Introduction
This is a guide to selected sources of information related to identity and transformation in literature, with a particular focus on Bram Stoker's Dracula. For further research assistance, please stop by the Reference Desk, or see our Ask a Librarian page for info on how to email, text, or call a reference librarian for help.
Research Basics
Visit Geisel Library's Research Help webpage for help with getting started. In particular, check out the following:
- Research Planner: Create a timetable of milestones for completing your paper, with links to useful resources at each step
- Research Strategy: Helpful suggestions for every stage of the research process, from choosing a topic to citing your sources
- Research Tutorials: Web guides and videos on how to use library resources
Background Information
Before looking for books and journal articles on your topic, it is helpful to explore reference resources such as subject-specific encyclopedias. These resources can provide background information on authors and literary works, as well as the social issues, historical periods, and themes being addressed in this course. They can also help you determine keywords to search in the library catalog and journal databases. Use the bibliographies at the end of articles in reference resources to identify books and journal articles worth tracking down.
Starting Points
Encyclopedia of Identity
An excellent starting point. Browse the Table of Contents for topic ideas.
Credo Reference
Search words like "identity" or "self" to find articles on national identity, self-knowledge, and self-determination.
Oxford Reference Online
This database includes numerous reference works for obtaining basic information on authors, concepts, and historical events.
The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead
Ref GR830.V3 M45
Literature Resources
Literature Resource Center
This database includes lengthy biographical profiles of authors, plot summaries, and literary criticism for thousands of novelists, poets, and other writers. User Guide
British Writers (13 vols.)
Ref PR85 .B688 [entry on Stoker in Supplement III]
British and Irish Literature and its Times: The Victorian Era to the Present
Ref PR25 .M671 [entry on Stoker's "Dracula"]
Critical Survey of Long Fiction (8 vols.)
Ref PN3451 .C75 [entry on Stoker in volume 6]
Encyclopedia of Gothic Literature
Ref PN3435 .S58
Icons of Horror and the Supernatural
Ref PN56 .H6 I26 (2 vols.)
Resources on Identity and Self
Encyclopedia of Human Development
Available in Gale Virtual Reference Library
Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Available in Gale Virtual Reference Library
Encyclopedia of Psychology (8 vols.)
Ref BF31 .E52
Encyclopedia of Social Psychology
Available in Gale Virtual Reference Library
Encyclopedia of Sociology
Ref HM425 .E5 (print version, 5 vols.)
Encyclopedia of the Victorian Era (4 vols.)
Ref DA550 .E527
Handbook of Social Psychology
General Collection HM251 .H224 [lengthy article on "The Self"]
New Dictionary of the History of Ideas
Ref CB9 .N49 (print version)
Books
Geisel Library Catalog
There are two approaches to finding books in the Geisel Library catalog:
1) Keyword Searching
If you have a specific topic in mind, try a Keyword search on terms that represent your topic of interest. Use the Boolean AND to combine together multiple concepts, and use the Boolean OR to expand your search with synonyms and related terms. Use the * (asterisk) to retrieve variant forms of a word; for example, identit* will find books with the words "identity" or "identities" in the catalog record.
Here are some examples of keyword searches related to this course's theme:
- (change OR metamorphos*) AND identit*
- self-concept OR self-awareness
- Dracula
- Victorian AND (sex OR sexuality)
2) Subject Searching
If you have a general area of interest but haven't chosen a specific topic, try searching some of the phrases below as Subject Headings in the catalog. Subject searching is effective for finding books about broad concepts. Skimming through these books may give you ideas about how to focus your research. If you are researching a particular author or work, try searching the author's name as a Subject to locate biographies and literary criticism.
