A new version of this guide is available at:

http://research.dom.edu/english

 

 Databases

 

Biography Reference Bank	About
Book Index with Reviews	About
Columbia Granger's Poetry Database	About
Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, Dictionary of Literary Biography (Available through the Literature Resource Center)	About
Humanities Full Text (Choose Humanities subject area)	About
Literature Resource Center	About
MagillOnLiterature Plus	About
MLA International Bibliography	About
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography	About
Oxford English Dictionary	About
Short Story Index	About

 

 

Websites

 

The Camelot Project at the University of Rochester: Arthurian Texts, Images, Bibliographies and Basic Information	Description: An online resource for those interested in Arthurian literature. It is produced by the Robbins Library at the University of Rochester. See the "Frequently Asked Questions about the Arthurian Legends" for basic information. The site also includes bibliographies, full-text transcriptions of primary texts, and a sizable collection of illustration images. Note the paragraph that starts with "Please cite as" at the bottom of the main page.
Citation Styles from the Rebecca Crown Library Website	Description: This page offers an MLA Style Handout, which summarizes how to format a Works Cited list.
Dartmouth Writing Program Online Materials	Description: An excellent website produced by Dartmouth College that explains university-level writing in an “FAQ” format.
English Department Home Pages Worldwide	Description: Interested in studying abroad or pursuing a graduate degree in English? This site compiles links to English departments in universities around the world. It is not comprehensive: for more inclusive directories, see The College Blue Book (Reference L901 .C64) for American universities or The World of Learning (Reference AS2 .W6) for international universities.
The Internet Public Library Online Literary Criticism Collection	Description: A small collection of recommended internet sources for literary criticism. The main page allows you to browse by author or literary period. Not nearly as reliable and comprehensive as the Literature Resource Center or the MLA International Bibliography (see Databases section of this page), but worthwhile for basic information.
Librarians' Internet Index: Literature and Books	Description: The Librarians’ Internet Index is an index/search engine that contains websites vetted by information experts (i.e. librarians). It is funded by the state of California, hence the prevalence of California-related topics. The Literature & Books page contains a list of topics related to literature, followed by a list of general resources.
A Literary History of the American West	Description: An online essay collection, first published in book form in 1987. Essay topics cover individual authors (such as John Steinbeck, Willa Cather, Frank Norris), regions, genres, historical periods, nature writing, folklore, and ethnic literature. Includes a bibliography.
Library Resources on the Net	Description: Created and maintained by an English professor at Rutgers University, this page is a compilation of Web resources devoted to English literature studies. It allows for keyword searching and browsing by topic. Useful as a patchy bibliography; not a place to find full-text articles.
MIT Literature Resources	Description: A guide to web resources for the study of literature. The list is divided into seven categories: Classical and Medieval; 16th-19th Century; 20th-21st Century; American, Canadian and Australian; Theater/Drama; Poetry; Women & Literature. You can also browse specific authors and works and find online versions of out-of-print texts.
Online Writing Lab (OWL)	Description: OWL is an online resource produced by Purdue University. It features guidelines for academic writing, citation styles, professional writing, and job search writing, plus advice on grammar and mechanics. The site is currently in the process of being completely revised and updated. This link will take you to the new site, but most of the content is on the original site, which can be accessed from the new main page where it says, “The original OWL at Purdue site can be found via this link.”
PAL: Perspectives in American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide	Description: This site, created and maintained by a professor at California State University, Stanislaus, is organized like an American literature textbook. A “table of contents” lists ten chapters, divided by time period. Each chapter features an outline-form introduction, sections on authors and other topics, study questions, and bibliographies. The site also has 24 “appendices” devoted to particular topics, such as “The American City” and “American Gothic.” Very useful as a place to start research and browse topics. Each page includes an example of how to list it on a Works Cited list.
Poetry Center of the Library of Congress	Description: The website of the Poetry & Literature Center at the Library of Congress. It features poetry news & events, webcasts of readings, and access to the Library of Congress’s poetry archives.
Postmodern Culture	Description: A web-based scholarly journal with an interdisciplinary approach, published triennially by the Johns Hopkins University. Each issue includes essays, book reviews, and related readings. Useful as a supplement to the study of contemporary or post-modern literature.
Romanticism on the Net	Description: Romanticism on the Net is a web-based peer-reviewed journal, published out of the University of Montreal. It features scholarly articles on British art and literature during the Romantic period.
Turabian Style Examples	Description: A brief guide to the Turabian citation style, courtesy of the University of Georgia Libraries.
The Victorian Web	Description: A collection of signed essays and other information pertaining to the Victorian era. The Authors and Genre & Technique sections are particularly useful to literature students. The site also includes electronic versions of primary texts and extensive topical bibliographies.
Voice of the Shuttle: Website for Humanities Research	Description: Voice of the Shuttle is an open-access database produced by an English professor at University of California, Santa Barbara. The Literature (in English) section is divided by topics and time periods. Each page contains links to other web resources.

