English Literature and Literary Analysis

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

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.

Reference Books—A Selection

Reference books provide a good starting point for your research. Reference items are located in the Library’s Reference collection, behind the Reference Desk on the top floor of Spangler.

See also these related research guides: American Literature and Literary Analysis, Epic and Classical Literature, Humanities, Mythology/Folklore/Legend, Poetry, and Shakespeare Research.

Bibliographies

· Humor in Eighteenth & Nineteenth Century British Literature: A Reference Guide.

R 016.827 N712h, 1998

· Literary Research Guide: An Annotated Listing of Reference Sources in English Literary Studies.
R 016.8209 H2294l, 2002

· Oxford Chronology of English Literature. R 820.202 O24c 2 vols.

Biographies

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.

· British Writers. Selected Authors. R 823.009 B7779wr 3 vols.

· Contemporary Dramatists. R 822 C761, 1999

· Contemporary Women Poets. R 811 C7676w0, 1998

· An Encyclopedia of British Women Writers. R 820.9928 E5636b, 1999

· The Undergraduate’s Companion to English Renaissance Writers and Their Web Sites.

R 025.068 F1315u

· Who Was Who in Literature, 1906—1934. R 928.2 W628, 1979, 2 vols.

Criticism

· British Writers Classics. R 823.009 B7779w

· The Cambridge Companion to English literature, 1500-1600. R 820.9 C1442e, 2000

· The Cambridge History of English Literature. R 820.9 C178 15 vols.

· A Companion to Romanticism. R 820.9145 C7381r, 1999

· Library of Literary Criticism of English and American Authors through the Beginning of the Twentieth Century. R 820.9 M927 4 vols.

· Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism. R 809.034 N714 Multiple vols.

· Short Story Criticism. R 809.31 S559 Multiple vols.

· The Transitional Age: British Literature, 1880-1920. R 016.82 L389t, 1973

· Twentieth Century Literature Criticism. R 809.04 T971t Multiple vols.

Dictionaries

· The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology. R 422.03 B266d, 1988

· A Dictionary of Biblical Allusions in English Literature. R 820.93 F963

· A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature. R 820.9 J46d, 1992

· Dictionary of Irish Literature. R 820.99415 H714d, 1979

· A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. R 803 C893d, 1998

· Larousse Dictionary of Literary Characters. R 809.927 L332g, 1994

· A Milton Dictionary. R 821.47 M662H

· A Multicultural Dictionary of Literary Terms. R 803 C273m, 1999

· Victorian Culture and Society. R 941.071 R5411v

· Twentieth-Century Literary Movements Dictionary. R 809.9109 T97151, 2000

Encyclopedias and Handbooks

· Encyclopedia of Gothic Literature. R 809.911 S52e

· Encyclopedia of Literary Modernism. R809.911 E1951

· Encyclopedia of the Novel. R 809.3003 E197n, 1998 vols. 1-2

· Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era 1760 – 1850. R 700.414 E197r vols. 1-2

· Encyclopedia of World Literature in the 20^th Century. R 803 E198w, 1999 4 vols.

· English Literature: An Illustrated Record. R 820.9 G253e 4 vols.

· The Literary 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Novelists, Playwrights, and Poets of All Time.

R 809 B97311, 2001

· Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature. R 803 M568, 1995

· Oxford Companion to English Literature. R 820.3 H342o, 2000

· Standards for the English Language Arts. R 808.042 N2133s, 1996

Guides to Specific Authors

· Agatha Christie A to Z: the Essential Reference to Her Life and Writings. R 823.912 S896a

· The Alexander Pope Encyclopedia. R 821.5 R6329a

· All Things Austen: An Encyclopedia of Austen’s World. R 823.7 O82a, 2005 2 vols.

· Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia. R 803 B463re, 1996

· Charles Dickens A to Z. R 823.8 D548d, 1998

· Chaucer A to Z. R 821.1 R834c, 1999

· The C. S. Lewis Encyclopedia. R 823.912 D9349c

· The Grove Companion to Samuel Beckett. R 848.914 A572g, 2004

· An Ibsen Companion. R 839.8226 B915i, 1984

· James Joyce A to Z. R 823.912 F223, 1996

· A Milton Encyclopedia. R 821.47 M642e vols. 1-9

· A Mirror of Chaucer’s World. R 821.17 L863

· The Oxford Companion to the Brontёs. R 823.809 A264o

· Oxford Reader’s Companion to Dickens. R 823.8 D548ox, 2000

· The Riverside Chaucer. R 821.17 C3931r

· Virginia Woolf A-Z: The Essential Reference to Her Life and Writings. R 823.912 H965v, 1996

