Encyclopedia of Allegorical Literature

In the Encyclopedia of Allegorical Literature, readers will find more than 400 concise articles covering all aspects of literary allegory: the device wherein characters, situations, and actions stand for ideas. Far-ranging in scope, the book covers the entire Western allegorical tradition during the vast sweep of time between the Old Testament Song of Songs and the postmodernist novels of Thomas Pynchon and Ishmael Reed. Selected Indian, Middle Eastern, South American, and African works are also included, as are works that are not, strictly speaking, allegories, yet contain allegorical aspects. In addition, the authors provide articles on allegory as it relates to film, music, psychoanalysis, and other fields. The A-to-Z entries include allegorical works, authors, characters, definitions, and literary devices and terms, all carefully cross-referenced to direct the reader to related topics. Essays on the works include a brief overview of the work itself as well as an analysis of how closely it adheres to the definition of allegory set out in the helpful introduction. Quick-reference appendixes list titles of works featured in the book both alphabetically and chronologically. An extensive bibliography refers readers to a wealth of background material. A subject index rounds out the volume.