The Facts on File companion to the American novel

Format:

Book

Title:

The Facts on File companion to the American novel

Other title(s):

Companion to the American novel

ISBN:

9780816045280

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

3 volumes (viii, 1519 pages) ; 25 cm.

Series title(s):

Facts on File library of American literature.

Contents:

Vol. 1: Entries A to F -- v. 2: Entries G to O -- v. 3: Entries P to Z ; Subject entries: The African-American novel ; The Asian-American novel ; The Latino novel ; The detective novel ; The Native American novel -- Appendix: List of major prize winners.

Summary:

With more than 675 entries in an A-to-Z format, this one-volume encyclopedia analyzes the American short story genre as a whole. The bibliographies and cross-references will expand further research possibilities for general readers, literature students, writers, and teachers.

Subject(s):

American fiction -- Encyclopedias.

American fiction -- Bio-bibliography.

American fiction -- Stories, plots, etc.

Genre:

Added Author:

Added Corporate Author:

Facts on File, Inc.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Woodburn Public Library	813 FACTS V. 03	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Woodburn Public Library	813 FACTS V. 02	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Woodburn Public Library	813 FACTS V. 01	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

By the author of the award-winning ""The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story"", this encyclopedic resource examines the great American novel in all of its diversity. Spanning the earliest novels that imitated the literary fashions of England to the 21st-century prize-winners, from literary classics to contemporary popular favorites, this reference traces the history of the novel in the United States. With more than 1,200 A-to-Z entries, this book helps readers deepen their understanding of the American novel and its place in literary history. Written in a clear, engaging style with contributions from literary scholars, this is the only reference work of its kind to analyze the American novel as a whole. A detailed introduction surveys the history of the American novel and discusses emerging trends. Many entries include bibliographies to guide further research. It includes: author biographies and bibliographies; synopses and analyses of major novels; and extended essays on major subjects, such as the African-American novel and mystery and detective novels.

Author Notes

Abby H. P. Werlock is Associate Professor Emerita of English with a specialty in American literature at St. Olaf College. She received a B.A. and M.A. in English from The American University, a D.Phil. in American Studies from the University of Sussex, and has written numerous books and articles on literature. She lives in Troy, PA.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (4)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up-This A-to-Z reference contains 450 biographical overviews of American and foreign-born authors living in the United States and 500 signed analytical essays on their novels. The works chosen are those most studied, or are significant for the genre. The time span ranges from 18th- and 19th-century writers such as Charles Brockden Brown and Harriet Beecher Stowe to contemporaries such as Cormac McCarthy and Anne Tyler. There isn't an analytical essay for each author profiled; for example, the entry on Dan Brown does not include a separate essay about his best seller The Da Vinci Code. Works by foreign-born authors include Bharati Mukherjee's Jasmine and Cristina Garcia's Dreaming in Cuban. Most Pulitzer and National Book Award winners are included, and there is a section of genre essays about novels by African-American, Asian-American, Latino, and Native American authors. Biographical sketches contain some personal information but focus on the writers' careers and their work. Essays on specific novels neatly describe social context, themes, genre, and critical reception. The last volume includes a list of novels; sources, including Web sites; and an index with plenty of cross-references. Libraries will value this compact set for including classics as well as hard-to-find contemporary authors.-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

The Facts On File Companion to the American Novel0 is part of Facts On File's Companion to Literature series, joining companions to drama, poetry, and the short story. More than 900 alphabetically arranged entries (by 224 contributors) treat authors and major works. Most author entries are a page or so in length, entries on novels tend to be a little longer, and all are followed by short bibliographies. These bibliographies include primary, secondary, and online resources. Author entries treat roughly 450 writers selected on the basis of prizes won, critical acclaim, historical significance, or artistic merit. The editor has made a concerted effort to include a significant number of women writers and authors from a variety of ethnic groups. The work encompasses all of American history, but its strength is in its coverage of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including entries on newer writers, such as Myla Goldberg, Jonathan Lethem, and Alice Sebold, and critical essays on a number of titles, such as Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake0 and Philip Roth's The Plot against America,0 published since 2001. More than 500 texts are profiled, primarily because of their significance in American literary history and selection for study in high-school and college classrooms. Although novels make up the largest number, some novellas and nonfiction works are included as well. Five subject essays follow the A-Z0 entries, covering the detective novel and African American, Asian American, Latino, and Native American novels. Appendixes include a list of winners of six major prizes (current through 2006 for some prizes and 2005 for others) and a selected bibliography of secondary sources. Although some topics--feminism, the Jewish American novel, and science fiction, among others--are not represented in the topical essays, they are amply referenced within entries, with access provided by an in-depth index. The index helps make up for the lack of a complete list of entries, something that others in this series also need. In many cases, the index provides excellent research assistance; for instance, the index entries on themes, such as African-American middle class0 , immigrant experience0 , and miscegenation,0 lead to many specific novels and authors. Cross-references in the index would be helpful. The bottom line is that no other reference work on American fiction brings together such an array of authors and texts as this. Editor Werlock has published articles on American and British literature and women writers and edited the award-winning Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story0 (2000). Recommended for high-school, public, and undergraduate collections. --Joseph Thomas Copyright 2006 Booklist

Choice Review

This three-volume set covers the period from 1789 to the present. The introductory essay traces the history and changes in the reputation of the American novel over the years. The volumes are arranged alphabetically, and entries are provided for both authors and important works; e.g., in addition to the entry on William Faulkner, separate entries are included for six of his novels. Coverage is wide-ranging, including authors of the literary canon alongside contemporary popular authors such as Marilyn French, William Gibson, Stephen King, and Sue Grafton. This work features some 450 entries for authors; these include biographical information and a listing of primary and secondary works. The 500 entries for particular novels are original essays providing plot summaries and critical analyses. The volume also offers entries that focus on particular genres, such as the detective novel, and on the works of various ethnic groups, such as the Native American novel. An appendix provides listings of major prizewinners, and the index allows author, title, and subject access to the materials. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. All academic library reference collections serving lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers. E. B. Lindsay Washington State University

Library Journal Review

Werlock's (English, emerita, St. Olaf Coll.) second publication with Facts On File (following the Companion to the American Short Story, 2000) should be similarly well received. The approximately 1000 alphabetical essays gathered here are either biographical or deal with an individual work. Biographical entries encompass historical and contemporary writers, women writers, and a variety of American regional/ethnic authors. Entries on individual works include prize-winning titles, other long-respected material, titles important to high school and college curricula, and, as stated in the introduction, "a large number of contemporary" works. Some nonfiction work considered literary is also featured. Essays are compact (most are no longer than a page or two), conclude with a bibliography, and are often signed. The final volume includes multipage essays concerned with such topics as the Asian American novel, the detective novel, and the Native American novel. Bottom Line While many similar, longer works exist e.g., Magill's Survey of American Literature (1991), Scribner's American Writers (1974-2005) series, or the more recent Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature (2004) none is as tightly focused on the American novel. Werlock is also correct in asserting that this set's strength lies in its heavy inclusion of contemporary works and authors (e.g., Cecilia Brainard, Fight Club). Recommended for high school, academic, and large public libraries. Lura Sanborn, Ohrstrom Lib., St. Paul's Sch., NH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.