Choice Outstanding Academic Title
Pennsylvania School Librarians Association "Best Reference Title"
Library Journal Best Reference

Description

The Encyclopedia of American Literature gathers together 350 essays from over 190 leading scholars on the whole of American literature, from European discovery to the present. At the core of the Encyclopedia lie 250 essays on poets, playwrights, essayists, and novelists. Figures such as Whitman, Melville, Faulkner, Frost, and Morrison are discussed in detail with each examined in the context of his or her times, an assessment of the writer's current reputation, a bibliography of major works, and a list of major critical and biographical works about the writer.

Fifty entries on major works such as Moby Dick, Song of Myself, Walden, The Great Gatsby, The Waste Land, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Death of a Salesman, and Beloved place the work in its historical context and offer a range of possibilities with regard to critical approach. The Encyclopedia also contains essays on literary movements, periods, and themes, pulling together a broad range of information and making connections between them.

Each entry has its own primary and annotated secondary bibliography, and a system of cross-references helps readers locate information with ease. The Encyclopedia of American Literature is an outstanding reference source for students studying authors, or particular pieces of literature; libraries looking for one comprehensive source; and readers interested in American literature, its authors, and its connection with various areas of study.

Reviews

"These 350 essays on writers and movements from the 1600s to the present illuminate the richness of American literature....Provides a wealth of reliable information about standard bearers of American literature in an easy-on-the-eyes formant for students and general readers." --School Library Journal

"These 350 essays on writers and movements from the 1600's to the present illuminate the richness of American literature." ...More accessible than the chronological Encyclopedia of American Literature (Facts On File, 2002) and more concise than the "American Writers" literary biography series (Scribners), Oxford provides a wealth of reliable information on standard bearers of American literature in an easy-on-the-eyes format for students and general readers."--School Library Journal

"...readily approachable. ...the 350 articles, contributed by scholars and critics, are...well written and researched. ...the range of topics discussed is also commendable."--Library Journal

Product Details

2280 pages; 256 halftones; 8-1/2 x 11; ISBN13: 978-0-19-515653-9ISBN10: 0-19-515653-6

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