Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, A

An essential guide to the continuously expanding vocabulary of literary terms and themes, this book gives readers and students not only a traditional literary vocabulary, but also the definition of "literary." Entries on major themes include the artist/hero, the body, nihilism, evil, politics, love, war, existentialism, class, death, desire, and more. Also featured are themes of particular significance to our age such as AIDS, alienation, and anti-Semitism. Features include: terms related to Third World and feminist literature, New Criticism, as well as cultural terms from film, television, psychology, history, and other fields that touch peripherally on literature.