Subject Guide: Literary Criticism--English and American Literature | Mansfield Library | The University of Montana-Missoula

The University of Montana Libraries—Missoula

Mansfield Library Subject Guides

LITERARY CRITICISM: ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE

Compiled by: Sue Samson, Humanities Librarian

Individual Authors

Guides to Literary Research

Literary Journals With Electronic Versions

Locating Poems, Plays, Short Stories and Essays

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Criticism: Drama, Fiction, and Poetry

Indexes of Literary Research

Bibliographies

Literary Biography

INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS

  • To locate books of criticism on an individual author, complete a subject search in the GrizNet online library catalog. Use the subject keyword option and enter the author's name and the word criticism; e.g., Emily Dickinson criticism. This same search can be done in WorldCat, a consortium of library catalogs worldwide.

  • To locate periodical articles and other resources on individual authors, refer to the following titles.

GUIDES TO LITERARY RESEARCH

  • Harner, James L. 1998. Literary research guide: an annotated listing of reference sources in English literary studies. 3rd ed. NY: Modern Language Association of America.
    • REF 820.9 X H289L 1998
  • Henderson, Lesley. Reference guide to world literature. 2nd ed. 2 v. New York : St. James Press, c1995.
    • REF 809 R332 1995
  • Kamp, Jim. Reference guide to American Literature. 3rd ed. Detroit: St. James Press, c1994.
    • REF 810.9 R332 1994
  • Kehler, Dorothea. Problems in literary research: a guide to selected reference works. Lanham, MD:Scarecrow Press, 1997.
    • REF 807 X K26p 1997
  • Kirkpatrick, D. L. Reference guide to English literature. 2nd ed. 3 v. Chicago: St. James Press, c1991.
    • REF 820.3 R332 1991
  • Literary Resources on the Net . Jack Lynch, English Dept., Newark Campus of Rutgers University.
  • Riggs, Thomas. Reference guide to short fiction. 2nd ed. Detroit: St. James Press, c1999.
    • REF 809.31 R332 1999
  • Voice of the Shuttle, English Literature . English Dept., Univ. of California, Santa Barbara.

LOCATING POEMS, PLAYS, SHORT STORIES & ESSAYS

Complete an author search in the Libarary Catalog to locate the complete works of an author; or complete a super keyword search using significant words from the title of the work. The titles below provide further resources to locate specific works.

  • Columbia Granger's index to poetry in anthologies. 1997.

    • REF 808.81 X C726

  • Columbia Granger's world of poetry.

  • Essay and general index. 1900-present.
    • REF 808.84 X E78

  • Literature online [computer file]: the home of English and American literature on the World Wide Web. Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey, 1996-

  • Ottemillers index to plays in collections, 1900-1985.
    • REF 808.82 X O89i 1988

  • Play Index, 1949-1997.
    • REF 808.82 X W517p

  • Litfinder [computer file]: the ultimate poetry reference on the web. Great Neck, NY: Roth Pub.

  • Sequels: an annotated guide to novels in series. 1997.
    • 808.83 X H968s 1997

  • Short Story Index. 1950-1954; 1969-1973; 1974-1988
    • REF 808.83 X C771s

  • WorldCat [computer file].

ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND DICTIONARIES

  • The Atlas of literature. 1996.
    • REF 809 A881
  • Brumble, H. David. Classical myths and legends in the Middle Ages and Renaissance: a dictionary of allegorical meanings. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press, c1998.
    • REF 809.0203 B893c
  • Carey, Gary. A multicultural dictionary of literary terms. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., c1999.
    • REF 803 C273m
  • Clute, John. Science fiction: the illustrated encyclopedia. NY: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1995.
    • REF 809.38762 C6494s
  • Cuddon, J. A. A dictionary of literary terms and literary theory. Oxford: Blackwell, 1998.
    • REF 803 C964d 1998
  • Cyclopedia of literary characters. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, c1998.
    • REF 803 M194ma 1998
  • A dictionary of medieval heroes: characters in medieval narrative traditions and their afterlife in literature, theatre, and the visual arts. Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 1998.
    • REF 809.02 V2171.Eg
  • Encyclopedia of fantasy. 1997
    • REF 809.3876603 E56
  • Encyclopedia of the novel. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, c1998.
    • REF 809.3003 E5647
  • Hart, James David. The Oxford companion to American literature. NY: Oxford Univ Press, 1995.
    • REF 803 H325o 1995
  • Hawthorn, Jeremy. A glossary of contemporary literary theory. London: Routledge, 1994.
    • REF 801.95014 H399g 1998
  • Serafin, Steven R. Encyclopedia of American Literature. NY: Continuum, 1999.
    • REF 810.3 E5637
  • Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Encyclopedia of frontier literature. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, c1997.
    • REF 810.3 S673e

BIBLIOGRAPHIES

The main national bibliographies are included below along with their accompanying microfilm sets that reproduce the publications described in the text. These sources attempt to document every publication printed in either Great Britain or The United States. Literature Online provides the complete text of a wealth of English language literature with keyword searching capabilities. A host of additional bibliographies exist in the reference collection.

