The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory is firmly established as a key work of reference in the complex and varied field of literary criticism. Now in its fifth edition, it remains the most comprehensive and accessible work of its kind, and is invaluable for students, teachers and general readers alike.

- Gives definitions of technical terms (hamartia, iamb, zeugma) and critical jargon (aporia, binary opposition, intertextuality)
- Explores literary movements (neoclassism, romanticism, vorticism) and schools of literary theory
- Covers genres (elegy, fabliau, pastoral) and literary forms (haiku, ottava rima, sonnet)