Twentieth-Century American Literature: A Selective Brief Guide to Reference Sources
- Retrospective Collective Bibliographies
- Annual Bibliographies for Current or Comprehensive Listings
- Individual Author Bibliographies
- Finding Specialized Bibliogaphies on Your Topic
- Periodical Articles in Literary Research
- Finding Biographical Information
- Finding Other Factual Information
- Finding Book Reviews
- Locating Works in Collections
- Writing the Paper (Style Manuals)
- Other Guides to Research
Retrospective Collective Bibliographies
General
- Bibliography of Women and Literature. Edited by Florence Boos with Lynn Miller. New York: Holmes and Meier, 1989. 2 vols.
In two volumes, this reference work is a compilation of the three major annual bibliographies issued by the journal. Women and Literature, augmented by entries from PMLA and Modern Language Research bibliographies. Indexes more than 10,000 entries from over three hundred journals. Includes American with other nationalities.
Location: Wilson Reference PR111 .B66x 1989 - Contemporary Literary Criticism. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1973- . 2/yr.
Contains excerpts from criticism of the work of authors now living or whohave died since 1960. Deals with solidly "literary" writers as well as with "popular" writers such as Heinlein, Christie and Brautigan. Later volumes cover filmmakers and directors, too. Necessarily superficial, but useful for a critical overview of the writers covered.
Location: Wilson Reference PN771 .C59 v.1- - Corse, Larry B. and Sandra Corse. Articles on American and British Literature: An Index to Selected Periodicals, 1950-1977. Chicago: Swallow,1981.
Supplies references to periodical articles. Arranged by nationality, period, and then writer's name.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto PS88 .C67x 1981 - Leary, Lewis Gaston. Articles on American Literature, 1900-1950. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1954. Supplements: 1950-1967; 1968-1975.
Lists articles published in periodicals from 1900-1975 on American authors, scholarship, bibliography, diaries, children's literature, genres, foreign influences, humor, religion, and social issues.
Location: Wilson Reference PS88 .L42x - MaGill, Frank Northen. Magill's Bibliography of Literary Criticism. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1979. 4 vols.
Lists literary criticism published about the work of 613 major novelists, poets, and dramatists of many countries, with emphasis given to criticism of the 1960s and 1970s.
Location: Wilson Reference PN523 .B52x 1979 - Rush, Theressa Gunnels., et al. Black American Writers Past and Present: A Biographical and Bibliographical Dictionary. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1975.
Brief lists of important works by some 2,000 black authors of all periods, along with references to biographical and critical information on them.
Location: Wilson Reference PS153 .N5 R87x 1975 - Schwartz, Narda Lacey. Articles on Women Writers: A Bibliography. Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio, 1977. Vol.1, 1960-75; Vol.2, 1976-84.
Lists articles published in scholarly and popular periodicals about 1,000 women writers in English. A very useful source for the more obscure writer.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto PR111 .S38x 1977 v.1, v.2 - Spiller, Robert Ernest. Literary History of the United States. 3rd ed. New York: Macmillan, 1963. 2 vols. (Bibliography. 4th ed. Rev. 1974.)
Volume I contains essays on American literature's intellectual, historical, religious, and political background, on individual authors, and on specific works. Solid, accurate, concise and informative, but deals rather lightly with literature after World War II. Volume II describes and evaluates many important reference works and works of literary criticism.
Location: Wilson Reference PS88 .L522 and PS88 .L522x 1974
Fiction
- Adelman, Irving and Rita Dworkin. The Contemporary Novel: A Checklist of Critical Literature on the British and American Novel Since 1945. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1972.
Cites literary criticism on British and American novelists who 1) wrote after 1945; 2) wrote before 1945, but achieved recognition after 1945; or 3) wrote before 1945, but continued writing after that date.
Location: Wilson Reference PS369 .A33x 1972 - Gerstenberger, Donna Lorineand George Hendrick. The American Novel 1789-1959; A Checklist of Twentieth-Century Criticism. Denver: Alan Swallow, 1961. Vol. II. Criticism Written 1960-1968. Denver: Alan Swallow, 1970.
Provides a bibliography of articles and chapters in books on American novelists, their individual works and the American novel generally. Useful, convenient, limited only by its publication date.
Location: Wilson Reference PS371 .G47x - Short Story Criticism. Detroit: Gale Research Co.; 1988-1990. Annual.
Each annual volume covers ten to fifteen writers of short stories, providing a biographical and critical introduction to the writer, a list of the writer's works, and extracts of criticism with full citations (presented chronologically) about the stories. Begin by checking the cumulated index in the last volume and look for either the title of a particular story or a writer's name.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto PN3378 .S386 - Walker, Warren S. Twentieth-Century Short Story Explication. 3rded. Hamden, CT: Shoe String Press, 1977. Supplement 1. 1976-79. 1980. Supplement2. 1984. Supplement 3. 1987. Supplement 4. 1989. Supplement 5. 1991.
