Reference and Background Information on Authors, Themes
- Literature OnlineFind literary criticism and scholarly articles on literature included in the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature and The MLA International Bibliography. It also includes an online full text library of literary reference resources and searchable full-text of over 300,000 works of English and American poetry, drama, and prose.
- Dictionary of Literary Biography This link opens in a new windowProvides biographical and critical essays on the lives, works, and careers of the world's most influential literary figures from all eras and genres. Includes the DLB main series, the DLB Documentary Series, and the DLB Yearbook Series. Search by full-text keyword, author, topic, volume title, publication date, or DLB series.
- Oxford Handbooks OnlineOxford Handbooks contain peer-reviewed scholarly review articles in Archaeology, Business and Management, Classical Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Economics and Finance, History, Law, Linguistics, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Religion. Included are classic works of scholarship along with newly-published works. Each handbook offers a critical survey of the current state of scholarship in a particular field of study. Individual articles by leading scholars review key issues and major debates, and discuss how those debates might evolve.
- Oxford Research Encyclopedia of LiteratureOxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature aims to map, over time, the world's entire landscape of literary expressions and criticism, weaving together the various fields and approaches that make up literature in its broadest sense. Peer-reviewed and frequently updated, articles have the opportunity to feature a wide array of multimedia resources, including audio-visual materials, links to digital archives, and other pedagogical tools.
Literary Analysis: Words, Language, Allusions, and Symbols
- Oxford English Dictionary OnlineFull-text of the 2nd ed. The OED covers words from across the English-speaking world. It also offers etymological analysis, listings of variant spellings, and shows pronunciation using the International Phonetic Alphabet.
- Adonis to Zorro: Oxford dictionary of Reference and Allusion byISBN: 9780199567454Publication Date: 2010-12-02This dictionary explains meanings of allusions in modern English.
- Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore and Symbols byISBN: 9780810820364Briefly describes folklore, myths, symbols, names, beliefs, and customs of cultures, religions, and civilizations.
- Dictionary of SymbolismOnline symbolism dictionary sponsored by the University of Michigan.
Scholarly Journal Articles and Literary Criticism
- MLA International BibliographyUse the MLA International Bibliography to find scholarly books and articles on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics. This index has been compiled by the Modern Language Association of America since 1926.
- Literature OnlineFind literary criticism and scholarly articles on literature included in the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature and The MLA International Bibliography. It also includes an online full text library of literary reference resources and searchable full-text of over 300,000 works of English and American poetry, drama, and prose.
- JSTORFind full text articles in academic journals or books on the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences. JSTOR provides articles from the journal's first issue. In some cases the most recent 2-5 years may not be available. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
- Project MuseSearch for full-text journals in literary theory, classics, history and cultural studies, philosophy, film, theater and performing arts, political science, and mathematics.
- Google Scholar (Setup connection to get to PDFs)Use Google Scholar to find articles from academic publishers, professional societies, research institutes, and scholarly repositories from colleges and universities. If you are using from off-campus access, change the "Library Settings" to University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Look for the "FindIt@U of M Twin Cities" links in your Google Scholar search results to access full text and PDFs. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
Popular Magazine Articles/General Databases
- Academic Search PremierA great place to start your research on any topic, search multidisciplinary, scholarly research articles. This database provides access to scholarly and peer reviewed journals, popular magazines and other resources. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
- MasterFile CompleteSearch magazines, with a small number of journals and newspapers, covering a broad range of disciplines and topics. Includes photos and multimedia.
- Reader's Guide RetrospectiveUseful for researching popular culture in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century. Search for articles from popular magazines from 1890-1982.
Newspaper Articles
- FactivaSearch millions of newspapers, business magazines, and newswires with international and foreign language coverage with all editions of the Wall Street Journal. Financial information for publicly traded companies, stocks, funds, currencies, and common market indexes. Limited to 7 simultaneous users.