- Gothic Revival Literature
- Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901
- Horror Tales, English - History and Criticism
- Identity (Psychology)
- Identity (Psychology) in Literature
- Self in Literature
- Self (Philosophy)
- Self-Knowledge, Theory of
- Vampires
Here are some books found through keyword and subject searching:
Bram Stoker's Dracula: A Documentary Journey
PR6037.T617 D77
Dracula: A Biography of Vlad the Impaler, 1431-1476
DR240.5.V55 F57
From Demons to Dracula: The Creation of the Modern Vampire Myth
In Ebrary
From Dickens to Dracula: Gothic, Economics, and Victorian Fiction
PR878.E37 H68
Legends of Blood: The Vampire in History and Myth
GR830.V3 B37
Modernity and Self-Identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age
HM131.G398
The Rise and Fall of Soul and Self: An Intellectual History of Personal Identity
BD438.5 .M375
Vampire God: The Allure of the Undead in Western Culture
PN56.V3 H36
WorldCat
By searching WorldCat, you can identify potentially useful books owned by other college libraries and have them delivered to Geisel Library for your use. Try searching the same keywords and subject headings that proved successful in the Geisel Library catalog. To request a book, open the book's WorldCat record, click the "Request via Interlibrary Loan" link, and follow the on-screen instructions. Allow 7–10 days for delivery. You will be emailed when your book arrives.
Journal Articles
Below are several databases that may yield useful journal articles for your research. Try searching the same keywords that you used in the library catalog, combining concepts together using the Boolean AND and OR operators. Once you find relevant articles, examine their Subject Headings and conduct Subject searches on the ones that seem potentially fruitful.
If you find a useful article for which no full-text link is available, click on the WebBridge icon to determine whether the journal is available in Geisel Library or in full-text via another database. If the article isn't available, consider clicking on the Interlibrary Loan link to request a PDF copy of the article from another library. Within a week, you should receive an email indicating that the article is available to access. To learn how to use WebBridge, please watch our video tutorial (3.5 mins.; includes audio).
Starting Points
Literature Resource Center
Limit the content type to "Literature Criticism" to find full-text articles about works of literature from more than 100 literary journals. User Guide
MLA International Bibliography
Start here for papers with a literary focus. This database provides citations for articles related to literature, language, and literary criticism.
PsycINFO
Start here for papers focusing on psychological aspects of identity formation and development. This database offers full-text of articles from scholarly psychology journals. User Guide
Other Databases
Academic Search Premier
This multi-disciplinary database is an excellent starting point for finding scholarly journal articles and popular magazine articles on a wide range of topics.
JSTOR
Search here for full-text articles from major scholarly journals in the humanities and social sciences. User Guide
ProQuest Central
A massive database covering a wide range of subjects, with full-text of scholarly journal articles and newspaper articles.
SocINDEX
An excellent source for social perspectives on identity. This sociology database provides full-text journal articles and citations to books and conference papers.
CrossSearch
CrossSearch enables you to search across multiple databases at once to find journal articles. For papers with a literary focus, search the English subject category; for other topics, you may wish to search in Psychology or Sociology. If an article looks useful, click on the WebBridge icon to see if it is available in full-text or in Geisel Library's periodicals collection. For tips on using CrossSearch, please watch our video tutorial (3.5 mins.; includes audio).
Journal Finder
Journal Finder will help you determine whether a particular article is available in Geisel Library's online databases or periodicals collection. Use it when you encounter citations to useful-looking articles in the bibliographies of reference books or other journal articles, and want to track down the full text. Search the journal's title in Journal Finder and use the resulting links to locate the article's full text in either a database or the library collection. If Journal Finder does not provide any links, you can request the journal article through Interlibrary Loan. To learn more about how to use the Journal Finder, please watch our video tutorial (3 mins.; includes audio).
Selected Websites
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Obtain the full text of Stoker's novel for free, either in HTML or formatted for the Kindle.
Dracula Research Centre
Maintained by Dracula scholar Elizabeth Miller, this website includes documents about Bram Stoker, full-text articles from the Journal of Dracula Studies, and a bibliography of works about Dracula.
The Sickly Taper
This guide to Gothic literature includes bibliographies of scholarly books and articles about vampires and werewolves. Search for the books in WorldCat, and use Journal Finder or Interlibrary Loan to obtain any articles of interest.
Citing Sources
For assistance with formatting your citations in MLA style, see the online resources available on the library's Citing Sources webpage. You can also ask for the MLA Handbook (Ready Ref LB2369 .G53) at the library's reference desk.