A bibliography of short story explications published between 1900 and 1988;includes articles and chapters in books. Very comprehensive--132 entriesunder James' "The Turn of the Screw." Convenient access to criticismof an individual story.
Location: Wilson Reference PN3373 .W34x 1977 - Weixlmann, Joe, ed. American Short Fiction Criticism and Scholarship,1959-1977: A Checklist. Chicago: Swallow Press, 1982.
Complements Walker (above) with its extensive coverage of biographical,source and background studies as well as of straight explication. An extremelyuseful volume.
Location: Wilson Reference PS374 .S5 W44x 1982
Poetry
- Kuntz, Joseph Marshall. Poetry Explication: A Checklist of Interpretation Since 1925 of British and American Poems Past and Present. Boston:G. K. Hall, 1980.
Includes explications, which appeared both in books and in periodicals between 1925 and 1977, of British and American poems.
Location: Wilson Reference PR502 .K86x 1980 - Alexander, Harriet Semmes. American and British Poetry: A Guide to the Criticism, 1925-1978. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1984.
An index to criticism in books and journals of the work of some 800 Britishand American poets (past and present). Arranged alphabetically by poet and then by individual poem title. Covers sources not cited by Kuntz (above). Together the two works provide extensive coverage of criticism from 1925-1978.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto PS303 .A4x 1984b - Explicator. Richmond, VA: Virginia Commonwealth Univ., 1942-. Quarterly.
Offers brief explications of the language of short stories, novels, or poems. Useful for doing close readings, easy to use.
Location: Periodical Room MFilm #350
Drama
- Breed, Paul Francis. and Florence M. Sniderman. Dramatic Criticism Index. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1972.
Gathers criticism (and some reviews) of plays by more than 300 American and foreign twentieth-century playwrights. Thorough and easy to use.
Location: Wilson Reference PN1861 .B73x 1972 - Coleman, Arthur and Gary R. Tyler. Vol. I: Drama Criticism: A Checklist of Interpretation since 1940 of English and American Plays. Denver: Swallow, 1966. Vol. II: Drama Criticism: A Checklist of Interpretation since 1940 of Classical and Continental Plays. Chicago: Swallow, 1971.
Extremely thorough up to 1965 for Vol. I, 1970 for Vol. II, this work lists critical works on plays from many countries and periods. Lists only articles which explicate the plays--not those which deal with biography, history, or plot.
Location: Wilson Reference PN1707 .C64x - Eddleman, Floyd Eugene. American Drama Criticism. 2nd ed. Hamden, CT: Shoe String Press, 1979. Supplement I. 1984. Supplement II. 1989.
Lists criticism published between 1890-1987 (from Royall Tyler to August Wilson). Also cites reviews mostly for New York and London productions of the plays
Location: Wilson Reference PS332 .E32x9 - Kolin, Phillip C. American Playwrights Since 1945: A Guide to Scholarship, Criticism and Performance. New York: Greenwood, 1989.
A useful survey of research on and the performance history of 40 of the major playwrights of the American theater since World War II. Includes detailed bibliographies of secondary sources through 1987.
Location: Wilson Reference PS350 .A44x 1989
Annual Bibliographies for Current or Comprehensive Listings
Annual bibliographies are especially valuable in supplementing older, retrospective bibliographies (such as those found above) and for making comprehensive searches on a topic or writer.
- MLA International Bibliography of Books and Articles on Modern Languages and Literatures. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1921-. Annual.
Cites books and articles for the previous year written about English, American, French, Italian, Spanish, Germanic, Greek, Oriental, African, and eastern European literatures, in separate sections. Linguistics and folklore are also included. Arranged by country, period, and subject. An extremely important resource for all students of literature, the MLA takes some time to use, but the wealth of sources listed make it worthwhile. Available also on CD-ROM. To use it in this form sign up at the Reference Desk.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto PB6 .M61x - Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature, 1920-. Cambridge: Bowes & Bowes, 1921. Annual.
Lists books, articles, reviews, dissertations, and pamphlets on English and American literature, language, and folklore written in English in the U.S., Great Britain, and 22 other countries. More comprehensive than the MLA (above) for the topics it covers.
Location: Wilson Reference PE1 .M62x
Individual Author Bibliographies
If you are looking for extensive critical studies on an author it will worth checking to see if an individual author bibliography exists. Keep in mind that some of these bibliographies will list only works by the author, some will list only works about the author, and others will do both. Individual author bibliographies can be found by looking in MNCAT under the author's name as a subject--e.g., s=walker alice--bibliography.
