Research in Literature:
Texts, Criticism & Biographical Research

• Locate Texts
  • Search the Library Catalog
  • Search the LION database
  • Search the Web
    
• Criticism and Interpretation
  • in Reference Tools
    • General Works
    • Specific Genres (Fiction, Poetry, Drama)
  • in Books
  • in Journal Articles

• Biographical Information
  • General
  • Specific Categories
    
• Recommended Web Sites
  
• Citing Your Sources

• Download the ENG120 Research Log

Locate Texts

Search the Library Catalog

Search the LION Database

To locate texts online, try searching the Library's LION database. LION is a library subscription databases containing poetry, drama and prose searchable by title or author. Upon entering the LION database, you can use the Quick Search box to search for an author or title, or use the AUTHOR or TEXTS links for more search options.

Search the Web

There are many web sites devoted to online versions of literary texts. You can start your search using our Literature Internet Resources, Gateway Sites and Anthologies.

Criticism and Interpretation

Reference Tools - General Works

Contemporary Literary Criticism Mortola Ref PN771 .C59 (vols. 1-current)
(Select portions of CLC are also available in the Literature Resource Center library database.)
One of several collections of critical excerpts published by the Gale Group. To find out if a particular work or author is covered, consult the Cumulative Title Index located at the reference desk. The Cumulative Title Index will also point you to entries in these reference sets:

Contemporary Authors, CA                              REF Z 1224 .C61
Hispanic Literature Criticism, HLC                      REF PQ 7081.A1 H573 1994
Black Literature Criticism, BLC                           REF PS 153.N5 B556 1992
Short Story Criticism, SSC                                 REF PN 3373 .S386
Poetry Criticism, PC                                          REF PN 1010 .P499
Nineteenth Century Literary Criticism, NCLC     REF PN 761 N5
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, TCLC       REF PN 771 .G27 v.1-8

The Explicator Cyclopedia    Mortola Ref Desk PR401 .E9 (vols. 1-3)
Volume 1 covers modern poetry, Volume 2 covers traditional poetry, and Volume 3 covers prose.

Literature and Its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them Mortola Ref PN50 .L574 1997 v.1-5
Provides the historical background of 300 of the most-studied novels, plays, poems, speeches and short stories. Each entry examines both the historical setting of the literary work and the historical events taking place at the time the work was written and provides suggestions for further reading.

Also see: British and Irish Literature and its Times: Celtic Migrations to the Reform Bill (Beginnings-1830s) Mortola Ref PR25 .M67 2001

and British and Irish Literature and its Times: the Victorian Era to the Present (1837-) Mortola Ref PR471 .M65 2001

Magill's Bibliography of Literary Criticism Mortola Ref Desk Z6511 .M25 (vols. 1-4)
Lists criticism of more than 2,500 works of Western literature; arranged by author.

Masterplots    Mortola Ref PN44 .M32 (vols. 1-6)
Plot summaries of and critical essays on major works, arranged by genre. See also the Magill on Literature Plus library database.

Top of Page

Reference Tools - Specific Genres

Items listed here are merely starting points, be sure to browse these Call Number areas in the Reference collection for additional resources.

Fiction

• The Contemporary Novel    Mortola Ref Z1231 .F4 A34
  
• Critical Survey of Short Fiction    Mortola Ref PN3373 .M24 (vols. 1-7)
  
• English Novel Explication   Mortola Ref Z2014 .F5 P26 Suppl.
  
• Short Story Criticism    Mortola Ref PN3373 .S5

Poetry

• American and British Poetry    Mortola Ref Desk Z1231.P7 A44 1984
  
• Critical Survey of Poetry    Mortola Ref PN1021 .C7 2003 (vols. 1-8)
  
• Poetry Criticism    Mortola Ref PN1010 .P499
  
• Poetry Explication    Mortola Ref Z2014.P7 K8 1980

Drama

• American Drama Criticism    Mortola Ref Desk Z1231.D7 P3 1979
  
• Critical Survey of Drama: English Language Series    Mortola Ref PN625 .C7 1994
  
• Drama Criticism    Mortola Ref Desk Z5781 .C65 (vols. 1-2)

 

Top of Page

Finding Books in the Pace Library

You can find books that you can check out by searching the online Pace Library Catalog. 

• If you want to know if we own a particular title, perform a Title search in the Catalog.
  
• If you want to find books about an author and about what an author has written (criticism), try entering that author's name as a Subject search.  These subject headings follow a specific format.  Personal names are entered last name first, as follows:
  • Chaucer Geoffrey D 1400
  • Shakespeare William 1564 1616
  • Woolf Virginia 1882 1941
  • Orwell George 1903 1950

  TIP: Look for entries such as "Chaucer Geoffrey D 1400 Criticism and Interpretation" to focus in on books containing criticism.

