ENGL 601 Literary Research and Critical Contexts, UM Libraries


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ENGL 601: Literary Research and Critical Contexts Instructor: Dr. William Peterson Resources compiled and web page developed by Patricia Herron, UM Libraries This guide will assist you in locating resources for English 601. Due to licensing agreements, some of the electronic resources available by remote search are restricted to current students, faculty, and staff at the University of Maryland, College Park. E-mail Patricia Herron, the subject area specialist, or call 301-405-9280 for more information. Contents Research Port: Off-Campus-Access to Library Resources Author Bibliographies Books - Locating Scholarly Books about your Text Library Catalogs World Catalogs Locating Journal Articles, Essays and Dissertations Databases Electronic Journal Collections Journals in Paper and Microform Web Resources Search Engines and Directories Subject Gateways Scholarly Web Sites Electronic Discussion Lists Evaluating the Scholarship Annual Reviews Book Review Sources Collections of Critical Articles and Essays Evaluating Web Sites Further Research - UM Library Guides Style Manuals Interlibrary Loan Questions? Research Port: Off-Campus-Access to Library Resources Research Port This web-based interface allows for off-campus searching of databases licensed for use by University of Maryland students and faculty. return to top Author Bibliographies Bibliographies bring together much of the published literature by and about authors and their texts. These are excellent starting points for your research. Watson, George, ed. New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature. 5 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1969-1977. MCKREF STACKS Z2011.N45. Selective, but very extensive, bibliography of primary and secondary material on British authors published before the early 1970s. Includes authors who were established by 1950. Entries for major authors include bibliographies, editions, criticism, and locations of manuscripts. Shattock, Joanne, ed. New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature. 3rd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999 -. MCKREF PR83.C21 1999 v. 4 (1800-1900). The 3rd edition is in progress. This 3rd edition includes entries for hundreds of new authors previously omitted from the earlier edition. The focus of this edition is on primary material, with details on locations of authors' manuscripts and chronological lists of authors' individual works, including all significant English language editions, followed by contemporary reviews of the works and translations into other languages. Secondary material in this edition is much more selective than in the previous one. It falls into three categories: a selective listing of pre-1920 criticism, a complete and up-to-date listing of textual and bibliographical criticism of authors' works, and a selective list of authoritative biographies. Howard-Hill, T.H. Index to British Literary Bibliography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1969 - . MCKREF PR83.H65. Ongoing bibliography of bibliographies on British authors, literary topics, and textual criticism. v. 1 Bibliography of British Literary Bibliographies (1987). v. 2 Shakespearian Bibliography and Textual Criticism (1971). v. 3 British Literary Bibliography to 1890: A Bibliography (in progress). v. 4 British Bibliography and Textual Criticism: A Bibliography (1979). v. 5 British Bibliography and Textual Criticism: A Bibliography (Authors) (1979). v. 6 British Literary Bibliography and Textual Criticism, 1890-1969: An Index (1980). v. 7 British Literary Bibliography; 1970-1979: A Bibliography (1992). v. 8 and v.9 British Literary Bibliography; 1980-1989: A Bibliography (Authors) (1999). Single Author Bibliographies One of the most efficient means of identifying the significant editions of an author's works (primary sources) and the important writings about an author (secondary sources) is through published bibliographies of the author. Search for bibliographies on your author in the Catalog. Choose the *subject beginning with* option and type in author's name (last name, first name). EXAMPLE: morrison, toni. Browse the list of subject headings and choose the headings with the subdivision *bibliography. Search WORLDCAT [Off-campus access] and RLG Union Catalog (RLIN)[Off-campus access] for published author bibliographies that are not owned by the UM Libraries. return to top Books - Locating Scholarly Books about your Text 1. Library Catalogs* Catalog The Library of Congress Online Catalog [http://catalog.loc.gov] Aladin [https://www.aladin.wrlc.org/Z-WEB/Aladin?req=main] The shared electronic library catalog of American University, the Catholic University of America, Gallaudet University, George Mason University, the George Washington University, Marymount University, and the University of the District of Columbia. The British Library Catalog [http://www.bl.uk/] George [http://library.georgetown.edu/] The Georgetown University Lauinger Library catalog. Johns Hopkins University Libraries Catalog [http://catalog.library.jhu.edu] Libweb [http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Libweb] Gateway