Finding Specialized Bibliographies on Your Topic
Look in MNCAT under the appropriate subject heading(s) for your topic and then under "bibliography" as a sub-heading--e.g., s=american literature--indian authors--bibliography
Or, look under your subject in one of the following bibliographies of bibliographies:
- Havlice, Patricia Pate. Index to American Author Bibliographies. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1971.
If you are looking for bibliographies on an American author--major or minor--this is the easiest source to use. Two limitations: lists bibliographies in periodicals only, and the cutoff date is 1970.
Location: Wilson Reference PS88 .H39x 1971 - Nilon, Charles H. Bibliography of Bibliographies in American Literature. New York: R. R. Bowker, 1970.
Lists bibliographies on authors, subjects, genres, and themes in American literature. Excellent when you are working not only on particular writers but also on important ideas and influences.
Location: Wilson Reference PS88 .N5x 1970
Periodical Articles in Literary Research
The term periodical refers to any publication that appears at regular intervals (although customarily not to newspapers). A periodical may be either a general magazine such as Time, or a scholarly journal such as Studies in Short Fiction. Scholarly journals will be especially valuable sources for scholarship on your topic.
Indexes: The Keys to Using Periodicals
Our term index is derived from the Latin "indicare" which means to "point out." Thus a periodical index points out--usually by means of both author and subject headings--the specific periodical in which the article appears, along with the volume, pages and date of the issue. Some indexes include abstracts, or brief summaries of the principal ideas of an article (or book). They may help you to decide whether you want to find and read the entire article described.
Following is the form in which periodical articles often appear in reading lists, bibliographies, and indexes:
At times some elements of the information given will be in a different order. The periodical title will often be abbreviated, as it is in the example on the previous page. A key to the abbreviations used is usually included in the front or back of the index (or bibliography). A good general guide to abbreviations of periodical titles is Leland G. Alkire, Jr.'s Periodical Title Abbreviations, 2 vols. 7th ed. (Location: Wilson Reference AP1 .A44x 1989 Desk)
Deciding which Index to Use
Your own assessment of your needs can help you in deciding what kind of periodical index to use:
- Is this a subject which you know relatively little about?
- Are you just beginning your search for periodical articles?
- Are you just now in the process of narrowing or choosing a topic?
- Are you working on a topic which spans more than one field of study?
- Do you need information from a period of time not covered by other sources?
If your answer to any of these questions is "yes," you will probably do best to start with a general periodical index such as the Humanities Index.
- Are you looking for specialized information in a field of study with which you already have some acquaintance?
- Have you already used a general index but need still more information?
Then you may want to try a more specialized source such as abibliography or a more narrowly focused index such as the Wellesley Index.
- Are you trying to be as thorough as possible in your search for information?
- Is your subject one which doesn't turn up readily in other indexes?
- Are you interested in following the influence of a certain scholar?
Then you may want to turn to the Arts and Humanities Citation Index in your search.
The following indexes, located in the Reference Room, are among the most useful in doing literary research:
- Abstracts of English Studies. Boulder, CO: National Council of Teachers of English, 1958-1981. 10/yr. Calgary, Alberta, Canada: University of Calgary, 1982-. Quarterly.
Summarizes articles on English and American literature from about 750 journals. A potential time-saver if you want to screen an article you think might be important to your research.
Location: Wilson Reference PE25 .A16 - America, History and Life. A Guide to Periodical Literature. July, 1964-. Santa Barbara, CA: Clio Press, 1964-. Five times per year.
A comprehensive guide to articles, citations, books, dissertations, and book reviews on both the history and current concerns of the United States and Canada. The vast coverage of works about almost every aspect of American life makes this a valuable guide in American studies, interdisciplinary topics, and regional studies. Also available in CD-ROM format for computer searching. Ask at the Reference desk.
Location: Wilson Reference E171 .A41x - Arts & Humanities Citation Index. 1976-. Philadelphia Institute for Scientific Information, 1978-. Quarterly.
A multidisciplinary index to articles in more than 1,000 journals related to all areas of the arts and humanities. It is divided into four parts: 1) The Source Index, which is a listing by author; 2) The Citation Index, which is a listing of articles and books which have discussed (and cited) the work of a particular author, artist, or scholar; 3) The Permuterm Subject Index, in which every significant work in the title is paired with every other significant word (useful both as a subject index, or if you can only remember one or two words of a title); and 4) The Corporate Index, in which you can identify the work done in a particular organization. Takes some getting used to, but worth the effort for those in need of the extra dimensions of searching it provides.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto AI3 .A63 Desk - British Humanities Index. 1962-. London: The Library Association, 1962. Quarterly.
