Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 3 A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook — Reading Companion

Catalog Subjects vs. Actual Content

The catalog lists this work under "Literature -- Dictionaries," "Allusions," and "Fiction -- Dictionaries." The excerpts confirm these classifications: entries like "Pigrogromitus" (from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night) and "Piers and Palinode" (from Spenser's Shepheardes Calender) demonstrate the dictionary's function as a reference for literary allusions. However, the excerpts also reveal a broader scope. The entry for "Pilgrim Fathers" provides historical information about the 102 Puritans who sailed on the Mayflower, extending beyond fiction into historical figures. Similarly, "Pilatus, Mount" recounts a legend about Pontius Pilate, blending religious lore with geography. This suggests the work covers not only fictional characters but also historical and legendary figures that appear in literary contexts.

Structure and Citation Practices

Entries consistently cite specific authors and works, often with publication dates. For example, "Piers and Palinode" is attributed to Spenser's Shepheardes Calender (1579), and "Pietro" to Browning's The Ring and the Book. The entries also include cross-references, such as "Pigmy" pointing to "Pygmy." Some entries incorporate etymologies: "Pierrot" is noted to mean "Little Peter." The work occasionally includes illustrative anecdotes, like the tale of an actor imitating a pig's squeak, attributed to Phædrus. This combination of citation, etymology, and anecdote gives the entries a scholarly yet accessible tone.

Treatment of Fairy Tales and Folklore

The excerpts include entries for fairy tales and folklore, such as "Pigeon and Dove," summarized from Comtesse D'Aunoy's Fairy Tales (1682). The entry recounts the transformation of Prince Constantio into a pigeon and Princess Constantia into a dove, concluding that they became "emblems of love and constancy." Another entry, "Pigwiggen," describes a fairy knight from Drayton's Nymphidia. These entries show that the dictionary covers not only canonical literature but also lesser-known fairy tales and mythological figures. The summaries are concise, often reducing complex narratives to a few sentences, which may serve as a quick reference for readers unfamiliar with the original works.

Readers should approach this volume as a reference tool rather than a continuous narrative. The entries are best consulted individually, and the cross-references encourage exploration of related characters. The work's value lies in its breadth, covering figures from classical mythology to 19th-century novels, though the depth of each entry varies. For those researching literary allusions, this dictionary offers a starting point, but original sources should be consulted for fuller context.

There are evenings when I page through that old character handbook, and the names drift like dust motes—each one a doorway I once walked through. Somewhere between the romances and the footnotes, I remembered the strange, dreamlike intensity of One of Cleopatra's Nights and Other Fantastic Romances — Key Ideas to Explore, where the shadows feel just as real as the people. Both books let me wander through other lives, quietly.