English 101: Controversial Issues Paper: Literature Guide
Literature Criticism
We have a variety of databases that allow you to search for journal articles across many scholarly publications at once.
- Literature: Gale This link opens in a new window
Offers broad and representative range of authors and their works, including full-text critical and literary analysis for literary studies. Researchers can find up-to-date analysis, biographical information, overviews, full-text literary criticism, and reviews on more than 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods, and from around the world.
- Bloom's Literary Reference Online This link opens in a new window
A resource for the study of literature. Edited and curated by Yale University professor Harold Bloom. Includes thousands of critical essays and discussion questions, author biographies, character analyses, full-length poems, and the full text of hundreds of reference books. Also contains full-length videos of classic plays and films, and more.
- Literary Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Full-text literary database covering all genres and time-frames. It includes thousands of synopses, critical essays, book reviews, literary journals and author biographies, plus full-text classic novels, short stories and poems. Also includes the Masterplots series and "Critical Insights" volumes.
- Literature Criticism: Gale This link opens in a new window
Database of literary criticism covering the works of authors now living or who died after 1900. Covers a broad range of modern and historical views on authors and their works across regions, eras and genres.
Not sure where to start?
Here are a few individual reference books that:
- Are easily accessible
- Offer critical overviews of titles across various cultures and time periods
- Include discussions of plot, characters, themes and structure as well as the work's cultural and historical significance
- Novels for StudentsProvides critical overviews of novels from various cultures and time periods. Includes discussions of plot, characters, themes and structure as well as the work's cultural and historical significance.
- Drama for StudentsProvides critical overviews of the most-studied plays of all time periods, nations, and cultures. Includes discussions of themes, characters, critical reception, dramatic devices and traditions as well as cultural and historical context.
- Poetry for StudentsFeatures discussion and analysis of poems of all time periods, nations, and cultures. Provides an overview of the poem and discussion of its principal themes, images, form and construction.
- Short Stories for StudentsProvides critical overviews of short stories from all cultures and time periods. Includes discussions of plot, characters, themes and structure as well as the story's cultural and historical significance.
- Twenty-First Century NovelsBrings the most important fictional works of the last 10 years into view, discussing plot, characters, critical reception and more. Features broad coverage of multiethnic/multicultural communities and curricula, bringing an insight to readers of contemporary global literature in English translation.
- Introduction to Literary Context: English LiteratureDesigned to introduce great works of literature placing them in historical, societal, scientific and religious contexts.
- Introduction to Literary Context: World LiteratureDesigned to introduce great works of literature placing them in historical, societal, scientific and religious contexts.
- Ebook Collection from Salem Press This link opens in a new window
Includes easy-to-understand information about literature, history, science, and health.
- Ebooks from Infobase This link opens in a new window
This collection features thousands of reference works from imprints such as Facts On File, Ferguson's, and Bloom's on a wide range of subjects areas, from history, science, literature, etc.
Literary Biography
- Biography: Gale in Context This link opens in a new window
Includes authoritative reference information alongside magazine and journal articles, primary sources, videos, audio podcasts, and images. Covering a vast array of people from historically significant figures to present-day news-makers. Search or browse to find people based on occupation, role, or historical period, or search based on name, occupation, nationality, ethnicity, birth/death dates and places, or gender.
- Biography Reference Bank This link opens in a new window
Search for individuals based on any combination of occupation, activity, gender, place of origin, birthday and lifespan. Limit by source type, and searchable indexes can be used to browse by biography name, document type, geographic terms and more. Original content supplemented with new biographies and updated versions of preexisting articles.
- Contemporary Authors: Gale in Context This link opens in a new window
Biographical and critical surveys of twentieth-century and current authors, both literary and general nonfiction. Provides access to current biographical and bibliographical data on thousands of modern authors. You can easily search for an author by name, title of work, subject/genre, nationality, date and place of birth, honors, awards and much more.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Broad subject general reference database searching hundreds of encyclopedias and other reference works. Provides subject/topic maps.
- Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of American LiteratureComprehensive new set that places American authors and their principal works in historical and cultural context.
- Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World LiteratureComprehensive new set that places Non-American authors and their principal works in historical and cultural context.