Websites |
A Celebration of Women Writers
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/
Biographical and some critical info on women authors. Organized by author, country of origin, ethnicity and time period.
Critical Reading: A Guide
www.brocku.ca/english/jlye/criticalreading.html
Made by college professor for his students. Explains why and how to read poetry and fiction critically, as well as info on how to write an analytical essay.
Lit Links
www.bedfordstmartins.com/litlinks/
Short lists of links & brief biographies for authors. Organized into fiction, poetry, dramma, essay & critical theory.
Luminarium
www.luminarium.org/lumina.htm
Biographical and critical essays on authors from medieval, renaissance and 17th century Europe.
Online Literary Criticism
www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/
Online sources of biography and criticism about major authors and written works worldwide. Search by author or title.
Voice of the Shuttle: Web Site for Humanities Research
http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=3
Metasite of links to authors and some criticism. Covers time periods, cultural backgrounds, literary theories, and more.
Voices From the Gaps: Women Writers of Color
http://voices.cla.umn.edu/
The lives and works of women writers of color. Organized by name, state of birth, ethnic background and significant dates.
Also, try using your favorite search engine (such as www.google.com) to search for helpful information. Use quotation marks around the author/title name.
Examples: "jamaica kincaid" criticism or "color purple" criticism or "arthur conan doyle" or "hound of the baskervilles" |
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| Searching the Online Catalog |
When searching for literary criticism items in our online catalog, try a keyword search.
To find criticisms, try:
Author + the word "criticism"
Title + the word "criticism"
| Examples: |
Alice Walker criticism
Catcher Rye criticism |
To find biographies, try:
Author + the word "biography"
Example: Isabelle Allende biography
Other tips:
 You may have to use search terms related to broader topics, such as:
- The time period in which the author lived
(Example: 19th century novelists)
- The type of writer the author is or writing the author does
(Example: American poets)
- The ethnicity or gender of the author
(Example: hispanic women writers)
- The type or culture of the literature written
(Examples: Cuban literature criticism OR tragedy criticism)
You can also use keyword series to search for series that focus on literary criticism, such as:
- Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to American Authors
- Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to British Literature
- Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to World Authors
- Twayne's English Authors series
- Twayne's Studies in Short Fiction
- Twayne's United States Authors series
- Twayne's World Authors series
If you can't find what you're looking for, ask a librarian!
Search the Online Catalog
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Terms & Concepts
Literary Terms: A Dictionary
REF 803 BEC
A comprehensive dictionary of common literary forms and ideas.
Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms
REF 803 CON
Explanation of 1,000 literary terms.
Encyclopedia of Folkore and Literature
REF 803 ENC
Briefly covers authors, titles, national literatures, themes and motifs in literature and folklores.
A Handbook to Literature
REF 803 HOL
Concise definitions of a wide range of English literary terminology, including concepts, genres, movements, periods, etc.
Literature Types
Encyclopedia of World Literature in the Twentieth Century
REF 803 ENC
Brief bios + a discussion of types of literature, from Spanish to Zambian.
Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism
REF 809 JOH
Guide to some of important figures, schools and movements in literary theory and criticism, including postmodernism, deconstruction, Latin American Theory, etc.
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Criticism & Analysis - General Resources
Contemporary Literary Criticism
(also available electronically!!)
REF 801 CON
Includes authors currently living and those who died after 1960.
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Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism
REF 801 NIN
Includes authors who died between 1800 and 1899.
Twentieth-Century Literature Criticism
REF 801 TWE
Includes authors who died between 1900 and 1959.
Masterplots: World Literature
REF 808.8 MAG
Alphabetical by title of work. Plot summaries + brief essay reviews.
Masterplots II: American Fiction
REF 808.8 MAG
Alphabetical by title of work. Plot summaries + brief essay reviews.
Novels for Students
REF 808.8 NOV
Analysis and criticism on commonly studied novels. Alphabetical by title. Includes biographies, theme, style, context, characters, etc.
Magill's Survey of World Literature
REF 809 MAG
Covers ancient to 20th C. literature. Alphabetical by author. Includes biographies, analysis of writings and brief examination of author's work.
Epics for Students
REF 809.132 EPI
Analysis and criticism on commonly studied long works. Alphabetical by title. Includes biographies, theme, style, context, criticism, etc. From Beowulf to the Odyssey to Sundiata to Lord of the Rings.
