Oxford Dictionary of Reference and Allusion (Oxford Quick Reference) - Softcover

Delahunty, Andrew; Dignen, Sheila

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199567468 ISBN 13: 9780199567461

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2012

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

Andrew Delahunty and Sheila Dignen are freelance lexicographers who have extensive experience compiling dictionaries.

Review

"A brilliantly organized handbook of names, places and phrases.... A highly readable text."
--Choice (praise for the previous edition)

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0199567468
• ISBN 13: 9780199567461
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 416