Catholic Literature

A research guide: books, articles, videos, & web sites

This guide identifies the many genres of Catholic literature—drama, fiction, novels, poetry, and short stories—available from the library’s collection of books, databases, periodicals, and videos. Listed are many resources for finding information by and about Catholic authors in various biographies, bibliographies, book reviews, and literary criticisms. Film lovers will enjoy the list of film adaptations based on works by 20^th century Catholic literary writers. Noteworthy websites for learning about Catholic literature appear in this guide also.

Excluded from this guide are biblical, devotional, historical, political, religious, spiritual, and theological literature by Catholic writers and works written by saints.

See also these related research guides: (1) American Literature and Literary Analysis, (2) Drama, Film, Theatre, (3) English Literature and Literary Analysis; Humanities, Poetry, and (4) Theology

Finding Books

· How to Find Books in the ODU Library: Search in the ODU Library Catalog.

· How to Find Books in Other OhioLINK Libraries:
Search in the OhioLINK Library Catalog, or start your search in the ODU Library Catalog and then click on the OhioLINK button at the top of the results screen to search statewide.

· To Help You Search in the Catalogs:
Guides and video tutorials are available online from the library’s Research Help page or in print by the library Reference Desk on the top floor of Spangler.

Catholic Authors

Following are some Catholic authors, primarily from the 20^th century, whose literary works are available in the library’s collection:

Alexie, Sherman

Alighieri, Dante

Allen, John L.

Alvarez, Julia

Angelo, Valenti

App, Austin Joseph

Bainbridge, Beryl

Baird, Mary Julian

Banning, Margaret Culkin

Baring, Maurice

Belloc, Hilaire

Benson, Robert Hugh

Bernanos, Georges

Blatty, William Peter

Bloy, Leon

Boccaccio, Giovanni

Boll, Heinrich

Borden, Lucille Papin

Boucher, Anthony

Brady, Charles Andrew

Breig, Joseph Anthony

Brophy, Liam

Brownson, Orestes

Buckley, Christopher

Buckley, William F., Jr.

Burgess, Anthony

Burton, Katherine

Bussard, Paul

Campbell, Roy

Cary, Elizabeth Luther

Cather, Willa

Chaucer, Geoffrey

Chesterton, G.K.

Christine, de Pisan

Cisneros, Sandra

Clancy, Tom

Clark, Mary Higgins

Claudel, Paul

Colum, Padraic

Connolly, Myles

Connolly, Terence Leo

Cookson, Catherine

Coren, Michael

Craig, David

Crowley, John

Cullinan, Elizabeth

De Wohl, Louis

Derleth, August

Dillard, Annie

Dinesen, Isak

Dooley, Roger Burke

Doty, William Lodewick

Dryden, John

Eliot, T.S.

Endo, Shusaku

Erasmus, Desiderius

Erdrich, Louise

Everson, William

Ferlita, Ernest

Ferre, Rosario

Fitzgerald, F. Scott

Flaubert, Gustave

Ford, Ford Madox

Garcia Marquez, Gabriel

Gioia, Dana

Godden, Rumer

Goggin, Dan

Gordon, Caroline

Gordon, Mary

Greeley, Andrew

Green, Julien

Greene, Graham

Guiney, Louise Imogen

Hansen, Ron

Harland, Henry

Heaney, Seamus

Hemingway, Ernest

Herbert, Frank

Hillerman, Tony

Hopkins, Gerard Manley

Horgan, Paul

Houselander, Caryll

Hughes, Riley

Hulme, Kathryn C.

Joyce, James

Juana Ines de la Cruz, Sister

Kaye-Smith, Sheila

Kazantzakis, Nikos

Keneally, Thomas

Kerr, Jean

Keyes, Frances Parkinson

Kilmer, Aline Murray

Kilmer, Joyce

Lafferty, R.A.

Lavin, Mary

Lax, Robert

Le Fort, Gertrud

Levertov, Denise

Maitland, Sara

Manzoni, Alessandro

Maritain, Jacques

Maritain, Raissa

Marshall, Bruce

Mauriac, Francois

Maynard, Theodore

McCann, Janet

McCarthy, Mary

McCourt, Frank

Merton, Thomas

Meynell, Alice

Miesel, Sandra

Miller, Walter M. Jr.