  • Evans, Charles. American Bibliography: A Chronological Dictionary of All Books, Pamphlets, and Periodical Publications Printed in the United State of America from the Genesis of Printing in 1639 down to and Including the Year 1800. Chicago: Blakely Press, 1903-59.
    • 015.73 E92a
    • Works from this bibliography are reproduced in the microfilm set, Early American Imprints, 1639-1800. Microforms 810 E12
  • Literature Online [computer file]: the home of English and American literature on the World Wide Web. Alexandria, Va. : Chadwyck-Healey, 1996-present.
    • Databases, http://weblib.lib.umt.edu
  • Pollard, A.W. and G.R. Redgrave, comps. A Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of English Books Printed Abroad, 1475-1640. London: Bibliographical Soc., 1926
    • 015.41 P771s
    • Works from this bibliography are reproduced in the microfilm set, Early English Books, 1475 1640. Microforms 015.41 P771sa
  • Wing, Donald, et al., comps. Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and British America and of English Books Printed in Other Countries, 1641-1700. 2nd ed, rev. and enl. 3 vols. NY: Modern Language Assn., 1972-1988.
    • 015.42 W769s
    • Works from this bibliography are reproduced in the microfilm set, Early English Books, 1641-1700. Microforms 015.41 W769sa

INDEXES OF LITERARY RESEARCH

CRITICISM: DRAMA, FICTION, AND POETRY

  • Academic index [computer file].
  • Adler, Thomas P. American drama, 1940-1960: a critical history. NY: Twayne, 1994.
    • REF 812.509 A237a
  • Alexander, Harriet Semmes. American and British poetry: a guide to the criticism, 1925-1978; 1979 1990. Athens, OH: Swallow Press, c1984-1996.
    • 821.009 X A375a
  • Annual bibliography of English language and literature (ABELL) [computer file]. 1923-present.
  • Burke, Sally. American feminist playwrights: a critical history. NY: Twayne, 1994.
    • 812.9009 B959a
  • Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1988-present.
    • 809 C614
  • Contemporary literary criticism. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1973-present.
    • 809.0405 C761
  • Drama criticism. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1991-present.
    • 809.2 D763
  • Literature criticism from 1400 to 1800. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1984-present.
    • 809 L7762
  • Magill's survey of world literature. NY: Marshall Cavendish Corp., 1993.
    • REF 809 M194
  • Knippling, Alpana Sharma. New immigrant literatures in the United States: a sourcebook to our multicultural literary heritage. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press, 1996.
    • REF 810.99203 N532
  • Nineteenth-century literature criticism. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1981-present.
    • 809.034 N714
  • The New Moulton's library of literary criticism. 1985- <1990>
    • 820.9 M927L 1985
  • Poetry criticism: excerpts from criticism of the works of the most significant and widely studied poets of world literature. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1991-present.
    • 809.1005 P745
  • Shakespearean criticism: excerpts from the criticism of William Shakespeare's plays and poetry, from the first published appraisals to current evaluations. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1984-present.
    • 822.33 E-H28s
  • Short story criticism. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1988-present.
    • REF 809.31 S5585
  • Twentieth-century literary criticism. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1978-present
    • 809.04 G152t
  • The Year's work in English studies. 1919-present.
    • REF 820.6 E58y
  • The Yearbook of English studies. 1971-present.
    • REF 820.9005 Y39

Literary Biography

  • African writers. 1997.
    • REF 809.896 A258
  • American nature writers. 1996.
    • REF 810.936 A512
  • American women fiction writers, 1900-1960. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Pubs., 1997.
    • REF 813.0099287 A512
  • British writers. Supplement I, II, and III.
    • REF 820.9 B862 Suppl.1, 2, and 3.
  • Contemporary poets. 1996.
    • REF 821.9109 X C761 2001
  • Contemporary women poets. Detroit: St. James Press, 1997.
    • REF 811.5099287 X C761
  • Dictionary of literary biography. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Co., 1978-present
    • REF 810.9 D554
  • Dictionary of literary biography yearbook. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Co., 1981-present.
    • 810.9 D5542
  • Literature Resource Center [computer file]. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc.
  • Modern women writers. 1996.
    • REF 809.89287 M689
  • The Native American in long fiction: an annotated bibliography. 1996.
    • REF 813.009 B366n
  • The Schomburg Center guide to black literature: from the eighteenth century to the present. 1996.
    • REF 809.8896 S369
  • Scribner writers series master index. NY: C. Scribner's Sons, 1998.
    • REF 809 B862 Index
  • Short story writers. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 1997.
    • REF 809.3 S559
  • St. James guide to fantasy writers. NY: St. James Press, 1996.
    • REF 809.3876 S143
  • Updating the literary west. 1997.
    • REF 810.93278 U66
  • Western American novelists. 1995
    • 813.509 X K46w

Literary Journals With Electronic Sources


Last Updated: 10 June 2003.