This guide will help you get started with your research in literary criticism and theory.  It features resources that are available in the Glendale College Library, both print and electronic.  If you have questions about the research process, ask a librarian for assistance.  When you are in the library, ask for consultation at the Reference Desk. You can also go to the Ask a Librarian web page for other ways to get help.

Your research strategy might include some or all of the following:

• Using reference sources to obtain background information
• Finding books and other library materials
• Finding journal articles
• Using the Internet to find Web resources

Finding books and other library materials:

Use the Library Online Catalog to find books in the Glendale College Library.  You can search the catalog by author, title, keywords, or subject.  If you search by subject, be aware that you must use the official Library of Congress Subject Headings.   A person’s/author’s name can be a subject heading (e.g. Dickens, Charles) when you are looking for books about Dickens and his work. 

Using reference sources to obtain background information:

Reference books can supply needed background information on an author or work of literature, or they can help you to define literary terms and theories that are new to you.  Many provide a bibliography of further resources on the topics they cover.  Listed below are a few of the reference sources in literature in the Glendale College Library collection.

• 1,300 Critical Evaluations of Selected Novels and Plays
  (REF 809.9 T447)
• African American Literary Criticism, 1773 to 2000
  (REF 810.9896073 A258)
• African Literature and Its Times
  (REF 809.896 M913a)
• Asian American Literature: Reviews and Criticism of Works by American Writers of Asian Descent
  (REF 810.9895 A832)
• The Atlas of Literature
  (REF 809 A881)
• Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 16th ed.
  (REF 803 B847a 1999)
• British and Irish Literature and Its Times: The Victorian Era to the Present (1837-)
  (REF 820.9008 M913b)
• Columbia Dictionary of Modern Literary and Cultural Criticism
  (REF 001.303 C726)
• Contemporary Literary Criticism
  (REF 809.04 C761)
• The Dictionary of Imaginary Places
  (REF 809.93372 M277d 2000)
• A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory
  (REF DESK 803 D554a, 1998)
• Encyclopedia of World Literature in the 20th Century
  (REF 803 E56 1981)
• Encyclopedia of the Novel
  (REF 809.3003 E56)
• Latin American Literature and Its Times
  (REF860.998 M913L)
• Literary Theories: A Reader and Guide
  (e-book; access through the Library Catalog)
• Middle Eastern Literatures and Their Times
  (REF 809.8956 M913m)
• Poetry Criticism: Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of the Most Significant and Widely Studied Poets of World Literature
  (REF 809.1005 P745)
• Spanish and Portuguese Literatures and Their Times: (The Iberian Peninsula)
  (REF 860.09 M913s)
• Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism
  (REF 809.04 T971)
• Twentieth Century Literary Movements Dictionary
  (REF 809.91 T971)

Finding journal articles:

 You can search the contents and access the full text of these and many other journals by using these electronic databases:

• JSTOR - backfiles of academic journal articles in fulltext (does not include the last 3-5 most recent years)
• Literature Resource Center – literary criticism in fulltext
• ProQuest Literature Databases– popular and scholarly articles, full- and non-fulltext
• Salem Literature - fulltext of Critical Insights series, including literary criticism

Web Sites

The Web can be a very valuable research tool providing instant access to information from around the world.  The Web can also be overwhelming because of the vast amount of reliable and unreliable information out there.  How can you determine that a site you have found fulfills the criteria of academic and professional authority? It is your responsibility to evaluate the web resources you consider.  Ask yourself these questions:  Who created the site? Is the author an expert in the field?  When was the site created, last updated? What, if any, is the bias expressed by the site?  Does the domain indicate whether it is a commercial, organizational, or educational web site?

To locate some good, authoritative web sites use these recommended subject directories:

• ipl2 (click on "Resources by Subject" and then "Arts and Humanities")
• Open Directory Project

You might also find literary criticism at these sites:

• Internet Public Library’s Literary Criticism Collection
• Literary History
• A Literary Index (Internet Resources on Literature)
• Literary Resources on the Net
• Perspectives in American Literature--A Research and Reference Guide
• Shakespeare Criticism

For help with the MLA format for your paper and list of works cited:

• MLA Style for Works Cited: A Brief Guide (print and electronic) (pdf)
• MLA Style Electronic Resources (pdf)
• MLA Formatting and Style Guide from the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University

For help recognizing and avoiding plagiarism:

• Avoiding Plagiarism