The Oxford Companion to English Literature
Grade 9 Up—This work clearly explains erudite concepts and literary and philosophical jargon (from deconstruction to structuralism, etc.), while offering informative and piquant entries on a wide variety of topics (authors, works, movements, characters, historical events) of interest to students and other curious readers. Thoroughly revised since the 2000 edition, the title has much to recommend it; the four introductory essays (especially those on the culture of reading) and the four appendixes add a great deal of value. Information on children's literature has been revised and beefed up: there are now entries on J. K. Rowling and Phillip Pullman, for example, as well as separate entries on some of their works ("His Dark Materials") and characters (Harry Potter). Though lacking some of the inclusiveness and serendipity ofBenet's Reader's Encyclopedia(Collins, 2008), this volume provides a great collection of plot summaries and informative essays that range in length from a few dozen words to more than 2 pages. Important authors, such as Frank Bidart, John Guare, and Lanford Wilson, are neglected to make room for plot summaries of mediocre works, but any book expansive enough to contain both Ferdinand de Saussure's theory of structuralism and Richard Scarry's elegant everyman, Lowly Worm, is an essential purchase.—Herman Sutter, Saint Agnes Academy, Houston, TX(c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.