 

 

Print Resources

 

American writers

Reference PS129 .A55

Multiple volumes, arranged chronologically, contain lengthy biographical essays on American writers.

 

British writers

Reference PR85 .B688

Multiple volumes, arranged chronologically, contain lengthy biographical essays on British writers.

 

The Cambridge guide to literature in English

Reference PR85 .C29 1993

Short entries explain major literary figures, works, and concepts; topics span from "poetic metre" to "courtly love." A very useful dictionary of sorts for those who study English literature.

 

The Cambridge history of American literature, Volume 1: 1590-1820

Main Stacks PS92 .C34 1994

A collection of essays about American literature spanning the colonial period to the early nineteenth century. Includes a bibliography and a timeline that compares texts, historical events, and literary events between the years 1590 and 1820.

 

Columbia companion to the twentieth-century American short story

Reference PS374 .S5 C57 2000

Thematic and topical essays about American literature occupy the first half of this book; the second half contains biographical and critical essays about 160 American authors who wrote between the 1860s and the 1960s. Each article is accompanied by a bibliography

 

A companion to twentieth-century poetry

Reference PR601 .C56 2001

This book is divided into five parts: "topics and debates," "poetic movements," "international and postcolonial poetry in English" "readings" and "the contemporary scene." Essays are about 10-14 pages and include bibliographies. The "readings" section contains critical essays on poems by the following poets: William Carlos Williams, Wallace Stevens, Marianne Moore, W.B. Yeats, W.H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Ezra Pound, Robert Lowell, Louis MacNeice, Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney, John Ashberry, and Derek Walcott.

 

The concise Oxford dictionary of literary terms

Reference PN41 .C67 1990

Provides definitions and pronunciation guides for commonly used literary terms. These include terms that describe poetic elements, rhetorical devices, literary theories, and general concepts relating to the study of literature.

 

Contemporary authors

Reference PN771 .C62

Multiple volumes provide "a bio-bibliographical guide to current authors and their works." Each entry consists of a biographical essay on a particular author and a bibliography of that author's works and related criticism. Also available online via the Gale Literature Resource Center database.

 

Dictionary of American regional English

Reference PE2843 .D52 1985

Valuable to students reading Mark Twain, William Faulkner, or any other American writer known as a regionalist. This 4-volume dictionary focuses on non-standard English: that is, words and phrases that are/were used only in a particular region of the United States. Like the Oxford English Dictionary, this dictionary lists when each word was first used in print, and is a good source for explanations of antiquated terms..

 

Dictionary of literary biography

Reference PS221 .D5

Over two hundred volumes, each devoted to a specific topic in literary studies (for example, American Realists and Naturalists). Volumes include signed articles about authors, texts, and broad topics, plus references for further research. Especially useful as something to browse when having difficulty choosing a subject for an assignment.

 

Encyclopedia of African-American culture and history

Reference E185 .E54 1996

This five-volume encyclopedia covers African-American history from 1619 to the twentieth century. It includes entries on notable African-American authors as well as thematic essays useful to students of literature (for example, the entry on “Black Towns” will provide a background for Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God). Entries are signed and usually include further references. The appendix to this set includes statistical tables that show historical trends, also helpful for students of American literature.