Literature and Its Times
REF 809.93 LIT
Major literary works from Prehistory-20th C. Includes plays, novels, stories, poems, speeches. Includes summary, context, biographies and some primary source material.
Magill's Survey of American Literature
REF 810.9 MAG
Short biographical and critical essays on major American authors.
Asian-American Literature
REF 810.9895 ASI
Reviews and criticism of works by American writers of Asian descent.
Native North American Literature
REF 810.9897 NAT
Biographical and critical info on native writers from the U.S. and Canada.
Critical Temper: A Library of Literary Criticism
REF 820.9 TUC
Includes English and American Literature from Ancient-20th C. Has a sampling of essay excerpts.
Shakespeare for Students
REF 822.33 SHA
Analysis and criticism on commonly studied works. Alphabetical by title. Includes theme, style, context, criticism, etc.
Magill's Critical Survey of Long Fiction
REF 823.009 CRI
Short biographical and critical essays on major authors.
Ancient Writers
REF 880.09 ANC
Analysis of works of Greek and Roman writers.
Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature
REF 892.7 ENC
Brief biographies of Arab authors. Also defines some literary concepts.
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Criticism & Analysis - Drama Resources
Critical Survey of Drama
REF 809.2 CRI
Alphabetical by author. Doesn't highlight specific works. General biography + analysis.
Drama for Students
REF 809.2 DRA
Analysis and criticism on commonly studied plays. Alphabetical by title. Includes biographies, theme, style, context, criticism, etc.
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama
REF 809.2 MCG
Brief biographies + types of drama (Cuban, Turkish, etc...).
Masterplots II: Drama Series
REF 809.3 MAG
Alphabetical by title of work. Plot summaries + brief essay reviews.
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Criticism & Analysis - Poetry
Poetry for Students
REF 808.81 POE
Analysis and criticism on commonly studied poems. Alphabetical by title. Includes biographies, theme, style, context, criticism, etc.
Masterplots II: Poetry Series
REF 809.1 MAS
Alphabetical by title of work. Plot summaries + brief essay reviews.
World Poets
HC REF 809.1003 WOR
Biographies on World Poets and essays on genres and schools of poetry.
Magill's Critical Survey of Poetry
REF 821.009 MAG
Short biographical and critical essays on major poets.
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Criticism & Analysis - Short Stories
Short Stories for Students
REF 808.83 SHO
Analysis and criticism on commonly studied stories. Alphabetical by title. Includes biographies, theme, style, context, characters, etc.
Masterplots II: Short Story Series
REF 809 MAS
Alphabetical by title of work. Plot summaries + brief essay reviews.
Magill's Critical Survey of Short Fiction
REF 809.3 MAG
Alphabetical by author. Includes biographies, analysis of writings and brief examination of author's work.
Short Story Criticism
REF 809.31 SHO
Alphabetical by author. Short biographies + critical essays.
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Biographical Resources
(Just a sampling. For more Reference biography resources, browse the 800s.)
Mystery and Suspense Writers
REF 809.3872 MYS
Biographies of classic and contemporary mystery and suspense authors, w/ brief examination of author's style of writing.
Science Fiction Writers
REF 809.3876 SCI
From early 19th century to present. Biographies and discussions of authors' writings. Mainly American and European authors.
European Writers
REF 809.894 EUR
From Middle Ages to the 20th Century
African-American Writers
REF 810.9 AFR
Brief discussion of life and works of prominent African-American writers.
American Writers
REF 810.9 AME
Multivolume. Examination of authors' works. Includes some biographical information.
Feminist Writers
REF 810.9 FEM
Brief literary accomplishments of feminist writers from around the world.
Wrtiers for Young Adults
REF 810.9928 WRI
Biographies and literary accomplishments of popular authors of YA literature. Includes some analysis.
British Writers
REF 820 BRI
Multivolume. Examination of authors' works. Includes some biographical information.
Concise Dictionary of British Literary Biography
REF 820 CON
Organized by time period. Essays on life and works of British authors.
Contemporary Popular Writers
REF 820.9 CON
Brief look at mostly American, British and Canadian authors.
Latin-American Writers
REF 860 LAT
Organized chronologically by birth year. Brief biography and analysis of writing.
African Writers
REF 896 AFR
Biographies and examination of works of African authors.
Current Biography
REF 920 CUR
Biographical information on people from all areas. Includes some authors.
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