Literature Resource Guide

Helpful books, databases, and web pages for your English assignments.

Articles and Databases

Use these databases to find articles published in academic journals, newspapers, and other print sources. Often you can gain access to the full text of the article online.

Academic OneFile
Search full-text articles from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and reference sources in a wide variety of subjects. Try clicking the box next to the search window to limit your search to peer-reviewed articles.

Gale Fine Arts & Music Collection
Search full-text magazines and journals for articles about drama, film, music, and art history. Try clicking the box next to the search window to limit your search to peer-reviewed articles.

General OneFile
Search full-text articles from news and magazine sources on a wide variety of subjects.

JSTOR (requires Multnomah County Public Library card)
Click on “JSTOR,” and enter your Multnomah County Public Library card number and PIN (probably the last four digits of your phone number) to access this enormous database. Provides a rich storehouse of full-text articles from a range of journals in the humanities. Highly recommended.

Literature Resource Center (requires Multnomah County Public Library card)
Click on “Literature Resource Center,” and enter your Multnomah County Public Library card number and PIN (probably the last four digits of your phone number). This easy-to-use database searches a variety of reference sources and primary documents.

Bible as Literature

Dewey ranges: 220-229, REF 220-229, 809.935

Anchor Bible Dictionary (6 vols.)
Provides detailed information on concepts, people, and places in the Bible. Six volume reference book set in the library (REF 220.3 ANC)

Bible: New International Version (NIV)
Full-text online version of the New International Version of the Bible. Search by book and passage. Drop down menus permit textual comparisons among different versions of the Bible. Commercial website.

Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature
Detailed alphabetical entries provide an overview of people and concept from the Bible and trace their relevance to English and American literature. Reference book in the library. (REF 220.3 DIC)

Harper Atlas of the Bible
Atlas includes color maps, illustrations, photographs, and descriptions of Biblical lands that play a significant role in religious texts. Reference book in the library. (REF 220.9 HAR)

New Interpreter’s Bible (12 vols.)
Each volume provides in-depth interpretations of several books of the Bible. Helpful resource for understanding historical and textual significance of passages in the Bible. Twelve volume reference book set in the library. (REF 220.77 NEW)

New Oxford Annotated Bible, 3rd edition
Complete text of the New Revised Standard Version (NSRV) of the Bible, including Apocrypha. Text offers helpful annotations and cross-references. Reference book in the library. (REF 220.5 NEW)

Roget’s Thesaurus of the Bible
This thesaurus groups together related concepts in the Bible, allowing for browsing by theme. Can be used with any version of the Bible, and includes a useful index. Reference book in the library (REF 220.5 DAY)

Biographies

Dewey Ranges: Biography collection (e.g., B SHAKESPEARE), REF 920

American Writers (multi-volume set)
A multi-volume set of books which provide biographical information, overviews of major works, and a selected bibliography of critical articles and other materials on a range of American writers. Use the index to find the right volume. Reference book set in the library. (REF 810.9 AME)

Biography Resource Center
Provides full-text biographical and critical articles on thousands of literary figures. Articles may be printed or emailed. Visit the US Library Databases page for login and password for off-campus access.

Dictionary of American Biography (multi-volume series)
Entries in this multi-volume series provide biographical information on a wide range of American literary figures. Reference book in the library. (REF 920.073 DIC)

Larousse Dictionary of Writers
Book offers brief biographical information on international authors. Titles and dates of major works are listed, along with birth and death dates of authors. Reference book in the library. (REF 928 LAR)

Critical Theory

Dewey Ranges: 801-801.95

Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide
Each chapter addresses an approach to critical theory, explaining the basic principles and suggesting questions that critics ask of literary texts. Book in the library. (801.95 TYS)

Introduction to Modern Literary Theory
Website offers brief, clear definitions of several prominent critical theories, followed by short lists of books and websites for further information. Site created by Prof. Siegel of Mount Mary College.