 

Encyclopedia of literary critics and criticism

Reference PN86 .E63 1999

This set features 374 entries on well-known critics and concepts. The signed articles vary in length, but generally give in-depth treatment to the subject and list further references. Covers 28 different schools of criticism, ranging from the time of Aristotle up to postmodernism.

See also: The Norton anthology of theory and criticism Reference PN86 .N67 2001

An anthology of the most influential texts in the field of literary criticism. Each is preceded by a headnote that gives biographical information about the author and some details about the work.

 

Encyclopedia of post-colonial literatures in English

Reference PS9080 .A52 E53 1994

An encyclopedia with international scope: more than 50 countries are represented. Contains signed articles, most on topics and works that have not received much critical attention. Biographies range from Margaret Atwood to Salman Rushdie; topical articles range from "censorship" to "aborigines in literature."

 

Facts on File encyclopedia of word and phrase origins

Reference PE1689 .H47 1997

The Oxford English Dictionary will tell you when a word was first used in print, but this dictionary explains where words and phrases originate. "Abracadabra," "Caucasian," and "snitch" are but three entries among 15,000. Includes an index.

 

A handbook to literature - 8th ed.

Reference PN41 .H355 2000

Literary terms, concepts, theories, and "-isms" are arranged alphabetically along with concise definitions. Very useful for gaining a sense of context for a research paper on a particular literary period. Includes a timeline of British and American literary history and a listing of books that have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize in the past century.

 

Harper dictionary of foreign terms - 3rd edition

Reference PE1670 .M3 1987

Includes terms from a variety of languages, although the majority of entries are from the Latin, German, or romance languages. Very helpful if you're reading an author inclined to use phrases like tête-á-tête or caveat emptor.

 

International dictionary of theatre

Reference PN2035 .I49 1992

This three volume set covers 1) plays; 2) playwrights; and 3) actors, directors and designers. The first volume features descriptions of more than 600 well-known plays: each entry lists the date of the first publication, the date of first the production, the various translations, several sources of criticism, and a summary of the plot. Volume 2 contains entries on 485 playwrights from various countries and time periods. These entries contain a brief biography, a bibliography of the playwright's works and secondary sources, and a critical overview. Volume 3 features short biographies on notable figures in theatre history from the Renaissance to the twentieth century.

 

The Johns Hopkins guide to literary theory & criticism

Reference Z6514.C97 J641994

A collection of articles that cover theoretical terms and the critics who coined them. Topics range from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Structuralist Marxism. This book is very useful for its concise explanations of challenging subjects. Includes references for further research.

 

Literary history of the United States - 4th ed.

Reference PS88 .L5221974

An essay collection that covers American literary history from the colonial era to the post-WWII period. Volume 2 is a 216-page, well-organized bibliography that covers "literature and culture" and individual authors.

 

Literary history of the United States - 4th ed.

Reference PS88 .L5221974

An essay collection that covers American literary history from the colonial era to the post-WWII period. Volume 2 is a 216-page, well-organized bibliography that covers "literature and culture" and individual authors.

 

Literary research guide: an annotated listing of reference sources in English literary studies - 4th ed.

Reference Z2011 .H34 2002

This guide lists and gives a brief description of books useful for literary research. Included on this list are books about research methods, genres, comparative literature, and the traditions of English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and American literature. There is also a guide to finding manuscripts and archives, plus a section about using research libraries for research involving rare materials.

 

MLA handbook for writers of research papers - 6th edition

Reference LB2369 .G53 2003

A necessity for English majors. This handbook has guidelines for all the aspects of writing a research paper, from selecting a topic, finding resources, and writing a first draft to searching online databases and citing resources in various formats. Also includes detailed information on how to avoid plagiarism.

 

MLA international bibliography of books and articles on the modern languages and literatures

Indexes Z7006 .M641

The Modern Language Association (MLA) publishes this index annually. It lists all the books and articles published in a given year on the topics of modern languages, linguistics, folklore, and literatures. Listings are arranged by region and time period (e.g. "English literature, 1800-1899"). An invaluable resource for literary research; also useful for browsing to see what kinds of topics critics are writing about.

