Robert L. Gale

From a vantage point 100 years later, one can look back on the excitement and ferment of a turbulent decade and find the seeds of the joys and anguish, the excesses and successes of the twentieth century. Whether for browsing or research, readers will reap rewards from this entertaining and enlightening alphabetical compendium of the persons, events, institutions, and ideas of the era.Taking the emergence of modern American literature--with realism and naturalism replacing romanticism--as his point of view, Robert L. Gale profiles some ninety-five writers of classic and popular literature, journalism, and criticism, 140 individual works, and thirty magazines, all set against the background of America thrusting itself into the twentieth century and evolving as a world power. But he doesn't stop there. Also represented in over 500 entries are painters and politicians, social workers and industrialists, composers and inventors, explorers and evangelists as well as topics like crime, immigration, medicine, motion pictures, sports, and universities and landmark events like the Panic of 1893, the Spanish-American War, and the World's Columbian Exposition. Fully cross-referenced and indexed, the dictionary includes a chronology of events from 1888 to 1901, an appendix classifying entries on key people in occupational and other categories, and an extensive bibliography. Starting on page one or dipping in at any point in the dictionary, the reader will be led to related materials and, finally, to an understanding of this formative period in American cultural history.

Raymond Chandler was a pioneer of what came to be known as hard-boiled mystery-detective fiction. His Philip Marlowe is America's tough, realistic equivalent to Victorian England's more refined Sherlock Holmes. This reference work includes hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries for Chandler's individual novels and short stories, his characters, family members and professional acquaintances. Entries for fiction provide plot synopses, identification of characters and brief critical commentaries. Longer entries cite numerous critical works for further reading.

Ross Macdonald is best known as the creator of private detective Lew Archer and as the author of such works as The Drowning Pool (1950) and The Underground Man (1971). One of the most popular American mystery writers of the 20th century, he is often compared to Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler-authors from whom he borrowed literary techniques-but is generally considered more serious and complex, often writing about dysfunctional families in academic settings. This reference is a convenient guide to his life and works. Included are numerous alphabetically arranged entries for individual works, characters, family members, and professional acquaintances. Entries for novels provide plot summaries, lists of characters, and brief critical commentaries. Longer entries cite works for further reading, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography. Entries are cross-referenced, and the book includes a chronology and detailed index.

F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most challenging authors of American literature. He is known internationally as the author of The Great Gatsby (1925), a twentieth-century literary classic studied by high school students and scholars alike. But Fitzgerald was an amazingly productive writer despite numerous personal and professional difficulties. From the beginning of his literary career with the publication of This Side of Paradise in 1920 to his death in 1940, he wrote 5 novels, roughly 180 short stories, numerous essays and reviews, much poetry, several plays, and some film scripts. Even when he wrote hastily and perhaps bleary-eyed, his works almost always exhibit the flashes of his genius. He is celebrated as a symbol of the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties, but beneath all the glitter for which his prose is famous, he warns of the dangers of personal recklessness and praises the redemptive power of love. Through hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries, this reference book provides complete coverage of Fitzgerald's life and writings. The volume begins with a chronology that traces his rise from obscurity to fame, his struggles with alcoholism, and his eventual financial downfall. The entries that follow give a full and detailed picture of Fitzgerald and his work. They present the essential action in Fitzgerald's novels, short stories, plays, and poems; identify all named fictional characters and indicate their significance; and give brief biographical information for Fitzgerald's family members, friends, and professional associates. Many of the entries include bibliographies which emphasize criticism published after 1990, and the volume closes with a general bibliography of the most important broad studies of Fitzgerald and his works. A thorough index and extensive cross references provide additional access to the wealth of information in this reference book and help make it a useful tool for a wide range of users.

A feminist before such a term was created and most famous for The Awakening, the controversial Kate Chopin was also the author of a second novel, At Fault, as well as numerous short stories. This reference book begins with a brief introduction to Kate Chopin's varied background and her fictional work. A chronology traces the main events of her private and professional lives. Hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries follow, summarizing the plots of her novels and short stories, identifying her fictional characters, and relating them to her own experiences, to her family members and to her friends. Many entries include bibliographical citations.

Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869-1935) was hailed by many in his day as America's foremost poet, outranking T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, and Ezra Pound. Perhaps best known for his sonnets, he startles readers into attention and response through obscurity and ambiguity and demanding syntax. Many of Robinson's works continue to be published today, introducing him to new generations of readers. This comprehensive encyclopedia provides information on Robinson's poems--he published more than 200--and also his less well-known prose works, along with entries on his family, friends, and professional associates. Entries on his writings give the year published, a summary, background information, and critical commentary illuminating enigmatic passages. Entries on people provide biographical information and describe the influence the person had on Robinson's life.

A pioneer in "hard-boiled fiction," James Mallahan Cain achieved fame with his first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice. His Double Indemnity and Mildred Pierce soon followed, as did successful movie versions of all three novels. With his seventeen other novels and numerous short stories, Cain remains one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. This reference guide to Cain's oeuvre offers a chronology detailing his life as reporter, Hollywood scenarist and best-selling author. Entries for his fiction follow, with plot synopses, identification of more than 900 characters, and critical commentaries, many citing works for further reading. An introduction to Cain's fiction and a resource for scholars and aficionados, this compendium provides the most thorough exploration to date of this major American writer.

Truman Capote was one of the most flamboyant, exuberant, self-advertising, and self-destructive figures in American literary history. This much-needed encyclopedia summarizes every item in Capote's oeuvre, including novels, short stories, and non-fictional prose pieces. All of his fictional characters are identified, as well as family members and acquaintances, particularly those who were most relevant to his literary output. Film and television adaptations of his work are briefly addressed. Many entries include bibliographical citations to facilitate further reading of Capote scholarship.

This reference book acquaints and reacquaints readers with the brilliant short stories of Ring Lardner, who was the first and remains one of the best contemporary baseball writers--accurate, colloquial, and funny. His characters, both real and fictional, are handled here, as are the plots and details of some 35 short stories devoted almost exclusively to baseball. Equal attention is paid to 92 non-baseball stories, including 34 that are extremely rare and have never been collected in book form.

" This encyclopedia includes an introductory essay about Greene's work. A chronology lists events of his literary career, military work, travels and life. Alphabetically entries follow, summarizing the plots of novels and short stories, indicating moviesand television dramas adapted from them, describing fictional characters, and relating them to his own experiences, family members and real-life figures. "--Provided by publisher.

Best remembered today as the author of The Song of Hiawatha, Longfellow continues to be one of the most popular poets in American literary history. This book is a guide to his life and writings. A brief introductory essay overviews Longfellow's life and accomplishments. A chronology then summarizes the chief events in his career. Hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries follow, discussing individual poems, his other writings, his family members and professional associates, and topics related to his life and literary achievements. Entries list works for further reading, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography.Longfellow has also enjoyed fame worldwide; in England, his poems outsold those of Browning and Tennyson. In addition to being a gifted poet, Longfellow had a brilliant career as a college professor. He wrote numerous critical works and translations, and was also a leading American Dante scholar. He frequently wrote letters, and his admirers often sought his advice on personal and professional matters.

At one time, Mickey Spillane had authored seven of the top ten bestsellers in history, and may have been the most widely read author in the world. Spillane masterful storytelling grabs his readers with his first paragraph and leads them spellbound toward his climax. Along with Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Ross Macdonald, he remains one of America's greatest mystery writers. This book is a convenient guide to his works. An opening chronology lists the chief events in his life and career. The bulk of the volume presents several hundred alphabetically arranged entries on his writings. Lengthier entries summarize the plots of his works, including I, the Jury; My Gun Is Quick; Vengeance Is Mine!; and The Long Wait. Shorter entries identify his numerous characters, including his particularly memorable detective, Mike Hammer. Select entries list works for further reading, and the volume concludes with a brief bibliography.

Lafcadio Hearn was a prolific 19th-century writer with diverse experiences. He was born in Greece; educated in Ireland, France, and England; and thereafter resided in the United States, the French West Indies, and Japan. He is best known for his nonfiction, primarily his essays and newspaper columns, though he also wrote numerous stories that drew on the lore of different cultures. But he will always be remembered as the American writer who first wrote extensively about Japan and made Asiatic culture accessible to British and American readers. This reference is a comprehensive guide to Hearn's life and career. Included in the volume are hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries for individual works by Hearn and collections of his writings, for members of his family, and for the colleagues and acquaintances who figured prominently in his life. The entries summarize his views, reveal his keen perception, and demonstrate the breadth of his musings. Entries often cite works for further reading, and the volume also includes a bibliography. While the book is first and foremost a guide to Hearn, it also shows how Japanese society was first presented to the West.

