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Dictionary of Literary Characters

Name: Dictionary of Literary Characters
Author: Chambers (ed.)
ISBN: 9780550102140

by Chambers (ed.)

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Overview

"Through concise and informative entries, Chambers Dictionary of Literary Characters provides a guide to the wealth of characters created by writers in English." Ranging from such classic names in fiction as Elizabeth Bennett and David Copperfield, to contemporary literary stars such as Harry Potter and Captain Corelli, entries provide the essential information about characters' personalities and roles. A browser's delight, Chambers Dictionary of Literary Characters is packed with information.

About the Author, Chambers (ed.)

This internationally renowned reference publisher continues its celebrated tradition of excellence into the present day with such informative and authoritative works as the Chambers Crossword Dictionary, Chambers Encyclopedia, Chambers Biographical Dictionary and the all-new Chambers Dictionary of Quotations.

Chambers is based in Edinburgh, as it always has been, and employs editors with a wide range of skills on dictionaries and other titles for a variety of users, including students and teachers of English as a foreign or second language. As well as the core business of publishing dictionaries and thesauruses, Chambers also publishes a range of titles on grammar and usage, single-volume reference titles on science, history, biography and quotations, as well as titles for Scrabble® and crosswords.

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Editorials

Library Journal

This alphabetical listing of over 6500 characters from English literature is a highly diverse resource, boasting entries on Shakespearean characters and Bridget Jones, as well as the Famous Five and the Droogs of A Clockwork Orange, to name a few. This work was first published in 1994, and the new edition has been fully revised and expanded. In addition to featuring hundreds of new entries, it also includes for the first time concise biographies of the authors, an appendix of literary awards, and eight short essays on aspects of the character (e.g., "The Detective in Fiction"). Each entry provides a concise summary of the role of the character(s), a brief description of major personality traits, and sometimes a comment on how the character has been perceived in literary criticism. The main feat of the dictionary, apart from exhibiting the contributors' impressive breadth of knowledge, is its condensing the essence of each character into entries of a little over 100 words. Bottom Line Arguably, this work has a British focus (Chambers is an Edinburgh-based publisher). However, the creations of more established authors from other English-speaking countries (e.g., Toni Morrison, Jonathan Franzen) are certainly represented. Recommended for academic libraries.-Rebecca Bollen Manalac, Sydney, Australia Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.