to hundreds of library online catalogs and library web servers in the United States and overseas. return to top 2. World Catalogs WORLDCAT [Off-campus access] Contains over 40 million records of all types of materials (books, serials, nonprint media, dissertations, masters theses, archival materials, etc.) cataloged by OCLC member libraries. RLG Union Catalog (RLIN) [0ff-campus access] Contains over 30 million records of books, periodicals, recordings, scores, archival collections, and other kinds of materials held in over 100 major research institutions and archival collections in the United States. return to top Locating Journal Articles, Essays, and Dissertations Use the databases below for locating information about journal articles, essays and dissertations. Some of the databases link to the *full text, others only give information about the sources. 1. Databases* c18 Bibliographies On-Line [http://www.c18.rutgers.edu/biblio] "A series of selective, annotated bibliographies on figures from the long eighteenth century, available freely over the World Wide Web... commissioned from dozens of scholars of eighteenth-century literature, history, and culture, ... more will be added as the project grows. A typical bibliography gives standard scholarly editions, bibliographies, reference works, biographies, and the major works of criticism. They range from nearly comprehensive for the most minor authors to extremely selective for the big names." Annotated Bibliography for English Studies (ABES) [Off-campus access] Click on "Log On" An annotated bibliography of what is considered to be the most important scholarly works in the field of English studies. It includes books, journal articles, videos and web sites. In addition to the study of English language, linguistics, and literature, it covers the history of ideas, the visual arts, cultural studies, media studies and women studies. America: History and Life [Off-campus access] 1964- . Indexes articles, books, and dissertations on U.S. and Canadian history published since 1964. Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature - Full-Text (ABELL-FT). 1920-. [Off-campus access] Indexes books, articles, essays, dissertations and book reviews pertaining to English, American and Common-wealth languages, literatures, and folklore. Includes some full text articles. The Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature - Full-Text (ABELL-FT) and the MLA International Bibliography (see below) used together will lead researchers to the bulk of scholarship, published since 1921, on the English language and literature. Arts and Humanities Search [Off-campus access] 1980- . Indexes articles from over 1,100 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals, plus relevant articles from an additional 5,000 social science and science journals. Includes links to some full text articles. Digital Dissertations [Off-campus access] "The database includes bibliographic citations for materials ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted as recently as last semester. Citations for dissertations published from 1980 forward also include 350-word abstracts written by the author. Citations for master's theses from 1988 forward include 150-word abstracts." For information on full text access of dissertations see About Proquest Digital Dissertations. Historical Abstracts [Off-campus access] 1954- . Indexes articles, books, and dissertations about World history, excluding U.S. and Canadian history. Humanities Abstracts [Off-campus access] 2/84- . Indexes approximately 400 publications that make up the core literature in the field of the humanities, covering such topics as archaeology, area studies, art, classics, film, folklore, journalism, linguistics, music, performing arts, philosophy, religion, history and literature. Includes links to some full text articles. International Index to the Performing Arts [Off-campus access] 1864- . Indexes over 200 scholarly and popular performing arts periodicals, as well as a variety of documents such as biographical profiles, conference papers, obituaries, interviews, discographies, reviews and events. Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance 1859- . [0ff-campus access] Indexes over 400 medieval and renaissance journals. Literature Resource Center [Off-campus access] "Provides access to biographies, bibliographies, and critical analysis of authors from every age and literary discipline." MLA International Bibliography [Off-campus access] ELECTRONIC VERSION 1963- .; Print version: McKeldin Reference Stacks Z7006.M64 1919-1962, McKeldin Stacks Z7006.M64 1963- An international bibliography of literary, linguistic, and folklore scholarship. Indexes articles, essays, books and book chapters, conference papers, and dissertations. Book reviews are not included. The MLA International Bibliography and the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature - Full-Text (ABELL-FT) (see above) used together will lead researchers to the bulk of scholarship, published since 1921, on the English language and literature. Includes links to some full text articles. Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index 1994- . [http://www.haverford.edu/library/reference/mschaus/mfi/mfi.html] "Covers journal articles, book reviews, and essays in books about women, sexuality and gender during the Middle Ages." Periodicals Contents Index [Off-campus access] 1770- . Indexes the tables of contents of thousands of periodicals, both U.S. and international, in the humanities and social sciences from their first issues (coverage extends as far back as 1770 for some periodicals) to 1990/91. It provides excellent coverage of scholarly book reviews. World Shakespeare Bibliography [Off-campus access] 1974 - . Provides 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. return to top 2. Electronic Journal Collections Use the E-journal page in Research Port to locate electronic journals available through the University of Maryland Libraries. JSTOR [Off-campus access] Full-text, searchable database of core scholarly journals in the humanities, sciences and social sciences. The complete back files of these journals have been digitized and made searchable, starting with the very first issues, many of which date from the 1800s. Current issues of these journals (last 2 to 5 years) are not available through JSTOR. Project Muse [Off-campus access] Full-text, searchable database of current scholarly journals (earliest volumes date back to 1993) in the fields of literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, and many others. return to top 3. Journals in Paper and Microform To locate paper and microform copies of journals that are owned by the Libraries, do a title beginning with search on the title of the journal in the "Journals" portion of the Catalog. For additional help refer to the Libraries' Finding Periodical Articles on your Topic guide. return to top Web Resources Once you have exhausted the traditional print and electronic resources listed above, your next step is to search the Internet for important scholarly websites. One approach is to make use of the myriad of web *search engines* and *directories* such as Google and Yahoo. Another is to consult the more selective *literature gateways* such as the Voice of the Shuttle. Finally, *scholarly electronic discussion lists* can be a useful way of keeping up with new research ideas and trends and can also serve as a way of helping scholars identify difficult to locate information. return to top 1. Search Engines and Directories Tangled in the Web? is a short tutorial for individuals who are new to searching the Web. It includes links to some of the major Web search engines and directories. It also give hints on how to construct a good search strategy and how to evaluate the reliability of the information found. return to top 2. Subject Gateways The following literature gateways are excellent starting points for Internet research on literary topics: American Authors on the Web [http://lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/AmeLit.html] This site links to hundreds of Internet sites on American authors and is arranged chronologically by author's birth date. Early Modern Women Database [http://www.lib.umd.edu/ETC/LOCAL/emw/emw.php3] This gateway provides links to web resources and databases useful for the study of women in early modern Europe and the Americas. It focuses on the period ca. 1500 to ca. 1800 but also includes some medieval and nineteenth-century resources. English Literature on the Web [http://lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/EngLit.html] 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 [http://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. Literary Resources on the Net [http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit] 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: Literature in English Page [http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse-netscape.asp?id=3] This is an extensive literature site organized by period, nation, subculture and genre. The following areas, among others, are covered: English literature from the Anglo-Saxon period through the 20th century, American literature from the colonial period through the 20th century, minority literatures, literary theory, literature by genre and creative writing. Voice of the Shuttle: History Page [http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse-netscape.asp?id=2713] This is an extensive site organized primarily by geographical region including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America & Mexico and North America. The Voice of the Shuttle: Web Page for Humanities Research [http://vos.ucsb.edu] This page links to all other Voice of the Shuttle Humanities pages. Some important sites are: area & regional studies (American studies, Latin American studies), classical studies, history, linguistics, literature (other), literary theory, minority studies, women's studies, gender studies, and queer theory. WWW-VL History Central Catalogue [http://rmweb.indiana.edu/History/VL/index.html] This is an extensive history site covering all geographical regions and eras. Yahoo [http://www.yahoo.com] is a subject directory of thousands of Web sites. The following are useful sub-menus: History, Literature, Society and Culture, and Performing Arts. return to top 3. Scholarly Web Sites The following are examples of some important