Milosz, Czeslaw

Moore, Brian

More, Thomas

Morrison, Toni

Nagle, Urban

Newman, John Henry

Norris, Kathleen

Noyes, Alfred

O’Brien, Edna

O’Connor, Flannery

O'Brien, Michael David

O'Hara, Mary

O'Neil, Dennis

O'Neill, Eugene

Patmore, Coventry

Percy, Walker

Pope, Alexander

Porter, Katherine Anne

Powers, James Farl

Powers, Tim

Procter, Adelaide Anne

Rabe, David

Ready, William Bernard

Reilly, Joseph John

Remarque, Erich Maria

Rengers, Christopher

Rice, Anne

Roseliep, Raymond

Rossetti, Christina Georgina

Sayers, Dorothy L.

Sayers, Valerie

Sayles, John

Sienkiewicz, Henryk

Sitwell, Edith Dame

Smith, Kevin

Spark, Muriel

Stein, Edith

Tate, Allen

Thompson, Francis

Tolkien, J.R.R.

Undset, Sigrid

Vernes, Jules

Watts, Neville Hunter

Waugh, Auberon

Waugh, Evelyn

Wiechert, Ernst Emil

Wolfe, Tom

Bibliographies – Reference and Main Stacks

· Catholic Bookman’s Guide: A Critical Evaluation of Catholic Literature. [1962] R 016.80889 C363

· A Dominican Bibliography and Book of Reference, 1216 – 1992. R 016.271 A812d

· Early Catholic Americana: A List of Books and Other Works by Catholic Authors in the United States, 1729-1830. R 013.282 P272e

· Encyclopedia of Catholic Literature. [2004] R 809.933 E194c 2 vols.

· Exploring Catholic Literature: A Companion and Resource Guide. [2003] 809.933 R2715e.

· The Guide to Catholic Literature, 1888–1965. R 016.282 G946

• Masterpieces of Catholic Literature in Summary Form. [1940] R 208.2 M194ca

Biographies and Bio-Bibliographies – Reference

For biographical sketches of the life and works of authors, as well as lists of works by subject, author, or title, consult the sources that follow.

· American Catholic Convert Authors: A Bio-Bibliography. [1944] R 013.282 D249am

• Catholic Authors: Biographical Sketches. [1952] R 928 H693c, 1952

• Catholic Authors: Contemporary Biographical Sketches. [1948] R 928 H693c

• Catholic Women Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook. [2001] R 809.892 C2869w

• Dictionary of American Catholic Biography. [1984] R 922.2 D337d, 1984

• Dictionary of Catholic Biography. [1961] R 922.2 D337

• Negro Catholic Writers, 1900—1943: A Bio-Bibliography. [1945] R 928 S282n

Guides & Anthologies to Catholic Literature – Main Stacks

• American Catholic Identities series. 282.73 A3589

• The Best Catholic Writing series. 282 B4643c

• Book of Catholic Authors: (First Series). Informal Self-Portraits of Famous Modern Catholic Writers. [1942] 928.1 B724

• Catholic Anthology; The World’s Great Catholic Poetry. [1939] 808.81 W227c2

• Catholic Spirit in Modern English Literature. [1967] 820.9 S562

• Catholic Tradition in English Literature. [1926] 820.8 C331ca

• Century of the Catholic Essay. [1946] 808.84 G878

• The Golden Book of Catholic Poetry. [1946] 808.81 N952g

• Joyce Kilmer’s Anthology of Catholic Poets. [1937] 821.082 K48an

• A Round Table Of The Representative American Catholic Novelists: At Which Is Served A Feast Of Excellent Stories. [1896] 808.83 R859

• Substance of Things Hoped For: Short Fiction by Modern Catholic Authors. [1987] 808.831 B842s, 1987

• The Vital Tradition: The Catholic Novel in a Period of Convergence. [1970] 809.3 K29v.

• World’s Greatest Catholic Literature. 808.89 S562w.

