Karl Beckson, Arthur Ganz: Literary Terms. A Dictionary

For all those who have ever become entangled in today's confusing literary terminology, Professors Karl Beckson and Arthur Ganz explain it clearly and entertainingly in this updated edition of their classic reference work. From abecedarius to zeugma, nothing escapes the authors' wit and erudition as they gracefully guide the reader through the intricacies of literary forms and ideas. For this revised and enlarged third edition, Professors Beckson and Ganz have added many new entries from recent literary theory and scholarship, bringing the total to over 900 and making their dictionary the most up-to-date of any currently available – indispensable for understanding such terms as deconstruction, Russian Formalism, feminist criticism, psychoanalytic criticism, semiotics, and many others that have sprung up to explain literature.
Throughout the text, numerous helpful examples drawn from a multitude of sources – nursery rhymes to Shakespeare – clarify the concepts discussed. In addition, not only terminology itself but also the historical and philosophical background necessary to a fuller understanding of any work receives the authors' keen attention. The result is a readable dictionary that illuminates as much as it delights, an essential guide to literature for the casual reader as well as the professional.