Literary
Criticism
| By: |
Linda Hildebrand
Assistant Professor
Reference Coordinator & Archives
|
Phone: (248)
370-2483
E-mail: hildebra@oakland.edu |
Ask A Librarian
Feel free to call, email, chat, or stop by the reference desk if you have questions. |
Finding critical articles on literary works and their authors
is made a great deal easier by a variety of bibliographies
available in the library. The listing below is selective--a
small sampling of some of the titles useful for locating literary
criticism. In general the items included in the list below
provide quick and easy access to criticism published in journals
and books. Annotations have been provided for selected items
in the list.
Most of the reference books listed below are arranged in
the same manner: the literary authors are listed alphabetically
and, under a specific author's name, you will find a list
of critical articles or essays relating to that author and/or
his or her works.
To find additional information use the online catalog (Voyager)
to look up the particular author you are researching. Works
about an author frequently have critical discussions of that
author's works. Also the library has many bibliographies of
individual authors, bibliographies that often have extensive
listings of critical articles. To locate works about an author,
search the online catalog using a subject search and
the author's name, last name first.
GENERAL
Magill's Bibliography of Literary Criticism.
Ref. PN 523 .A1 M25
A good starting point. Convenient list of scholarly criticism
of over 2500 literary works. Covers fiction, drama, poetry
from the classics to the present.
Articles on Twentieth Century Literature: An Annotated
Bibliography,1954-1970 Ref.
PN 771 .A1 P66
Comprehensive gathering of scholarly critical articles written
from 1954-70. Covers 20th century literature and is international
in scope.
Literary Criticism Index.
Ref. PN 523 .A1 W44 1994
An index to bibliographies and checklists where lists of critical
articles on specific literary works can be found. This indexes
most of the titles included in this brochure.
Literary Criticism and Authors' Biographies: An Annotated
Index. Ref. PN 501 .A1 S356
A guide to books containing critical and biographical information
on literary figures.
GENERAL--AMERICAN LITERATURE
Articles on American Literature, 1900-1950.
Ref. PS 88 .A1 A7
Articles on American Literature, 1950-1967.
Ref. PS 88 .A1 A72
Articles on American Literature, 1968-1975.
Ref. PS 88 .A1 A73
Invaluable compilation of criticism on American authors from
colonial times to the present.
American Literature: Poe Through Garland.
Ref. PS 201 .A1 C52
American Literature Through Bryant, 1585-1830.
Ref. PS 185 .A1 D3
GENERAL--BRITISH LITERATURE
New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature.
Ref. PR 83 .A1 N45
One of the "standard" reference works. Especially useful for
minor and less well known English authors.
Old and Middle English Literature.
Ref. PR 161 .A1 M32
Beowulf, Chaucer, Langland and others are included in this
work.
Sixteenth Century: Skelton Through Hooker.
Ref. PR 411 .A1 L5
Includes Spenser, Sidney, More, Marlowe and others
Seventeenth Century: Bacon Through Marvel.
Ref. PR 431 .A1 B3
Includes criticism on the poems of John Donne and his contemporaries.
Eighteenth Century.
Ref. PR 441 .A1 B65
Swift, Pope, Johnson, Boswell and others are listed.
Age of Dryden . Ref.
PR 83 .A1 B74
Dryden, Congreve, Wycherley.
DRAMA -- GENERAL
Dramatic Criticism Index: A Bibliography of Commentaries
on Playwrights from Ibsen to the Avante-Garde. Ref. PN
1861 .A1 B7
Modern Drama: A Checklist of Critical Literature on 20th
Century Plays. Ref. PN 1861 .A1
A35
DRAMA -- AMERICAN
American Drama Criticism: Interpretations 1890-1977.
Ref. PS 332 .A1 P3 1979
American Drama from its Beginnings to the Present.
Ref. PS 332 .A1 L65
American Drama to 1900.
Ref. PS 345 .A1 M45
Drama Criticism, vol. 1: A Checklist of Interpretation
since 1940 of English and American Plays.
Ref. PN 1721 .A1
C65
Modern Drama in America and England, 1950-1970.