Covers some 300 popular British periodicals. Lists by subject and author. Good for more extensive overview of how your subject is handled in British publications.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto AI 3 .B57 - Comprehensive Index to English Language Little Magazines, 1890-1970. Millwood, NY: Kraus-Thomson Organization, Limited, 1976. 8 vol.
Indexes 100 journals on special subjects which appeal to a limited audience. Useful in locating early work of many writers as it appeared first in one of these "little magazines."
Location: Wilson Reference PN4836 .S2x - Humanities Index. April, 1974-. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1975-. Quarterly.
Lists articles by author and subject in 260 periodicals in the following fields: archaeology, classical studies, area studies, folklore, history, language, literature, literary and political criticism, performing arts, philosophy, and religion and theology. A listing of book reviews follows the main body of the index. Preceded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Index (April 1965-March 1974) and the International Index (1907-March 1965). Especially useful for interdisciplinary research.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto AI3 .H85; current 10 years-Desk - Nineteenth Century Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, 1890-99, with supplementary indexing, 1900-1922. New York: Wilson, 1944. 2 vols.
Provides subject, author, and title indexes to over fifty English and American periodicals. For some subjects and periodicals, this index covers more than the listed years, extending, in some cases, from 1888 to 1922. Cross-referenced, easy to use. Includes some titles not found even in Poole's (see below).
Location: Wilson Reference quarto AI3 .R48 - Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, 1802-1906. New York: Smith, 1882-1908. Vol. I: 1802-1881, with supplements every five years (Vols. II-VI, 1882-1906).
Subject index to about 470 nineteenth-century periodicals (both British and American). Useful for helping to locate contemporary reviews of romantic and Victorian writers and for working with the novels published in serial form. C. Edward Wall's Cumulative Author Index for Poole's Index (Wilson Reference quarto AI3 .W3) indexes Poole's citations by names rather than by subject, making Poole's information more accessible.
Location: Wilson Reference AI3 .P7x - Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals, 1824-1900: Tables of contents and identification of contributors with bibliographies of their articles and stories. Ed. by Walter E. Houghton. Vol. I. Toronto: Univ. of Toronto Press, 1966. Vol. II., 1972. Vol. III., 1979. Vol. IV, 1987.
Indexes 35 leading journals of the nineteenth century, published in the British Isles. Accurate, and provides, for the first time, the names of authors of many anonymous reviews. The introductions to each volume contain valuable information on the history of each periodical and a helpful bibliography.
Location: Wilson Reference AI3 .W45
Locating Periodicals in the Library
In Wilson Library most periodicals are shelved in the Periodicals/Reserve Room, in the basement of the Library. Most are available in regular paper format, but some are on microfilm or microfiche. The latest issues of current periodicals are shelved to your left as you enter the room while the older, bound volumes are shelved around the periphery of the room--both are in alphabetical order by title. Those on microfilm or microfiche are kept in boxes or cabinets in the room.
The card catalog in the Periodicals/Reserve Room provides information on the holdings, format, and location of the material housed there. However, it does not include information about periodicals located elsewhere in other libraries on campus. MNCAT lists periodicals found throughout the campus libraries, and is the authoritative source for discovering what periodicals are owned by the Unversity of Minnesota Libraries.
Another invaluable source of information for locating periodicals is:
- MULS: A Union List of Serials. 3rd ed. Minneapolis: MINITEX, 1981. (Microfiche rev. ed., 1989.)
Lists serial holdings of the University of Minnesota Libraries and of other libraries in the Twin Cities and elsewhere in the region. It is not as authoritative as MNCAT and for locating periodicals in the University Libraries, but it is a source to check to locate periodicals and newspapers not in the University Libraries collections. When the University Libraries own a particular periodical, our holdings are listed first. The code "MnU .Per" shows that the periodical is in Wilson Library in the Periodicals room. MULS is available in many locations: Reference, Periodicals/Reserve, other campus libraries, and in public, college, and other libraries throughout the region.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto PN4832 .M84x 1981 Desk
Example:
Modern fiction studies. Lafayette, Ind., Purdue University
0487644
Department of English.
ISSN: 0026-7724 LCNN: 56-651 Beg. date: 1955
Issued 1955- by the Modern Fiction Club of Purdue University.
Indexed by Social sciences and humanities index.
Index: vols. 1-20, 1955-1975. 1 vol.
MnU NEW V.1-9 (1955-1964).
Microfilm Collection no. FC1987
MnU PER V.1-7,9- (1955- ). MnDuU DUL V.1- (1955-). MnMoU MOR V.1- (1955- ). MnMA AUG V.1- (1955- ). MnSB BEC V.1- (1955- ); index: 1955-1975. MnSSC SSC V.1- (1955- ). MnSST SST V.4- (1958- ). MnSH HAM V.6- (1960- ). MnSM MAC V.8,v.9 inc.,v.10- (1962- ). MnM MPL (LIT) V.1- (1955- ). MnS SPP (RF) V.23- (1977- ). MnMHCL HCL (Sd) V.1- (FEB1955- ). MnBemS BSU V.1- (1955-). Partly on microfilm. MnNC CAR V.1- (1955- ). MnStjoS CSB V.1- (1955-). MnDuStS CSS V.1-7; v.8inc.; v.9- (1955- ); v.1-7 (1955-1961) microfilm.
