A Dictionary of Literary Works

A Dictionary of Literary Works, an alphabetized reference guide to some of the greatest books and authors of the past millennia, represents a labor of love a long time in the making. This volume encapsulates author Mike Goldman's forty-four years as a beloved high-school English teacher and six years as a college professor. Over those fifty years, Goldman seems to have held on to every piece of literary knowledge gained, including saving copies of each lesson plan he wrote, as well as notes from his own college and graduate courses. One course in particular, at Amherst College in the late 1950s, servedas a turning point of inspiration for Goldman's literary journey. The class focused on how to "see inside" a text and locate a relevant perspective, through which one might identify a meaningful trope, or more. This concept got young Goldman's analytical juices flowing for the next half century. And so, armed with decades of experience in reading and discourse, textual references, and an enduring passion for the art of storytelling, Mike Goldman set about composing this love letter to literature.