---------New Mexico State University Library (revised 5/30/94)--------- HOW TO DO LIBRARY RESEARCH IN LITERARY CRITICISM Compiled by Helen M. Barber Fall, 1992 Conducting research in the field of literary criticism requires the use of many different materials in the library. This guide provides a bibliography of useful sources as well as a basic approach to researching a topic. THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY The NMSU Library is housed in two buildings: Branson Hall and New Library. Books and journals are arranged by call number and divided between the buildings as follows: Call Number Locations New Library: A-H, HM-PZ Branson: HA-HJ, Q-Z Arts Agriculture Education Business Social Sciences Engineering Humanities Science BEGINNING YOUR RESEARCH Dictionaries and encyclopedias are excellent starting points for research. They can provide general background information to help narrow or broaden the focus of a topic, define unfamiliar terms, and offer bibliographies of other sources. Some works include an index, which will provide the best access to a subject. Dictionaries and Encyclopedias > NewLib (Ref) PN41 A184 1988 Abrams, M. H. A GLOSSARY OF LITERARY TERMS. 5th ed. New York: Holt, 1988. Succinct, alphabetically arranged essays elucidate concepts, points of view, and terms used in analysis, criticism, and interpretation of literary works. The final 46-page section, "Modern Theories of Literature and Criticism," summarizes literary criticism of the last fifty years in 17 essays extending from ARCHETYPAL CRITICISM through TEXT AND WRITING (ÉCRITURE). > NewLib (Ref) PN81 E53 1990 Coyle, Martin, and others, eds. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LITERATURE AND CRITICISM. London: Routledge, 1991. Following a traditional introduction, the "Literature and History" section is divided into the expected time divisions (e.g., "Augustanism") or genres such as "Poetry," "Drama," and "The Novel." Ten chapters on criticism followed by the chapters, "Production and Reception," "Contexts," and "Perspectives" combine to provide a recent, scholarly, single-volume overview. > NewLib (Ref) PS92 C64 1988 Elliott, Emory, gen. ed. COLUMBIA LITERARY HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. New York: Columbia UP, 1988. Divided into five parts extending chronologically from the Native American cave narratives to the present. The associate editors impose no consensus on this contemporary introduction to the literary history of the United States. Instead, each essayist acknowledges the diversity, complexity, and contradictions of their author or subject. Consult the index for "Criticism" or citations to a particular author such as John Dos Passos. > NewLib (Ref) PN41 F75 1985 Frye, Northrop, Sheridan Baker, and George Perkins. THE HARPER HANDBOOK TO LITERATURE. New York: Harper, 1985. Traces "criticism" from its Greek root meanings of analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and classification through a clarification of what M. H. Abrams means by "work" to POST-STRUCTURALISM. Fourteen references follow this essay. > NewLib (Ref) PR2362 S64 1990 Hamilton, A. C., gen. ed. THE SPENSER ENCYCLOPEDIA. Toronto and Buffalo: U of Toronto P, 1990. This single-volume, comprehensive encyclopedia includes the most essential Spenserian scholarship of this generation. Over 400 contributors from more than twenty countries have prepared lucid articles with current bibliographies for upper-division undergraduates seeking to appreciate Spenser in his age and ours. Consult both the "Index" and the "Classification of Articles" to discover relationships between articles such as "Alchemy" and "Dee, John" under "Science." > NewLib (Ref) PN41 H6 1986 Holman, C. Hugh, and William Harmon. A HANDBOOK TO LITERATURE. 5th ed. New York: Macmillan, 1986. Defines, explains and illustrates words or phrases used in the study of American and English literature. Cross-references in bold-face type guide the reader to pertinent concepts or terms. All combine to clarify a 10-page article on "Criticism" which begins with M. H. Abrams's four elements in critical theories and ends with "References." > NewLib (Ref) PR3580 M5 Hunter, William B., Jr., gen. ed. A MILTON ENCYCLOPEDIA. 9 vols. Lewisburg: Bucknell UP, 1978-83. This gathering of "all the important information and opinion concerning the life and works of John Milton" has no single entry for "criticism." Instead, careful consideration of individual topics such as "cosmology" or "epic" leads the reader through Milton's deep involvement in the political and religious issues of his day to a consideration of seventeenth-century English civilization. Tracing the history of literary and political matters since then concludes with volume nine's BIBLIOGRAPHIES AND INDEXES (1983). > NewLib (Ref) PN1021 E5 1974 Preminger, Alex, ed. PRINCETON ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POETRY AND POETICS. Enlarged ed. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1974. "Criticism" is divided into five functions (technical, social, practical, theoretical and judicial) and types, such as "impressionistic" or "generic," with further details under critical terminology such as "explication" or "evaluation." Also check the 80-page appendix to locate the most recent developments in poetic criticism (e.g., "The Geneva School" or "Structuralism"). However, use other works in this guide to locate criticism about individual authors, their poems, or allusions. > NewLib (Ref) PS88 L522 1974 Spiller, Robert E., and others, eds. LITERARY HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 4th ed., rev. 2 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1974. Though growing ever more dated, this classic presents a far more unified, single statement of mainly pre-World War II literary criticism and history than Emory Elliott's COLUMBIA HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. In Vol. I: HISTORY, check not only the table of contents but also the index to locate "Criticism, literary" or individual facets thereof such as "Realism" or "Romanticism." Citations to individual authors such as Benjamin Franklin are found in three separate cumulations of Vol. 2.: BIBLIOGRAPHY (e.g., "Franklin, Benjamin 507, 917, 1203"). > NewLib (Ref) PS271 L58 1987 Taylor, J. Golden, and Thomas J. Lyon, eds.