Gioia, Dana and X. J. Kennedy. Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama .  New York:
    Addison Wesley Longman Inc., 1999.   LCCN - 98-7902

This book contains a great deal of information on many aspects of literature focusing mainly on drama, poetry and fiction.  It provides not only great examples of the various genres in literature, but also includes descriptions and definitions of many literary terms as well.  This is a very recent publication and was put together by X. J. Kennedy who earned his M.A. degree in writing at Columbia University and the noted contemporary poet Dana Gioia, thus I found this source quite credible.  This is a great source for finding examples of different forms and terms in literature.

This web site can come in handy when you do not have access to a literary dictionary or cannot get to the library, but do have a computer with Internet access.  It is constructed so that the user can easily type in the literary term they are looking for and the results will immediately come up.  This recent site set up by Robert Harris can be considered a credible source as he is a Professor of English at Vanguard University of Southern California.

This reference book contains an alphabetical listing of a wide variety of terms familiar in the world of literature.  It provides a brief description of not only terms in literature, but also information on many famous authors, well-known novels, eras in literature and much more.  Merriam-Webster Incorporated has been publishing dictionaries and other reference books since 1831 so they are no strangers to producing credible sources and this book, which is only five years old, is no exception.  This source can be used to find bits of information about practically any matter dealing with literature.

This recently updated web site was put together in a very organized manner.  It is basically a large collection of critical and bibliographical web sites on authors and their works that can conveniently be browsed by the author's name, title of a work or the literary period.  This feature makes searching for information much easier.  In order to be a part of the Literary Criticism Collection the web site is carefully evaluated and must meet certain standards set by the Internet Public Library staff.  The Internet Public Library has won a large number of awards for the work it has done and is headed by a highly educated staff whose background information can be read about on their home page.  This is a great site when searching for interpretations on various literary works or looking for a particular author's biography.

Edward Quinn is a Professor of English at the City College of New York.  He attained a Ph.D. from New York University and has been the coeditor for many reference works, so this recent dictionary is definitely a credible source.  This book includes hundreds of literary terms and themes, which it not only gives the definition of, but also expands on the ideas each term contributes to literature.  This reference book also provides examples so the reader can better understand each literary concept.  It is a good source for finding information about literary terms or themes that one is unfamiliar with.

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