Writing essays about literature : a brief guide for university and college students by
This book gives students an answer to the question, "What does my professor want from this essay?" In lively, direct language, it explains the process of creating "a clearly-written argument, based on evidence, about the meaning, power, or structure of a literary work." Using a single poem by William Carlos Williams as the basis for the process of writing a paper about a piece of literature, it walks students through the processes of reading, brainstorming, researching secondary sources, gathering evidence, and composing and editing the paper. It is designed to strengthen argumentation skills and understanding of the relationships between the reader, the author, the text, and critical interpretations. Its lessons about clarity, precision, and the importance of providing evidence will have wide relevance for student writers.
Call Number: LB1047.3 .A24 2011Publication Date: 2011
Research Methods for English Studies by
With a revised Introduction and with all chapters revised to bring them completely up-to date, this new edition remains the leading guide to research methods for final-year undergraduates, postgraduates taking Masters degrees and PhDs students of 19th- and 20th-century Literary Studies.
Publication Date: 2013
Featured Reference Resources
The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism (2004)A full-text searchable set of articles on individual critics and theorists, critical and theoretical schools and movements, and the critical and theoretical innovations of specific countries and historical periods. Each entry includes a selective primary and secondary bibliography.
Oxford English Dictionary (OED)The Oxford English Dictionary online is a historical dictionary of English, providing current and historical definitions of words illustrated by quotations from English language texts, as well as detailed etymological analysis and a Historical Thesaurus.
Databases
- Oxford Bibliographies This link opens in a new windowBibliographic articles featuring original commentary and annotations in disciplines including African American Studies, Cinema & Media Studies, and Literary & Critical Theory.
- Literature Online Complete This link opens in a new windowLiterature Online (LiOn) is a searchable library of works of English and American literature as well as biographies, bibliographies, and key secondary sources. Start with Author Pages to explore all types of related resources, or browse by literary period or movement.
- Gale Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new windowBiographical, bibliographical and contextual sources providing information on authors and their works.
- MLA Directory of Periodicals This link opens in a new windowThe MLA Directory of Periodicals contains information available on the journals and series indexed by the MLA International Bibliography.
- Inter-Play | Portland State UniversityAn online index to plays in anthologies. The index can be searched by author, title, or source.
E-Books
Databases
- Gale Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new windowBiographical, bibliographical and contextual sources providing information on authors and their works. Includes the complete text of Contemporary Authors and Dictionary of Literary Biography.
- Gale in Context: Biography This link opens in a new windowFull-text biographical information on people throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas. Contains biographies from The Complete Marquis Who’s Who.
- Biography Reference Bank This link opens in a new windowThousands of full-text biographies and obituaries, many with photographs.
- Biography and Genealogy Master Index This link opens in a new windowAn index to collections of multiple biographies (primarily 20th century). Use the database to identify a publication that includes the biographical information needed, then check DELCAT Discovery for the call number.
- American National Biography This link opens in a new windowA source of historical American biographies.
Searching for Biographies in DELCAT
- DELCAT Discovery This link opens in a new windowTo find biographies, type su: followed by the person's last name and first name in quotation marks. The su: is the DELCAT Discovery index label for subject.
su:"Austen Jane"
su:"Shelley Percy Bysshe"
Biographical Microform Sets
- American Biographical Archive (Series 1)Call Number: Microfilm no. 1835Publication Date: 1989-1991American Biographical Archive reproduces biographical entries in hundreds of reference sources. ABA focuses on people who lived from the earliest period of North American history through the early twentieth century.
Series 2: Microfilm no. 1835.5
Series 3: Microfilm no. 1835.6
Index: Reference CT211 .A45x 1993 - British Biographical Archive (Part I)Call Number: Microfilm no.1448Publication Date: 1984-1989Biographical information reproduced from 324 reference books originally published between 1601 and 1929. The collection covers people "from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, and from all British colonies to the date of their independence or home rule."
Part II: Microfilm no. 1448.5
Index: Reference CT773 .B75 1990 - Black Biographical Dictionaries, 1790-1950Call Number: Microfilm no.1974The largest biographical compilation ever gathered to document the lives of black Americans, reproducing 300 titles.
Index: Reference E185.96 .B53x 1991
Supplement: Reference E185.96 .B532x 2000
Book Review Sources
Book reviews are not a substitute for the in-depth analysis and interpretation to be found in literary criticism, but they can help you decide whether or not to read and/or purchase a book. Some questions to consider when choosing sources for book reviews:
- When was the book published?
- Do you need a full-text review from an online source?
- What kind of book is it? Is it a popular novel, non-fiction, or a work of literature?
- Book Review Digest Plus/Book Review Digest Retrospective This link opens in a new windowExcerpts from, and citations to, reviews of adult and juvenile fiction and non-fiction. Coverage: 1905 to present.
- Book Review Index Plus This link opens in a new windowCitations for over 5 million reviews of books, periodicals, and electronic media, with links to more than 600,000 full-text reviews.
- Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive This link opens in a new windowEvery page of every issue of the TLS. Identification of the anonymous contributors is included. Coverage: 1902-2019; updated every 5 years.
- The New York Review of BooksEvery two weeks, writers publish essays and reviews of books and the arts, including music, theater, dance and film. Coverage: 1963 to present.
- H-Net ReviewsOpen access scholarly reviews in the humanities and social sciences, 1993 to present.
Finding Reviews in Other Databases
When searching for book reviews in a general database, try combining the book's title in quotation marks with the phrase "book review." Separate the two phrases with the keyword connector AND.
"remains of the day" AND "book review"
Some databases offer users the option of limiting their searches by Document Type. Look for the option to limit to book reviews on the Advanced Search page of the database if it is not listed on the initial search page.
- Academic OneFile This link opens in a new windowThe database indexes book reviews and provides the full text of many, 1980 to present.
- Global Newsstream This link opens in a new windowProvides full text of hundreds of U.S. and international news sources. Includes the New York Times. Years of coverage vary by title.
- Periodicals Index Online This link opens in a new windowAn index to journals and magazines in the humanities and social sciences, with some full text. Choose Search Articles and use the option (on the right) to limit articles to book reviews. Coverage: 1665-1995.
- Web of Science This link opens in a new windowSimultaneously searches the Arts and Humanities Citation Index (1975-), the Social Science Citation Index (1898-) and the Science Citation Index Expanded (1899-). The Advanced Search option includes a limiter for book reviews.