A Dictionary of Literary Symbols

Description

This is an expansion of the first dictionary of symbols to be based on literature, rather than on 'universal' psychological archetypes or myths. It explains and illustrates the literary symbols that we frequently encounter (such as swan, rose, moon, gold) and gives thousands of cross-references and quotations. The dictionary concentrates on English literature, but its entries range widely from the Bible and classical authors to the twentieth century, taking in American and European literatures. For this third edition, Michael Ferber has included some twenty completely new entries (such as birch, childbirth, grove, mill and railroad) and has added to many of the existing entries. Its rich references make this book an essential tool not only for literary and classical scholars but also for all students of literature.

Michael Ferber is Professor of English and Humanities at the University of New Hampshire. His books include The Poetry of William Blake (1991), The Poetry of Shelley (1993), A Companion to European Romanticism (2005) and The Cambridge Introduction to British Romantic Poetry (Cambridge, 2012).