Research Guides: Literature: Poetry

Poetry

There is no one section for poetry in the Fulton Library's literature collection. Poetry is, like other works of literature, organized by the language the author wrote in—with British and American authors in two big sections because there are so many of them. For example, Pablo Neruda, who wrote in Spanish, will be with the Spanish language literature. Emily Dickinson will be with the American literature in the PS call numbers, while Elizabeth Barrett Browning will be with British literature in PR.

For best results when searching for poetry, search for the name of the poet.

To locate a copy of a specific poem, contact the subject librarian as many poems are published in anthologies and collections.

Background Research

The following are excellent resources for background research on poetry.

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

Cambridge Companion to American Poetry Since 1945 (Print Book) by Jennifer Ashton (Editor)
Publication Date: 2013
The extent to which American poetry reinvented itself after World War II is a testament to the changing social, political, and economic landscape of twentieth-century American life. Registering an important shift in the way scholars contextualize modern and contemporary American literature, this Companion explores how American poetry has documented and, at times, helped propel the literary and cultural revolutions of the past sixty-five years. This Companion sheds new light on the Beat, Black Arts, and other movements while examining institutions that govern poetic practice in the United States today.
On Modern Poetry: From Theory to Total Criticism (Ebook) by Robert Rowland Smith
Publication Date: 2012
Drawing on the key insights of both literary criticism and theory, On Modern Poetry tries to get beyond the opposition between them, proposing instead a 'total criticism' that draws on all resources available. It combines 'analytic irony' with 'imaginative empathy' in order to generate fresh insights.
Oxford Companion to Modern Poetry, Second Ed. (Ebook) by Jeremy Noel-Tod and Ian Hamilton (Editors)
Publication Date: 2013
This impressive volume provides more than 1,500 thoroughly revised and updated entries on modern poets active from 1910 to the present day. An extensive guide to the lives of influential poets writing in English, in Britain, and around the world, this companion helps to illuminate the influences, inspirations, and movements that have shaped the lives and works of our best-loved poets.
Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics (Print Book) by Roland Greene (Editor-In-Chief)
Publication Date: 2012
Through three editions over more than four decades, The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics has built an unrivaled reputation as the most comprehensive and authoritative reference for students, scholars, and poets on all aspects of its subject: history, movements, genres, prosody, rhetorical devices, critical terms, and more. Now this landmark work has been thoroughly revised and updated for the twenty-first century.
Princeton Handbook of Poetic Terms (Ebook) by Alex Preminger, O. B. Hardison, and Frank J. Warnke (Editors)
Publication Date: 1987
This compact volume makes available a selection of 402 entries from the widely praised Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, with emphasis on prosodic and poetic terms likely to be encountered in many different areas of literary study.

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 about poetry. 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.

American Poet
Features articles, interviews, reviews, and an emerging poets series.
American Poetry Review
Presents a diverse array of contemporary poetry and literary prose; aims to expand the audience interested in poetry and literature, and to provide authors, especially poets, with a far-reaching forum in which to present their work.
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.

Library Help

Call: 801.863.8840
Text: 801.290.8123