The Concise Oxford Companion To English Literature (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Oxford Quick Reference) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199214921 ISBN 13: 9780199214921

Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A., 2007

Synopsis

Based on the vastly popular Oxford Companion to English Literature edited by Margaret Drabble, this indispensable volume offers over five thousand alphabetically arranged entries on individual novels, plays, songs, poems, novelists, poets, playwrights, essayists, philosophers, historians, fictional characters, literary movements, legends, and much more. Like its parent volume, this abridgement features useful plot summaries, entries on important fictional characters, and countless biographical articles on authors and other influential figures in the world of letters, all presented with the same lightness of touch that has made the original work such a pleasure to read. Fully revised and updated, the third edition features dozens of new entries on writers ranging from literary giant Marcel Proust, to American writers Michael Cunningham, Harper Lee, and Cormac McCarthy, to rising British stars Monica Ali, Hari Kunzru, and Zadie Smith. Readers will now find concise, reliable accounts of postmodern philosopher Jean Baudrillard, literary critic Terry Eagleton, science fiction writer Douglas Adams, fantasy writer Philip Pullman, Jamaican poet Jean "Binta" Breeze, playwright Michael Poliakoff, and children's author J.K. Rowling. In addition, the edition includes updated appendices listing the winners of the Nobel, Booker, and Pulitzer prizes. There is also a new timeline, chronicling the development of literature from its origins right up to the present day.With generous coverage of literature from around the world, entries on literary movements, critics, and critical theories, and updated information on modern authors and works, this is a book that readers will find indispensable. Written by a team of more than 140 distinguished contributors, headed by Margaret Drabble, it belongs on the shelves of all lovers of literature.

About this title

About the Author

Margaret Drabble is a distinguished novelist and biographer. Her many novels include Jerusalem the Golden (1967), The Needle's Eye (1972), The Witch of Exmoor (1996), and The Peppered Moth (2001). She has also written biographies of Arnold Bennett (1974) and Angus Wilson (1995). Jenny Stringer was born in London and spent most of her childhood in the Far East and Australia. For many years she worked at the House of Commons. She was Margaret Drabble's assistant editor and has since contributed to and edited a number of reference works for the Oxford University Press. She lives and works in London. Daniel Hahn is a freelance writer and researcher. His publications include The Tower Menagerie (2003) and The Ultimate Book Guide (2004). He was Margaret Drabble's key writer and researcher on The Oxford Companion to English Literature.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A.
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0199214921
• ISBN 13: 9780199214921
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 816
• Editor: Drabble Margaret