Subject Guide — Literary Criticism | Library Home | Find Books | Find Articles | Research Help | E-Reference | Library Site Index     Library Liaison Keith Chevalier Contents Locating Poetry Criticism      • Reference Books      • Find Journal Articles      • Poetry Internet Sites With           Criticism Locating Short Story Criticism      • Reference Books      • Find Journal Articles      • Short Story Internet Sites           With Criticism How to Cite Your Sources Department Website English Department English Department Homepage   Locating Poetry Criticism Most literary criticism is found within books and journal articles. It is not always possible to find critical articles that discuss every poem by every author, even major writers. When an individual poem is not analyzed, you need to look for criticism that discusses the poet's theme and style in general and apply that information to the poem in question. To find criticism of a specific poem, use the library catalog to search by subject. Examples: (Author's name) – bibliography (Author's name) – criticism and interpretation (Author's name) – technique Reference Books Use the Reference Collection to find criticism, background information, and bibliographies of additional sources. Background knowledge about the poet, such as the time period, social and economic influences, personal and professional relationships may help you understand the poem. Background knowledge about a poem should not be confused with criticism. A sample of useful titles to consider: American Writers      Ref PS129 .A55 British Writers      Ref PR85. B688 Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism      Ref PN681.5 .C57 Contemporary English poetry      Ref PR601.S53 Crowell's Handbook of Contemporary American Poetry      Ref PS323.5.M3 Critical Survey of Poetry      Ref PR502 .C85 8 Volumes Dictionary of Literary Biography      Ref PS21 .D5 European Writers      Ref PN501 .E9 Index to Criticisms of British and American Poetry      Ref PR89.C5 Latin American Writers      Ref PQ 7081 .A1 L37 Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800      Ref PN 86 .L53 Modern American Literature      Ref PS221 .C8 Modern Poetry      Ref PS323.5.A1 A5 Poetry Explication      Ref Z2014 .P7 K8 A sample of Encyclopedias And Dictionaries for additional background information: A Handbook to Literature      Ref PN41 .H6 Poet's Dictionary: A handbook of Prosody and Poetic Devices      Ref PN 44.5 P3 New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics      Ref PN1021 .N39 The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry in English      Ref PR601 .O9 Return to top Find Journal Articles for Poetry Criticism Search the following databases to locate citations to and/or full-text of journal articles. If the article does not appear to be full-text online, search for its availability using the Journal Finder. Journals listed as "in Geisel Library Paper Holdings" are shelved alphabetically by journal title on the Lower Level of the library. Many others are available full-text online by following the links provided. MLA International Bibliography Produced by the Modern Language Association of America, the MLA Bibliography provides access to international scholarship in literature as well as languages, linguistics and folklore. Over 3000 journal titles are indexed. Coverage is from 1963 to the present. User Guide Literature Resource Center Find biographical information on authors, as well as bibliographies, plot summaries, and literary criticism of their works. This resource also provides the full text of articles from more than 100 literary journals.    User Guide Arts & Humanities Citation Index Provides indexing to the world's leading arts and humanities journals and selections from social science and science journals. Includes articles, bibliographies, editorials, letters, and reviews. (1980–present) Project MUSE "Project MUSE provides online, worldwide, institutional subscription access to the full text of more than 200 scholarly journals in arts and humanities, social sciences, and mathematics." Academic Search Premier A broad index providing abstracts and some full-text for a range of academic areas, including literary criticism. Return to top Poetry Internet Sites With Criticism Electronic Poetry Center Modern American Poetry Poets.org Poetry Society of America Prose and Verse Criticism of Poetry Return to top Locating Short Story Criticism Most literary criticism is found within books and journal articles. It is not always possible to find critical articles that discuss every short story by every author, even major writers. When an individual story is not analyzed, you need to look for criticism that discusses the author's theme and style in general and apply that information to the short story in question. To find criticism of a specific short story, use the library catalog to search. Examples: Subject search: (Author's name) – bibliography (Author's name) – criticism and interpretation Keyword Search: Hawthorne and stories Hawthorne and criticism Short Fiction and Hawthorne and criticism Return to top Reference Books Use the Reference Collection to find criticism, background information, and bibliographies of additional sources. Background knowledge about the author, such as the time period, social and economic influences, personal and professional relationships may help you understand the short story. Background knowledge about a short story should not be confused with criticism. A sample of useful titles to consider for criticism and background information: British Writers      Ref PR85. B688 Critical Survey of Short Fiction      Ref PN3373 .C7 7 volumes Twentieth-century Short Story Explication      Ref PN3373 .W33 (all series) European Writers      Ref PN501 .E9 14 volumes Short Fiction Criticism      Ref PR829.T58 American Writers      Ref PS129 .A55 Modern American Literature      Ref PS221 .C8 Columbia Companion to the Twentieth-century American Short Story      Ref PS374.S5 C57 Facts on File Companion to the American Short Story      Ref PS374.S5 F33 Return to top Find Journal Articles for Short Story Criticism MLA International Bibliography Produced by the Modern Language Association of America, the MLA Bibliography provides access to international scholarship in literature as well as languages, linguistics and folklore. Over 3000 journal titles are indexed. Coverage is from 1963 to the present. Literature Resource Center Find biographical information on authors, as well as bibliographies, plot summaries, and literary criticism of their works. This resource also provides the full text of articles from more than 100 literary journals. Arts & Humanities Citation Index Provides indexing to the world's leading arts and humanities journals and selections from social science and science journals. Includes articles, bibliographies, editorials, letters, and reviews. (1980–present) Project MUSE "Project MUSE provides online, worldwide, institutional subscription access to the full text of more than 200 scholarly journals in arts and humanities, social sciences, and mathematics." Academic Search Premier A broad index providing abstracts and some full-text for a range of academic areas, including literary criticism. Return to top Short Story Internet Sites With Criticism Internet Public Library's Literature Resources Search by keyword. Example: (Hawthorne and short story and criticism) Literary Resources on the Net Use the simple search. Return to top How to Cite Your Sources See the library's How To Cite Your Sources guide for resources on how to properly cite research materials. Always confirm the style required by your instructor. Return to top
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