English 301: Critical Methods in the Study of Literature
Research resources compiled, and web page created by Patricia Herron, McKeldin Library
This web page contains a highly selective list of resources useful for beginning literary research - identifying and locating literary biographies, literary criticism and definitions of literary terms.
Contents
Literary Handbooks, Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Literary Biographies
Literary Criticism
Literary Web Sites
Interlibrary Loan
Preparing Your Bibliography
Questions?
Literary Handbooks, Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Dictionary of Concepts in Literary Criticism and
Theory
McKeldin Reference PN41.H36 1992
A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory
McKeldin Reference PN41.C83 1998
Encyclopedia of Contemporary Literary Theory:
Approaches, Scholars, Terms
McKeldin Reference PN81.E43 1993
Encyclopedia of Literary Critics and Criticism
McKeldin Reference PN86.E53 1999 2 volumes
A
Glossary of Rhetorical Terms
Handbook to Literature
McKeldin Reference PN41.H355 1996
The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism
McKeldin Reference PN81.J55 1994
Books
To locate books by and about an author use the word/s anywhere search option and type in the author's name. This type of search works well for authors for which there is not much material available: EX: julian barnes.
To locate books by an author use the author beginning with... search option and type in the author's last name, first name: EX: woolf, virginia.
To locate books of criticism on an author use the subject word/s anywhere or the word/s anywhere search option and type in the author's and the word "criticism": EX: aphra behn criticism.
For information about authors for which there is a large body of criticial work try the subject beginning with search option and type in the author's last name, first name: EX: joyce, james. Browse the list of subject headings and select relevant categories.
Articles
Use the following databases to locate journal articles. Be sure to follow the If the database does not have the
There is also a more comprehensive guide to resources in the McKeldin Library in English and American Literature. For a complete list of electronic resources available to University of Maryland faculty, staff, and students, as well as information about the full range of library materials and services, consult the UM Libraries' home page.
Literary Biographies
Literature
Resource Center
Find brief biographical information
reproduced from the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Contemporary Authors, and other sources
Literature Online (LION)
Find brief biographical information
Catalog
Find book-length biographies available in the UM libraries
Use the Subject Word/s search option or the Word/s anywhere search option and type in the author's name and the word "biography": EX: aphra behn biography.
Literary Criticism
Catalog
Resources available in the University System of Maryland Libraries
WorldCat
Resources available in major libraries throughout the US and elsewhere
link. This will direct you to one of three sources: 1. the full text of the article, online, 2. the catalog entry for the print version of the journal, or 3. Interlibrary Loan where you can order the article if the online and print versions are not available from the UM Libraries.
link you will need to check both the Catalog and Research Port to determine if the journal is available through the Libraries. Check the Journals subset of the Catalog and search under the title of the journal, to see if a paper or microform version of the journal is available. Check the Journals link in Research Port to determine if an electronic version of the journal is available. If the UM Libraries do not own the journal you can request it through Interlibrary
Loan
MLA International
Bibliography
Information about articles, essays, and other materials published from the 1920's to the present.
Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (ABELL Plus)
Information about articles, essays, books, dissertations, and book reviews on language and literature topics from 1920 to the present
Humanities International Complete
Information about articles in arts and humanities journals.
Literature
Resource Center
Full-text database of author biographies, criticism and reviews of authors' works.
World Shakespeare Bibliography
Annotated entries for important books, articles, book reviews, dissertations, theatrical productions, reviews of productions, audiovisual materials, electronic media, and other scholarly and popular materials related to Shakespeare, his works, and stage and film productions of his works.
Literary Web Sites
Evaluating Web Sites
American Authors on the Web
This site links to hundreds of Internet sites on American authors and is arranged chronologically
by author's birth date.
English Literature on the Web
This site links to hundreds of Internet sites related to English literature and is arranged by literary
time period, from medieval times through the 20th century.
The eserver.org
This site links to Internet resources in the humanities, including many full text documents, in the following areas: art, architecture, drama, fiction, poetry, cultural theory, feminism, film &
television, gender & sexuality, history, music, and philosophy.
intute: arts & humanities
An extensive catalog of online arts and humanities resources.
Literary Resources on the Net
Links to sites dealing with literature. The following areas are covered: classical & biblical, medieval, renaissance, restoration & eighteenth century, romantic, Victorian British, 20th-century British & Irish, American, and other national literatures, theater and drama, and literary theory.
The Voice of the Shuttle
This page links to Web sites in the humanities including American Studies, cultural studies, history, literature, literary theory, linguistics, media studies, and more.
Interlibrary Loan
Material not held in our libraries can be requested through Interlibrary Loan.
Preparing Your Bibliography
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Resources for students on academic integrity and plagiarism.
How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography
Citing Sources Using the MLA Handbook
A Guide for Writing Research papers based on Modern Language Association (MLA) Documentation
Using MLA Style to Cite and Document Sources
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Location: McKeldin Quick Reference Shelf Call Number: PN147.G53 2003
Questions?
If you have any questions about these or other library resources,
contact Patricia Herron (herron@umd.edu or 301-405-9280), or Tim Hackman (thackman@umd.edu or 301-314-8521).
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