MnWinoCT CST V.2- (1956- )
Finding Biographical Information
Biographies may appear as separately published books, as articles in periodicals, or as entries in biographical dictionaries and directories. The amount of biographical information you need--a book-length study or a brief sketch--will determine the best approach for you to take.
Book-length Study
Separately published biographies of an author may be found by looking in MNCAT under the author's name (as SUBJECT). Recent biographies will be found under the author's name (as SUBJECT) followed by the subheading BIOGRAPHY. For example:
s=hemingway ernest
ors=hemingway ernest--biography
Brief Sketch
For brief information about an author, or when no book exists, a biographical dictionary or directory will often provide a summary of an author's life and work. Because there are so many dictionaries and directories devoted to authors, several indexes have recently been published which will lead you to the specific biographical sources in which biographical information on a given author can be found.
Below are listed some of the major reference works which give biographical information about authors, as well as indexes which provide access to them and to many other biographical sources. Note, also, the entry for Biography Index, a valuable source for finding biographical articles in periodicals.
Biographical Indexes
- Author Biographies Master Index. 3rd ed. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1989. 2 vols. Supplement, 1987.
Provides citations to biographical entries or writers, both living and dead, in more than 140 dictionaries and directories.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto PN452 .A9x - Biography and Genealogy Master Index. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1980. 8 vols. 1981-85 Cumulation, 1985. 5 vols. 1986-90 Cumulation. 1990. 3 vols. Annual supplements.
Indexes listings of biographical sketches in over 565 current and retrospective dictionaries and directories. The most comprehensive general index to biographical sources available.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto CT214 .B51x Desk - Biography Index: A Cumulative Index to Biographical Material in Books and Magazines. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1947-. (Issued quarterly with cumulations.)
Locates current biographical material in books and periodicals; includes pure biography, critical material of biographical significance, autobiography, letters, obituaries, bibliographies. Even includes biographical chapters in books. A good source for recent information.
Location: Wilson Reference CT214 .B56x - Havlice, Patricia Pate. Index to Literary Biography. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1975. 2 vols.
Allows you to locate biographical information in encyclopedias and biographical dictionaries. Lists over 68,000 authors "from antiquity to the present."
Location: Wilson Reference PN451 .H38x 1975
Encyclopedic Surveys
- American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies. Edited by Leonard Ungar. New York: Scribner's, 1974. 4 vols. Supplement I, 1979. 2 vols. Supplement II, 1981. 2 vols.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto PS129 .A55 - Dictionary of Literary Biography. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1978-. In progress, 107 vols.
Describes the lives and works of major and minor American dramatists, poets, novelists. Entries range from 200 to 15,000 words and include selected bibliographies of works by and about the authors covered. Use the cumulative index in the last volume.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto PS21 .D55x
Biographical Dictionaries and Directories
- African American Writers. Edited by Valerie Smith, Lea Baechler, and A. Walton Litz. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1991.
Thirty-three writers, including James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, Zora Neale Hurston, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, Richard Wright, and others, are featured in separate articles. Each article provides biographical background, a survey of the writer's accomplishments, and a bibliography of biographical and critical books and articles.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto PS153 .N5 A344 1991 - American Authors, 1600-1900. Edited by Stanley J. Kunitz and Howard Haycraft. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1938.
Location: Wilson Reference PS21 .K8 - Twentieth Century Authors. Edited by Stanley J. Kunitz and Howard Haycraft. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1942. Supplement, 1955.
Each of these offers biographical sketches, with brief bibliographies of works by and about the authors included.
Location: Wilson Reference PN451 .K84 1973 - American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide From Colonial Times to the Present. New York: Ungar, 1979. 4 vols.
Brief biographical and critical essays, which include lists of the writers' works and references about them. Especially useful for obscure writers.
Location: Wilson Reference PS147 .A4 - Black American Writers: Bibliographical Essays. Edited by M. Thomas Inge, Maurice Duke, and Jackson R. Bryer. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1978.
Volume one contains bibliographic essays on writers of the Harlem Renaissance and Langston Hughes; volume two focuses on Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, and Amiri Baraka.
Location: Wilson Reference PS153 .N5 B55 - Contemporary Black American Playwrights and Their Plays: A Biographical Directory and Dramatic Index. By Bernard L. Peterson, Jr. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988.
