Background and Reference Information
- Oxford Companion to ShakespeareGuide to Shakespeare’s works, including their interpretation around the world.
- Dictionary of ShakespeareThis dictionary offers entries with brief definitions on all aspects of Shakespeare, including entries on the plays and the major characters, on Shakespeare's life and his contemporaries, and actors, theatres and directors.
- 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.
Scholarly Articles and 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.
- World Shakespeare BibliographyCitations to books, articles, book reviews, dissertations, theatrical productions, reviews of productions, audiovisual materials, electronic media, and other scholarly and popular materials related to Shakespeare. Includes international and non-English-language materials.
- 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.
- Gale Literature CriticismExtensive compilation of literary commentary. Imagine centuries of analysis - the scholarly and popular commentary from broadsheets, pamphlets, encyclopedias, books and periodicals - delivered in format that matches the exact look and feel of the print originals. The net result is tens of thousands of hard-to-find essays at your fingertips.
Shakespeare in Video
- The Global Shakespeares Video & Performance Archivea collaborative project providing online access to performances of Shakespeare from many parts of the world as well as essays by scholars and in the field.
- 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.
- 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.
Film and Theater Reviews
- International Bibliography of Theatre and DanceSearch dance and theater arts journals on topics such as performing arts, ballet, drama, opera, film, and more.
- Times Digital Archive, 1785-2019Search full text and digital archive of "The Times of London" newspaper for the years 1785-2019. View either a specific article or a complete page with all articles, advertisements and illustrations/photos divided into categories.
- Access World NewsFull-text news from over 9,000 news sources in the U.S. and international newspapers, major wire services, and hundreds of local broadcasting outlets and blogs. There are over 100 Minnesota sources. Mostly English language news coverage with some 200 titles in Spanish, French, Afrikaans and other languages.
- 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.
Primary Texts
- Internet Shakespeare EditionsScholarly editions of full Shakespeare texts online, complete with annotations, some in quarto, folio, and modern versions. Includes performance materials from over 1000 film & stage productions of Shakespeare.
Last Updated: Feb 11, 2025 11:02 AM
URL: https://libguides.umn.edu/EngL/3007