Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Literature by Tarshia L. Stanley (Editor)Hip Hop literature, also known as urban fiction or street lit, is a type of writing evocative of the harsh realities of life in the inner city. Beginning with seminal works by such writers as Donald Goines and Iceberg Slim and culminating in contemporary fiction, autobiography, and poetry, Hip Hop literature is exerting the same kind of influence as Hip Hop music, fashion, and culture. Through more than 180 alphabetically arranged entries, this encyclopedia surveys the world of Hip Hop literature and places it in its social and cultural contexts. Entries cite works for further reading, and a bibliography concludes the volume. Coverage includes authors, genres, and works, as well as on the musical artists, fashion designers, directors, and other figures who make up the context of Hip Hop literature. Entries cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia concludes with a selected, general bibliography. Students in literature classes will value this guide to an increasingly popular body of literature, while students in social studies classes will welcome its illumination of American cultural diversity.
Call Number: PS153.N5 E53 2009
ISBN: 9780313343896
Publication Date: 2008-12-30
Historical Dictionary of Modern Japanese Literature and Theater by J. Scott MillerWith the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan opened its doors to the West and underwent remarkable changes as it sought to become a modern nation. Accompanying the political changes that Western trade ushered in were widespread social and cultural changes. Newspapers, novels, poems, and plays from the Western world were soon adapted and translated into Japanese. The combination of the rich storytelling tradition of Japan with the realism and modernism of the West produced some of the greatest literature of the modern age. Historical Dictionary of Modern Japanese Literature and Theater presents a broad perspective on the development and history of literature--narrative, poetry, and drama--in modern Japan. This book offers a chronology, introduction, bibliography, and over 400 cross-referenced dictionary entries on authors, literary and historical developments, trends, genres, and concepts that played a central role in the evolution of modern Japanese literature.
Call Number: PL716 .M47 2009
ISBN: 9780810858107
Publication Date: 2009-07-01
Multicultural Writers since 1945 by Alba Amoia (Editor); Bettina L. Knapp (Editor)The end of World War II led to increased interest in multicultural concerns and a flourishing of literary and artistic endeavors. It was also a time of decolonization and the emergence of new nations and cultures clamoring for recognition and respect. The political circumstances following World War II exposed many people to other cultures. This reference discusses the experiences of writers active since 1945 who were shaped by cultures other than their own. Included are alphabetically arranged entries for more than 100 writers, including Chinua Achebe, W.H. Auden, Mircea Eliade, Jamaica Kincaid, Salman Rushdie, and Elie Wiesel. The profiled authors either lived in another culture voluntarily or were wrenched from one culture into another. Each entry includes a brief biography, a discussion of multicultural themes in the writer's works, a review of criticism, and primary and secondary bibliographies. The volume closes with a selected, general bibliography. The reference demonstrates the value of multicultural experiences in the lives of writers around the world and fosters a greater appreciation of cultural diversity.
Call Number: PN452 .M88 2004
ISBN: 0313306885
Publication Date: 2004-03-30
Holocaust Literature by S. Lillian Kremer (Editor)Featuring 300 alphabetically organized bio-critical essays on writers of memoirs, novels, poetry, short stories, and drama, ranging in length from 1,500 to 7,000 words, this comprehensive scholarly work presents a broad spectrum of voices remembering, interpreting, and reinterpreting one of the twentieth century's most politically and emotionally charged events. Including writers whose works first appeared in Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Yiddish, this reference provides wide international coverage, though its focus will be on writers whose work is available in English. It will prove a valuable resource to students, scholars, general readers, or to anyone interested in world history. Also includes maps. For a full list of entries, sample entries, and more, visit the website Holocaust Literature: An Encyclopedia of Writers and Their Work website.
ISBN: 0415929849
Publication Date: 2002-10-01
Dictionary of Midwestern LiteratureThe Dictionary of Midwestern Literature, Volume One, surveys the lives and writings of nearly 400 Midwestern authors and identifies some of the most important criticism of their writings. The Dictionary is based on the belief that the literature of any region simultaneously captures the experience and influences the worldview of its people, reflecting as well as shaping the evolving sense of individual and collective identity, meaning, and values. Volume One presents individual lives and literary orientations and offers a broad survey of the Midwestern experience as expressed by its many diverse peoples over time. Philip A. Greasley’s introduction fills in background information and describes the philosophy, focus, methodology, content, and layout of entries, as well as criteria for their inclusion. An extended lead-essay, "The Origins and Development of the Literature of the Midwest," by David D. Anderson, provides a historical, cultural, and literary context in which the lives and writings of individual authors can be considered. This volume is the first of an ambitious three-volume series sponsored by the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature and created by its members. Volume Two will provide similar coverage of non-author entries, such as sites, centers, movements, influences, themes, and genres. Volume Three will be a literary history of the Midwest. One goal of the series is to build understanding of the nature, importance, and influence of Midwestern writers and literature. Another is to provide information on writers from the early years of the Midwestern experience, as well as those now emerging, who are typically absent from existing reference works.