-in-chief. A LITERARY HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN WEST. Fort Worth: Texas Christian UP, 1987. Seventy-five chapters trace the "West in literature" from its beginnings as oral traditions in "Encountering the West" through "Settled In: Many Wests" (with considerations of major authors such as Mary Hunter Austin and William Stafford) and "Rediscovering the West" (e.g., "Scandinavian Immigrant Literature," or "Trends in Western Women’s Writing") to "Epilogue: The Development of Western Literary Criticism." Most chapters conclude with selected bibliographies while those concerning single authors have bibliographies divided between primary and secondary sources. FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES Journals are the best source for current information on a topic. This is especially important if an area of study is new, currently being investigated, or subject to frequent change. If there is a list of references following a journal article, it might provide leads to further sources. Indexes and Abstracts Journal articles on a specific subject can be identified through the use of a general or specialized index. Some indexes include abstracts (summaries) of articles. The library subscribes to indexes in print format and on CD-ROM. The library doesn't subscribe to all of the journals in these indexes. A list of journals to which the library does subscribe accompanies some of the indexes on the index and CD-ROM tables. Printed Indexes Indexes or abstracts in print form give subject and/or author access to journal articles. Some of the indexes are located on tables in the reference area; others can be found in the reference stacks by call number. The following indexes list references to journal articles in the field of literary critcism. > NewLib (Ref) PE25 A16 ABSTRACTS OF ENGLISH STUDIES. Calgary: English Dept., U of Calgary, 1958- [Vol. 1-12 (1958-1969) on microfilm]. Contains relevant abstracts under the subject heading "Literary history" or "Literary theory" or the critic’s name (e.g., Burke, Kenneth). Although slow in publication and lacking universal coverage, this work includes entries from author newsletters and interdisciplinary studies not indexed elsewhere. > NewLib PS3 AM351 AMERICAN LITERARY SCHOLARSHIP: AN ANNUAL. Durham: Duke UP, 1963 - . Critical reviews of the year’s most outstanding or controversial scholarship appear very promptly (e.g., 1988 c1990). Chapter 20, "Themes, Topics, Criticism," by Michael J. Hoffman, provides an overview; the subject index facilitates access to a pertinent American author or critic. > NewLib (Ref) PE1 B53 ANNUAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. London: Modern Humanities Research Assn., 1920 - . Published in London, this annual enumeration of articles, books, dissertations, and reviews written in the English language has a distinctly British viewpoint presented tardily (e.g L986 c1990). "General Literary Studies," which includes general works OF literary history and criticism, is found in every division from "English Literature, General" to the "Twentieth Century." On the other hand, "Literary Theory," which covers general writings ABOUT literary history, criticism and critical theory, occurs only in "English Literature, General" and under "General" for "Sixteenth Century" and "Twentieth Century." > Branson (Ref) Z1002 B471 BIBLIOGRAPHIC INDEX: A CUMULATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BIBLIOGRAPHIES. New York: Wilson, 1937 -. Appearing twice a year with an annual cumulation, this timely source includes entries under broad subject headings (e.g., "Criticism" or "American literature--History and criticism") or narrower subject headings like "Feminist Literary Criticism." Includes bibliographies containing more than fifty citations. > NewLib (Ref) PR441 E36 Borck, Jim Springer, gen. ed. THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY: A CURRENT BIBLIOGRAPHY. New Ser. New York: AMS, 1975 - . This progressively more international annual assessment of significant Enlightenment scholarship extends from the brief "English Literature 1660-1800" published in PHILOLOGICAL QUARTERLY (1926) to a 700-page independent publication of N.S. 11 FOR 1985 (1990). General literary studies are placed in "Section V: Literary Studies" while those limited to one person are entered in "Section VI: Individual Works" under the pertinent critic (e.g., Samuel Johnson). No access by subject. > NewLib (Ref Index Area) EDUCATION INDEX. New York: Wilson, 1929 - . This index to education periodicals in English includes many subject headings for "Criticism," "Critics" in general and specifically named (e.g., "Booth, Wayne C." or "Frye, Northrop"), "Deconstruction," "Feminist Literary Criticism," and "Literary Criticism." Entries for individual authors may add the subdivision "about" (e.g., "Twain, Mark--about"). An author and subject index arranged in one alphabet is followed by book reviews found at the end of each volume from 1975/76 - . > NewLib (Ref) PE58 En36y English Assn. THE YEAR’S WORK IN ENGLISH STUDIES. Atlantic Highlands: Humanities, 1919 - . Slow but well worth the three-year wait (e.g., 1987 c1990) for gracefully written scholarly essays surveying "Literary Theory" (Chapter 2), trends in criticism and scholarship (e.g., "deconstruction" or "feminist criticism"), and individual authors (e.g., "Lewis, C. S."). From the 1987 volume onward, bibliographic details of the works reviewed in a chapter appear in an alphabetical list at the end of that chapter rather than as overly cryptic footnotes. > NewLib (Ref Index Area) ESSAY AND GENERAL LITERATURE INDEX. New York: Wilson, 1900 - . Timely index to collections of essays and chapters in books. Pertinent subject headings are "Criticism," "Critics," "Deconstruc- tion," "Literature--History and