Information on more than 700 dramatists, screenwriters, and other scriptwriters.
Location: Wilson Reference PS153 .N5 P43 1988 - Contemporary Authors. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1962-. Semiannual.
A major, multi-volume continuing source of biographical and bibliographical information for both living authors and those who died after 1900. (Formerly dealt with only living writers deceased 1960 or later.) Revised regularly to reflect any major changes in the brief summary of a writer's life and works. Cumulative index. Easy to use.
Location: Wilson Reference Z1224 .C6 and .C58 - The Writer's Directory: 1990-92. 9th ed. Chicago: St. James Press, 1990.
Provides biographical information on more than 16,000 living English language writers in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries. Included are fiction and non- fiction writers, poets and dramatists who have published at least one full-length book.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto PS1 .W73
Finding Other Factual Information
The following sources can save you considerable time and effort in finding information on a literary topic:
Literary Terms and Concepts
Specialized encyclopedias and handbooks such as those cited below provide brief explanations of literary terms as well as capsule histories of particular literatures and movements and bio-critical information on well-known authors.
- Holman, C. Hugh. A Handbook to Literature. 5th ed. New York: MacMillan, 1986.
Brief, authoritative explanations of literary terms and concepts. Appendices include an outline of literary history, and a list of the Nobel and Pulitzer prize winners for literature. Indispensable for literature students.
Location: Wilson Reference PN41 .H6 1986 - Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia. 3rd ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1987.
Identifies titles, allusions, proper names, characters, places; summarizes plots; and describes authors and famous people in history. Also offers brief summaries of trends in sociology and psychology and important ideas in philosophy and mythology.
Location: Wilson Reference PN41 .B4 1987 - Hart, James D. The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 5th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983.
Includes short biographies and bibliographies of American authors, plot summaries, definitions and historical outlines of literary movements and publications.
Location: Wilson Reference PS21 H3 1983
Fictional Characters
Below are useful sources for identifying fictional characters from literary works of all cultures and periods.
- Dictionary of American Literary Characters. Edited by Benjamin Franklin V. New York: Facts on File, 1990.
Describes major characters in significant American novels--in addition to those in some uncelebrated novels and in a few best sellers--through 1979. Author-novel index.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto PS374 .C43 D5 1990 - Everyman's Dictionary of Fictional Characters. Edited by William Freeman. London: J. M. Dart and Sons, Inc., 1963.
Identifies 20,000 fictitious characters from novels, poems, stories, and plays.
Location: Wilson Reference PR19 .F7x 1973 - Magill, Frank N. Masterplot's Cyclopedia of Literary Characters. New York: Harper, 1963. 2 vols.
Arranged by the titles of novels, dramas, and epics, the Cyclopedia identifies (in order of importance) characters from over 1300 works. Includes an alphabetical listing of characters.
Location: Wilson Reference PN44 .M3 1963a
Quotations
The following are among the most useful compendia for identifying the source of a literary quote or for discovering notable quotations on a topic.
- Bartlett, John. Familiar Quotations. 15th ed. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1980.
Location: Wilson Reference PN6081 .B27 1980 - The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979.
Location: Wilson Reference PN6080 .O95 1979 - Stevenson, Burton E. The Home Book of Quotations. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1967.
Location: Wilson Reference PN6081 .S73 1967
All three of these volumes provide well-known quotations from all periods and cultures. Their arrangements vary: Bartlett (chronologically); Oxford (by author); Stevenson (by subject). Each has supplementary key-word and other indexes.
Words
The following general DICTIONARIES and THESAURI provide information on most of the words in the English language--similar sources exist for other major languages.
- Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Oxford: Clarendon, 1933. 2nd edition. 20 vols. 1989.
The great dictionary of the language, the OED attempts to list all English words in use over the past 800 years. Based upon historical principles, it traces the history of each word, gives differences in meaning, spelling, pronunciation, etc., and provides quotations to illustrate their usage and their changes in meaning over the centuries. Available also on CD-ROM. Sign up at the Reference Desk to use the computerized format.
Location: Wilson Reference folio PE1625 .087 1989 - Preminger, Alex. Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1974.
The best source available for answering questions about the history, technique, criticism, and theory of poetry. Here you'll find, for example, an explanation of "meter," "imagery," and "objective correlative," as well as a discussion of various schools of poetry, from the classical age to the present.
Location: Wilson Reference PN1021 .E5 1974 - Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases. Essex, Eng.: Longman, 1982.
A handy way to find synonyms and other related words and phrases.
Location: Wilson Reference PE1591 .R7 1982 - Webster's New Dictionary of Synonyms. Springfield, MA: G&C Merriam Company, 1984.