scholarly web sites that focus on specific literary periods or topics. c18 [http://www.c18.rutgers.edu/] "The purpose [of c18] is to create a virtual corpus of texts and information that will provide researchers, readers and the general public with one source of reference for all aspects of eighteenth-century culture." Included in the web site is "a series of selective, annotated bibliographies on figures from the long eighteenth century, available freely over the World Wide Web.A typical bibliography gives standard scholarly editions, bibliographies, reference works, biographies, and the major works of criticism." English Literature and Religion [http://www.english.umd.edu/englfac/WPeterson/ELR/elr.htm] "The main feature of this Web site is a large bibliographical database about religious aspects and backgrounds of English literature, from the Middle Ages to the present century, with primary (though not exclusive) emphasis upon writers within the Anglican tradition. The database ... covers a large number of persons and subjects. It is also an experiment in electronic publishing as (the author) adds new material, ..., so that this site will be, in effect, a continuing work in progress." Romantic Circles [http://www.rc.umd.edu/] A major website devoted to the literature and culture of the romantic period. Includes electronic texts, bibliographies, lists of current works in the field, links to related sites, and much more. return to top 4. Electronic Discussion Lists Electronic discussion lists, also known as LISTSERVS, enable one to communicate with large groups of people who share similar interests. Use the following sites to identify discussion lists in your subject areas: CataList,the official catalog of LISTSERV® lists [http://www.lsoft.com/lists/listref.html] TILE.NET/LISTS [http://www.tile.net/] return to top Evaluating the Scholarship Sometimes there is such a vast amount of scholarship on a given topic, author, and/or text that one needs a way to determine, in a timely manner, what is considered to be the "best" or the most "significant" of the published literature. The sources listed below can assist a researcher with this task. return to top 1. Annual Reviews Annual reviews attempt to summarize and critically evaluate, on a yearly basis, the most significant published research in a given subject area. Book reviews provide detailed critical evaluations of works and help one determine how a scholar's work has been judged by his or her peers American Literary Scholarship. Electronic version: 1998- . ; Print version: 1963 - . McKeldin Reference Stacks Z1005.A4. An annual collection of bibliographic essays about studies of major American authors, periods, and genres. The Eighteenth Century. 1975- . LOCATION: McKeldin Reference Stacks CALL NUMBER: Z6519.E5 An annual evaluative bibliography with selective coverage of books, articles, and reviews covering the period of the 18th century in Europe and the New World. The scope of the bibliography has changed over the years. The Romantic Movement: A Selective and Critical Bibliography. 1971-1984, 1986- 1998. LOCATION: McKeldin Reference Stacks CALL NUMBER: Z6514.R6R52 An annual selective and critical bibliography of significant books, articles and reviews on the Romantic movement in Great Britain and Europe. The scope of the bibliography has changed over the years. Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory. 1991- . LOCATION: McKeldin Reference Stacks CALL NUMBER: PN80.Y43 A companion volume to Year's Work in English Studies (see below). An annual, selective survey of studies in critical theory from a broad international perspective. Year's Work in English Studies. 1919/20- . LOCATION: McKeldin Reference Stacks (last 10 years in reference) and McKeldin Periodical Stacks CALL NUMBER: PE58.E6 Annual, selective, critical survey of studies in English and American language and literature. return to top 2. Book Review Sources Book reviews provide detailed critical evaluations of works and help one determine how a scholar's work has been judged by his or her peers. Below are listed both print and electronic sources for locating book reviews. Because most print book review indexes are arranged by date, the first step in finding a review is determining the book's date of publication. This can be done by looking at the back of the title page or by checking the Catalog or Books in Print [Off-campus access], WorldCat [Off-campus access] or the RLG Union Catalog [0ff-campus access]. Begin with indexes published around the time the book was published and work a number of years forward. Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature - Full-Text (ABELL-FT). 1920- [Off-campus access] Annual bibliography of books, articles, essays, dissertations, and book reviews pertaining to English, American and Commonwealth languages, literature, and folklore. Arts and Humanities Search [Off-campus access] 1980 -. Indexes articles from over 1,100 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals, plus relevant articles from an additional 5,000 social science and science journals. Includes book reviews published in these periodicals. Book Review Digest. [Off-campus access] Electronic version: 1983- . ; Print version: 1905 - . McKeldin Reference Stacks Z1219.C96. Indexes book reviews from over 100 English language popular periodicals. Book Review Index. 