criticism" and "History and criticism" under the pertinent literature (e.g., "American literature--1783-1820--History and criticism"). Articles about individual authors may be divided into "about" (the entire canon) or "about individual works" (with the pertinent title stated). > NewLib (Ref Index Area) HUMANITIES INDEX. New York: Wilson, 1974 - . Quarterly with annual cumulations allows timely access to literary subjects (e.g., "Criticism," "Critics" in general or specifically named such as "Barthes, Roland" or "Howe, Irving," "Deconstruction," or "English literature--Criticism--American"). Book review section at the end of each volume. > NewLib (Ref Index Area) LITERARY CRITICISM REGISTER: A MONTHLY LISTING OF STUDIES IN ENGLISH & AMERICAN LITERATURE. DeLand: Literary Criticism Register, 1983 - . Most frequently appearing and therefore timely current-awareness tool available. Subject index includes individual critics (e.g., "Barthes, Roland") or broader terms such as "Critical Theory" or "Deconstruction." > NewLib (Ref) P1 A1 M62 MLA INTERNATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON THE MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES. New York: MLA, 1921- [1921-1962 included in PUBLICATIONS OF THE MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION. PB6 M72]. MLA on CD-ROM - see page 9. Annual. The most important tool for any literary research. The 1990 Section IV Classified Section lists twenty-four kinds of "Criticism" (e. g. "Feminist literary theory and criticism," "Narrative theory," or "Postmodernist literary theory and criticism"). Since 1981, a subject index facilitates searching. MLA's year-long publication lag encourages use of the LITERARY CRITICISM REGISTER or the HUMANITIES INDEX or the ESSAY AND GENERAL LITERATURE INDEX. Electronic Indexes Electronic indexes offer a computerized approach to the retrieval of citations to journal articles. A user can specify a combination of subject terms in order to find references to articles which contain those terms in their titles, in their abstracts, or as assigned descriptors. The following indexes may be useful for finding information on literary criticism topics. New products may be added; check the CD-ROM area near the reference desk. > Branson (Cafe OLE terminals and Library Network) > NewLib (Cafe OLE terminals and Library Network) PAN An index to articles on a wide range of subjects. It provides information about articles published since January 1990 in over 1,700 magazines and journals, and newscasts from major television networks and National Public Radio. It is updated monthly. The library subscribes to around 65% of the magazines and journals in PAN. PAN is available on any Cafe OLE terminal. Ask at the desk if you need any help. > NewLib (Library Network) > Branson (Library Network) ERIC This is the electronic version of the CURRENT INDEX TO JOURNALS IN EDUCATION (CIJE) and RESOURCES IN EDUCATION (RIE) indexes, giving bibliographic citations and abstracts for the ERIC document collection on microfiche and for journal articles in the fields of education and other social sciences from over 775 periodicals. There is an online tutorial available. Provides coverage from 1966 to the present, with quarterly updates. The THESAURUS OF ERIC DESCRIPTORS, located nearby, may be helpful in suggesting terms to use in searching ERIC. It lists standardized subject headings, with related terms, and gives brief definitions for many terms. > Branson (Library Network) > NewLib (Library Network) InfoTrac Academic Index Provides easy-to-use access to articles in periodicals of a popular nature CURRENT BIOGRAPHY, ESQUIRE, as well as some specialized journals such as COLLEGE ENGLISH., QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF SPEECH, and TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT. Gives access to stories in the news, through references to the NEW YORK TIMES. > NewLib (Ref CD-ROM Area) MLA International Bibliography [CD-ROM] This electronic version of the MLA INTERNATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON THE MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES includes bibliographic records pertaining to literature, languages, linguistics, and folklore from over 3,000 scholarly journals and series, bibliographies, book articles, dissertations, monographs, proceedings and working papers. Provides coverage from 1981 to the present, with quarterly updates. Location of Journals Journals are shelved in call number order. Use the title of the journal, NOT the title of the article. Use OLE (the online catalog) to find the call number and format of a journal. Type T/ followed by the title of the journal. For assistance, ask a reference librarian. Current issues of most journals are shelved in the Periodicals areas. Use the location charts to find bound journals, which are shelved in the stacks with the books. Microfiche and microfilm journals are housed in cabinets in the microform areas of Branson and New Library. Selected List of Current Journals The following list is a sample of some of the journals the library carries in the field of literary criticism. Journal titles are followed by the abbreviations used in the MLA INTERNATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY. New Library PS1 A38 AMERICAN LITERARY HISTORY (AMLH) PS1 Am35L AMERICAN LITERATURE: A JOURNAL OF LITERARY HISTORY, CRITICISM, AND BIBLIOGRAPHY (AL) PN2 C62 CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE (CONL) NX1 C64 CRITICAL INQUIRY (CRITI) PN3503 C7 CRITIQUE: STUDIES IN MODERN FICTION (CRIT) PR4579 D49 DICKENS STUDIES ANNUAL: ESSAYS ON VICTORIAN FICTION (DSA) PR1 E139 ELH (ELH) PE9 En36s ENGLISH STUDIES: A JOURNAL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (ES) PR1 Es73c ESSAYS IN CRITICISM: A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF LITERARY CRITICISM (EIC) PR1 Ex73 EXPLICATOR (EXPL) PN2 G47 GENRE: A QUARTERLY DEVOTED TO GENERIC CRITICISM (GENRE) PN2 J6 JOURNAL OF MODERN LITERATURE (JML) PS379 M72f MODERN FICTION STUDIES (MFS) PB1 M72p MODERN PHILOLOGY: A JOURNAL DEVOTED TO