EH 470 ~ Fall 2003
Library Resources: MLA and beyond
1. Guides to literary research
Harner, James L. Literary research guide: An annotated listing
of reference sources in English literary studies. 4th ed.
A current and comprehensive guide to the reference literature, with carefully written annotations for each item included.
Marcuse, Michael J. A reference guide for
English studies.
This useful annotated bibliography complements Harner's guide.
Altick, Richard D., and John J. Fenstermaker. The art of literary
research. 4th ed.
A delightful (if somewhat dated) guide to methods of literary research, including sections on locating materials, note-taking, composition, and what it means to be a scholar.
Baker, Nancy L., and Nancy Huling. A
research guide for undergraduate students: English and American
literature. 5th ed.
Offers brief, to-the-point descriptions of the standard sources for literary research and explains when and how to use them.
2. Library catalogs
WebCat http://southern.bsc.edu/uhtbin/webcat (unrestricted access)
Catalog
of books and other items in the BSC Library.
WorldCat http://firstsearch.oclc.org/dbname=WorldCat;FSIP
Catalog of books
and other items in libraries in
Library of Congress Catalog http://catalog.loc.gov (unrestricted access)
British Library Catalog http://blpc.bl.uk/ (unrestricted access)
Remember: If a
book is unavailable at BSC, don't hesitate to use
Interlibrary Loan!
Useful Subject Headings for finding books on place:
Place (philosophy) in literature
Space and time in literature
Setting (literature)
Geography in literature
Landscape in literature
Regionalism in literature
Local color in literature
Useful Subject Headings for finding book-length bibliographies:
Do a Subject Search for: [author] or [subject] AND bibliography
e.g. to find bibliographies on William Faulkner in our library:
go into WebCat, type the words Faulkner and bibliography and click on Subject.
3. Annual bibliographies of books, articles, etc.
MLA International Bibliography. 1963-present online; 1921-present print (Ref. Z7006 .M64)
The premier database for literary research. Provides access to scholarly research in nearly 4000 journals and series, as well as books, proceedings, working papers, bibliographies, and dissertations.
Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (1921-present online at UAB).
Produced by the Modern Humanities
Research Association in the
American Literary Scholarship. 1998-present via Project Muse; 1963-1998 print (PS3 .A47)
A selective guide to the year's most important work in American literature. Includes critical studies, new editions, biographies, reference works on major American authors, genres, and literary periods.
Year’s Work in English Studies. 2001-present via Oxford Journals Online; 1919-1989 print (PE58 .E6)
A selective annual review of scholarship focusing mainly on English and American literature. Includes essays on major authors, national literatures, and literary periods.
4. Indexes to articles
Humanities FullText. 1984-present online; 1907-2000 print (Index Ref. AI3 .R49)
Indexes articles from English-language journals and magazines in the humanities, including the areas of language, literature, folklore, and history; provides full text for some.
Expanded Academic ASAP. 1980-present online.
This general index covers many of the journals included in Humanities FullText, and provides lots of full text. Other general indexes may also come in handy.
Arts & Humanities Search. 1980-present online (login required).
Broader humanities coverage than either of the above databases; indexes articles from over 1300 arts and humanities journals. No full text.
Useful non-literary indexes:
History ~ America: History and Life; Historical Abstracts
Psychology ~ PsycInfo
Philosophy ~ Philosopher’s Index
Sociology ~ Sociological Abstracts
5. Database conglomerates
Gale Literature Resource Center
Includes biographical, bibliographical and contextual information from Contemporary Authors and the Dictionary of Literary Biography; full-text criticism from the Contemporary Literary Criticism Select; full-text journal articles from over 170 literary journals; essays, work overviews, plot summaries and explications; links to related Web sites; and the full text of Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature. Searchable by author, title, keyword, etc.
LION (Literature Online) (online at UAB: http://lion.chadwyck.co.uk/).
"A fully searchable library of more than 330,000 works of English and American poetry, drama and prose, plus biographies, bibliographies and key criticism and reference resources."
6. Additional biographical sources
American National Biography. Ref. CT213 .A68 1999
Authoritative source of biographical information for dead Americans.
Dictionary of National Biography. Ref. DA28 .D452
Authoritative source of biographical information for dead British (RIP).
Biography and Genealogy Master Index.
Tells you which reference sources contain biographical information.
7. Supplemental
reference sources (definitions, facts, place names, symbols…)
The Oxford English Dictionary. Online and print (Ref. PE1625 .N53)
This is the source for researching the English language. It traces the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words.
Oxford Companions to Literature – available via Oxford Reference Online.
The
The
The Cambridge gazetteer of the
Illustrated dictionary of place names. Ref. E155 .H37 1985
Gazetteers are geographic dictionaries, giving locations and brief background information on places. Dictionaries of place names provide name etymologies.
Dictionary of literary symbols. Ref. PN56 .S9 F47 1999
A dictionary
of symbols. Ref. GR931 .C4413
1996
Dictionary of symbolism: cultural icons and the meanings behind them. Ref. AZ108 .B5313 1994
Dictionaries of symbols attempt to explain the significance and use of symbols.
8. Websites
Voice of the Shuttle. http://vos.ucsb.edu/
Humbul Humanities Hub. http://www.humbul.ac.uk
Place Websites
Literary locales. http://www2.sjsu.edu/depts/english/places.htm
Collect
Geographic names and toponyms. http://geography.about.com/cs/toponyms/