Background Information
It's useful when you are first reading a new author to take a look at background information sources on the literary culture s/he was writing from. The online sources listed below will give you reliable and authoritative information on specific authors, genres, or terms and movements in literature. Spending time with these as you start reading will repay itself in a better understanding of what you are reading.
- Gale Literature This link opens in a new windowProvides a single search site for several different and very useful full-text resources in literature covering biography and criticism of major authors and literary works from classical Greek and Roman literature to contemporary works, all languages and most countries are represented. Among the individual titles included are: Gale Literature Criticism (title list), Gale Literature Resource Center, Dictionary of Literary Biography (title list), and Something about the Author (title list). Gale.
- Scribner writers seriesIncludes 15-20 page signed essays on more than 2,000 authors and literary genres drawn from the acclaimed Scribner print series. Essays discuss the writer's life, what influenced him/her, major works written, and the influence of each writer on the time. Each signed article was written by a noted scholar and concludes with a bibliography of primary and secondary sources for further study.
- Johns Hopkins guide to literary theory & criticismThe Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism is recognized as the most authoritative and even-handed reference to the intellectual traditions of literary theory, from the margins to the mainstream. Contains articles on various literary styles and trends, regional literature (Irish literature, for example), and definitions of the various ways to critique literature (semiotics, psychoanalytic, etc.)
- Cambridge companions to literature and classics This link opens in a new windowProvides access to over 200 e-books in the Cambridge Companion series for literature (British, American, European, British Colonies, ethnic traditions) and classical authors. The essays in each themed collection are written by scholars in that field and provide background information and an analysis of the topic selected, offering a good starting point for research. Search the entire collection of over 200 books in this series by keyword, or browse the individual titles and search within the title. Printing of single pages or entire essays is available. Cambridge University Press.
The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics by Call Number: e-book link providedISBN: 9780691154916Publication Date: 2012-08-26Through three editions over more than four decades, The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics has built an unrivaled reputation as the most comprehensive and authoritative reference for students, scholars, and poets on all aspects of its subject: history, movements, genres, prosody, rhetorical devices, critical terms, and more. Entries range in length from brief paragraphs to major essays of 15,000 words, offering a more thorough treatment--including expert synthesis and indispensable bibliographies--than conventional handbooks or dictionaries. International coverage includes articles on the poetries of more than 110 nations, regions, and languages Expanded coverage of poetries of the non-Western and developing worlds
Scholarly Resources
Researching literary criticism will require using professional tools. This guide introduces you to two of these professional search tools:
- The Modern Language Association’s MLA International Bibliography (MLAIB) is one of the professional tools you’ll be using to identify professional literary criticism in British and American literature, culture, media studies, folklore, and genre studies
- Literat Online covers some of the same ground as MLAIB but provides fuller coverage for scholarly journal from the U.K.
Take a moment to review the tutorial below on two key search features in the MLAIB that will increase the effectiveness of your searches in that database.
- MLA international bibliography This link opens in a new windowProvides a subject, author, and title index for books and articles published on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics. MLA indexers review books, journals, and Web sites for material that relates to all forms of human communication. Coverage includes literature from all over the world--Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. Folklore is represented by folk literature, music, art, rituals, and belief systems. Linguistics and language materials range from history and theory of linguistics, comparative linguistics, semantics, stylistics, and syntax to translation. Other topics include literary theory and criticism, dramatic arts (film, radio, television, theater), and history of printing and publishing. EBSCOhost.
- Literature Online (LION)Covers literary criticism, biography, and reviews of authors from all genres and around the world. Overlaps MLA International Bibliography but has fuller coverage of scholarly journals from Great Britain. Does provide abstracts of the articles and some full text.
Reading an MLAIB Entry
When you want to focus on a specific piece of literature use the tag Primary Subject Work in the MLA Bibliography. This option is in the "Select a field" box in the MLA International Bibliography online. Using this feature also bypasses any variation in spelling in the article title itself - is it Fairy Queen, Faerie Queen, or Faerie Queene?
You can can see the way Primary Subject Work shows up in the MLA Bibliography entry below (in pink).
There is a similar box for Primary Subject Author useful for when you are looking for an author (Marie de France) as a subject of scholarly articles, rather than for what that person has written.
For authors with an extensive list of works, combine both the Primary Subject Author and Primary Subject Work to get very specific results.
- Structure and Meaning in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- Authors: Margeson, Robert W.
- Source: Papers on Language and Literature: A Journal for Scholars and Critics of Language and Literature (Edwardsville, IL) 1977; 13: 16-24.
- Peer Reviewed: Yes
- ISSN:0031-1294
- General Subject Areas:
- Subject Literature: English literature
Period: 1100-1499 Middle English period
Primary Subject Work: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Document Information:
- Publication Type: journal article
Language of Publication: English
Update Code: 197701
Sequence Numbers: 1977-1-2556 - Accession Number: 1977102556
- Database: MLA International Bibliography
