LibGuides: Working with Literature: Literary Terms

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Critical Terms for Literary Study Exploring the concepts that shape the way we read, the essays combine to provide an extraordinary introduction to the work of literature and literary study. Each essay provides a concise history of a literary term, critically explores the issues and questions the term raises, and then puts theory into practice by showing the reading strategies the term permits.
How Literature Works : 50 Key Concepts How Literature Works is an indispensable book for any reader seeking a greater appreciation of their favorite novel, poem, or play. It offers a lively and straightforward guide to literary thinking. With a series of compact essays, the renowned literary critic John Sutherland--widely admired for his wit and clear reasoning--strips away the obscurity and pretension of literary study. His book offers concise definitions and clear examples of the fifty concepts that all book lovers should know.
Key Terms in Literary Theory Students of literature, film and cultural studies need to understand key theoretical terms and concepts but often find it hard to get to grips with exactly what they mean. This book provides precise definitions of terms and concepts in literary theory, along with explanations of the major movements and figures in literary and cultural theory and an extensive bibliography. It is designed for the student who needs to know what a particular term means, how it is used, and where it comes from, and enables them to apply the terms and concepts to their own investigations.
Routledge Dictionary of Literary Terms A twenty-first century version of Roger Fowler's 1973 Dictionary of Modern Critical Terms, this latest edition of The Routledge Dictionary of Literary Terms is the most up-to-date guide to critical and theoretical concepts available to students of literature at all levels. With over forty newly commissioned entries, this essential reference book includes: an exhaustive range of entries, covering such topics as genre, form, cultural theory and literary technique new definitions of contemporary critical issues such as Cybercriticism and Globalization complete coverage of traditional and radical approaches to the study and production of literature thorough accounts of critical terminology and analyses of key academic debates full cross-referencing throughout and suggestions for further reading.

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The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms Over 700 traditional and contemporary critical and literary terms are presented in this volume. Cross-referenced, the alphabetically arranged entries are defined with brevity and extensively illustrated with examples from canonical literature and contemporary popular culture.
A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms In clear, non-technical language, this dictionary of more than 1,000 literary terms and themes takes an expanded view of the term ""literary."" This book gives readers not only a traditional literary vocabulary, but also the knowledge of related theoretical, historical, and cultural terms they need in the interdisciplinary world of contemporary literary studies. New entries include: traditional literary terms and themes, such as individualism, skepticism, and the Odysseus/Ulysses theme; literary topics that have become increasingly popular in recent years, such as terrorism and prison literature; and subjects perennially popular among writers, such as alcoholism, baseball, and vampirism. Features include: fresh definitions and examples of standard literary and related terms such as meter, antagonist, and New Criticism; essays on major themes in literature such as evil, power, love, death, time, and more; terms related to multicultural and feminist literature; major contemporary theoretical terms, with clear definitions and examples; culture terms from film, television, psychology, history, and other fields related to literature; references for further reading; and extensive cross-references.
A Glossary of Contemporary Literary Theory Now in its fourth edition, the critically acclaimed Glossary of Contemporary Literary Theory has been thoroughly revised and expanded to include over 70 important new terms and usages from this volatile and fast-changing field.
A Glossary of Literary Terms Suitable for all serious students of literature, this book contains a glossary of essential literary terms presented as a series of crafted essays that explore the terms, place them in context, and suggest related entries and additional reading. It covers terms useful in discussing literature and literary history, theory, and criticism.