Women’s Literature

A research guide: books, articles, & web sites

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, Drama/Film/Theatre, English Literature and Literary Analysis, Epic and Classical Literature, Humanities, Mythology/Folklore/Legend, and Poetry.

Biographies and Indexes – list resources for conducting research on a topic

· 500 Great Books by Women: A Reader’s Guide. R 016.3054 B344f, 1994

· Encyclopedia of Women’s Autobiography. R 305.40922 E198w, 2005 vols. 1-2

· 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 H22941, 2002

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

· Women’s Studies: A Recommended Bibliography. R 016.305 K896w

Biographies and Bio-Bibliographies – provide factual information on individuals’ lives and careers

· 500 Great Books by Women: A Reader’s Guide. R 016.3054 B344f, 1994

· 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 H22941, 2002

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

· Women’s Studies: A Recommended Bibliography. R 016.305 K896w

Criticism – provide commentary on literary works and authors

• African American Literary Criticism, 1733 to 2000. R 810.9 A834a, 1999
• American Literary Scholarship: An Annual. R 016.81 A512li (1998-current year available online via the ODU Library Catalog)
• American Writers Classics. R 810.9 A3594w
• Critical Companion to John Steinbeck. R 813.52 S819c, 2005
• Drama Criticism. R 809.2 D763 10 vols.
• Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. R 809.034 N714 10 vols.
• Short Story Criticism. R 809.31 S559 75 volumes
• Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. R 809.04 T971t 10 vols.

Dictionaries – define key terms, concepts, events, and people along with pronunciation guides

· African American Literary Criticism, 1733 to 2000. R 810.9 A834a, 1999

· A Critical Guide to Twentieth-Century Women Novelists. R 823.91 W562c

· Drama Criticism. R 809.2 D763, 10 vols.

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

· Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. R 809.034 N714, 10 vols.

· Short Story Criticism. R 809.31 S 559, 75 vols.

· Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. R 809.04 T971t, 10 vols.

Encyclopedias and Handbooks – for background information on specific topics, definitions, descriptions, history

· The Cambridge Guide to Women’s Writing in English. R 820.9928 S185c

· Encyclopedia of African American Women Writers. R 810.9896073 E193a, 2007 vols. 1-2

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

· Encyclopedia of Women’s Autobiography. R 305.40922 E198w, 2005 vols. 1-2

· The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Women’s Issues Worldwide. R 305.42 G856e, 6 vols.

· Political and Historical Encyclopedia of Women. R 320.082 E199p

· The Women’s Movement Today: An Encyclopedia of Third-Wave Feminism. R 305.4203 W8428m, 2006 vols. 1-2  

Guides to Specific Authors

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

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

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

· Edith Wharton: The Essential Guide to Her Life and Work. R 813.52 W953e, 1998

· Mary Shelley Encyclopedia. R 823.7 M8345s

· The Oxford Companion to the Brontes. R 823.809 A264o

Research Guides

· Literary Research Guide: An Annotated Listing of Reference Sources in English Literary Studies.

R 016.8209 H22941, 2002

· Research Guide for Undergraduate Students: 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 20th 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. To access Oxford Reference Online, go to the ODU Library Books page. 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 Concise Oxford Companion to American 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

Unless otherwise indicated, follow these steps to access the databases below: Library homepage > Articles in Databases > English Language and Literature

African-American Poetry

Includes 3,000 full-text and fully searchable poems by African American poets of the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Users can trace the occurrence of a word or concept across the works of one poet or the entire database.

American Poetry
Features 40,000 poems by 200 major American from the 17^th to the early 20th century. A selection of anthologies is also included.

Early American Fiction

Contains 440 works of 80 novelists and short-story writers, 1774-1850, and comprises the full texts of the first editions of American novels and short stories written before 1850 by authors of significance during their lifetimes.

20th Century African-American Poetry

Works by more than 100 African-American poets, including Audre Lorde, Langston Hughes, Rita Dove, and emerging poets are included in this database. Biographical profiles accompany each poet's work.

20th Century American Poetry

52,000 poems from collected works and individual volumes of poetry covering the works of most major twentieth-century American poets. The database includes the works of most major twentieth-century American poets, beginning with the traditionalists; continuing through the modernists, represented by such poets as Wallace Stevens; and moving on to the contemporary works of the 1990s.

Library Quick Reference
Links to several online resources for primary literature, including The Complete Works of Shakespeare.

To access: Library homepage > Quick Refernece > Etexts—Literature

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

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.

Arts and Humanities Citation Index (ISI Web of Science)

Citations. Indexes articles from 1,144 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals. Note: Not intended as a substitute for a comprehensive subject database such as Humanities International Complete, which comprehensively indexes journal articles, books, conference proceedings, and other documents.

Bibliography of American Literature
Citations only. Indexes 40,000 literary works of 300 American writers from the Revolution to 1930.

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.

Gender Studies Database
Covers research from the perspectives of men’s, women’s, feminist, homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender studies in diverse areas, e.g., athletics, psychology, political science, literary criticism, and law. Sources include popular magazines, professional journals, and other materials. Note: This database does not distinguish between scholarly and non-scholarly resources.

Literary Reference Center
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.

Women's Studies International
Covers women’s, feminist, and lesbian studies in diverse areas, e.g., psychology, political and social activism, and law. Sources include popular magazines, professional journals, and other materials. Note: This database does not distinguish between scholarly and non-scholarly resources.

Finding Periodicals in this Library

Listed below are some education periodicals available in the ODU Library.

· American Literature: A Journal of Literary History, Criticism, and Bibliography

· American Literary Scholarship

· Biography

· Criticism

· English Journal

· Essays in Criticism

· Forum for Modern Language Studies

· Journal of American Studies

· Journal of Modern Literature

· The Kenyon Review

· Signs

· Women’s Review of Books

· Women’s Studies Quarterly

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:

· American Literary History

· American Literature Scholarship

· The Emily Dickinson Journal

· Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies

· Hypatia

· Journal of Women’s History

· Legacy

· NWSA Journal

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: English Literature and Literary Analysis; Drama, Film, Theatre; Poetry; and Humanities.

African American Women Writers of the 19^th Century http://digital.nypl.org/schomburg/writers_aa19/main.html

· A digital collection of approximately 52 works by nineteenth-century black women writers.

A Celebration of Women Writers http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women

· Provides a comprehensive listing of links to biographical and bibliographical information about women writers and published books written by women.

Distinguished Women of Past and Present http://www.DistinguishedWomen.com

· Go to the subject section and click on "Literature and Poetry" to find over 170 women writers from all over the globe listed, plus their profiles and overviews of their works.

Documents from the Women’s Liberation Movement http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/wlm

· Contains documents from Duke University pertaining to the Women's Liberation Movement in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s.

Emory Women Writers Resource Project http://chaucer.library.emory.edu/wwrp

· A collection of both edited and unedited texts by women writing in English, 17^th - 19^th century.

The Victorian Web: An Overview http://www.victorianweb.org

· Includes an impressive "Authors" category, which offers a list of both male and female authors of the time period (e.g., Bronte sisters, Christina Rossetti, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning). Each author has a link to information about his/her life, works, and social contexts.

© 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