Literary Theory: An Anthology
Brief essays by a range of scholars provide information about several key critical theories. Detailed index and table of contents. Book in the library. (801 LIT)

Literary Theory: An Introduction, 2nd ed.
Chapters provide brief surveys of several critical theories and their proponents. Includes a detailed index. Authored by major Marxist critic Terry Eagleton. Book in the library. (801.95 EAG)

Dictionaries

Dewey Ranges: 423, REF 423

Oxford English Dictionary (20 vols.)
Comprehensive source of information on English language words, their origins, and their usage in literature. Twenty volume reference book set in the library. (REF 423 OXF)

Oxford English Dictionary Online
The electronic version of the Oxford English Dictionary provides comprehensive information on the origin and usage of words in English. Available from on and off campus. Visit the US Library Moodle page for login and password.

Drama / Theatre

Dewey Ranges: 792-792.9, 808.82, 809.2, REF 792-792.09, REF 808.203, REF 809.2

Cambridge Guide to American Theatre
Brief alphabetical entries on American playwrights, plays, and theatrical terms and concepts. Reference book in the library. (REF 792 CAM)

Encyclopedia of World Theater
Illustrated book with alphabetical entries on playwrights, directors, genres, and actors worldwide. Reference book in the library. (REF 792 ENC)

Gale Fine Arts and Music Collection
Search full-text magazines and journals for articles about drama, film, music, and art history. Try clicking the box next to the search window to limit your search to peer-reviewed articles.

Great Writers of the English Language: Dramatists
Provides biographical information, information on literary style, and lists of works published by dramatists writing in English. Reference book in the library. (REF 809.2)

Modern World Drama: An Encyclopedia
Provides brief overviews of key facts on over 1000 plays and profiles of playwrights, their themes and works. Coverage includes major playwrights and works primarily from North America, Europe, and Asia. Reference book in the library. (REF 808.23 MAT)

Oxford Dictionary of Plays
Brief alphabetical entries of 1000 significant plays from antiquity to the 21st century, including works from around the world that have been translated into English. Includes an index of characters and an index of playwrights. Reference book in the library. (REF 809.2 PAT)

Oxford Illustrated History of Theatre
Chapters describe the origins and history of theatre from Greece to early Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Photographs and illustrations throughout the book. Good source for historical background on world theatre’s historical roots. Reference book in the library. (REF 792.09 OXF)

Reader’s Encyclopedia of Word Drama
Illustrated guide to major dramatists, dramatic genres, historical information about nations’ theatre traditions, and major themes. Reference book in the library. (REF 809.2 REA)

Film

Dewey Ranges: 791-791.45, REF 791.43

Cinefiles
Search digital materials held at the University of California at Berkeley’s Pacific Film Archive Library. Materials include film reviews, interviews, popular and scholarly articles, program notes, and many others related to film history.

Film Quarterly
Print journal in the library.

Gale Fine Arts and Music Collection
Search full-text magazines and journals for articles about drama, film, music, and art history. Try clicking the box next to the search window to limit your search to peer-reviewed articles.

History of the American Cinema (10 vols.)
Photographs and text document major developments in American film history. Ten volume set of reference books in the library. (REF 791.43 HIS)

Literary Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Handbooks

Dewey Ranges: REF 803-880

Encyclopedia of Traditional Epics
Alphabetical encyclopedia of major epics worldwide, as well as major characters in those epics. Entries provide short summaries of the content and importance of each epic. Reference book in the library. (REF 809.1 JAC)

Feminist Writers
Provides brief essays on the life and work of feminist writers, lists of their key publications, and titles of critical works written about them. Includes writers from various countries. Reference book in the library. (REF 809.016 FEM)

Larousse Dictionary of Literary Characters
Brief alphabetical entries on characters’ names from a range of fiction and drama in English. Entries describe the character’s role, and name the work in which the character appears, along with the author and date. Reference book in the library. (REF 809 LAR)

Oxford Companion to English Literature
Dictionary of authors, movements, terms, literary theories, and brief summaries of works in English and American literature. Coverage dates from the origins of English literature to the present. Reference book in the library. (REF 820.9 OXF)

Oxford Companion to Twentieth Century Poetry
Information on poets and literary movements from 1900 to the present. Includes a wide range of poets writing in English throughout North America, the United Kingdom, India, and Pakistan, and regions of Africa. Reference book in the library. (REF 821 OXF)

