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Summary
Summary
This extensive collection of proverbs, all coined after 1900, reflects the experiences and perplexities of the modern world
"You can't unring a bell." "It takes a village to raise a child." "Life is just a bowl of cherries." We sometimes think of proverbs as expressions of ancient wisdom, but in fact new proverbs are constantly arising. This unique volume is devoted exclusively to English-language proverbs that originated in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The most complete and accurate such collection ever compiled, The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs presents more than 1,400 individual proverbs gathered and researched with the help of electronic full-text databases not previously used for such a project.
Entries are organized alphabetically by key words, with information about the earliest datable appearance, origin, history, and meaning of each proverb. Mundane or sublime, serious or jocular, these memorable sayings represent virtually every aspect of the modern experience. Readers will find the book almost impossible to put down once opened; every page offers further proof of the immense vitality of proverbs and their colorful contributions to the oral traditions of today.
Reviews (3)
Booklist Review
Success is always preceded by preparation is a proverb that aptly describes The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. The handy volume includes this and 1,400 additional popular English-language proverbs from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Entries are organized alphabetically by keyword and include the first datable appearance, history, origin, and meaning. Researchers used full-text databases to compile the volume, a first time for this type of project. Users will find it both educational and entertaining.--Adams, Jennifer Copyright 2010 Booklist
Choice Review
This enjoyable, unique resource is the result of four years' research by three eminent scholars of language and folklore: Doyle (Univ. of Georgia), Mieder (Univ. of Vermont; editor, Proverbium: Yearbook of International Proverb Scholarship), and Shapiro (Yale; editor, The Yale Book of Quotations, CH, Apr'07, 44-4184). The work's introduction underscores two crucial features distinguishing it as a "modern" reference source, compared to older proverb collections. First, it focuses exclusively on sayings that originated since 1900. Second, entries were gathered through the investigation both of print collections and of electronic resources such as full-text news databases and the Internet. The resulting collection of more than 1,400 entries, arranged alphabetically by keywords, gives information on the earliest appearance, origin, history of changes, and explanations for each proverb. Modern technology has enabled the compilers to mine all the sources of mass modern culture to collect their nuggets of folk wisdom, including every form of oral and media communication, e.g., films, newspapers, comics, songs, slogans, ads, and political speeches. To reinforce the key concept behind this dictionary project--that the creation of sayings is an ongoing, interactive process--the researchers have created a website where readers can submit new entries and information for the work. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. D. A. Chlebek University of Akron
Library Journal Review
This useful work by Doyle (Univ. of Georgia), Wolfgang Meider (Univ. of Vermont; Proverbium: Yearbook of International Proverb Scholarship), and Fred R. Shapiro (Yale Law Sch.; The Yale Book of Quotations) differs in two ways from other proverb titles. First, it includes only proverbs that "originated in English no earlier than 1900." Second, unlike other proverb compilers, this trio searched several full-text databases, including ProQuest Historical Newspapers, NewspaperARCHIVE, JSTOR, and LexisNexis Academic to identify candidates for inclusion. Proverbs included are those in English, in full sentences that observe, assert, or propose. The title also offers antiproverbs, sayings that distort or parody a recognized proverb, e.g., "No body is perfect," and counterproverbs, which overtly negate or rebut a saying. The first usage of the phrase is described and dated. An appendix lists proverbs that originated prior to 1900 ("Don't rock the boat"), and a bibliography closes the work. VERDICT Valuable for authors, word lovers, and speech writers. How remarkable to discover the original use of a proverb in context!-Marilyn Lary, San Bernardino, CA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.