The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300136021 ISBN 13: 9780300136029

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2012

Synopsis

This extensive collection of proverbs, all coined after 1900, reflects the experiences and perplexities of the modern world

"You can't unring a bell." "It takes a village to raise a child." "Life is just a bowl of cherries." We sometimes think of proverbs as expressions of ancient wisdom, but in fact new proverbs are constantly arising. This unique volume is devoted exclusively to English-language proverbs that originated in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The most complete and accurate such collection ever compiled, The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs presents more than 1,400 individual proverbs gathered and researched with the help of electronic full-text databases not previously used for such a project.

Entries are organized alphabetically by key words, with information about the earliest datable appearance, origin, history, and meaning of each proverb. Mundane or sublime, serious or jocular, these memorable sayings represent virtually every aspect of the modern experience. Readers will find the book almost impossible to put down once opened; every page offers further proof of the immense vitality of proverbs and their colorful contributions to the oral traditions of today.

About this title

About the Author

Charles Clay Doyle is associate professor of English and linguistics, University of Georgia, and past president of the Western States Folklore Society. He lives in Athens, GA.

Wolfgang Mieder is professor of German and folklore, University of Vermont. He is the author or editor of numerous books on proverbs and the founding editor of Proverbium: Yearbook of International Proverb Scholarship. He lives in Burlington, VT.

Fred R. Shapiro is associate librarian and lecturer in legal research at Yale Law School. He is author or editor of several previous books, including the The Yale Book of Quotations. He lives in New Haven, CT.

Review

“It’s a fabulous book, certainly the most enjoyable one I’ve read this year.”—Ben Yagoda, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Lingua Franca blog (Ben Yagoda The Chronicle of Higher Education)


"With its focus on proverbs that originated since 1900, this rich collection of 1,400 sayings drawn from newspapers, songs, and films is the first to use recently digitized sources to provide more accurate attributions.  Alphabetized by keyword with information about each proverb's earliest datable appearance, origin, history, and meaning, the work is endlessly entertaining."―Library Journal (Library Journal)

Selected as a Choice Outstanding 2012 Title for Humanities within the Reference category. (Outstanding Academic Title Choice 2013-05-22)

Edition details

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0300136021
• ISBN 13: 9780300136029
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 312