Researching Literature
Here are five approaches to researching works of literature:
- The work itself
- How the work fits within the author’s body of work
- How elements of the work conform (or not) to expectations of the genre
- Themes contained in the work
- The sociopolitical context in which the work was written/published
Can you think of others?
At Words Without Borders Campus you'll find fiction, poetry, and essays from around the world, along with resources for understanding it, ideas for teaching it, and suggestions for further exploration. Most of the literature presented comes from the online magazine Words Without Borders.
Related Guides
Search DELCAT Discovery
Type au: to search for works by a particular author.
au:Alvarez,Julia
Authors may also be subjects of criticism and interpretation. Type su: to search by subjects.
su:Alvarez, Julia -- Criticism and interpretation.
Other suggested subject terms to use in DELCAT and databases below:
Emigration and immigration
Immigrants
Refugees
Migrant labor
Transients and migrants
Migration, Internal
Return migration
International migration
Combine these terms with names of countries (e.g., Dominican Republic), groups of people (e.g., Dominicans), genres (e.g., fiction or history), or subtopics (e.g., psychology or social aspects) to make your search more specific.
Selected Databases
For deeper coverage of a subject area, try searching in a subject-specific database like those listed below.
-
MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowSearch tip: Use the SK Primary Subject Work field to search for literary criticism about your book.
-
Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature This link opens in a new windowContents differ from those in MLAIB.
-
America: History and Life This link opens in a new windowScholarly articles on U.S. and Canadian history
-
Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new windowScholarly articles on history outside of the U.S. and Canada
-
FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals This link opens in a new windowSearch Tip: Use the Production title - PTI field to search for articles on a film.
-
Columbia International Affairs Online This link opens in a new windowArticles and reports about international affairs.
-
Family and Society Studies Worldwide This link opens in a new windowArticles about issues that affect families around the world.
-
Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new windowArticles about issues affecting human societies.
-
Women's Studies International This link opens in a new windowArticles about issues that affect women around the world.
To find other subject databases, or to view the entire list of the library's databases, click here to visit the library's Databases page.
Search Google Scholar
Google Scholar can be useful for finding scholarly journal articles, books, dissertations, and technical reports when you're having trouble choosing the right terms to find what you need in subject databases. As you know from using Google, you will get some fairly relevant results no matter what you enter into the search box.
So why do librarians recommend subject databases over Google Scholar?
- Subject databases come with detailed descriptions of the content included. Google does not.
- Subject databases reveal how search results are ranked in terms of their relevance. Google does not.
- Subject databases offer specialized features that help both beginning researchers (e.g., limiting by source type) and advanced researchers (e.g., discipline-specific search fields). Google does not.