Literary Criticisms and History – Reference and Main Stacks

• Cambridge History of Early Christian Literature. R 270.1 C1443h, 2004

• Catholic Literary Opinion in the Twentieth Century. [1958] 809.8 V839

• Catholic Literary Revival: Three Phases in its Development from 1845 to the Present. [1935] 809 A375c

• Exploring Catholic Literature: A Companion and Resource Guide. [2003] 809.933 R2715e

• A Survey of Catholic Literature. [1945] 809 B879s

How to Find Catholic Literature

Following are some subject headings for conducting catalog or databases searches to Catholic literary works:

• American Drama – Catholic Authors

• American Fiction – Catholic Authors

• American Literature – Catholic Authors

• American Poetry – Catholic Authors

• Catholic Authors

• Catholic Authors – American Literature

• Catholic Authors – Biography

• Catholic Church – In Literature

• Catholic Church – Periodicals

• Catholic Drama

• Catholic Literature

• Catholics -- Fiction

• Catholics In Literature

• Catholics – United States -- Biography

• English Fiction – Catholic Authors

• English Literature – Catholic Authors

• English Poetry – Catholic Authors

• English Prose Literature – Catholic Authors

• European Literature – Catholic Authors

• French Fiction – Catholic Authors

• French Literature – Catholic Authors

• French Prose Literature – Catholic Authors

• Nuns – Biography

• Nuns in Literature

• Poetry – Catholic Authors

• Press, Catholic

• Saints In Literature

• Short Stories – Catholic Authors

• Short Stories, American – Catholic Authors

• Short Stories, English – Catholic Authors

Catholic Publishers

In addition to Catholic university presses, the following publishers offer literary works by Catholic authors:

· ACTA Publications

· Ave Maria Press

· Catholic Book Publishers Association

· Catholic Library Association

· Catholic Press Association

· Crossroad Publishing

· Ignatius Press

· Liturgical Press

· Loyola Press

· New City Press

· Orbis Books

· Paulist Press

· Sheed & Ward

· Sophia Institute

· St. Anthony Messenger Press

· St. Mary’s Press

Reference Resources Online

Electronic Reference Books

A collection of online reference books – encyclopedias, handbooks, biographical collections, guides – on many specialized topics, primarily in the humanities and social sciences, including a subject category for folklore, mythology, and literature with links to works by Catholic authors.

Library Quick Reference
Links to several online resources for primary and secondary literature. To access: Library homepage > Quick Reference > Etexts—Literature.

NetLibrary

Full-text ebook database. Search among 15,000 ebooks from multiple disciplines, including reference books, other nonfiction, and fiction Search by keyword, title, or author.   To access: From the library homepage, click on Books, and then select NetLibrary.

Oxford Reference Online

Full-text. Brings together 100 dictionaries and other reference books in various subjects into one searchable database. Includes under Literature the following resources: guides to American, English, and Irish literature, and a dictionary of writers and their works.

Finding Articles

· Use an online research database to find articles in scholarly journals, general magazines, and newspapers.

· To access the databases below, from the Library’s Articles in Databases page, select the English Language & Literature or Theology category, or choose from the A-Z index near the top of the page.

· To Help You Search in the Databases:
Guides and video tutorials are available online from the library’s Research Help page or in print
by the library Reference Desk on the top floor of Spangler. If you need additional assistance,
ask a librarian.

Recommended Databases

Academic Search Complete

Contains peer-reviewed journal coverage from more than 3,400 scholarly publications. Articles and book reviews covering many academic areas of study, including arts and literature. Updated daily.

ArticleFirst

Citations.  Indexes articles from over 12,000 journals, including journals in the humanities.  Updated daily.

Arts and Humanities Citation Index (ISI Web of Science)

Citations. Indexes articles from 1,144 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals, as well as covering select relevant items from over 6,800 major science and social science journals.

Catholic Periodicals and Literature Index

Features articles in Roman Catholic periodicals, church promulgations, papal documents, and books about the Catholic faith that are authored by Catholics and/or produced by Catholic publishers.

Contemporary Literary Criticism

Collection of critical essays on contemporary authors. Each entry contains a biographical/critical introduction, a list of principal works, and sources for further study.

Electronic Journal Center
Presents over 4300 research journals, covering numerous subject areas.

Film and Television Literature Index

Covers the literature about television and film writing, and provides indexing and abstracts for more than 300 publications and selected coverage of 300 more, including film writing and reviews.

Humanities International Complete
Covers articles, essays and reviews in the humanities, including literary scholarship, as well as original creative works including poems, fiction, photographs, paintings, and illustrations.

Literary Reference Center
Offers information on authors and their works from reference works, books, and literary journals. Includes plot summaries, synopses & work overviews; literary criticisms; author biographies; full text of literary journals, book reviews, classic and contemporary poems & short stories, classic novels; author interviews.