Offers synonyms and the subtle distinctions among them (the differences between "infer" and "deduce," for example). Illustrates the uses of synonyms with quotations from authors. Also includes antonyms.
Location: Wilson Reference PE1591 .W4 1984 - A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. 8th ed. Edited by Eric Partridge. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1984.
Defines and explains the origins of slang words, colloquialisms, and some nicknames.
Location: Wilson Reference PE3721 .P3 1984
Finding Book Reviews
The basic things you need to know in searching for a book review are:
- The author of the book and its original title.
- The date of the book's initial publication (see I on how to find publication dates in the catalogs). If the book has appeared in more than one edition it is sometimes helpful to know the dates of later editions.
Guides to Reviews
The works discussed below are some of the most useful sources for locating reviews, the majority of which appear in periodicals. The annotations for each of them will help you to decide which ones to use based on the years covered and on the types of periodicals included.
In using these sources to find a review begin by looking under the author's name in the volume for the year in which your book was published. Then check the volumes for the next few years following the date of publication. Scholarly books in particular tend to be reviewed a considerable time after their original publication date. The citations in book review sources are similar to those used in other periodical indexes.
- Book Review Digest. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1905-. Monthly.
Each entry describes a book and offers excerpts from 1-4 reviews (favorable and/or unfavorable). You can use the BRD to examine reviews on contemporary novels or to see how a work on some subject was received in general and popular magazines.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto Z1219 .C96 Desk - Book Review Index. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1965-. Bi-monthly.
Indexes more periodicals than the Book Review Digest (above) and lists books that may have been reviewed only once. Tells you where to find reviews--no excerpts. Lists reviews in both scholarly journals and popular magazines.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto Z1035 .A1 B6 Desk - Index to Book Reviews in the Humanities. Williamston, MI: Phillip Thomson, 1960-. Annual.
Examines 675 scholarly and popular journals for reviews of books in the humanities. Lists reviews found in specialized literary publications (such as Studies in the Novel) as well as from more general, popular periodicals.
Location: Wilson Reference Z1035 .A1 I63 Desk
See also Richard A. Gray's A Guide to Book Review Citations.
Location: Wilson Reference Z1035 .A1 G7
and Locating Book Reviews in Wilson Library
Locating Works in Collections
In looking for literary works--poems, short stories, plays, essays--in collections or anthologies keep in mind that:
Most of them will not be separately noted in MNCAT--listings are by editor or compiler and by title of the work only. It is sometimes worth checking the catalogs by title, however, in case the title of the work anthologized has been used as the general title of the collection. It is also sometimes worth checking the catalogs by author for collections of his or her essays, poems, plays or short stories which might include the work you want (and then looking at the table of contents of the volume itself). Another method of locating elusive literary works in collections is through an individual author bibliography, listing works by author.
The most efficient way to begin tracking down anthologized works not listed in MNCAT, however, is through the genre indexes discussed below:
Essays
- Essay and General Literature Index. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1900. Semiannual.
Helps you locate essays and chapters in books that might not be listed anywhere else. For example, looking up Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow in EGLI reveals numerous essays about it. Indexes materials on subjects (e.g., feminism) as well as works by and about authors.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto AI3 .E752
Short Stories
- Short Story Index. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1953-. Annual, with cumulations.
Lists thousands of short stories published in anthologies and magazines. By author, title, and subject (useful if you're looking for stories about one theme--e.g., suicide, prejudice, marriage).
Location: Wilson Reference PN3451 .55x
Poems
- Granger's Index to Poetry. 9th ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 1990.
Lists poems published through June, 1989, by title, first line, author, and subject, and indicates in which anthologies they may be found. Also available in CD-ROM format for computerized searching. Ask at the Reference Desk.
Location: Wilson Reference PN1022 .G7 1990 - Poetry Index Annual: A Title, Author, and Subject Index to Poetry in Anthologies. Great Neck, NY: Granger Books, 1982- . Annual.
A valuable supplement to Granger's Index (see 92), providing more thorough and up-to-date coverage for poems anthologized since 1981. A first-line index was added in 1984.
Wilson Reference PN1022 .P63 - Zulauf, Sander W. and Irwin H. Weiser. Index of American Periodical Verse. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow press, 1973- . Annual.
Beginning with 1971, each volume lists the work of contemporary poets published in periodicals the preceding year. Valuable for locating otherwise elusive poems.
Location: Wilson Reference PN1021 .I53x
Plays
- Connor, Billie M. and Helene G. Mochedlover. Ottemiller's Index to Plays in Collections.... 7th ed. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1988.
Lists plays appearing in collections published between 1900 and early 1985 by author and title; includes a list of collections
where the plays may be found. Useful for locating copies of plays and for verifying author, title and publishing information.
Location: Wilson Reference PN1655 .O87 1988 - Play Index. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1953-. 7 vols. Irregular.