Research Guides

· Literary Research and the British Romantic Era: Strategies and Sources. R 820.9145 K256l, 2005

· Literary Research Guide: An Annotated Listing of Reference Sources in English Literary Studies.
R 016.8209 H2294l, 2002

· A Research Guide for Undergraduates: English and American Literature. R 820.72 B175r

Reference Resources Online

Literary Reference Center

Provides full-text access to many reference resources online, including:

Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature;
Beacham's six-volume Research Guide to Biography and Criticism;
Continuum’s encyclopedia’s of American, British, and children’s literature;
The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics and The Columbia Companion to the 20^th
Century American Short Story;
The Oxford Illustrated History of English Literature; The Literary Encyclopedia;
Masterplots and Masterplots II;Cyclopedia of World Authors, Cyclopedia of Literary Characters, and
Magill's Literary Annual;
The Harold Bloom series of over 500 books; and additional resources of information on notable authors
of long and short fiction, poetry, drama, and philosophy.

Masterplots Complete 2000
Full-text. On-campus access only; when prompted, click Open to access the file. Provides synopses of plays, character profiles, and brief author biographies including lists of major works.

To access from the Library homepage: Click on Articles in Databases, then English Language and Literature.

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: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, A Dictionary of Writers and their Works, and The Oxford Companion to English Literature.

To access from the Library homepage: Click on Books, and select Oxford Reference Online.

For additional possibilities, click on Quick Reference from the ODU Library homepage, then under the heading of Resources by Topic, then choose either Dictionaries or Encyclopedias.

Full-text Primary Literature Online

To access from the Library homepage: Click on Articles in Databases, then choose English Language and Literature.

Eighteenth Century Fiction
Full-text. Includes 96 works of prose fiction written in the British Isles from 1700 to 1780.

English Poetry
Full-text. Assembles over 160,000 poems by 1,350 poets written in English from 600 to 1900.

English Prose Drama
Full-text. Includes over 1,800 plays written in prose from the Renaissance to the end of the 19th century.

English Verse Drama
Full-text. Contains more than 2,200 works of poetry intended for the stage from 1400 to 1900.

William Butler Yeats Collection

Full-Text. A complete electronic edition of Yeats's work, that brings together 22 printed volumes and including critical and fictional prose, poetry, plays, and autobiographical works.

20th Century English Poetry

Full-Text. Over 44,000 poems by 288 poets, incorporating the Modern Poetry Collection and The Faber Poetry Library, as well as the complete text of each poem is included, and any integral images are also scanned. Introductions and prefaces to the volumes are included, as are all notes and any prose sections.

For additional possibilities, click on Quick Reference from the ODU Library homepage, then under the heading of Resources by Topic, then choose either Dictionaries or Encyclopedias.

eBooks

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.

Finding Articles and Book Reviews

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 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

See also these related research guides: American Literature and Literary Analysis, Epic and Classical Literature, Humanities, Mythology/Folklore/Legend, Poetry, and Shakespeare Research.

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.

Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature
Citations only. Indexes books, articles, reviews, essays, and critical editions of literary works in English studies. British, American, and Commonwealth writing are all represented.

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.

Literary Reference Center
Specifically designed for public libraries, secondary schools, junior/community colleges, and undergraduate research. Offers information on authors and their works from reference works, books, and literary journals. Includes plot summaries, synopses and work overviews; articles of literary criticism; author biographies; full text of literary journals, book reviews, classic and contemporary poems, classic and contemporary short stories, classic novels; and author interviews.

MLA International Bibliography
Citations only. Catalogs books and articles on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics. Information about the libraries that own the library resources is also included. Updated 10 times per year.

Finding Periodicals in this Library

Listed below are some of the relevant periodicals available in the ODU Library.

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.

How Do You Find Out if the Library Has an Online Subscription to a Periodical?

Electronic Journal Finder will help you find a periodical in the library’s databases. Available via the library’s Articles in Databases web page.

Project MUSE also has a number of full-text journals in literary scholarship online at http://muse.jhu.edu/journals, which includes the following:

· The Chaucer Review (2000-)

· Journal of Modern Literature (1998/99-)

· Shakespeare Quarterly (2001-)

· Victorian Studies (1996-)

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

See also these related research guides: American Literature and Literary Analysis, Epic and Classical Literature, Humanities, Mythology/Folklore/Legend, Poetry, and Shakespeare Research.