MLA International Bibliography
Citations only. Catalogs books and articles on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics.

How Do You Find Out if a Periodical Exists in this Library?

· Use the ODU Library Catalog to search for the title of the journal or newspaper you’re trying to find.
Choose a TITLE search and type in the title of the journal or newspaper you desire.

· The library's journals and magazines are located:

(1) In print in the Periodicals section on the top floor, arranged alphabetically by title
(2) Back issues in print (usually prior to 1960) in the Back Issues Room on the bottom floor
(3) In microfilm in cabinets behind the Periodicals section

A microfilm reader/printer (with free printing!) is also available on the top floor.
For more information, see the ODU Library Microfilm/Reader page at: http://www.ohiodominican.edu/library/tour/microfilm/default.asp

· If you are looking for a specific article in a periodical, be sure to match issue number and YEAR/MONTH of the article to the information listed in our library catalog to make sure we have the specific issue of the journal/magazine you need.

Finding Web Sites

A portal to Internet search engines and directories is available on the ODU Library’s Internet Search page.

In addition, listed below are web sites that may be of particular use to you in your information search.

Minimum recommended criteria for evaluating websites:

· Accuracy of the information

· Authority of the person or group responsible for the information

· When the information was created and last updated

For more information, view Evaluating Internet Sources & Search Tools on the Internet Search page.

Web Sites—A Selection

British and American Catholic Novelists

http://www.amazon.com/British-and-American-Catholic-Novelists/lm/RSLLRBHI3688U

Catholic Americana

http://libraries.cua.edu/rarecoll/catamer.html

Catholic Authors

http://www.catholicauthors.com

Catholic Books on the Internet

http://jerome2007.tripod.com/catholicbooks_on_the_internet.htm#authorwise

Catholic Classics

http://www.catholicfirst.com/catholicclassics.cfm

Catholics Read

http://www.catholicsread.org

Catholic Resources for Bibles, Liturgy & More

http://catholic-resources.org/

Catholic Writers Online

http://www.catholicwritersonline.com

Evelyn Waugh Collection

http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/research/fa/waugh.e.html

Homosexuality and Catholicism Bibliography: Section XIII Lesbian and Gay Catholic Novels, Short Stories, and Plays.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/pwh/lgbcathbib13.html

New Oxford Review

http://www.newoxfordreview.org/reviews-list.jsp

Sigrid Undset

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1928/index.html

Finding Videos

· How to find Videos in the ODU Library:

From the library homepage, click on Audiovisuals & Media, select ODU Library Catalog, and
search the catalog:

· By KEYWORD and limit your search to MATERIAL TYPE: Audiovisuals

· By AUTHOR or TITLE if you are looking for a specific actor, director, or title.

Or from the library homepage, click on Audiovisuals & Media, select List of DVDs and Videos, and browse through the listing.

§ How to find Online Videos:

From the library homepage, click on Audiovisuals & Media, select Digital Media Center Databases, select DMC Databases, then scroll down until you see Digital Video Collection and click on OhioLINK Access only. Search by keyword or browse by subject.

Videos—A Selection

All videos are located in the Library’s Audiovisual (A/V) Materials collection on the top floor of Spangler.

· American Short Story Collection. Dramatizations of short stories written by some of America’s greatest writers including film adaptations of short stories by these Catholic writers: Ernest Hemingway’s Soldier’s Home, Flannery O’Connor’s Displaced Persons, Katherine Anne Porter’s Jilting of Granny Weatherall, Willa Cather’s Paul’s Case, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Bernice Bobs Her Hair. 813.0108 A3578s

· Brideshead Revisited. 823 B851, 1993

· The Dead. 823 D278, 1987

· Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story. 922.273 E826a

· An Introduction to Hildegard of Bingen. [1977] 282.092 I61

· An Introduction to Thomas Merton. [1977] 271.125 I61

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© Ohio Dominican University Library. Provided that appropriate credit is given, this guide may be quoted or reproduced for educational purposes without prior permission. However, no commercial use of any part of this guide is permitted without prior permission. This guide provides access to materials for which the copyright is held by owners other than Ohio Dominican University. Use of these materials and resources is restricted by applicable license agreement and copyright law.

Page last modified: 11 December 2007