Research Guides: Literature: British Literature

British Literature

For best results in looking for books about topics in British literature, use OneSearch on the library's homepage to search for author names or the names of specific movements (e.g. Romanticism, the Bloomsbury Group.). Books about British authors and literature can be found on the fourth floor of the Fulton Library, starting at section PR 1.

Additional guides are also available for research on literary periods, topics, and specific authors.

Background Research

The following are excellent resources for background research on British writers and literature.

Online Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Literature Resource Center (LRC) [Gale] This link opens in a new window
Partially peer reviewed. Full-text content.
This literature database specializes in information from reference works, books, and literary journals. Includes plot summaries, synopses, literary criticism, book reviews, and more.
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.

Books

Oxford Companion to English Literature, Seventh Ed. (Ebook) by Margaret Drabble (Editor)
Publication Date: 2000
This book is also available in print.
Based on the text of Margaret Drabble's 1995 edition, this sixth edition has been completely reworked and expanded. There are nearly 600 entirely new entries to reflect the new figures and issues of English Literature in the new millennium, and the existing entries have been extensively revised and updated to incorporate the latest scholarship.
Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature (Ebook) by David Scott Kastan (Editor)
Publication Date: 2006
From folk ballads to film scripts, this encyclopedia covers the entire history of British literature from the seventh century to the present, focusing on the writers and the major texts of what are now the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. In five hundred substantial essays written by major scholars, the Encyclopedia of British Literature includes biographies of nearly four hundred individual authors and a hundred topical essays with detailed analyses of particular themes, movements, genres, and institutions whose impact upon the writing or the reading of literature was significant.
Oxford Guide to British Women Writers (Print Book) by Joanne Shattock
Publication Date: 1993
The growing interest today in women's writing has led to a re-evaluation of British literary history, emphasizing the vitality of both well-known women writers and bringing to light the work of numerous hitherto forgotten figures. Assuming no previous knowledge on the part of readers, The Oxford Guide to British Women Writers provides an accessible and stimulating beginner's guide to the widest range of British women's writing, from the earliest times to the present.

Recommended Databases

For best results, start your literature research in these recommended databases.

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.
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.
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.
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.

Journals

Use the following publications to either search for articles in your research or to keep up with research in British literature. Once you click on a link, you'll arrive at the landing page for the publication. Click on one of the links under full-text access to see issues of or articles from the publication.

ELH
Articles interpreting the conditions affecting major works in English and American literature, historical continuity in the discipline of letters; historical, critical and theoretical concerns.
English Studies
For more than a century, English Studies has been one of the defining publications in the field of English. Unique in the range and quality of its coverage, it attracts contributions from leading scholars worldwide on the language, literature, and culture of the English-speaking world from the Early Medieval period to the present day.

Library Help

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