For plays published (either individually or as part of collections) from 1949 to the present, the Index provides a few facts about staging the play, a one-line summary of the action, and identifies the works in which the play is located. Arranged by author,title and subject.
Location: Wilson Reference PN1665 .P52x - Samples, Gordon. The Drama Scholar's Index to Plays and Filmscripts. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1974-86. 3 vols.
Helps locate plays and filmscripts in anthologies and periodicals. Includes a good representation of foreign language plays both in the original language and in translation. Especially valuable for film students.
Location: Wilson Reference PN1655 .A1 534x
Writing the Paper (Style Manuals)
Once you are ready to write, the books listed below can answer grammatical questions, familiarize you with scholarly conventions and research paper format, and help you improve your style. See also web page Style Manuals.
- Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 3rd ed. New York: Modern Language Assn., 1988.
The English major's bible, the MLA Handbook offers hints on research and explanations of mechanics, documentation and format for term papers, theses, and dissertations.
Location: Wilson Reference LB2369 .G53 1988 - The Chicago Manual of Style. 13th ed. Revised and expanded. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1982.
Includes explanations of proofreaders' marks, capitalization, punctuation, abbreviations, copyrights, manuscript preparation, and publishers' terms. Usually referred to as the "Chicago Style Manual."
Location: Wilson Reference Z253 .C57 - Turabian, Kate. Student's Guide for Writing College Papers. 5rd ed. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1987.
Clear explanations, detailed examples, this is a good guide for answering questions about term paper format.
Location: Wilson Reference LB2369 .T82 1987 - Leggett, Glenn, et al. Prentice-Hall Handbook for Writers. 11th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1991.
A thorough, accurate reference work for questions of punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and for the conventions of academic and business writing.
Location: Wilson Reference PE1408 .L39 1991 - Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. 3rd ed. New York: Macmillan, 1979.
Concise, clear, and often inspiring, Strunk and White provide useful suggestions for improving writing through a greater awareness of style.
Location: Wilson Reference PE1408 .S772 1979
Other Guides to Research
Most of the library sources you will need in beginning to investigate a literary topic are discussed in the other sections of this guide, but the following book-length guides can be helpful in finding other reference works--both literary and general--to assist you in going further in your research.
Literary
Among the most useful guides to literary sources are:
- Bateson, F. W. and Harrison T. Meserole. A Guide to English and American Literature. 3rd ed. New York: Guardian Press, 1976.
Brief literary and historical analyses of English literature (medieval through twentieth-century); lists and evaluates the best bibliographies, periodicals, and editions for each period and the major authors in each. Extremely valuable for English literature. The section on American literature, though valuable, too, is less detailed and is limited to writers born before 1900.
Location: Wilson Reference PR83 .B29x 1976 - Bracken, James K. Reference Works in British and American Literature. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1990-1991.
Volume two will help you find sources of information for individual authors. Under a writer's name (Welty, Eudora) you will find bibliographies of primary and secondary sources, encyclopedic essays, journals on the writer, and other sources of information.
Location: Wilson Reference PR83 .B66x 1990 - Fenster, Valmai Kirkham. Guide to American Literature. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1983.
The first part of this guide surveys reference sources more extensively than Writing About Literature does; the major part lists primary and secondary sources for one hundred writers, including collected works and standard editions, bibliographies, and specialized journals, concordances, indexes to characters or places, and other reference aids.
Location: Wilson Reference PS88 .F46x 1983 - Harner, James L. Literary Research Guide. New York: Modern Language Association, 1989.
Harner describes and evaluates many important reference works and bibliographies in English and American literature, other literatures in English, and related topics. Lists recommended background reading for various historical periods and genres. Accurate, practical, easy to use, full of examples.
Location: Wilson Reference PR83 .H37x 1989 - Marcuse, Michael J. A Reference Guide for English Studies. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990.
An extremely comprehensive guide to reference sources and important primary and secondary works on English and American literature. An exhaustive index augments the volume's complex organization.
Location: Wilson Reference quarto PR56 .M37 1990
General
Among the most useful guides to major reference works in many disciplines are:
- Sheehy, Eugene P. Guide to Reference Books. 10th ed. Chicago: American Library Assn., 1986.
Describes reference works in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Very thorough coverage--lists guides, bibliographies, indexes, biographical works, etc.
Location: Wilson Reference Z1035.1 .S43 Desk - Blazek, Ron and Elizabeth Aversa. The Humanities: A Selective Guide to Information Sources. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1988.
A guide to finding information on all areas of the humanities. Provides annotated lists of major reference and critical works in each discipline. Useful place to check for reference works in a specific genre, field, period, or to begin research on a non-English literary work.
Location: Wilson Reference AZ221 .R6 1979