some good books to start with

A Dictionary of Literary Symbols

Ferber, Michael

+ info

A Dictionary of Literary Symbols -- Michael Ferber

This book gives a wonderful overview to almost any symbol used in the literary tradition. If you're stuck, or need a reference for your ideas, start with this book. It also gives you great ideas for other scholarly articles on the different topics.

Ferber, Michael. A Dictionary of Literary Symbols. Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Brechtbau-Bibliothek: HA 010.220b

There is an Online version accessible via the University's library catalogue

et al.

+ info

The Oxford Handbook of...

The Cambridge Companion to...

There is a wide arrange of Editions to these two kinds of books. Most often there is a chief editor who compiles different articles around a subject. Those subjects reach from area to era and there are even books on specific poets.

Have a look through the library's catalogue to try to find one that fits your purpose.

Oxford English Dictionary

The English Language

+ info

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED)

Please use this dictionary for any references concerning the language that is being used. The OED not only gives you several different examples but also etymological information.

You can access the digital version using the University's VPN under

https://www.oed.com/

annotated editions

Your Poem

+ info

Annotated Versions of your poem

Nothing's ever new. While you might figure out different approaches to certain things, annotating is more about the representation of ideas that are already formulated.

If you're stuck, try finding an already annotated version of your poem to figure out, where a certain word is leading the reader.

How Poetry Works

Roberts, Philip

+ info

How Poetry Works -- Philip Roberts

This book gives an easy to follow, step-by-step introduction to the different aspects of analysing and then interpreting a poem. If there are things you struggle with and strictly academic books were not able to help you, try this one instead.

Roberts, Philip Davies. How Poetry Works. Penguins Books, 2000.

Universitäts Bibliothek: angl B 5210 Auflage 2

Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics

Preminger, Alex

+ info

Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics

-- Alex Preminger et al. (2015)

Exactly what you're expecting it to be. This is our main reference book when it comes to poetic terms. The library recently even added a digital version of it to its catalogue!

Preminger, Alex, et al. Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Princeton University Press, 2015.

Brechtbau-Bibliothek: HA 010.081

Universitäts Bibliothek: lili M 102 (33 A 17768-?) and Online!

Research

Kuiper, Kathleen

Poetry and Drama : Literary Terms and Concepts

+ info

Poetry and Drama: Literary Terms and Concepts. -- Kathleen Kuiper

This book is, similarly to others on this list, a collection of information on different terms, concepts and authors of poetry as well as drama. The language is a bit easier, if you struggle with the form of for example The Princeton Encyclopedia.

Be creative in what your looking for: If you're searching on a definition of lullaby, maybe try nursery rhymes and think on a broader scope.

Kuiper, Kathleen. Poetry and Drama : Literary Terms and Concepts. Britannica Educational Publishing, 2012.

There is an Online version available via the University's library catalogue