About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherOxford University Press, Incorporated

ISBN-100199567468

ISBN-139780199567461

eBay Product ID (ePID)114210036

Product Key Features

Edition3

Book TitleOxford Dictionary of Reference and Allusion

Number of Pages416 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2012

TopicGeneral

GenreLiterary Criticism

AuthorAndrew Delahunty, Sheila Dignen

Book SeriesOxford Quick Reference Ser.

FormatUk-Trade Paper

Dimensions

Item Height1.1 in

Item Weight10.6 Oz

Item Length5 in

Item Width7.7 in

Additional Product Features

LCCN2012-454715

Reviews'This is such a helpful book for writers, allowing them to bring freshness and originality to their work by helping them avoid the same old expressions and clichs.'Willow Thomas, The New Writer Magazine'Review from previous editions Wonderfully conceived and extraordinarily useful 'Library Journal'...an attractive addition to a writer's shelf of reference works'US Universal Press syndication'A brilliantly organized handbook of names, places and phrases ... A highly readable text'Choice'This is an easy to use book.'Sunday Telegraph'Informative, useful and highly entertaining.'Manchester Evening News, "A brilliantly organized handbook of names, places and phrases.... A highly readable text." --Choice (praise for the previous edition), "A brilliantly organized handbook of names, places and phrases.... A highly readable text." --Choice(praise for the previous edition)

Dewey Edition23

Dewey Decimal422.03

SynopsisAllusions form a colourful extension to the English language, drawing on our collective knowledge of literature, mythology, and the Bible to give us a literary shorthand for describing people, places, and events. So a cunning crook is an Artful Dodger, a daydreamer is like Billy Liar, a powerful woman is a modern-day Amazon - we can suffer like Sisyphus, fail like Canute, or linger like the smile of the Cheshire Cat.This absorbing and accessible A to Z explains the meanings of allusions in modern English, from Adonis to Zorro, Tartarus to Tarzan, and Rubens to Rambo. Fascinating to browse through, the book is based on an extensive reading programme that has identified the most commonly-used allusions. Now available in paperback, this new edition includes within each entry a short summary definition for the allusion or reference, ideal for quick reference, and at least one illustration citation from a wide range of source materials in almost every entry: from Aldous Huxley to Philip Roth, Emily Brontë to The Guardian Unlimited. A useful thematic index allows searching for allusions related to a specific topic, e.g. under Intelligence find Aristotle, Einstein, and Spock, and under Hair find Medusa, Samson, and Shirley Temple.The Oxford Dictionary of Reference and Allusion is both a useful and user-friendly reference work for students of English Literature and Language, as well as for non-native English speakers for aid with unusual references, and an absorbing volume for all lovers of literature and culture in general., An absorbing dictionary that clearly explains the meanings of references and allusions that are likely to be encountered in modern English. Drawing on the resources of the Oxford English Corpus, illustrative examples are provided for almost every entry. Fully cross-referenced and with a thematic index, it is ideal for quick reference or browsing., Allusions are a marvelous literary shorthand. A miser is a Scrooge, a strong man a Samson, a beautiful woman a modern-day Helen of Troy. From classical mythology to modern movies and TV shows, this revised and updated third edition explains the meanings of more than 2,000 allusions in use in modern English, from Abaddon to Zorro, Tartarus to Tarzan, and Rambo to Rubens. Based on an extensive reading program that has identified the most commonly used allusions, this fascinating volume includes numerous quotations to illustrate usage, drawn from sources ranging from Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens to Bridget Jones's Diary. In addition, the dictionary includes a useful thematic index, so that readers not only can look up Medea to find out how her name is used as an allusion, but also can look up the theme of "Revenge" and find, alongside Medea, entries for other figures used to allude to revenge, such as The Furies or The Count of Monte Cristo. Hailed by Library Journal as "wonderfully conceived and extraordinarily useful," this superb reference--now available in paperback--will appeal to anyone who enjoys language in all its variety. It is especially useful for students and writers., Allusions are a marvelous literary shorthand. A miser is a Scrooge, a strong man a Samson, a beautiful woman a modern-day Helen of Troy. From classical mythology to modern movies and TV shows, this revised and updated third edition explains the meanings of more than 2,000 allusions in use in modern English, from Abaddon to Zorro, Tartarus to Tarzan, and Rambo to Rubens. Based on an extensive reading program that has identified the most commonly used allusions, this fascinating volume includes numerous quotations to illustrate usage, drawn from sources ranging from Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens to Bridget Jones's Diary . In addition, the dictionary includes a useful thematic index, so that readers not only can look up Medea to find out how her name is used as an allusion, but also can look up the theme of "Revenge" and find, alongside Medea, entries for other figures used to allude to revenge, such as The Furies or The Count of Monte Cristo . Hailed by Library Journal as "wonderfully conceived and extraordinarily useful," this superb reference--now available in paperback--will appeal to anyone who enjoys language in all its variety. It is especially useful for students and writers., Allusions form a colourful extension to the English language, drawing on our collective knowledge of literature, mythology, and the Bible to give us a literary shorthand for describing people, places, and events. So a cunning crook is an Artful Dodger, a daydreamer is like Billy Liar, a powerful woman is a modern-day Amazon - we can suffer like Sisyphus, fail like Canute, or linger like the smile of the Cheshire Cat.This absorbing andaccessible A to Z explains the meanings of allusions in modern English, from Adonis to Zorro, Tartarus to Tarzan, and Rubens to Rambo. Fascinating to browse through, the book is based on an extensive readingprogramme that has identified the most commonly-used allusions. Now available in paperback, this new edition includes within each entry a short summary definition for the allusion or reference, ideal for quick reference, and at least one illustration citation from a wide range of source materials in almost every entry: from Aldous Huxley to Philip Roth, Emily Bront to The Guardian Unlimited. A useful thematic index allows searching for allusions related to a specific topic, e.g.under Intelligence find Aristotle, Einstein, and Spock, and under Hair find Medusa, Samson, and Shirley Temple.The Oxford Dictionary of Reference and Allusion is both a useful and user-friendlyreference work for students of English Literature and Language, as well as for non-native English speakers for aid with unusual references, and an absorbing volume for all lovers of literature and culture in general.

LC Classification NumberPE1580