Researching Literature at the Valle Verde Library

REFERENCE COLLECTION

(Level 1 of Library, Rows 7-11)

GALE LITERATURE SERIES - FINDING CRITICISM ABOUT YOUR AUTHOR

Use the paperback Contemporary Authors Cumulative Title Index (Row 8, REF PN700 C59) to look up your author. It indexes most of the Gale literary criticism reference books below using letter codes - the V.V. Library only owns the titles listed below:

• CA = Contemporary Authors REF PN700
• CA (r) = Contemporary Authors, Revised REF PN700
• CANR = Contemporary Authors, New Revision REF PN700
  - These three titles discuss authors' lives and writings.
• CLC = Contemporary Literary Criticism REF PN771.C59
  - Historical survey of the critical response to an author's work, presented in the form of excerpts from critical reviews. Covers authors now living or who died after 12/31/59.
• CMLC = Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism REF PN610 .C53 (use index in last vol.)
  - Excerpts of criticism of authors who died before 1400
• DC = Drama Criticism REF PN1625 .D72
  - Excerpts of criticism about playwrights from all time periods
• DFS = Drama for Students REF PN1625.D73
• DLB = Dictionary of Literary Biography REF PN701.D5
  - A literary biography looks at the author's life and analyses how it relates to his writing (themes, characters, style of writing, etc.).
• HLC = Hispanic Literature Criticism REF PQ7081.A1H573
  - Criticism of 20th century Hispanic-American and Spanish authors
• LC = Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800 REF PN 86.L53 C53 (use index in last vol.)
  - Excerpts of criticism of authors who died between 1400 and 1800
• NCLC = Nineteenth Century Literary Criticism REF PN761.N56 C53
  (use index in last vol.)
  - Excerpts of criticism of authors who died between 1800 and 1899
• NFS = Novels for Students REF PN800.N68
• NNAL = Native North American Literature REF PS508.I5N38 1994
  - Biography and criticism on Native American authors from the U.S. and Canada from historical times to present
• PC = Poetry Criticism REF PN1031.P64
  - Excerpts of criticism about poets from all time periods
• PFS = Poetry for Students REF PN1031.P66
• SATA = Something About the Author REF PN451 .S6
  - Biographies of contemporary children's authors and illustrators
• SC = Shakespearean criticism REF PR2965.S44 C53 (use index in last vol.)
  - Excerpts of criticism about Shakespeare's plays and poetry
• SSFS = Short Stories for Students REF PN771.S57
• SSC = Short Story Criticism REF PN771.S56
  - Excerpts of criticism about short story writers from all time periods
• TCLC = Twentieth Century Literary Criticism REF PN771.G27
  - Excerpts of criticism of authors who died between 1900 and 1959

MAGILL LITERATURE SERIES

These books have long essays about the most famous writers and their works. Several authors are covered in each book.

• Critical Survey of Long Fiction [novels] (REF PN3451.C7, REF PN3451.C75 and REF PR821.C7)
• Critical Survey of Drama [plays] (REF PN1625.C68 and REF PR623.C75)
• Critical Survey of Drama: Foreign Language Series [plays] (REF PN1625.C74)
• Critical Survey of Poetry (REF PN1021.C7, REF PN1111.C7 and REF PN1111.C76)
• Critical Survey of Short Fiction [short stories] (REF PN3321.C7)

CIRCULATING COLLECTION

ONLINE CATALOG

1. Search by SUBJECT for your author (last name, first name).
2. Find the sub-heading that reads "criticism and interpretation."
   E.g. KING, STEPHEN - CRITICISM AND INTERPRETATION
3. Look at the titles for that subject heading.

JOURNAL - PRINT FORMAT

The Explicator.

Published quarterly. 1956 - present. (Periodicals Desk.) 9/1/1976+ is also available full-text on the online database Academic Search Premier.

- 2 - 3 page critical interpretations of poetry and prose.
- Index 1974+ is in binder labeled "Explicator" on Row 14 of the Reference Collection.

ONLINE ARTICLE DATABASES

Literary Reference Center
- Biographies, literary criticism, Masterplots, and author interviews.

Literature Resource Center
- Biographies and literary criticism on authors from all time periods.
- Search by author, title, genre, time period or literary theme.
- Also links to other periodical articles and other Internet web sites about the author.

Also, try some of the "General Interest Articles" databases, especially for modern authors who only started publishing in the last 10 years, or whose works are not considered "serious literature."

FREE INTERNET DATABASES

The Internet Public Library Online Literary Criticism Collection. <http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/>
- Annotated links to critical and non-critical websites.

Literary Resources on the Net. <http://www.andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/>
- Annotated list of links to both scholarly and popular sites.
- Search by time period or genre.

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Created January 2001; last updated: January 18, 2008

Created and maintained by K.A. Gardner, V.V. Librarian

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