RESEARCH IN MEDIEVAL AND MODERN PHILOLOGY (MP) PN2 N49 NEW LITERARY HISTORY: A JOURNAL OF THEORY AND INTERPRETATION (NLH) PR873 N622 NINETEENTH-CENTURY LITERATURE (NCF) P1 P547q PHILOLOGICAL QUARTERLY (PQ) PR1 St94e STUDIES IN ENGLISH LITERATURE: 1500-1900 (SELIT) PN3311 St94s STUDIES IN SHORT FICTION (SSF) AS30 T4 TEXAS STUDIES IN LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE (TSLL) PN2 T918c TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE: A SCHOLARLY AND CRITICAL JOURNAL (TCL) FINDING BOOKS Books are not as current as journal articles but will provide more comprehensive coverage of a subject. Access to the book collection is through the online catalog (OLE). Terminals are located in the reference and periodical areas on each floor. Older materials not yet entered into the OLE system are listed in the card catalog in the reference area. For books that are on order or recently received, use the INNOVACQ terminals, located in the reference and current periodicals areas. Using OLE OLE may be accessed by author, title, subject, or keyword. Consult the printed instruction sheet, the help screens on the terminal, or ask a reference librarian for further assistance. For most items, the OLE screen will give circulation information, indicating whether the item is available or checked out and, if checked out, when it is due. The Card Catalog Materials acquired by the library before 1975 may not be entered into the OLE system yet. For such material, check the card catalog in the reference area. Author, title and subject entries are arranged in a single alphabetical order in each card catalog. The card catalog in each building contains only cards for books in that building. Library of Congress Subject Headings To determine the appropriate heading(s) for a topic, consult the multi-volume LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SUBJECT HEADINGS (LCSH). These large red books, located at the reference desk and also near the OLE terminals, are very useful for suggesting alternate or additional headings to search. UF means "used for" and indicates terms that are not used. BT means "broader term," RT means "related term," SA means "see also," and NT means "narrower term." For example, under the term literary criticism, some of the narrower terms listed are Critics Literature--History and criticism Deconstruction New Criticism Feminist criticism While Library of Congress headings can be very useful in finding books on a topic, the researcher should also explore keyword and Boolean (logical combinations of keywords using and, or, not) searching options on OLE. See the OLE handout, or use the OLE help screens for more information on keyword searching. Location of Books To locate a book in the library, first obtain the call number from the OLE screen or the card catalog, then consult one of the location charts found in the reference area or throughout each building. Books are shelved in call number order; however, if a call number is preceded by "(SpC)," the book will be located in Special Collections (Branson). If the call number is preceded by "(Ref)," the book will be located in the reference area. Special Collections materials and reference books cannot be checked out. Remember, the reference staff can always give you further assistance in locating a book. OTHER REFERENCE SOURCES In addition to the sources mentioned above, there are many other helpful reference sources. The following resources may be particularly helpful for the study of literary criticism. Bibliographies Specialized bibliographies can be a key to further information in the study of literary criticism. They will be listed in OLE under various topics, for example "American literature--History and criticism--Bibliography". The following are examples of bibliographies in the NMSU Library: > NewLib (Ref) PR1905 A43 1987 Allen, Mark, and John H. Fisher. THE ESSENTIAL CHAUCER: AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MAJOR MODERN STUDIES. Boston: Hall, 1987. Intended to be a research tool for students as well as a reference for scholars or critics, these 925 citations represent the most important twentieth-century studies promoting an understanding of Chaucer and his works. > NewLib (Ref) PR83 B28 1976 Bateson, F. W., and Harrison T. Meserole. A GUIDE TO ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE. 3rd ed. New York: Gordian, 1976. The last three chapters, "Modern Literary Criticism," "Literary Scholarship: An Introduction to Research in English Literature," and "American Literature" by Harrison T. Meserole, may be the most pertinent in this brief, though unfortunately dated, survey of best editions and criticism of important authors. > NewLib (Ref) PR85 R47 1985 Beacham, Walton, ed. RESEARCH GUIDE TO BIOGRAPHY AND CRITICISM. 4 vols. Washington: Research Publishing, 1985-90. Includes generally available and valuable biographies, autobiographies, and criticism of the most frequently studied American and British novelists, playwrights, poets, and prose writers. > NewLib PR871 V5 1978 Ford, George H., ed. VICTORIAN FICTION: A SECOND GUIDE TO RESEARCH. New York: Modern Language Assn. of America, 1978. Evaluates every important book and scholarly article published between 1963 and 1974 for seventeen major novelists such as Wilkie Collins and Samuel Butler. Includes bibliographies, biographies, critical editions and studies of individual novels for each author. > Branson Z1225 G6 1976 Gohdes, Clarence. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL GUIDE TO THE STUDY OF THE LITERATURE OF THE U.S.A. 4th ed., rev. & enl. Durham: Duke UP, 1976. Annotated sections such as "Criticism," "Biography," and "Religion in the U.S." form an essential standard guide to American literature and cross-disciplinary American Studies. > NewLib (Ref) HQ1206 H85 1987 Humm, Maggie. AN ANNOTATED CRITICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF FEMINIST CRITICISM. Boston: Hall, 1987. This bibliography covers feminist criticism about literature rather than about specific writers unless the writer suggests a new critical approach or paradigm. > NewLib (Ref) PR3581 K57 1989 Klemp, P. J. THE ESSENTIAL MILTON: AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MAJOR MODERN STUDIES. Boston: Hall, 1989. The most important Miltonic scholarship published between 1900 and 1987 is divided into an opening general section (e.g., "Critics on Milton Criticism") followed by "Poetry" and "Prose." The index to the longest section of the book, "Paradise Lost," covers eight pages of entries subdivided topically (e.g., "imagery" or "themes"). > NewLib (Ref) PS88 L42 1954 Leary, Lewis, ed. ARTICLES ON AMERICAN LITERATURE, 1900-1950. Durham: Duke UP, 1954. This mainly English-language bibliography of periodical articles, significant reviews, and review articles includes more foreign- language entries and becomes more selective in the 1950-1967 and 1968-1975 volumes. Each volume contains "Literary Criticism" and "Literary History." > NewLib PS78 L4 1988 Leitch, Vincent B. AMERICAN LITERARY CRITICISM FROM THE THIRTIES TO THE EIGHTIES. New York: Columbia UP, 1988. Discusses "Marxist Criticism in the 1930s," "The New Criticism," "The Chicago School," "The New York Intellectuals," "Myth Criticism," "Phenomenological and Existential Criticism," "Hermeneutics," "Reader-Response Criticism," "Literary Structuralism and Semiotics," "Deconstructive Criticism," "Feminist Criticism," "Black Aesthetics," and "Leftist Criticism from the 1960s to the 1980s." > NewLib (Ref) B905 T7 1984 Myerson, Joel, ed. THE TRANSCENDENTALISTS: A REVIEW OF RESEARCH AND CRITICISM. New York: Modern Language Assn. of America, 1984. This first comprehensive bibliography on American Transcendentalism includes citations from the nineteenth century through 198l. The first section, five general essays on the movement, is followed by a second section divided among 28 individuals (e.g., Thoreau), and a third section, contemporary reactions of those influenced by or reacting against Transcendentalism (e.g., Hawthorne and Melville respectively). > NewLib (Ref) PR441 S65 1989 Spector, Robert D., comp. BACKGROUNDS TO RESTORATION AND EIGHTEENTH- CENTURY ENGLISH LITERATURE: AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHICAL GUIDE TO MODERN SCHOLARSHIP. Bibliographies and Indexes in World Literature, 17. New York: Greenwood, 1989. This recent, single-volume introduction to life in Great Britain in the eighteenth century includes briefly annotated books and articles in the "Literary and Dramatic History and Criticism" and "Satire" subsections of Chapter 12, "Literature and the Arts." > NewLib (Ref) PR83 N45 Watson, George, ed. THE NEW CAMBRIDGE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE. New York: Cambridge UP, 1969-77. 5 vols. In spite of its New York imprint, this updating of F. W. Bateson's CAMBRIDGE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE (5 vols., 1941-57) confines individual author listings to "literary authors native to or mainly resident in the British Isles." Thus Henry James and T.S. Eliot are present but Willa Cather and Hemingway are absent. Carefully check the index volume for "Literary Criticism" scattered throughout all four volumes and to locate all listings for those authors writing in multiple literary genres. > NewLib PN86 W4 1955 Wellek, René. A HISTORY OF MODERN CRITICISM: 1750-1950. 6 vols. New Haven: Yale UP, 1955-86. The individual volume titles: THE LATER EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, THE ROMANTIC AGE, THE AGE OF TRANSITION, THE LATER NINETEENTH CENTURY, ENGLISH CRITICISM, 1900-1950, and AMERICAN CRITICISM, 1900-1950, indicate the scope of this still-in-progress history of modern literary criticism. Indispensable. Biographies > NewLib (Ref Biog) CT213 B46 BIOGRAPHY AND GENEALOGY MASTER INDEX. 2nd ed. 8 vols. Detroit: Gale, 1980; 1981-85 CUMULATION. 5 vols. 1985; 1986-90 CUMULATION. 3 vols. 1990; SUPPLEMENT[s], 1991 - . Use the original set with all its cumulations and supplements to access more than 8,382,000 biographical sketches in biographical dictionaries, subject encyclopedias containing biographical information, and volumes of literary criticism. Multiple citations are given for many biographees. > NewLib (Ref Biog) CT100 B56 BIOGRAPHY INDEX: A CUMULATIVE INDEX TO BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL IN BOOKS AND MAGAZINES. New York: Wilson, 1946 - . Uses the Wilson indexes to books, collective biographies, and articles to update the above tool. Includes a listing of biographees by subject or occupation (e.g., "Authors, American" or "Literary critics"). > NewLib (Ref Biog) PR111 F45 1990b Blain, Virginia, Patricia Clements, and Isobel Grundy. THE FEMINIST COMPANION TO LITERATURE IN ENGLISH: WOMEN WRITERS FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE PRESENT. New Haven: Yale UP, 1990. At least 75 scholars prepared brief biographies of women writing in canonized genres, diaries, letters, children’s books or popular forms in the English language. Each bibiographee has historical or literary significance. > NewLib (Ref Biog) E176 D561 DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. New York: Scribner, 1928 - . Vols. 1-20 and INDEX (1928-1937); SUPPLEMENT ONE [TO DECEMBER 31, 1935]-EIGHT: 1966-1970 (1944-1989) with COMPREHENSIVE INDEX COMPLETE THROUGH SUPPLEMENT EIGHT (1990). Examine the subdivision "Literary Critic" in "Occupations," the fifth main subdivision of the CUMULATIVE INDEX, to locate a critic, e.g., "Lowes, John Livingston." Leaf back in the same volume to "Subjects of Biographies" to locate "Lowes, John Livingston, Dec. 20, 1867- Aug. 15, 1945. Suppl. 