- ProQuest Historical NewspapersSearch old editions major U.S. newspapers and the Times of India. Papers include the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Other titles include the Atlanta Daily World, Chicago Defender, Christian Science Monitor, Jewish Advocate, the Jewish Exponent, Los Angeles Sentinel, the New York Amsterdam News, Pittsburgh Courier, South China Morning Post, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
- News SourcesA guide to finding newspapers, magazines, broadcasts, and other news sources at the UMN Libraries.
Drama and Theatre
- Digital Theatre+Digital Theatre+ offers streaming access to hundreds of films of live performances and educational resources from leading theater companies, such as the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Almeida Theatre, and the Royal Court Theatre. The database includes plays, musicals, operas, and ballets, as well as documentaries, interviews with industry professionals, and study guides.
- Drama Online Core CollectionIncludes full texts of plays from across the history of the theatre, ranging from Aeschylus to the present day. Includes non-English-language works in translation, scholarly and critical editions, first night program texts, and critical analysis and contextual information. Critical interpretations, theatre history surveys and major reference works on authors, movements, practitioners, periods and genres are included alongside performance and practitioner texts, acting and backstage guides.
- Drama Online: National Theatre Collections 1 & 2The National Theatre Collections on Drama Online include 40 filmed performances, drawing on 10 years of NT Live broadcasts, alongside high-quality archive recordings never previously seen outside of the NT’s Archive.
- Theatre in Video: Volume IWatch hundreds of online videos, including documentaries and definitive performances of the worlds most important plays. From Shakespeare to rare, in-depth footage of the work of Samuel Beckett including a range of 20th century theatre history. Interviews with directors, designers, writers, and actors, along with excerpts of live performances deliver an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at hundreds of productions.
- International Bibliography of Theatre and DanceSearch dance and theater arts journals on topics such as performing arts, ballet, drama, opera, film, and more.
Poetry Resources
- Twentieth-Century American PoetryThis unparalleled collection includes 50,000 poems drawn from 750 volumes by over 300 poets, including Adrienne Rich, Andrei Codrescu, Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, Denise Levertov, Wallace Stevens, Langston Hughes, Lucille Clifton, and Cathy Song.
- English Poetry DatabaseThis database comprises the works of almost 1,350 poets from 600-1900. Certain categories of material have been excluded from the database: translations into English verse after 1800, hymns published after 1800, works in languages other than English, verse drama intended for the stage, and poems never published or only published in contemporary newspapers, journals or miscellanies.
- American Verse Project (Poetry)The American Verse Project is assembling an electronic archive of volumes of American poetry prior to 1920. The full text of each volume of poetry is being converted into digital form with various forms of access provided through the web.
Tutorial: Creating an effective search strategy
Tutorial: Database search tips
Improve your searches! This guide will help you:
- Apply search modifiers AND, OR, and NOT to your database searches
- Recognize phrase searching and other advanced search techniques
Getting full text
When using Library resources, the FindIt link is your connection to accessing the full text of articles if a PDF link is not already visible.
This short video will show you how to get to the articles you need for your research paper or other University of Minnesota assignments. Never pay for articles! If we don't have it online, request it and we will get it for you.
Get help from the U Libraries - Online!
- Peer Research ConsultantsMake an online 30 minute appointment for one-on-one peer assistance with your research. Get help with researching your topic, finding sources, citing sources and more. Peer Research Consultants can also help you get started with faculty-sponsored research.
- Chat 24/7 online with the LibrariesAsk us anything! Chat with a librarian, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with any research or library questions.
- Meet with a librarianSchedule an online consultations for personalized research support primarily for University of Minnesota faculty, instructors, graduate and undergraduate students and staff.
Presentation Slides
- Library Resources for College in the Schools LiteratureSlides from 2/9/22 Professional Development Day
Last Updated: Jul 19, 2024 3:07 PM
URL: https://libguides.umn.edu/CISLiterature