Research Guides: ENGL 3655: Victorian Literature: Home

Getting Started

David Copperfield in Canterbury — Estella, Miss Havisham, and Pip, from
*Great Expectations*. Illustration by A.M. Brock, 1901

In ENGL 3655, you will be required to complete a research project. Your topics for these projects should touch on gender, class, race, imperialism, ecology, and other issues that intersect with the literature of nineteenth-century Great Britain and Ireland.

Here are some things to think about as you develop your topics and research questions:

What is the historical context of your chosen text? What events or societal concerns might have influenced the author?
What cultural values, assumptions, or attitudes are reflected in or challenged by your chosen text? What tensions do you see?
How are women, children, people of color, and people of lower social classes represented in the text?
What critical theories would be useful in analyzing your chosen text?

The different pages of this guide offer tips for doing background research, building searches for library databases, and advanced search strategies. If you have any questions or want to discuss topic ideas, please contact your subject librarian.

Recommended Resources for Literature Research

If you are new to literary research, I highly recommend the following resources to help you understand literary criticism and literary theory.

Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism (Ebook) by Michael Groden, Martin Kreiswirth, and Imre Szeman (Editors)
Publication Date: 2004
The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism has become the indispensable resource for scholars and students of literary theory and discourse. The second edition includes 48 new entries and subentries and has been revised throughout, taking account of 10 years of rapidly changing scholarship.
A New Handbook of Literary Terms (Ebook) by David Mikics
Publication Date: 2007
A New Handbook of Literary Terms offers a lively, informative guide to words and concepts that every student of literature needs to know.
Oxford English Dictionary (Ebook)
Publication Date: 1989
The Oxford English Dictionary is a unique resource that not only defines words in English, but offers complete word histories and origins. This online edition of the Oxford English Dictionary includes the 1989 edition, with subsequent updates.

Oxford Reference Online [Oxford] This link opens in a new window
Non-peer reviewed. Some full-text content.
Portal site providing access to titles from the Oxford University Press. These encyclopedias, dictionaries, and companions cover a wide range of topics including zoology, literature, mathematics, law, sociology, religion, history, art, dance, and economics. License restricts use on some titles.

Recommended Databases

The following databases have different advantages and drawbacks, but I use all of them for literature and history research.

JSTOR [ITHAKA] This link opens in a new window
Partially peer reviewed. Some full-text content.
This multidisciplinary database includes subjects like literature, history, art, sociology, psychology, mathematics, communication, and science. Contains ebooks, articles, and journals.
Project MUSE [Johns Hopkins University] This link opens in a new window
Partially peer reviewed. Full-text content.
Covers the humanities and social sciences, such as literature, theater, art, psychology, business, film studies, and more. Includes access to journals, books, and more.
MLA International Bibliography [EBSCO] This link opens in a new window
Partially peer reviewed. No full-text content.
This database focuses on the English language and literature. Provides access to articles in linguistics, literary criticism, folklore, and related topics.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Partially peer reviewed. Some full-text content. Open access.
Google Scholar offers sources across many disciplines and sources, like academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities, and websites. Results include articles, theses, books, abstracts, court opinions, and more.

You can also use OneSearch for historical and other interdisciplinary research.

OneSearch [EBSCO] This link opens in a new window
Partially peer reviewed. Some full-text content. Videos. Audio Recordings.
OneSearch is the default search on the Fulton Library’s homepage. Includes the library’s books and videos, articles from many library databases, and more.