Book Description
The latest installment of this trusted literary companion covers all aspects of literary theory, from definitions of technical terms to characterizations of literary movements. Geared toward students, teachers, readers, and writers alike,
The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory explains critical jargon (intertextuality, aporia), schools of literary theory (structuralism, feminist criticism), literary forms (sonnet, ottava rima), and genres (elegy, pastoral) and examines artifacts, historic locales, archetypes, origins of well-known phrases, and much, much more. Scholarly, straightforward, comprehensive, and even entertaining, this is a resource that no word lover should be without.
"Some entries accomplish cameo wonders of literary history. Others are funny . . . generously and urbanely compiled." --
The New York Times
Publisher comments
Some sample entries:
FOLIO
(L folium, `leaf') Made by folding a printer's sheet once only, to form two folios or four pages. It also refers to editions of Shakespeare's plays published after his death: the First Folio appeared in 1623. There were three other in 1632, 1663 and 1685. See DUODECIMO; LEAF; OCTAVO; QUARTO.
SYLLOGISM
(Gk `reckoning together') Deduction, from two propositions containing three terms of which one appears in both, of a conclusion that is true if they are true. A stock example is: All men are mortal; Greeks are men; so all Greeks are mortal. `Men' is the middle term. `Mortal', the second term in the conclusion, is the major term and the premise in which it occurs is the major premise. `Greeks' is the minor term and its premise the minor premise.
THEATRICALISM
A concept and theory of dramatic presentation which developed in Russia and Germany in the early years of the 20th C. It was strongly opposed to naturalism (q.v.) and was in favour of the principle that theatre is theatre and is a representation of life - and is not life itself. Nevertheless, naturalistic drama (q.v.), like the well-made play (q.v.), has continued to be popular.