See also: the online version (listed under Databases on this page)

 

Native American literatures : an introduction

Main Stacks PS153.I52 L86 2004

The book is a collection of essays that introduce ways of understanding Native American literatures. It discusses well-known Native American texts and critics, provides a timeline and glossary, and includes an annotated bibliography.

 

New dictionary of the history of ideas

Reference CB9 .N49 2005

This 5-volume set includes over 700 signed articles arranged alphabetically. Each article treats a distinct concept-such as "sacred and profane," "totalitarianism," "psychoanalysis"-and outlines how the concept has evolved. Brief bibliographies accompany each entry. Useful not only for clarification of literary critics' vocabulary, but also for developing essay topics.

 

The New Princeton encyclopedia of poetry and poetics - 3rd edition.

Reference PN1021 .N391993

Alphabetically arranged entries for all terminology related to poetry, including poetic traditions of over a hundred countries. Lengthier entries such as "Poetry, Theories Of" are organized with sub-headings. Includes further references, but does not feature entries for individual poets.

 

Oxford companion to African American literature

Reference PS153.N5 O96 1997

Articles cover biographical and topical subjects related to the study of African American literature, plus certain influential literary works. Includes a lengthy introductory essay that surveys African American literature from colonial times to the present.

 

The Oxford companion to American literature - 6th ed.

Reference PS21 .H3 1995

A general reference source for students of American literature. It contains 5,000 entries: 2,000 are biographical profiles of figures in literature from various centuries, while another 1,100 are summaries of influential poems, plays, and novels. Entries are brief, usually no more than a paragraph. The book also contains a timeline comparing literary and social history from 1577 - 1994.

 

The Oxford companion to English literature

Reference PR19 .O94 2000

A general reference source for students of English literature, with 7,000 entries. Entries briefly deal with well-known authors, works, and literary terms. There are also 16 two-page essays on topics such as "Modernism" and "Black British Literature" which include references.

 

The Oxford companion to women's writing in the United States

Reference PS147 .O94 1995

Contains biographical articles on women writers from the colonial period to the contemporary. Also includes a broad range of topical essays relating to women's writing and feminist criticism, plus a timeline and a bibliography.

 

The Oxford English dictionary

Reference PE1625 .O871989

The Oxford English Dictionary is a historical dictionary of English, covering the language from the earliest times to the present day. Each entry gives a word's etymology, a list of its various meanings from the earliest to the most recent, and illustrative quotations that show how the word has been used in well-known texts.

See also: the online version (listed under Databases on this page)

 

The Penguin dictionary of literary terms and literary theory

Main Stacks PN41 .C83 1999 - 4th ed.

A comprehensive, cross-referenced dictionary of terms related to the study of literature. Explains terms for literary theories, genres, forms, and provides examples, aiming to include literary traditions from all over the world.

 

Research guide to biography and criticism

Reference Z2011 .R471985

For research on a particular well-established author, this is a key resource. Five volumes cover American and British writers from the medieval to contemporary eras. Each entry gives a chronology, a selected bibliography, and overviews of both biographic and critical sources.

 

Rhyme's reason

Main Stacks PE1505 .H64 1981

This brief text explains various poetic forms and meters by giving numerous examples.

 

Short story index

Reference Z5917.S5 S567

An index that list short stories by their author, title, and subject. Useful for seeing what an author has published (see also the Contemporary Authors series), or for looking to see what stories have been published on a particular subject.

 

Twentieth-century literary criticism

Reference REF PN94 .T93

Each volume of this multivolume set contains articles on a particular work by a well-known author (for example, volume 96 has an article on Chekhov's Three Sisters). The article gives an introduction to the work, its plot, major characters, major themes, and its critical reception. Then it provides excerpts of critical essays that deal with the particular work. Indexes in the back of each volume allow you to search for authors and titles.

 

Victorian Britain : an encyclopedia

Reference DA550 .V53 1988

Useful to anyone puzzled or curious in the process of studying Victorian literature. Entries are arranged alphabetically and cover the major facets of English culture between 1837 and 1901. Includes a timeline, bibliographies, and illustrations.

 

 

Written by: Helen Long, MLIS Candidate

Subject Bibliographer: Mary Pat Fallon