Established bestseller, with life sales of over 170,000 copies in paperback alone

Over 5,500 entries - all fully revised and updated for this new edition

Covers world fiction, literary theory, historical context, characters, and allusions

Appendices include lists of literary prize winners, as well as a historical timeline charting the development of literature through the ages

Feature entries give fascinating and informative discursive overviews of major genres in fiction

Written by a team of more than 140 distinguished contributors, headed by Margaret Drabble


New to this edition
Increased coverage of world fiction
Historical timeline charting the development of literature through the ages
New feature entries
Fully revised and updated text

Based on the best-selling Oxford Companion to English Literature , this is an indispensable, compact guide to all aspects of English literature. Over 5,500 entries give unrivalled coverage of writers, works, historical context, literary theory, allusions, characters, and plot summaries. Discursive feature entries supply a wealth of information about important genres in literature.

For the 3rd edition, the dictionary has been fully revised and updated. It now includes expanded coverage of world authors including notable authors in translation, coverage of new authors and titles, and new feature entries on short stories and metre. The appendices listing literary prize-winners, including the Nobel, Man Booker, and Pulitzer prizes, have all been updated. There is also a new timeline, chronicling the development of literature from its origins up to the present day.

Written originally by a team of more than 140 distinguished contributors working under prizewinning author Margaret Drabble`s editorial direction, and extensively updated and expanded for this new edition, this book provides essential reference for English students, teachers, and all other readers of literature in English.