Introduction
This guide is meant to serve as a supplement to the English Guide, focusing on English Literature of the United States, subdivided by Time Period.
The following lists are not comprehensive. The items listed on this page are representative of some of the most frequently used research materials on this topic. To find more material, consult the catalog or contact your librarian for assistance.
Library Catalog
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Websites
- Literary Resources on the NetA "meta" site maintained by Rutgers University — Newark.
Databases
- MLA International Bibliography (Modern Language Association) with Full Text This link opens in a new windowSearch for scholarly, international journals, books, and more, covering language, literature, composition, folklore, and film. Coverage: late 19th century to present. Some full text.
- America: History & Life This link opens in a new windowExplore the history and culture of North America including the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. This collection includes secondary source articles, as well as books and book reviews. Note: for world history, use Historical Abstracts. Coverage: 1935 to present. Full text.
- Essay and General Literature Index This link opens in a new windowSearch chapters and essays contained in books of collected works, focusing on humanities and social sciences, including works published in the United States, Great Britain and Canada. This index covers archaeology, folklore, architecture, history, art, linguistics, literature, music, classical studies, poetry, drama, political science, economics, religion women's studies, and film. Coverage: 1985 to present. Citations only.
- Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new windowExplore the history of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) from the 15th century to the present, including military history, women's history, history of education, history of science, and more. This collection includes secondary source articles from journals, as well as books and book reviews. Note: for United States history, use America: History and Life; for medieval history, use Iter. Coverage: varies. Full text.
- Humanities Source This link opens in a new windowAccess journals, books and other published sources from around the world in all aspects of the humanities, including archaeology, area studies, art, classical studies, dance, film, gender studies, history, journalism, linguistics, literature, music, performing arts, philosophy, and religion. For citation searching: click "Cited References" at the top of the search screen. Coverage: late 1800s to present. Some full text.
- Humanities and Social Sciences Retrospective This link opens in a new windowSearch for articles from English-language periodicals on subjects including anthropology, archaeology, art, classical studies, criminal justice, environmental studies, ethics, gender studies, international relations, law, literature, music, performing arts, philosophy, political science, psychiatry, psychology, religion and sociology. Use the library's "Get It!" button to obtain materials with no direct full text link. Coverage: 1907-1984. Citations only.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowExplore historical and recent journals, books and images in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, with some natural science coverage. Coverage: varies - historical up to 1-5 years from current date, contains primary sources. Full text.
- Project Muse This link opens in a new windowAccess scholarly journals and ebooks in both the humanities and social sciences. Most journals covered are up to date. Ebooks include titles in Global Cultural Studies, Poetry, Fiction & Creative Non-Fiction. Coverage: historical and current. Full text.
Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
Cyclopedia of Literary Characters by Call Number: REF PN44 .M3 1998ISBN: 0893564389Publication Date: 1998-02-01
Dictionaries and encyclopedias are helpful in finding basic information about your topic area. They may also serve as sources of inspiration to you as you search for new topics to research. The following list is not comprehensive. Search the library catalog for more encyclopedias and dictionaries.
The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English by Call Number: ONLINEISBN: 0521440866Publication Date: 1993-10-14
The Oxford Companion to American Literature by Call Number: REF PS21 .H3 1995ISBN: 0195065484Publication Date: 1995-10-12
Criticism
- Literary Index (Gale Literary Sets) This link opens in a new windowSearch a master index to the major literature books published by Gale, including Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism, and Poetry Criticism. Coverage: historical to present. Citations only.
- Gale Literary Criticism This link opens in a new windowExplore an authoritative source of literary criticism, summarizing authors' lives and works and including excerpts from scholarly articles. IMPORTANT NOTE: Because this source is an encyclopedic work, it should NEVER be directly cited. Always look up the original source of the excerpted and reprinted articles. Coverage: varies. Mostly full text.
Primary Resources
- American Literary Manuscripts byCall Number: REF PS88 .M6 1977ISBN: 0820304123Publication Date: 1977-11-01
Biographies
- American National Biography (ANB) This link opens in a new windowAccess biographies, covering a variety of professions, of non-living people who were influential in the United States. Bibliographic lists for further research are included. Full text.
- Dictionary of Literary Biography (Gale Literature) This link opens in a new windowExplore career biographies and criticism of writers from all eras and all genres of literature. Photographs of many authors are included. Coverage: all eras of literary history. Full text.