ISBN: 9780253108418
Publication Date: 2001-05-30
African-American Writers by Valerie SmithThe Scribner Writers Series has set the standard for literary reference for more than 25 years. In addition to addressing the lives and careers of important writers, the articles discuss the themes and styles of major works and place them in pertinent historical, social and political contexts for today's readers. Novelists, playwrights, essayists, poets, short story writers, and more recently, genre writers in science fiction and mystery, are all expertly discussed in the more than 16 sets comprising this series. Thirty-four articles from the acclaimed set have been updated, and 20 new writers who came to prominence since the mid-1980s have been added, expanding this original single-volume publication into two comprehensive volumes. Designed expressly with high school students in mind, the A-to-Z articles are clearly written and accompanied by photos of the authors.
Call Number: PS153.N5 A344 2001
ISBN: 0684806401
Publication Date: 2000-11-01
U. S. Latino Literature by Harold Fernandez Augenbraum (Editor); Margarite Fernandez Olmos (Editor)Over the past three decades, governments have ceded economic control to a new elite of free-market operatives and their colleagues in national and international institutions like the IMF, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization. They promised economic stability but have delivered chaos. Their speculation has left the global economy more vulnerable to a financial collapse than any time since 1929.Two leading financial journalists dissect this financial elite, tracing their origins to a secretive gathering of free-market economists in 1947, and propose a series of far-reaching reforms that can save us from a new depression.
Call Number: PS153.H56 U7 2000
ISBN: 0313311374
Publication Date: 2000-09-30
Asian American Literature by Lawrence J. Trudeau (Editor)This reference guide to Asian writers covers authors whose works have been translated into the English language. Each author entry includes full biographical information, as well as excerpts from literary criticism and sources for further study. Authors covered include David Henry Hwang, Amy Tan, Lady Murasaki, Ts'ao Chan, Yasunari Kawabata and Kenzaburo Oe. The text concentrates on contemporary authors, but also includes many who have historical importance. Author portraits are included, as well as an introductory essay on developments and trends in Asian and Anglo-American literature and a map of East Asia.
Call Number: PS153.A84 A82 1999
ISBN: 0787602965
Publication Date: 1998-10-01
Contemporary Southern Writers by Roger MatuzThis volume presents 250 biocritical, signed entries on today's most frequently studied Southern novelists, short story writers, poets, dramatists, editors, journalists and writers of non-fiction.
Call Number: PS261 .C569 1999
ISBN: 1558623701
Publication Date: 1998-11-01
Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature by Verity Smith (Editor)A comprehensive, encyclopedic guide to the authors, works, and topics crucial to the literature of Central and South America and the Caribbean, the Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature includes over 400 entries written by experts in the field of Latin American studies. Most entries are of 1500 words but the encyclopedia also includes survey articles of up to 10,000 words on the literature of individual countries, of the colonial period, and of ethnic minorities, including the Hispanic communities in the United States. Besides presenting and illuminating the traditional canon, the encyclopedia also stresses the contribution made by women authors and by contemporary writers. Outstanding Reference Source Outstanding Reference Book
Call Number: PQ7081.A1 E56 1997
ISBN: 1884964184
Publication Date: 1997-02-01
Gay and Lesbian Literature by Sharon Malinowski (Editor)The diverse, dynamic field of gay and lesbian literature is enjoying a period of growth and attention. with more homoseually-oriented work being published, studied in a gay or lesbian context and generally read, the need for a reference is required.
Salem Literature
This includes Masterplots; Critical Insights series on the themes of Dystopia, Good and Evil, Nature and the Environment, Technology and Humanity, The Hero’s Quest, and War. The Critical Surveys series includes Long Fiction, Graphic Novels: Manga, Graphic Novels: History, Theme, and Technique, Critical Survey of Mythology and Folklore: World Mythology.
Reference sources can provide you with valuable information such as:
Background information
Important figures
Dates, places, and people
Definitions and key terms
Lists of additional sources (articles, books, etc.)
They are an excellent way to begin your research by allowing you to become familiar with the topic in preparation to choose the best articles, books, and additional resources.