The Oxford Companion to English Literature

The First Oxford Companion to English Literature, edited by Sir Paul Harvey, was published in 1932 and quickly established itself as the standard source of reference for scholars, students and general readers alike. In 1985, under the editorship of Margaret Drabble, this well-loved text was thoroughly and sensitively revised to bring it up to date without losing its essential character, or the lightness of touch that made it such a pleasure to dip in to. The sixth edition was published in 2000, and includes more than 600 new entries, reflecting the new figures and issues of English Literature in the 21 century. The existing entries were extensively revised and updated. This text has now been revised again to incorporate the latest developments, for instance the current success of children’s and cross over literature, such as that of J.K. Rowling and Philip Pullman. However, the Companion also remains faithful to Sir Paul Harvey’s original vision of an authoritative work placing English literature in its widest context. No other volume offers such extensive exploration of the classical roots of English literature and the European authors and works that influenced its development. The invaluable appendices have also been updated: the winners of the major literary award, and the chronology–spanning a thousand years of English literature from Beowulf to Small Island. Informed by the latest scholarly thinking, and comprehensively cross-referenced to guide the reader to topics of related interest, the revised sixth edition reaffirms the pre-eminence of the Companion as the best available single-volume guide to English literature.