1965- . McKeldin Reference Stacks Z1035.A1B4 Indexes book reviews appearing in over 600 general and scholarly periodicals. Farber, Evan Ira, ed. Combined Retrospective Index to Book Reviews in Scholarly Journals, 1886-1974. Arlington, VA: Carrollton Press, 1979. McKeldin Reference Stacks Z1035.A1C6 Indexes book reviews appearing in 459 older scholarly journals in History, Political Science, and Sociology. Humanities Abstracts [Off-campus access] 2/84- . Indexes approximately 400 publications that make up the core literature in the field of the humanities, covering such topics as archaeology, area studies, art, classics, film, folklore, journalism, linguistics, music, performing arts, philosophy, religion, history and literature. Includes book reviews published in these periodicals. Index to Book Reviews in the Humanities. 1960-1990. MCKREF STACKS Z1035.A1I63 Indexes book reviews in approximately 440 scholarly journals in the following areas: literature, language, philosophy, the arts, travel biography, dance and folklore. Periodicals Contents Index [Off-campus access] Indexes the tables of contents of thousands of periodicals, both U.S. and international, in the humanities and social sciences from their first issues (coverage extends as far back as 1770 for some periodicals) to 1990/91. It provides excellent coverage of scholarly book reviews. Romantic Circles Reviews [http://www.rc.umd.edu/reviews/index.html] This online book reviewing site, is a feature of Romantic Circles, a major website devoted to the literature and culture of the romantic period. For additional book review sources see the Book Reviews guide. return to top 3. Collections of Critical Articles and Essays The ABES database and the collections of critical articles and essays listed below, provide excerpts and abstracts of what are considered to be some of the more significant scholarship. Annotated Bibliography for English Studies (ABES) [Off-campus access] Click on"Log On" An annotated bibliography of what is considered to be the most important scholarly works in the field of English studies. It includes books, journal articles, videos and web sites. In addition to the study of English language, linguistics, and literature, it covers the history of ideas, the visual arts, cultural studies, media studies and women studies. The *Gale Literary Criticism Series* (individual titles in the series appear below) contain excerpts of important criticism from hundreds of magazines, scholarly journals, and books. The Gale Literary Index [Off-campus access] database serves as an index to the series. The database will identify the titles, volumes, and page numbers within the series that include entries on your author and/or text. Black Literature Criticism LOCATION: McKeldin Reference Stacks CALL NUMBER: PS153.N5B556 Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism LOCATION: McKeldin Reference Stacks CALL NUMBER: PA1.C38 Contemporary Literary Criticism LOCATION:McKeldin Reference Stacks CALL NUMBER: PN94.C6 Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800 LOCATION: McKeldin Reference Stacks CALL NUMBER: PN86.L56 Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism LOCATION: McKeldin Reference Stacks CALL NUMBER: PN761.N5 Short Story Criticism LOCATION: McKeldin Reference Stacks CALL NUMBER: PN3373.S386 Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism LOCATION: McKeldin Reference Stacks CALL NUMBER: PN94.T93 return to top 4. Evaluating Web Sites The Tangled in the Web? is a Web page designed to teach one how to search the Web, and how to evaluate the reliability of the information found. return to top Further Research - UM Library Guides To expand your search for materials beyond the resources listed above, try the *UM Library Guides. American and British Primary Source Material in Major Microform and Digital Collections Author Criticism and Biography Book Reviews English and American Literature Film Reviews and Film Studies Play Reviews Play Locator Theatre For a list of all UM library guides see Guides to Information Resources return to top Style Manuals Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers*. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2003. McKeldin Reference Desk PN147.G53 2003. For undergraduate students. Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1998. McKeldin Reference Desk PN147.G444 1998 For graduate students and scholars. Bibliographies: MLA Format [http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/MLA/bibliographymla.htm] A Guide for Writing Research Papers based on Modern Language Association (MLA) Documentation [http://cctc.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml] Using MLA Style to Cite and Document Sources [http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite5.html] return to top Interlibrary Loan Request materials the UM Libraries do not own through the Interlibrary Loan Office. return to top Questions? If you have any questions about these or other library resources, contact Patricia Herron, or Susanna Van Sant. return to top


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