3-474." > NewLib (Ref Biog) DA28 D561 DICTIONARY OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY. New York: Macmillan, 1885 - . Vols. 1-63 and INDEX (1885-1903); SUPPLEMENT[s] 1-3 (1901)- 1981-1985 (1990). Most important reference for deceased British subjects as well as noteworthy Americans of the Colonial Period. For example, consult the 1981-1985 "Cumulative Index" to discover that the writer and scholar "Lewis, Clive Staples 1898-1963" died during the period included in the eighth supplement, 1961-1970. His biography appears therein. > NewLib (Ref Biog) PR111 E54 1988 Schlueter, Paul, and June Schlueter, eds. AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BRITISH WOMEN WRITERS. New York: Garland Publishing, 1988. Garland Reference Library of the Humanities, 818. Consulting the index term "literary criticism, writing of" demonstrates how few of these four hundred British women writers flourishing from the Middle Ages into the twentieth century are considered "critics" (e.g., Helen Louise Gardner or Barbara Hardy). > NewLib (Ref Biog) CT3260 N573 Sicherman, Barbara, et al., eds. NOTABLE AMERICAN WOMEN: THE MODERN PERIOD: A BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard UP, 1980. Consult "Scholars" under "Literature" in the "Classified List" to find a literary critic, e.g., "Tuve, Rosemond," a Renaissance, Herbert and Milton scholar and critic. Bio-Bibliographies > NewLib (Ref Biog) PN771 C62 CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS: A BIO-BIBLIOGRAPHICAL GUIDE TO CURRENT WRITERS IN FICTION, GENERAL NONFICTION, POETRY, JOURNALISM, DRAMA, MOTION PICTURES, TELEVISION, AND OTHER FIELDS. Detroit: Gale, 1962 - . Accurate, concise, current information about an incredible number of writers. > NewLib (Ref Biog) PS78 B56 1982 Borklund, Elmer. CONTEMPORARY LITERARY CRITICS. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale, 1982. A concise overview for each of 124 modern British and American critics includes a brief biographical sketch followed by a "Publications" section divided into "Criticism," "Other" and "Critical Studies and Bibliography" (in the case of "M. H. Abrams") and concludes with a Borklund-written evaluation of that critic's publications. > NewLib (Ref Biog) PS153 N5 G57 1989 Glikin, Ronda. BLACK AMERICAN WOMEN IN LITERATURE: A BIBLIOGRAPHY, 1976 THROUGH 1987. Jefferson: McFarland, 1989. Includes criticism on approximately 300 Black American women whose poetry, short fiction, novels, essays, and plays have been published in periodicals and anthologies from 1976 through 1987. Literary critics also writing creative literature are present. > NewLib (Ref Biog) PS78 M59 1988 Jay, Gregory S. MODERN AMERICAN CRITICS SINCE 1955. Dictionary of Literary Biography, 67. Detroit: Gale, 1988. This second of two volumes on American critics (the first volume covers 1920-1955) includes not only critics such as Walter Jackson Bate, Leslie A. Fiedler, Stanley Fish, and Elaine Showalter, but also two appendices, "Modern Critical Terms, Schools, and Movements" and "The Limits of Pluralism," and a "Checklist of Further Readings" to introduce major American figures, schools, and ideas. > NewLib (Ref Biog) PQ7420.2 K3 1989 Kanellos, Nicolás, ed. BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF HISPANIC LITERATURE IN THE UNITED STATES: THE LITERATURE OF PUERTO RICANS, CUBAN AMERICANS, AND OTHER HISPANIC WRITERS. New York: Greenwood, 1989. Each chapter on 50 native Hispanic, Puerto Rican, and Cuban authors writing in the United States after the 1959 Cuban Revolution is divided into "Biography," "Major Themes," "Survey of Criticism," and "Bibliography" (of "Works by ..." and "Works about ..."). > NewLib (Ref Biog) PS153 M4 C48 1989 Lomeli, Francisco A. and Carl R. Shirley, eds. CHICANO WRITERS: FIRST SERIES. Dictionary of Literary Biography, 82. Detroit: Gale, 1989. Fifty-two essays on American novelists, poets, short story writers, and dramatists who are of Mexican descent or are Mexicans in the United States include career biographies, development of their canons, and evolution of their reputations. > NewLib (Ref Biog) PS74 A44 1987 Rathbun, John W., and Monica M. Grecu. AMERICAN LITERARY CRITICS AND SCHOLARS, 1800-1850. Dictionary of Literary Biography, 59. Detroit: Gale, 1987. This first of three volumes covering the years 1800 to 1850, 1851 to 1880, and 1881 to 1900 includes Charles Brockden Brown, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Washington Irving, and Edgar Allan Poe. This 1800 to 1850 volume shows critics advancing cautiously from the idea that "literature should be a consensus builder endors[ing] and promot[ing] national social interests and purposes" to political and intellectual fragmentation with the coming of the Civil War. Book Reviews > NewLib (Ref Index Area) BOOK REVIEW DIGEST. New York: Wilson, 1905 - . Present citations to and excerpts of reviews of current fiction and non-fiction written in English. Its subject index provides our only current subject access to "American literature-History and criticism," "Books-Reviews," "Criticism," and "English literature-History and criticism." > NewLib (Ref Index Area) BOOK REVIEW INDEX. Detroit: Gale, l965 - . Indexes over 470 reviewing journals, national publications of general interest, scholarly and literary journals, and numerous daily and weekly newspapers. Only author and title indexes are present; no subject access. > NewLib (Ref) AZ221 C65 1982 Farber, Evan I., ed. COMBINED RETROSPECTIVE INDEX TO BOOK REVIEWS IN HUMANITIES JOURNALS, 1802-1974. 10 vols. Woodbridge: Research Publications, 1982-84. > NewLib (Ref) AZ221 C67 1979 Farber, Evan I., ed. COMBINED RETROSPECTIVE INDEX TO BOOK REVIEWS IN SCHOLARLY JOURNALS, 1886-1974. 15 vols. Arlington: Carrollton, 1979-82. > NewLib (Ref) AZ221 I53 INDEX TO BOOK REVIEWS IN THE HUMANITIES. 31 vols. Williamston: Thomson, 1978-91. Accesses reviews of books published from 1960-1990. Indexes over 600 scholarly journals, author newsletters, and specialized titles in many subject areas including biography, literature, and literary research. Because scholarly reviews are often written many years after the book's publication, check several volumes to locate all available reviews. Additional "Book Reviews" are found at the end of the EDUCATION INDEX and the HUMANITIES INDEX as well as in the ANNUAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE while THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY: A CURRENT BIBLIOGRAPHY includes citations and lengthy signed book reviews in Sections V and VI (see INDEXES AND ABSTRACTS, above). Dissertations > NewLib (Ref) AS30 C64 COMPREHENSIVE DISSERTATION INDEX. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms, 1973 - . Annual. A computer-generated index, this set attempts to list all dissertations accepted at U.S. universities. Many Canadian and some other foreign dissertations are included, but it is not a complete list. The index currently comes in five annual volumes: an author index and two subject volumes each for the sciences and social sciences/humanities. Within each discipline, dissertations are arranged alphabetically by keyword. "Language and Literature" falls in Part 2 of the "Social Sciences and Humanities" section. The years 1861-1972 are cumulated into one thirty-seven volume set. "Language and Literature" is in volumes 29-30. The years 1973-1977 are covered in another cumulation with "Language and Literature" in volumes 15-16. > NewLib (Ref) AS30 D63 DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS INTERNATIONAL. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms, 1938 - . Monthly. An index to dissertations submitted to University Microfilms International. (Approximately 370 universities, including European institutions, were submitting dissertations in 1984.) Beginning with vol. 27, two separate sections are published: A. Humanities & Socials Sciences, and B. Sciences & Engineering. Cumulative author and subject indexes are published each year. Volumes 38-, 1977- are on microfiche. These abstracts are summaries of the dissertations themselves. Use them to determine whether or not to order the dissertation from University Microfilms or to attempt to obtain it on interlibrary loan. > NewLib (Ref) AS30 M393a MASTERS ABSTRACTS INTERNATIONAL. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms, 1962 - . Quarterly. Arranged by general subject categories (e.g., "Literature, General"). These abstracts are summaries of the master's theses themselves. Use them to decide whether or not to order the thesis from University Microfilms or to attempt to obtain it on interlibrary loan. Excerpted Criticisms The following four series arrange criticism of author’s works chronologically. Consult the index of the latest volume of the series which would include the author in question. > NewLib (Ref) PN86 L53 1984 LITERATURE CRITICISM FROM 1400 TO 1800: EXCERPTS FROM CRITICISM OF THE WORKS OF FIFTEENTH, SIXTEENTH, SEVENTEENTH, AND EIGHTEENTH- CENTURY NOVELISTS, POETS, PLAYWRIGHTS, PHILOSOPHERS, AND OTHER CREATIVE WRITERS, FROM THE FIRST PUBLISHED CRITICAL APPRAISALS TO CURRENT EVALUATIONS. Detroit: Gale, 1984 - . > NewLib (Ref) PN761 N56 NINETEENTH CENTURY LITERATURE CRITICISM (NCLC). Detroit: Gale, 1981 - . The changing subtitle indicates expansion from the first volume's EXCERPTS FROM CRITICISMS OF THE WORKS OF NOVELISTS, POETS, PLAYWRIGHTS, SHORT STORY WRITERS, AND OTHER CREATIVE WRITERS WHO LIVED BETWEEN 1800 AND 1900, FROM THE FIRST PUBLISHED CRITICAL APPRAISALS TO CURRENT EVALUATIONS to the current subtitle: TOPICS VOLUME: EXCERPTS FROM CRITICISM OF VARIOUS TOPICS IN NINETEENTH- CENTURY LITERATURE, INCLUDING LITERARY AND CRITICAL MOVEMENTS, PROMINENT THEMES AND GENRES, ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS, AND SURVEYS OF NATIONAL LITERATURES. Use the "Cumulative Topics Index" in the most recent volume to locate "The Newgate Novel" in NCLC, 24:166-204 or "The American Frontier in Literature" in NCLC, 28:1-103. > NewLib (Ref) PN771 C59 CONTEMPORARY LITERARY CRITICISM: EXCERPTS FROM CRITICISM OF THE WORKS OF TODAY'S NOVELISTS, POETS, PLAYWRIGHTS, SHORT STORY WRITERS, SCRIPTWRITERS, AND OTHER CREATIVE WRITERS (CLC). Detroit: Gale, 1973 -. > NewLib (Ref) PN771 G27 TWENTIETH-CENTURY LITERARY CRITICISM (TCLC). Detroit: Gale, 1978 - . The changing subtitle indicates expansion from the first volume's EXCERPTS FROM CRITICISM OF THE WORKS OF NOVELISTS, POETS, PLAYWRIGHTS, SHORT STORY WRITERS, AND OTHER CREATIVE WRITERS WHO DIED BETWEEN 1900 AND 1960, FROM THE FIRST PUBLISHED CRITICAL APPRAISALS TO CURRENT EVALUATIONS to the current subtitle: TOPICS VOLUME: EXCERPTS FROM CRITICISM OF VARIOUS TOPICS IN TWENTIETH- CENTURY LITERATURE, INCLUDING LITERARY AND CRITICAL MOVEMENTS, PROMINENT THEMES AND GENRES, ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS, AND SURVEYS OF NATIONAL LITERATURES. Use the most recent volume's "Cumulative Topic Index" to locate "Bloomsbury Group" in TCLC, 34:1-73 or "Harlem Renaissance" in TCLC, 29:49-125. Genre Indexes Fiction > NewLib (Ref) PR821 P26 and Suppls. Palmer, Helen H., and Anne Jane Dyson, comps. ENGLISH NOVEL EXPLICATION. Hamden: Shoe String, 1973. Updates THE ENGLISH NOVEL: A CHECKLIST OF TWENTIETH-CENTURY CRITICISMS, by Inglis F. Bell and Donald Baird (Denver: Swallow, 1958. Branson Z2014 F484 1958) to cover criticism from 1958 to 1972. This publication is itself updated by four SUPPLEMENT[s] covering material published from 1972 through the first half of 1989 and expanding this explication beyond the original New Criticism methodology. "English novelist" is defined as one born in England, Scotland, Ireland, or Wales or living in the Common- wealth during the creative years. Poetry > NewLib (Ref) PS201 G85 1989 GUIDE TO AMERICAN POETRY EXPLICATION. 2 vols. Boston: Hall, 1989. Partially updates the third edition of Joseph M. Kuntz and Nancy C. Martinez's POETRY EXPLICATION (below). > NewLib (Ref) PR502 K8 1950 Kuntz, Joseph M., and Nancy C. Martinez. POETRY EXPLICATION: A CHECKLIST OF INTERPRETATION SINCE 1925 OF BRITISH AND AMERICAN POEMS PAST AND PRESENT. [3rd ed.] Boston: Hall, 1980. "Presents a comprehensive index of poetry explications printed during the period 1925-1977." Short Stories > NewLib (Ref) PN3326 M27 1986 Magill, Frank N., ed. MASTERPLOTS II: SHORT STORIES SERIES. 