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 This link opens in a new window
Search 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.
- 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 window
Explore 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.
- Literary Index This link opens in a new window
Search 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.
- 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
The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English by Call Number: ONLINEISBN: 0521440866Publication Date: 1993-10-14
The Cambridge History of American Literature by Call Number: REF PS88 .C3 1917ISBN: 052130105XPublication Date: 1994-02-25
The Cambridge Handbook of American Literature by Call Number: REF PS21 .C36 1986ISBN: 0521307031Publication Date: 1986-08-29
The Oxford Companion to American Literature by Call Number: REF PS21 .H3 1995ISBN: 0195065484Publication Date: 1995-10-12- A Field Guide to the Study of American Literature byCall Number: REF PS88 .K6 1976ISBN: 0813906261Publication Date: 1976-02-01
- Literary History of the United States byCall Number: REF PS88 .L522 1974ISBN: 0026131609Publication Date: 1974-01-01
- Nineteenth Century Readers' Guide to Periodical LiteratureCall Number: Archives and Special Collections AI3 .R47ISBN: 0824205847Publication Date: 1944-01-01
Criticism
- Literary Index This link opens in a new window
Search 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 Literature Criticism This link opens in a new window
Explore an authoritative source of literary criticism, summarizing authors' lives and works and including excerpts from scholarly articles. Includes literature criticism for these genres and time periods: classical and medieval; contemporary; drama; 1400-1800; 19th century; poetry; Shakespearean; short stories; 20th century. 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 This link opens in a new window
Explore career biographies and criticism of writers from all eras and all genres of literature. Photographs of many authors are included. This "Dictionary of Literary Biography" access includes the main series (399 vols. ending June 2024), documentary (19 vols), and yearbook volumes (1980/81 - 2002/03). This database is considered a “closed set” meaning no new content will be added to this database. Gale Literature. Coverage: all eras of literary history, through June 2024 content additions. Full text.
Bibliographies
Romantic Poetry by Women by Call Number: PR508 .W6 J33 1993ISBN: 0198112394Publication Date: 1993-09-16
