Dictionary of Literary Devices - Softcover

First published in French in 1984, the "Dictionary" has since become an essential resource for students of literature. Albert Halsall's translation now makes available to readers of English this useful guide to some 4000 linguistic, prosodic, rhetorical, and philological terms. The entries - from "Alphabet Soup" to "Zeugma" - include definitions and cross-references, illustrations and counter-illustrations, synonyms, antonyms and remarks that extend to comprehensive discussion. In some cases a brief history of the topic is also provided. Entries are defined on the basis of examples ranging from treatises deriving from the ancient world and from the European Renaissance through to modern European and American literary and cultural texts. Readers may find some of the modern sources as welcome as they are surprising: "Yes, Minister", "Tarzan" and Sherlock Holmes, for example.