Research Guides: Shakespeare &amp; Tudor Literature: Home

Getting Started

The Swan, 1596 — A sketch of a performance at the Swan, 1596,
via Wikicommons

This guide contains strategies and resources that can be used to find information for both ENGL 2300: Shakespeare and ENGL 3620: Tudor Literature. In these classes, you have a wide range of possibilities for topics from textual analysis to adaption to the interplay of history with literature. To help narrow these possibilities to a focused topic, consider these questions:

What stands out to you about your chosen text? What themes or characters surprised you?
Was there something about your chosen text that confuses you or that you would like more information about?
What connections do you see between texts, between a text and its social and historical context, or the text and something else?
What symbolism or layers of meaning do you see in your chosen text?

This guide will build on what you've learned so far about library research in ENGL 1010 and 2020. And, if it's been a while since you had those classes, this guide will be a great refresher.

Recommended Databases

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

Internet Shakespeare Editions [University of Victoria] This link opens in a new window
Non-peer reviewed. Full-text content.
This non-profit scholarly website specializes in Shakespeare. Publishes in three main areas: Shakespeare's plays and poems, Shakespeare's life and times, and Shakespeare in performance.
JSTOR [ITHAKA] This link opens in a new window
JSTOR is a large humanities database that covers literature, history, philosophy, religion, and other topics. It is a great place to start researching topics in Tudor literature and Shakespeare's work.
MLA International Bibliography [EBSCO] This link opens in a new window
This database contains articles on topics in literature and languages and is best used for topics that are focused on rhetoric, literary styles, and other topics focused on Shakespeare and Tudor literature.
Project MUSE [Johns Hopkins University] This link opens in a new window
This database contains recent articles in a wide range of humanities topics including literature, history, philosophy, religion, and other related topics. It is best used after a search through JSTOR, to tech for updates.
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.
Arts & Humanities Database [ProQuest] This link opens in a new window
Partially peer reviewed. Full-text content.
Explores humanities subjects, including art, architecture, history, philosophy, music, literature, and theater. Offers journal articles and more.
Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) [University of Michigan] This link opens in a new window
Non-peer reviewed. Some full-text content. Open Access.
Dedicated to early English books. Contains thousands of highly accurate and searchable volumes.
Perdita Manuscripts, 1500-1700 (Lost Women Authors) [Adam Matthew Collection] This link opens in a new window
Non-peer reviewed. Full-text content.
Dedicated to the “lost” works of early modern women authors, who’s writing only exists in manuscript form. Includes digital copies of original manuscripts by 16th and 17 century women in the British Isles.