Rating: 
Summary: The reference book on the top of that pile on my desk
Review: "Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature" is essentially a cross between a dictionary and an encyclopedia. As a teacher of World Literature and Drama, this book was my number one reference text and the first place I went to look up something. Of course you can go online or find more detailed accounts in other books (even the entry on Shakespeare is not even a full page), but this volume does a marvelous job of covering all the basics if you are teaching (or taking) a course in Literature/Theater. There are over 10,000 entries in this volume covering literary works from "The Inferno" to "Catcher in the Rye," classic authors of the past from Euripides to Omar Khayyam, well-known authors of today from Maya Angelous to Harlan Ellison, Mythological and Folkloric Figures from Osiris to the trickster, Fictional Character from Captain Ahab to Sam Spade, Literary Terms from abcedarius to zanni, Literary Styles and Movements from the Baroque to the Harlem Renaissance, Scholars and Critics from Samuel Johnson to Wayne C. Booth, and Literary Landmarks, Prizes and Journals from the Algonquin Round Table to the Hugo Award. There is also a fair amount of cross-referencing, simply denoted by words in all CAPS. I have been telling colleagues and students for years, this is the proverbial one book you want to have in your classroom and/or on your desk. You can certainly go beyond this book and of course there are mistooks that need to be corrupted or specific people/works that we think should have been included within, but the "Encyclopedia of Literature" is a required text.
Rating:
Summary: The reference book on the top of that pile on my desk
Review: "Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature" is essentially a cross between a dictionary and an encyclopedia. As a teacher of World Literature and Drama, this book was my number one reference text and the first place I went to look up something. Of course you can go online or find more detailed accounts in other books (even the entry on Shakespeare is not even a full page), but this volume does a marvelous job of covering all the basics if you are teaching (or taking) a course in Literature/Theater. There are over 10,000 entries in this volume covering literary works from "The Inferno" to "Catcher in the Rye," classic authors of the past from Euripides to Omar Khayyam, well-known authors of today from Maya Angelous to Harlan Ellison, Mythological and Folkloric Figures from Osiris to the trickster, Fictional Character from Captain Ahab to Sam Spade, Literary Terms from abcedarius to zanni, Literary Styles and Movements from the Baroque to the Harlem Renaissance, Scholars and Critics from Samuel Johnson to Wayne C. Booth, and Literary Landmarks, Prizes and Journals from the Algonquin Round Table to the Hugo Award. There is also a fair amount of cross-referencing, simply denoted by words in all CAPS. I have been telling colleagues and students for years, this is the proverbial one book you want to have in your classroom and/or on your desk. You can certainly go beyond this book and of course there are mistooks that need to be corrupted or specific people/works that we think should have been included within, but the "Encyclopedia of Literature" is a required text.
Rating:
Summary: The reference book on the top of that pile on my desk
Review: "Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature" is essentially a cross between a dictionary and an encyclopedia. As a teacher of World Literature and Drama, this book was my number one reference text and the first place I went to look up something. Of course you can go online or find more detailed accounts in other books (even the entry on Shakespeare is not even a full page), but this volume does a marvelous job of covering all the basics if you are teaching (or taking) a course in Literature/Theater. There are over 10,000 entries in this volume covering literary works from "The Inferno" to "Catcher in the Rye," classic authors of the past from Euripides to Omar Khayyam, well-known authors of today from Maya Angelous to Harlan Ellison, Mythological and Folkloric Figures from Osiris to the trickster, Fictional Character from Captain Ahab to Sam Spade, Literary Terms from abcedarius to zanni, Literary Styles and Movements from the Baroque to the Harlem Renaissance, Scholars and Critics from Samuel Johnson to Wayne C. Booth, and Literary Landmarks, Prizes and Journals from the Algonquin Round Table to the Hugo Award. There is also a fair amount of cross-referencing, simply denoted by words in all CAPS. I have been telling colleagues and students for years, this is the proverbial one book you want to have in your classroom and/or on your desk. You can certainly go beyond this book and of course there are mistooks that need to be corrupted or specific people/works that we think should have been included within, but the "Encyclopedia of Literature" is a required text.
Rating: 
Summary: The Catcher In The Rye
Review: 1. who is the narrator, and what is his name. 2. list 3 things the narrator does. 3. outline the structure of the book. 4. summerize in à thurman's speech on education, and the narrator's insights. 5. give some aspects of the narrator's life. 6. describe some aspect of the narrator's life.
Rating: 
Summary: A must have for any at-home reference library!
Review: As an English major, I have greatly benefited from having this book in my personal library. A wonderful place to start for any serious reader or student.
Rating:
Summary: WOW-- Great Research Book
Review: I bought this book because it was one of the recommendations by Writer's Digest to get a large resource in a compact package that gives descriptions of most of the worlds most known authors and what they have written. I had no idea how jam-packed it is with information. Highly recommended as a textbook for all English Majors and/or wanna-be writers!
Rating:
Summary: Not completely accurate
Review: I do like this encyclopedia, it is generally informative and helpful. However, one of the first things I looked up was the novel "The Awakening," which I am reading for school. There were two glaring errors in its description of the novel, one factual, one typographical. In other words, you cannot trust everything you read.
Rating:
Summary: Not completely accurate
Review: I do like this encyclopedia, it is generally informative and helpful. However, one of the first things I looked up was the novel "The Awakening," which I am reading for school. There were two glaring errors in its description of the novel, one factual, one typographical. In other words, you cannot trust everything you read.
Rating:
Summary: the book was good
Review: i liked the book it was ok buit i dont see where people can see william faulkners point of view in the boook of mice and men nbut it is totally up on who the reader interpoerts it but it was a good book
Rating:
Summary: A hefty overview
Review: Merriam Webster's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LITERATURE is a 1200 page overview of literature, with entries documenting important written materials from antiquity to contemporary times. Arranged alphabetically, this volume is easy to use. Readers can look up authors, individual works, literary devices and forms, and schools of thought - the important ones are all there. Because so much is included, the entries themselves are short, usually one or two paragraphs. This volume is wonderful if you want to remind yourself of an author's major works or what the definition of a sonnet is. You can use the thumbnail entries as starting points for additional research, or as a quick way to check dates and titles.As an overview of literature throughout the ages, this encyclopedia is well worth owning. If you want more in-depth analysis, I suggest looking for books particular to your topic of interest.
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