Major Characters in American Fiction (Henry Holt Reference Book) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0805045643 ISBN 13: 9780805045642

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1996

Synopsis

Book by Salzman, Jack

About this title

From Booklist:

This is a compilation of nearly 1,600 biographical sketches of fictional characters from American novels and short stories. Many are from classic works of fiction (The Scarlet Letter, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), but others are drawn from the works of lesser-known writers and their works (Edgar Huntly by Charles Brockden Brown or Beetlecreek by William Demby). The majority of works included were written for adults, but characters from classic children's literature are also included, most notably, Dorothy and other characters from Baum's Wizard of Oz.

Entries are arranged alphabetically by the character's last name. The title of the book, the author, and the date of publication follow. Details and significant events in the character's life are drawn from the novel or novels in which he or she appears. The length of the "biography" varies from character to character, but all include a brief interpretation of the character's life and significance to the work. In most cases, if the volume contains an entry for another character in the same novel, that character's name is listed in all capital letters. The entry for Scarlett O'Hara highlights the names of Rhett Butler, Ashley Wilkes, and Melanie Hamilton (Wilkes). There are, however, some exceptions to this rule. Entries for the members of Mary McCarthy's The Group do not contain such cross-references to the other characters profiled. Following the biographical entries are a complete list of authors with the names of the characters and the title of the work and a list of titles with the name of the characters and the author.

The editors intend the volume to represent a cross-section of American literature, illustrating its depth and diversity. They do not include any criteria for inclusion, other than to say that the characters profiled were chosen for their importance and significance to the staff of the Center for American Culture Studies at Columbia University. All biographical sketches were written by staff members of the center.

This is a readable work that would be accessible to both high-school students and patrons of the public library. Since it contains more detail than a dictionary guide to famous literary characters, it would be useful to reference and reader's advisory librarians. This work will also interest browsers who are sure to find new characters and new titles to read and enjoy. Dictionary of American Literary Characters (Facts On File, 1990) identifies only the title and author of the book in which 11,000 characters appear.

From Library Journal:

This work, edited by academics at the Center for American Cultural Studies at Columbia University, provides biographies of fictional characters from American literature. It covers close to 1600 names from books (not including plays) published between 1790 and 1991. Entries are arranged alphabetically and include brief bibliographical information and a five-to seven-paragraph biography. Three sections that cross list the characters in terms of author, title, and alternate name are also provided. Because some plot summary is included in the biographies, this work is a useful counterpart to such sources as the Oxford Companion to American Literature (1983. 5th ed.). Users will find this new work more helpful than previously available resources; no other works specifically devoted to character seek to provide such detail. For instance, The Dictionary of American Literary Characters (LJ 8/1/89) offers only one or two sentences of basic bibliographical information. While the Dictionary of Fictional Characters (1973) and Who's Who in Fiction (1975) have similar entries, they are older works. Recommended for all libraries.
Neal Wyatt, Mary Washington Coll. Lib., Fredericksburg, Va.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0805045643
• ISBN 13: 9780805045642
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 952
• Editor: Salzman Jack, Wilkinson Pamela