  There are some exceptions to the last name first rule, such as:

  • Sophocles
  • Marcus Aurelius Emperor of Rome 121 180
  • Thomas Aquinas Saint 1225 1274
    
• You may also wish to search the catalog by Keyword. Keyword searches are especially useful if you want to search for more than one concept.  For example, if you want to find information about St. Thomas Aquinas's ethical philosophy, you can search for "aquinas AND ethics".  Similarly, if you want to limit your results to those dealing with a particular Shakespeare play, you can search for "shakespeare AND tempest". 
  
• For additional tips on searching the catalog, see the library's guide to Using the Pace Library Catalog.

Top of Page

Finding Journal Articles

Academic Search Premier

Full Text database of humanities, social sciences, non-technical general sciences and current events.  Help on searching this database is available.

JSTOR

Contains back issues of scholarly journals.  For a list of journals included in JSTOR, visit our E-journal List.

LION: Literature Online

Upon entering the LION database, follow the link for CRITICISM & REFERENCE. On the subsequent screen, you can then search by Keyword (i.e. Morrison and Song of Solomon) or Author/Subject. Results will be provided consisting of journal articles, items in Reference works, as well as web sites. (This will automatically include a search of the MLA Bibliography, which you can search separately if you would like, see below).

 

Literature Resource Center

In-depth information on the lives and writings of nearly 100,000 authors along with access to selected reviews and critical reaction to their works.

Magill on Literature Plus

Primarily a plot summary and biographical information database, entries here also usually include a short bibliography of further reading which may lead you to valuable critical pieces.

MLA Bibliography

Modern Language Association International Bibliography for literature in modern languages. Indexes articles from 1963 to the present. Does not include full text articles.  Help on searching this database is available.

OmniFile Full Text

This is a full text database with coverage beginning in 1994, containing the full text, with indexing and abstracts from the following databases: Readers' Guide Abstracts Full Text, Humanities Abstracts Full Text, and Social Sciences Abstracts Full Text.

 

Research Library

Contains citations, with abstracts, to more than 1,900 general-interest periodicals. Included are over 500 periodicals related to the social sciences, nearly 400 related to the humanities, and more.  Help on searching this database is available.

Biographical Information

General

Biography and Genealogy Master Index (Subscription Database)

Comprehensive index to more than 11 million biographical sketches in over 3000 volumes and editions of current and retrospective reference books, covering both contemporary and historical figures throughout the world.

 

Contemporary Authors    Ref Z1224 .C599

Biographical profiles of authors; check the cumulative index located at the reference desk to find out if your author is included in this or another set published by the Gale Group.

 

LION: Literature Online (Subscription Database)

Upon entering the LION database, use the Quick Search box to enter an author's name (last name first) or use the AUTHORS link for Advanced search options.

 

Literature Resource Center (Subscription Database)

This online collection of literary reference sources provides in-depth information on the lives and writings of nearly 100,000 authors along with critical reaction to their works.  Help on searching this database is available.

 

Magill on Literature Plus (Subscription Database)

A comprehensive reference database comprising information on over 1,500 notable authors.

Specific Categories

African American Writers    Mortola Ref PS153.N5 A344 2001

American Ethnic Writers Mortola Ref PS153 .M56A414 2000

Profiles 136 American poets, playwrights, novelists, short story writers, autobiographers and non-fiction writers of African, Asian, Jewish and Native American descent.

 

American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies    Birnbaum Ref PS129 .A55

Asian American Literature: Reviews and Criticism Mortola Ref PS 153.A84 A82 1999

 

Asian American Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook  Mortola Ref PS153 .A84A825 2000

 

British Writers    Mortola Ref PR85 .B688

Covers major British authors from Langland to Browning.

Dictionary of Literary Biography Mortola Ref (various locations)

100+ volumes published and shelved by category.  Check the Biography and Genealogy Master Index to see which set your author appears in.

 

The Feminist Companion to Literature in English: Women Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present Mortola Ref PR111 .B57 1990

Hispanic Writers  Mortola Ref PQ7081.3 .H58 1999
Entries on 20th century Hispanic writers, adapted from Contemporary Authors.

Latin American Writers  Mortola Ref PQ7081.A1 L37 1989 (vols. 1-3)

Includes lengthy articles with bibliographies.

 

Native American Literatures: an Encyclopedia of Works, Characters, Authors, and Themes Mortola Ref PS153.I52 W47 1999

Covers Native American poetry, fiction, and prose. It lists more than 300 entries, divided into four types: individual authors, individual works, important characters in works, and terms or events of historical importance. Summaries and interpretive information on texts.

Citing Your Sources

Once you have finished your research, you will need to cite your sources using MLA citation format.  For information on MLA format, consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (Mortola Ref Desk LB2369 .G53 2003).Additional information on citation format is available on the Pace Library home page (see How to Cite Resources).Still Need Help? Ask a Librarian!