry gave me new information. As a one- volume portable guide to world- literature I cannot recall encountering anything as good as this.

Excellent Reference Guide

I have attempted to embark on a reading program of the great literature starting back with Homer. The Oxford Classics has over 700 books and one wonders where to start. All the literature seems to be interconnected from Balzac to Grisham. As soon as one reads Chekhov, for example, one wants to read another earlier book by Gogol, etc. There are about 5000 well know novels by great writers, such as 20 books by Hemingway alone. In the past few months I bought about 60 novels, mostly paperback from Penguin and Oxford by a variety of authors from Henry James to Jane Austen. At some point, I realized that I was buying at random and I needed to buy one or more guides. I ended up buying "Bloomsbury Good reading Guide" by Rennison et al plus the present book. The Bloomsbury Guide has some nice features and it has a one and two star system to differentiate the masters from the highly recommend and the normal run of the mill "great books," but overall it is short and misses a few authors. It has a date cut-off point around 1800 - it is more about modern novels. The present book is 800 pages long, twice as big as "Bloomsbury" and it describes books, authors, and literary terms in alphabetical order back to Greek times - in an encyclopaedia or dictionary style. It does not rate the books or describe plot details for most books, but it does discuss the theme, impact, importance, etc along with the characters. In some cases it does give parts of the plot away. Usually it includes a short biography of the author, and most books are described with the author's biography, but not all. It presents all the great authors and some (great) novels back to Greek mythology. It includes Shakespeare, along with a broad range of works. The book is described as a reading "companion." Some authors are covered in part of a page, while a few get three or four pages. The discussion presents a short biography of the author, list of works, context of the writing, etc. This is usually cross referenced to the author's works, but only the masterpieces of literature all listed with separate sections. For example, Hemingway's books are not discussed as individual books each with their own sections, but are discussed as a group under Hemingway, i.e.: one must go to "Hemingway" under "H." However, a few other books such as Ulysses - considered to be a masterpiece - have separate sections or descriptions. For example, Ulysses is described under "U" plus there is a separate section on Joyce, found under "J." This is an excellent reading guide or companion. It is a bargain and full of many reading ideas and explanations, and it is a great investment.