Literary Criticism

Start with these databases:

• Literature Resource Center
Critical analyses, plot overviews, and author biographies of 120,000 novelists, poets, essayists, journalists, and other writers from every age and literary discipline.(Guided Tour)
• Literature Online
Provides summaries and criticism of books, as well as literary periods, genres, and movements. Includes author biographies.
• Lit Finder
Full-text poems, stories and essays on literature. (Guided Tour)
• Shakespeare Survey
A great resource from Cambridge University Press for students and Shakespeare lovers. Since 1948 Survey has published the best international scholarship in English, and many of its essays have become classics of Shakespeare criticism. Each volume is devoted to a theme, or play, or group of plays. The books are illustrated with a variety of Shakespearean images and production photographs.

Additional databases to search:

•  American Book Prices Current
(Only available from within the Library)
ABPC is an essential tool for buying, selling and evaluating books, serials, autographs, manuscripts, broadsides, maps and documents, based on actual auction prices in the US and abroad.
• Books in Print
Search the availability of current books, audio and video in a database of millions of titles. Also contains full text reviews from standard magazines.
•  Children's Literature Comprehensive Database(CLCD)
An online database with over 400,000 reviews and links to parent and teacher resources, and more. NOTE: Click on the “Subscriber Login” button at the top-left to begin search.
•  Credo Reference
A great place to begin research on any subject. Includes more than 500 trusted titles from over 70 publishers, plus relevant links to other quality sources.
• Oxford Dictionaries Online
Oxford’s innovative modern English dictionary and language reference  service.
• Oxford English Dictionary
Search the authority on the English language. An unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over 500,000 words, both present and past.
• Oxford Reference Online
Search Oxford's award winning encyclopedias and scholarly reference titles on an easy-to-use site.
• Salem Literature
Includes the full text of Critical Surveys and Masterplots.
•  Something About the Author
This series covers individuals ranging from established award winners in children’s literature to authors and illustrators who are just beginning their careers in children’s literature.
• WorldCat
Locate books, periodicals, computer programs, films, maps, sound recordings, videotapes and other formats in thousands of libraries worldwide.