Ref. PS 351 .A1 H36
DRAMA -- BRITISH
Drama Criticism, vol. 1: A Checklist of Interpretation
since 1940 of English and American Plays. Ref. PN
1721 .A1 C65
Modern British Drama.
Ref. PR 736 .A1 C3
Modern Drama in America and England, 1950-1970.
Ref. PS 351 .A1 H36
Twenty Modern British Playwrights: A Bibliography, 1956-1976.
Ref. PR 736 .A1 K47
The Essential Shakespeare: An Annotated Bibliography of
Major Modern Studies. Ref.
PR 2894 .A1 C53 1993
Tudor and Stuart Drama.
Ref. PR 651 .A1 R5 1978
Beaumont and Fletcher, Marlow, Webster and others.
DRAMA -- EUROPEAN
Drama Criticism, vol. 2: A Checklist of Interpretations
Since 1940 of Classical and Continental Plays.
Ref. PN 1721 .A1 C65 v.2
European Drama Criticism, 1900-1975.
Ref. PN 1721 .A1 P2 1977
FICTION -- NOVELS -- AMERICAN
American Novel: A Checklist of Twentieth Century Criticism.
Ref. PS 362 .A1 G4
Contemporary Novel: A Checklist of Critical Literature
on the British and American Novel Since 1945.
Ref. PN 3503 .A1 A34
American Novel Through Henry James.
Ref. PS 371 .A1 H64 1979
American Novel: Sinclair Lewis to the Present.
Ref. PS 369 .A1 N4
FICTION -- NOVELS -- BRITISH
English Novel Explication.
Ref. PR 821 .A1 P26
English Novel, 1578-1956: A Checklist of Twentieth-Century
Criticism. Ref. PR 821 .A1 B4
English Novel: Twentieth Century Criticism.
Ref. PR 821 .A1 E53
British Novel: Scott Through Hardy.
Ref. PR 861 .A1 W37
British Novel: Conrad to the Present.
Ref. PR 881 .A1 W54
English Fiction, 1900-1950.
Ref. PR 881 .A1 R5
FICTION -- NOVELS -- EUROPEAN
Continental Novel: A Checklist of Criticism in English,
1900-1966. Ref. PN
3353 .A1 K427
Continental Novel: A Checklist of Criticism in English,
1967-1980. Ref. PN 3353
.A1K428
FICTION -- SHORT STORIES
Twentieth-Century Short Story Explication.
Ref. PN 3373 .A1 W33, W332, W35
American Short Fiction Criticism and Scholarship
Ref. PS 374 .S5 A1 W43
POETRY
Poetry Explication: A Checklist of Interpretation) since
1925 of British and American Poems Past and Present.
Ref. PR 502 .A1 K8 1980
Modern Poetry.
Ref. PS 323.5 .A1 A5
Index to Criticisms of British and American Poetry.
Ref. PR 89 .C5
English Poetry, 1900-1950.
Ref. PR 610 .A1 A54 1982
Romantic Poets and Prose Writers.
Ref. PR 457 .A1 F6
Guide to American Poetry Explication.
Ref. PS 303 .A1 G8
PERIODICAL INDEXES
Humanities Index/Humanities
Abstracts. Index Ref.
AI 3 .R492 (to 1998 in print format; 1984 through current
available on FirstSearch--click on link above)
Provides subject access to literary criticism appearing in
journals. Critical articles are listed under the literary
author's name.
MLA
International Bibliography of Books and Articles on the
Modern Languages and Literatures. Index
Ref. PB 1 .A1 M64 (1921-1995); 1963 through current available
through FirstSearch--click on link above
A little complicated to use but invaluable for its extensive
listing of articles dealing with literature and languages.
Arrangement of print volumes is by nationality, then time
period, then individual author. Volumes since 1982 have subject
indexes.
InfoTrac SearchBank, General
Reference Center Gold
A select number of literary journals are indexed on this system.
It is useful for recent articles but should be used in conjunction
with the MLA. Contains some full text articles.
Wilson OmniFile.
(available through FirstSearch)
A full text database covering a broad spectrum of disciplines,
including some literary sources.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR FOR ASSISTANCE
ASK AT THE REFERENCE DESK.
LH/4.85/rev.1.92/rev.11/99