With new entries and sensitive edits, this fifth edition places J.A. Cuddon s indispensable dictionary firmly in the 21st Century. * Written in a clear and highly readable style * Comprehensive historical coverage extending from ancient times to the present day * Broad intellectual and cultural range * Expands on the previous edition to incorporate the most recent literary terminology * New material is particularly focused in areas such as gender studies and queer theory, post-colonial theory, post-structuralism, post-modernism, narrative theory, and cultural studies. * Existing entries have been edited to ensure that topics receive balanced treatment

'An indispensable work of reference' Times Literary Supplement The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory is firmly established as a key work of reference in the complex and varied field of literary criticism. Now in its fifth edition, it remains the most comprehensive and accessible work of its kind, and is invaluable for students, teachers and general readers alike. - Gives definitions of technical terms (hamartia, iamb, zeugma) and critical jargon (aporia, binary opposition, intertextuality) - Explores literary movements (neoclassism, romanticism, vorticism) and schools of literary theory - Covers genres (elegy, fabliau, pastoral) and literary forms (haiku, ottava rima, sonnet)