6 vols. Pasadena: Salem, 1986. Presents critical evaluations of 732 outstanding short stories from 275 worldwide authors. Each entry includes an introductory author statement, type of plot, time of plot, locale, when first published, and principal characters followed by a plot summary, themes and meanings, and style and technique. The final volume contains carefully selected bibliographies stressing recent scholarship. > NewLib (Ref) PN3373 S36 SHORT STORY CRITICISM: EXCERPTS FROM CRITICISM OF THE WORKS OF SHORT FICTION WRITERS. Detroit: Gale, 1988 - . Confined solely to the genre of the short story, this series follows the regular format used in the other Gale excerpted criticism works such as CLC. This includes the author heading, biographical and critical introduction, principal works, and excerpts of criticism arranged chronologically and bearing biographical citations, followed by a recent bibliography. > NewLib (Ref Index Area) Walker, Warren S, comp. TWENTIETH-CENTURY SHORT STORY EXPLICATION: INTERPRETATIONS 1900-1975, OF SHORT FICTION SINCE 1800. 3rd ed. Hamden: Shoe String, 1977. Five SUPPLEMENT[s] (1980-91) include a total number of 2,304 authors writing from 1800. Their citations, extending from 1900 through 31 December 1988, are arranged by author and then individual work with the citation abbreviations listed at the end of the volume. Library Use Guides > NewLib (Ref) PR56 B34 l989 Baker, Nancy L. A RESEARCH GUIDE FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE. 3rd ed. New York: MLA, 1989. Although this guide lacks specific information on "literary criticism," it is a useful introduction to using a library. > NewLib (Ref) PR83 H34 1989 Harner, James L. LITERARY RESEARCH GUIDE: A GUIDE TO REFERENCE SOURCES FOR THE STUDY OF LITERATURES IN ENGLISH AND RELATED TOPICS. New York: MLA, 1989. Evaluative annotations arranged by type of works (e.g., bibliography) or field (e.g., literary criticism and theory) to assist student and independent researchers. Style Manuals > NewLib (RefI) LB2369 G53 1988 and on PERMANENT RESERVE Gibaldi, Joseph, and Walter S. Achtert, eds. MLA HANDBOOK FOR WRITERS OF RESEARCH PAPERS. 3rd ed. New York: MLA, 1988. > NewLib PE1421 W546 on PERMANENT RESERVE Williams, Joseph M. STYLE: TOWARD CLARITY AND GRACE. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1990. Improve your writing by consulting "Clarity," "Cohesion," "Emphasis," "Coherence," etc. ERIC DOCUMENTS The ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) clearinghouses collect and distribute previously published and unpublished non- journal literature of interest to educators and social scientists. ERIC documents include research reports and studies, curriculum guides, bibliographies, directories, speeches, and conference proceedings. Many of the documents describe community programs which go beyond the schools. The NMSU Library has the entire ERIC collection on microfiche (flat sheets of film containing reduced images). The collection is arranged by ED document numbers in cabinets in the microform area of the New Library. Indexes to ERIC Documents ERIC on CD-ROM - See page 7. Cumulated subject, author and title indexes on microfiche cover the ERIC collection for the years 1966-1988. In using the microfiche subject index or RIE (RESOURCES IN EDUCATION), it is helpful to consult the THESAURUS OF ERIC DESCRIPTORS for the appropriate subject indexing terminology. The microfiche index is located near the ERIC collection. > Branson ( Docs) ED1.310: RESOURCES IN EDUCATION (RIE). Washington: Department of Health, Education and Welfare, National Institute on Education, 1975 - (Continues RESEARCH IN EDUCATION, 1966-1974). Monthly. Gives document resumes with abstracts for all ERIC documents. The resumes are arranged by ED number. Indexes provide access by subject, author, institution, and publication type. Cumulated semiannual index. GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS The U.S. government publishes information that may be of use in the study of literary criticism. Many of these materials are found on OLE. The way to find older documents is to use the MONTHLY CATALOG OF UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS, GPO on CD-ROM, or one of several indexes located in the documents area. Government documents do not have the same type of call number as other materials in the library. They are organized by the Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) classification system. The first letters in the SuDoc represent the issuing agency. The Government Documents collection is located in Branson Hall. Documents reference service is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The collection is open to the public the same hours that the library is open. Indexes to Government Documents > Branson (Doc) > Branson (Library Network) > NewLib (Library Network) GPO GPO is a CD-ROM database that lists publications by the U.S. Government Printing Office from 1976 to the present. The user can type in title, agency, subject, or a combination of subject terms and retrieve a listing of titles and SuDoc numbers of documents that may be available in the NMSU documents collection. Issued bi-monthly. Selected U. S. Government Documents > Branson (Docs) LC1.2:D85 Ellmann, Richard. FOUR DUBLINERS-WILDE, YEATS, JOYCE, AND BECKETT. Washington: Library of Congress, 1986. These four essays, "Oscar Wilde at Oxford," "W. B. Yeats’s Second Puberty," "James Joyce In and Out of Art," and "Samuel Beckett: Nayman of Noland," were originally delivered as lectures at the Library of Congress presented under the auspices of the Gertrude Clarke Whittall Poetry and Literature Fund. > Branson (Docs) LC1.2:Or9 Hecht, Anthony, chairman. GEORGE ORWELL & Nineteen Eighty-Four: THE MAN AND THE BOOK. A Conference at the Library of Congress, April 30 and May 1, 1984. Washington: Library of Congress, 1985. Presents papers on "What Orwell Really Wrote," "Orwell: The Man," "NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR: The Book," and "NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR: Its Meaning Today" together with some discussion and a final select bibliography. > Branson (Docs) LC1.2:St4 Litz, A. Walton. WALLACE STEVENS: THE POETRY OF EARTH. Washington: Library of Congress, 1981. Argues that Stevens was a poet of one time and place by discussing the shape of Stevens's career and the characteristic motions of his mind.