English Literature and Authors

· British and Irish Authors on the Web http://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/UK-authors.html

· The Cambridge History of English and American Literature: Volume 1, English from the beginnings. http://www.bartleby.com/211/index.html

· English Literature on the Web http://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/EngLit.html

· English Language and Literature, from Rhodes http://www.rhodes.edu/InformationServices

· The English Server http://eserver.org

· Literature: An Annotated List of Reference Web Sites http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/alcove9/literature/literature.html

· Voice of the Shuttle: Web Site for Humanities Research http://vos.ucsb.edu

Literary Awards

· Nobel Prize in Literature http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/

· The Pulitzer Prizes http://www.pulitzer.org

Medieval Literature

· Camelot Project http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/cphome.stm

· Chaucer MetaPage http://www.unc.edu/depts/chaucer

· Geoffreychaucer.org: an annotated guide to online resources http://geoffreychaucer.org

· The Geoffrey Chaucer Website Homepage http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/

· Godfriends’ Websites on Julian of Norwich http://www.umilta.net

· Internet Medieval Sourcebook http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html

· The Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies http://www.georgetown.edu/labyrinth

· Luminarium. http://www.luminarium.org/lumina.htm

· Voice of the Shuttle: Medieval (Old and Middle English) http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2740

Renaissance Literature

· The Edmund Spenser Home Page http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/spenser/main.htm

· Luminarium http://www.luminarium.org/renlit

· The Milton-L Home Page http://www.urich.edu/~creamer/milton

· The Perseus Project: English Renaissance

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/perscoll?collection=Renaissance

· Voice of the Shuttle: Renaissance and 17^th Century http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2749

Romantic & Victorian Literature

· The Dickens Project http://humwww.ucsc.edu/dickens/index.html

· Romantic Circles http://www.rc.umd.edu

· Romanticism on the Net http://www.ron.umontreal.ca

· The Victorian Web: An Overview http://www.scholars.nus.edu.sg/landow/victorian/victov.html

· Victorian Web Sites http://lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/Victorian.html

· Victorian Women Writers Project http://www.indiana.edu/~letrs/vwwp

· Voice of the Shuttle: Romantics http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2750

· Voice of the Shuttle: Victorian http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2751

· The William Blake Archive http://www.blakearchive.org

20^th Century Literature

· Ohio State University Humanities http://humanities.osu.edu/

· Literary Resources—Twentieth Century British & Irish http://newark.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/20th.html

· The Samuel Beckett Endpage. http://beckett.english.ucsb.edu

· Voice of the Shuttle: Contemporary http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2741

· Voice of the Shuttle: Modern http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2747

· What the Thunder Said: T.S. Eliot http://www.whatthethundersaid.org

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.

See also these related research guides: American Literature and Literary Analysis, Epic and Classical Literature, Humanities, Mythology/Folklore/Legend, Poetry, and Shakespeare Research.

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.

See also these related research guides: American Literature and Literary Analysis, Epic and Classical Literature, Humanities, Mythology/Folklore/Legend, Poetry, and Shakespeare Research.

Biographies

Criticism

Finding Articles and Book Reviews

See also these related research guides: American Literature and Literary Analysis, Epic and Classical Literature, Humanities, Mythology/Folklore/Legend, Poetry, and Shakespeare Research.

· 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.

· 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

See also these related research guides: American Literature and Literary Analysis, Epic and Classical Literature, Humanities, Mythology/Folklore/Legend, Poetry, and Shakespeare Research.

English Literature and Authors

· British and Irish Authors on the Web http://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/UK-authors.html

· The Cambridge History of English and American Literature: Volume 1, English from the beginnings. http://www.bartleby.com/211/index.html

· English Literature on the Web http://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/EngLit.html

· The English Server http://eserver.org

· Voice of the Shuttle: Web Site for Humanities Research http://vos.ucsb.edu

Literary Awards

Medieval Literature

· Luminarium. http://www.luminarium.org/lumina.htm

Renaissance Literature

· Luminarium http://www.luminarium.org/renlit

· The Milton-L Home Page http://www.urich.edu/~creamer/milton

· The Perseus Project: English Renaissance

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/perscoll?collection=Renaissance

Romantic & Victorian Literature

· The Dickens Project http://humwww.ucsc.edu/dickens/index.html

· Romanticism on the Net http://www.ron.umontreal.ca

· The Victorian Web: An Overview http://www.scholars.nus.edu.sg/landow/victorian/victov.html

· The William Blake Archive http://www.blakearchive.org

· Ohio State University Humanities http://humanities.osu.edu/

· The Samuel Beckett Endpage. http://beckett.english.ucsb.edu

· 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.

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.

See also these related research guides: American Literature and Literary Analysis, Epic and Classical Literature, Humanities, Mythology/Folklore/Legend, Poetry, and Shakespeare Research.

· 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.

· 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.

· How to find Videos in the ODU Library:

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

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