General Literary Resources - Encyclopedias and Guides - Eliza Hafen

Here I have set out to research Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "Ozymandias" using encyclopedias and guides. Researching a poem, or the contents thereof, in resources such as encyclopedias and guides allows people to break down the surface area of a poem, or other literary work, and allow them to delve more into the deeper contextual ideas of the work. But not only that, but sometimes the surface area information will provide information that will in turn create a deeper meaning of the poem.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
The first resource that I used was the Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Why this resource was particularly helpful is because not only did it list the meaning of the word "Ozymandias" right off the bat, but it also listed a bunch of other guides and helpful resources that would be wonderful to use when studying this poem. It informs us that "Ozymandias" is the "corruption of the prenomen of Ramses II of Egypt". My own personal study of the poem "Ozymandias," is particularly effected by the word "corruption". Having read the poem to gain a slight understanding of the king Ozymandias once was, the word "corruption" allows me to view the king in a different light, and ponder the reason for the felling of the statue in the first place. I would say that this source is very valuable. It isn't particularly valuable as a stand alone source of information in and of itself. The definition of Ozymandias was actually the only piece of information that I got from this site. However, the reference to other guides and poetry encyclopedias is something that I find helpful.

Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol. 96, British Romantic Poets, 1789-1832, Second Series, edited by John R. Greenfield
The second resource that I used was an article that I found with the website encyclopedia.com, searching the word "Ozymandias". Instantly what appeared was this literary treasure chest that had a breakdown of the poem line by line, information about the author, information about different terms in the work, and a historical overview of the context of history during that time. These came from an article written in Dictionary of Literary Biography, edited by John Greenfield. It was in this historical overview that I found myself spending my time. This section focused primarily on the movement of Romantic writers, and something that it said was "The Romantics elevated the perceived value of the individual, as well as of nature and the wild. Romantic writers tended toward emotional expression that often cycled between ecstasy and despair." This description of Romantic-style writing fit perfectly with the poem "Ozymandias". That line already guides our minds towards the idea of the value of each of the individuals mentioned in the poem. What is the meaning of the traveler, the narrator, or Ozymandias? What kind of value does each one of them bring to the poem? Definitely a line of thought that is going to enhance my study of this poem.


Before this assignment, I didn’t doubt the usefulness of encyclopedias and guides, but it certainly wasn’t my go-to resource. However, one thing that was very clear during this little hour of research, was that beginning with guides and encyclopedias would be an excellent way to start any literary project because these resources typically lead to a plethora of other sources that will enhance the literary value of a project, and the knowledge of the writer.