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Finding Literary Criticism INDEXES  |  REFERENCE WORKS   |  WEB LINKS  |  PERIODICALS Literary criticism is the scholarly evaluation or analysis of literature.  It includes the critical discussion of novels, poetry, plays, and short stories. Critics interpret, describe, summarize, or evaluate literature, and their comments can help you define your own views.  Criticism also often discusses a work's historical context, which may give you better insight into an author's purpose. Most literary criticism will not give a detailed plot summary, and it will never successfully substitute for reading the original work.  Many valuable pieces of literary criticism do not discuss specific titles in detail, but rather evaluate a writer's work as a whole.  Although such general discussion may not address your assigned novel, it may provide information that can help you understand and interpret the work you are analyzing. This page is intended to introduce a few select resources, both on the Web and in the Smith Library Center print collection, that are particularly useful for the study of Literary Criticism. INDEXES Academic Search Complete This database contains selected full-text journal and newspaper articles. You can find literary criticism and biographical information on most well-known authors. Book Review Digest An excellent source for literary criticism, especially for current novels. Brief abstracts of criticism are included for each entry to give you an idea of the favorable or unfavorable criticism. Generally, up to three review excerpts for fiction or four for nonfiction are included. Its print counterpart is available in Reference at 015 B644. Essay and General Literature Index Cites essays and articles contained in collections of essays and other works published in the United States, Great Britain and Canada. More than 300 volumes and 20 annual or serial publications indexed annually. Includes full bibliographic information for the titles in which the collected works are found. Focuses on humanities and social sciences literature. Gale Literary Databases Includes full-text access to Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, and the Dictionary of Literary Biography. It provides detailed information on the lives and writings of nearly 100,000 authors, along with selected critical reactions to their works. All three databases provide access to author, title and subject/genre. Gale Literary Index For author research, begin with this index. You can search by author's name, title of work, or author's nationality. The results list will give you citations to works the library may own. Please check your citations in the Voyager catalog. For Southwestern community only.* Humanities Abstracts A database that will allow you to find criticism on almost any author. The database provides access to journal article citations, with some selected full-text articles. JSTOR Journal Storage Collection Online contains the complete backfiles (excluding the most recent 3 to 5 years) of scholarly journals from the humanities, social sciences, and the natural sciences. Each of the 100+ titles is an essential or primary journal in its field. JSTOR displays articles in page-image format. Literature Resource Center Provides access to biographies, bibliographies and critical analysis of authors from every age and literary discipline. Includes information on literary figures from all time periods in such genres as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, journalism, and more. Databases included are: Contemporary Authors Online, Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, Dictionary of Literary Biography Online, the Encyclopedia of Literature, and more. Includes some full-text journals. MLA Directory of Periodicals Produced by the Modern Language Association, this research directory lists over 7,000 journals indexed in the MLA International Bibliography. The directory includes periodicals relating to the areas of literature, language and linguistics, literary theory and criticism, dramatic arts, and folklore. Entries for each title include editorial contact information, information about submission for publication, language, advertising rates, publication frequency and circulation subscription prices. MLA International Bibliography The bibliography of the Modern Language Association provides a classified listing and subject index for books and articles published on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguisitics, including works on films, radio, televison and theater. 1963-present. Project MUSE Provides full image journal articles in the humanities and social sciences, in particular the areas of literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, and many others. REFERENCE WORKS Below are a few printed reference titles to get you started. To find call number and location information, search the online catalog. Gale publishes several titles comprising hundreds of volumes that present lengthy excerpts of criticism. For excerpts from articles, essays or books containing literary criticism, search Gale's Literary Index . Perform a search by author or title, display the resulting references to the Gale series including either an entry on this author or a discussion of this work; then look up the excerpts in the available series listed below: Asian American Literature REFERENCE, lst floor 810.9895 As42 AAL presents critical commentary on acclaimed Asian American writers. Black Literature Criticism REFERENCE, lst floor 809.89896 B651 BLC presents a broad selection of the best criticism of works by major black writers. Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism REFERENCE, 1st floor 809.02 C569 Excerpts from criticism of the works of world authors from classical antiquity through the fourteenth century (those who died before 1400), from first appraisals to current evaluations. Contemporary Literary Criticism  REFERENCE, 1st floor 809.04 C767 Authors who are now living or who died after 1960. Dictionary of Literary Biography REFERENCE, lst floor 928.1 D561 DLB provides biographical and analytical coverage of writers from every genre. Entries include personal data, lists of major writings and suggested sources for further study. Drama Criticism REFERENCE, lst floor 809.2 D79 DC presents playwrights of all time periods and nationalities, as well as commentary on dramatic works. Hispanic Literature Criticism REFERENCE, lst floor 860 H625 HLC presents a broad selection of the best criticism of works by major Hispanic writers of the past one hundred years. Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800 REFERENCE, 1st floor 809 L7125 v.1-48 Excerpts from criticisms of works of fifteenth-, sixteenth-, seventeenth-, and eighteenth-century novelists, poets, playwrights, philosophers, and other creative writers. Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism  REFERENCE, 1st floor 809.034 N622 Authors who died between 1800 and 1899. Poetry Criticism. REFERENCE, lst floor 809.1 P752 PC presents significant criticism of the worlds greatest poets and provides supplementary biographical and bibliographical material on those creators. Shakespearean Criticism REFERENCE, lst floor 822.33 DHarr Includes criticism about Shakespeare's works from their earliest publication until today. Short Story Criticism REFERENCE, lst floor 808.31 Sh8 SSC presents significant passages from criticism of the world's greatest short story writers. Also included are biographical and bibliographical material on those authors. Twentieth Century Literary Criticism REFERENCE, 1st floor 809.04 G131t Authors who died between 1900 and 1960. World Literature Criticism, 1500 To The Present REFERENCE, 1st floor 809 W893 WLC present a broad selection of the best criticism of works by major writers of the past five hundred years. World Literature and Its Times REFERENCE, 1st floor 809 M855w Profiles of notable literary works and the historical events that influenced them. Other reference sources: The American Novel, 1789-1939 REFERENCE, 1st floor 813.09 V287a Provides a bibliography of criticism on American novelists. Children's Literature Review REFERENCE,1st floor 028. 162 C4372 Excerpts from reviews, criticism, and commentary on books for children and young people. The Critical Temper REFERENCE, 1st floor 820.9 C869 Provides excerpts from criticisim of twentieth century writers. European Writers REFERENCE, 1st floor 809.894 Eu74 Provides critical essays on major European writers from medieval times to the twentieth century. Books in the Main Collection: You should look for criticism about your work in the Library's Main Collection. Using the online catalog, do a subject search for your author's name, and then browse a list of headings which begin with that name. Good subject headings for literary criticism often include the words "criticism" and "interpretation." WEB LINKS Online Literary Criticism Collection (Internet Public Library) This site contains links to almost 4,000 critical and biographical web sites about authors and their works that can be browsed by author, by title, or by nationality and literary period. Also see the related Online Literary Criticism Guide and Literary Criticism Pathfinder for additional resources and help. LibrarySpot Literary Criticism A site that leads you to literary links, including Voice of the Shuttle ,a comprehensive guide devoted to humanities research. PAL: Perspectives in American Literature A research and reference guide to literary criticism. Offers commentary about American authors. PERIODICALS To find holdings and location information for specific periodical titles (both print and online), search the Voyager catalog. To find citations or online full-text for articles in periodicals on your topic, try the resources listed above under Indexes.