Ambrose Bierce was born in 1842 and mysteriously disappeared in 1914. During his lifetime, he was a controversial and prolific writer, and there is growing interest in his works. As a Union soldier during the Civil War, he witnessed bloodshed and the atrocities of battle. After the war, he began a career as a journalist in San Francisco, where many of his newspaper columns were filled with venom and daring. In addition, he wrote war stories and tales of the supernatural, along with an assortment of poems. Today, he is probably best remembered as the author of The Devil's Dictionary, originally published as The Cynic's Dictionary in 1906. This reference is a guide to his life and writings.An opening essay overviews Bierce's contribution to literature and journalism, and a chronology summarizes the most important events in his life. The bulk of the Companion comprises alphabetically arranged entries on Bierce's major works and characters and on historical persons and writers who figured prominently in his life and career. Thus the volume provides coverage of Bierce's contemporaries, many of whom he satirized in his scathing newspaper columns. Many of the entries list works for further reading, and the book closes with a selected, general bibliography. Because of Bierce's concern with so many issues of his day, the volume offers a valuable perspective on American culture during the time in which he lived.

Dashiell Hammett's writing career began with the publication of The Parthian Shot, a tiny short story in The Smart Set in 1922, and virtually ended when he published 3 outstanding stories in Collier's in 1934. During this period, he published 60 short stories, 5 novels—including The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man—a few minor poems, some nonfictional prose, and a series of astute book reviews. Though he lived until 1961, he wrote little after 1934 and suffered from alcoholism, tuberculosis, and other illnesses. His influence on other writers, however, and on movies and television, has survived to this day. This reference work is a comprehensive guide to Hammett's life and works.The volume begins with a chronology that highlights the major events in Hammett's life. The bulk of the book comprises alphabetically arranged entries for Hammett's works, characters, family members, and acquaintances. Some of the entries cite sources of additional information, and the volume concludes with a brief bibliography. While the reference is first and foremost a guide to Hammett, it is also a helpful aid to the study of the development of the American hard-boiled detective novel.

For too long Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909) was dismissed as a timid New England local colorist, known principally for her novels and short stories based in her native state of Maine. But in addition to her fiction, she also wrote poetry, plays, and essays. She enjoyed an extensive acquaintance with most of the established writers of her time and was on friendly terms with many lesser-known women of her era. With the publication of a selection of her letters in 1956, scholarly books and articles soon followed. And with the advent of the women's movement came a renewal of interest in Jewett's life and writings. She is now recognized as a uniquely sharp, compassionate observer of women and their lives in 19th-century New England.Included in this reference book are alphabetically arranged entries for Jewett's writings, characters, family members, friends, acquaintances, and professional associates and admirers. Entries on the most important works and persons include brief bibliographies. The volume begins with a concise introductory essay, and a chronology highlights the chief events in Jewett's life and career. The book closes with a general bibliography of works about Jewett. Given Jewett's complex characterizations and her subtle crafting of plots and settings, this book will be a valuable guide both for those approaching Jewett's works for the first time and for more advanced readers.

Herman Melville is one of the most challenging authors of American literature. Known primarily as the author of Moby-Dick, he wrote several other novels, short stories, and poems. With the rise of interest in Melville in the 20th century, critical and biographical studies of Melville continue to be published at an ever-increasing rate. This encyclopedia is a comprehensive guide to Melville's rich and complex literary career. The volume includes several hundred alphabetically arranged entries for all of Melville's works and characters, and for his family members, friends, and acquaintances. Entries on the most important topics include bibliographies. The encyclopedia is more factual than critical, but scholarship from 1990 and beyond is emphasized throughout. The book also gives special attention to the 19th-century women who influenced Melville, for these women have often been overlooked. A chronology overviews the principal events in Melville's life, and a selected bibliography lists major studies.

The 1850s were a particularly fruitful and eventful period in American history, a time of unrest and preparation for change. This reference work provides a thorough record of the cultural happenings in America during that period. The volume is divided into several sections. It begins with a chronology that presents the events of the 1850s in capsule form year by year. A list of entries follows. The encyclopedia that comes after the list of entries contains brief, alphabetically arranged articles for performers, military personnel, theologians, composers, critics, educators, explorers, historians, industrialists, inventors, authors, artists, physicians, scientists, sculptors, and numerous events and creative works. A bibliography, divided into topical sections, directs the reader to the best sources of additional information. An appendix lists the biographical entries according to professional categories, and a detailed index adds to the usefulness of the volume.