Oxford Companion to Women’s Writing in the United States
Entries on American women writers, genres, literary theories and major themes. Coverage dates from the late 1700s to the present. Reference book in the library. (REF 810.9 OXF)

Sixties in America (3 vols.)
Three volume reference book set provides chapters on major people, events, and movements of the 1960s. Volumes include Primary Sources (speeches, broadcasts), Almanac (major political and social movements), and Biographies. Reference book set in the library. (REF 973.9 PEN)

Poetry

Dewey Ranges: 811-811.54, REF 808.81

American Verse Project
An electronic archive of American poetry prior to 1920, published by the University of Michigan. There are several different ways of searching the full texts of these poems.

Granger's World of Poetry (requires Multnomah County Public Library card)
Click on “Granger's World of Poetry,” and enter your Multnomah County Public Library card number and PIN (probably the last four digits of your phone number) to access this database. Search for criticism, information about a particular poet, or for poems on a topic (use the advanced search).

New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics
Chapters describe and define terminology, movements, and national trends in poetry. Reference book in the library. (REF 808.1 NEW)

Oxford Companion to Twentieth Century Poetry
Information on poets and literary movements from 1900 to the present. Includes a wide range of poets writing in English throughout North America, the United Kingdom, India, and Pakistan, and regions of Africa. Reference book in the library. (REF 821 OXF)

Poetry Archive
A collection of recordings of British and American poets reading their own work. Stream recordings from this website, which is the project of a non-profit organization run by poets.

Print journals in the library
Several print journals available in the Upper School Library are sources for new poetry and articles about poetry and creative writing. Subscriptions include Calyx, Daedalus, Granta, Northwest Review, Poetry, and Poets & Writers.

Teachers and Writers Handbook of Poetic Forms
Provides brief, specific descriptions of poetic forms, often followed by examples. Reference book in the library. (REF 808.1 TEA)

Quotations

Dewey Ranges: 808.8-808.882

Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, 16th ed.
Find quotations by author or by topic from a wide range of poetry, drama, and other literature in English. Reference book in the library. (REF 808.8 BAR)

Columbia Granger’s Dictionary of Poetry Quotations
Find familiar quotations from poetry by searching by poet’s last name. Entries provide the quotation and cite the work from which it comes. Use the keyword index to find quotations on a particular topic (e.g., sleep). Reference book in the library. (REF 808.881 COL)

Reviews (Books, Plays)

New York Times Historical Database (1851-1999) (Requires Multnomah County Public Library Card)
Click on “New York Times Historical Database.” Enter your Multnomah County Public Library card number and PIN (probably the last four digits of your phone number) to access the database. Provides searchable, full-text access to every issue of the New York Times from 1851-1999. Wonderful source for reviews of books, plays, or films during that period of time.

Shakespeare

Dewey Ranges: 822.3-822.33, REF 822.3-822.33

Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet
“An annotated guide to the scholarly Shakespeare resources available on the Internet,” prepared by Terry Gray. Includes timelines pertaining to Shakespeare’s works and concurrent historical events, and links to scholarly criticism.

Riverside Shakespeare
Quick source for the full text of all of Shakespeare’s comedies, histories, tragedies, and romances, as well as many of the poems. Detailed indexes provide information on characters, first lines of sonnets and songs. Reference book in the library. (REF 822.3 SHA)

Shakespeare A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Plays, His Poems, and His Life and Times, and More
Provides background information on terms, characters, and concepts found in Shakespeare’s works. Includes brief synopses of each act of the major plays. Entries are alphabetically arranged. Reference book in the library. (REF 822.3 BOY)

Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary (2 vols.)
Use the lexicon to find definitions of words employed by Shakespeare in his works. Alphabetical entries cite other instances of Shakespeare’s use of the word in the plays. Two volume reference set in the library. (REF 822.3 SCH)

Shakespeare’s Language: A Glossary of Unfamiliar words in His Plays and Poems
Alphabetical listing of words and phrases. Provides brief definitions followed by textual examples from Shakespeare’s works. Reference book in the library. (REF 822.3 SHE)

Shakespeare Quarterly
Print journal in the library.

11/2009 Sue Phillips and Phoebe Wayne

Catlin Gabel

Upper School