Subject Guides: English: Home

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MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
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MLAIB (1926 to the present) covers literature in English and in other modern languages. linguistics. folklore. It includes books (and chapters in books), journal articles, conference papers, and dissertations.
Literary Sources This link opens in a new window
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Full-text literary criticism (secondary sources) database. Includes the content from Literature Resource Center, Literary Criticism Online, the MLA International Bibliography, and more.
Bloom's Literature This link opens in a new window
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Critical essays from literary journals and scholarly and critical books, including biographies, character entries, synopses of literary works, images, and videos.
Project Muse This link opens in a new window
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Provides full text access to journals in literary theory, classics, history and cultural studies, philosophy, film, theatre and performing arts, political science, and mathematics.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
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Contains fulltext academic journals in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Sciences.

Google Scholar
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Go through the University of Alberta portal and set up "Get-It" links to get full-text options to U of A journal articles.

Background Information

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new window
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An authoritative record of the English language.
Literary Encyclopedia This link opens in a new window
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World literature, including biographies of major and minor writers; scholarly descriptions of texts written by these authors; and a variety of descriptive and critical essays on literary, cultural and historical matters to provide an understanding of the contexts in which the work was produced.
Oxford Reference Online Premium This link opens in a new window
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Contains dictionaries and reference titles covering a variety of subjects, from General Reference and Language to Science and Medicine. Search by "subject specialization" for more precise results.

More English Language & Literature Databases

Peer Reviewed Journals

To determine whether a journal is peer reviewed, search for it in Ulrich's Periodicals Directory and look for the little referee symbol: .

Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory This link opens in a new window
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Research Methods

Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism This link opens in a new window Presents a comprehensive historical survey of the field's most important figures, schools, and movements. It includes entries on critics and theorists, critical schools and movements, and the critical and theoretical innovations of specific countries and historical periods.
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Writing about Literature by Sylvan Barnet; William E. Cain Part of Longman's successful Short Guide Series,A Short Guide to Writing about Literature,11/e, emphasizes writing as a process and incorporates new critical approaches to writing about literature.
How to Write Essays and Dissertations by Alan Durant; Nigel Fabb The first book that literature students should read, this guide reveals the distinct set of skills, conventions and methods of essay and dissertation writing. Taking students through the various stages of writing, from planning to final submission, it offers specific guidelines and a lively, detailed commentary on actual examples of student work at each stage.
Encyclopedia of Literature and Criticism by Martin Coyle This Encyclopedia is the most comprehensive guide yet both to the nature and content of literature, and to literary criticism. In ninety essays by leading international critics and scholars, the volume covers both traditional topics such as literature and history, poetry, drama and the novel, and also newer topics such as the production and reception of literature. Current critical ideas are clearly and provocatively discussed, while the volume's arrangement reflects in a dynamic way the rich diversity of contemporary thinking about literature. Each essay seeks to provide the reader with a clear sense of the full significance of its subject as well as guidance on further reading. An essential work of reference, The Encyclopedia of Literature and Criticism is a stimulating guide to the central preoccupations of contemporary critical thinking about literature. Special Features * Clearly written by scholars and critics of international standing for readers at all levels in many disciplines * In-depth essays covering all aspects, traditional and new, of literary studies past and present * Useful cross-references within the text, with full bibliographical references and suggestions for further reading * Single index of authors, terms, topics
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Postcolonial Criticism: History, Theory, and the Work of Fiction by Nicholas Harrison In the field of postcolonial studies, the full richness and complexity of the connections between literature, history and ideology are often overlooked by critics hurrying to stake out their political positions. As a result, many arguments are built on unjustified assumptions about the sort of work that literature -- and criticism -- can and cannot do. In this important and timely book, Harrison sheds new light on what is actually at issue in postcolonial criticism. Focusing on a series of major works, from Conrad′s Heart of Darkness to Djebar′s autobiography, via Camus′s The Outsider and Fanon′s polemics, the book draws on and elucidates a wide range of theoretical and critical work. To students unfamiliar with postcolonial criticism it offers a way into the field via key issues and specific examples rather than abstract theoretical summary, while for those already working in the area it raises crucial questions about the very basis of postcolonial critical practice. Postcolonial Criticism is a major intervention in the field of postcolonial studies which re-examines critical suppositions about reading and representation, and which calls into question established notions about the relations between literature and colonialism.

When looking for books on literary analysis & methodologies, try including some of the following terms in your search:

English literature
history criticism
theory
handbooks

Search examples (click to see search results):

English Literature theory postcolonial

English Literature criticism archetypal

English Literature femimist criticism theory

Austen, Jane "criticism and interpretation" history

etc.

English

Additional Resources