Literary Criticism
From FSU Libraries Subject Pages
Contents |
Literary Criticism
Literary criticism is the analysis or interpretation of literary works. Literary criticism often involves the analysis of a single work, a comparison of different works by the same author, or the comparison of different works connected by a theme, time period, or genre. Some scholars of literary criticism utilize different schools and theories (i.e. reader-response, deconstructionism, Marxist theory). This particular guide is designed to help undergraduates learn to find basic materials at the Florida State University Libraries to support research in literary criticism. The guide includes reference works, call number areas, search suggestions, subject headings, and websites.
General Reference Works
Reference books can be found on the first floor of Strozier Library. They can only be used in the library. One can browse the reference collection (see Finding a Book for a list of call numbers to browse) or perform a search in the online FSU Library Catalog by limiting the location to “Strozier, Reference” under Advanced Search.
- Glossary of Terms/Dictionaries
Not sure what ‘foregrounding’ or ‘intertextuality’ means? These dictionaries include alphabetical listings of terms covering form, genre, cultural theory, technique and critical terminology. These are invaluable tools for anyone reading or writing literary criticism.
Childs, Peter, and Roger Fowler, eds. Routledge Dictionary of Literary Terms. STROZIER LIBRARY Reference PN41 .D4795 2006
Hawthorn, Jeremy. A Glossary of Contemporary Literary Theory. STROZIER LIBRARY Reference PN44.5 .H37 2000
- Encyclopedias
Murray, Chris. Encyclopedia of Literary Critics and Criticism.
STROZIER LIBRARY Reference PN86 .E63 1999
This encyclopedia provides a comprehensive guide to a wide range of individual writers, critics and theorists. Entries on critics include biography, influence, analysis, major works and further reading. The entries range from 900 to 4,000 words, and all have an up-to-date guide to further reading. Many provide a detailed discussion of a subject; others give an overview that draws together a range of themes and writers. (book blurb)
Ruud, Jay. Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature. STROZIER LIBRARY -- Reference -PN669 .R88 2006
This A-to-Z reference examines the literature not only of Europe but also of China, India, Japan, the Islamic world, and elsewhere from 500 A.D. to 1500 A. D. with an emphasis on early British Literature. The 700+ entries focus on primary information rather than critical interpretation. (book blurb)
Schellinger, Paul, ed. Encyclopedia of the Novel. STROZIER LIBRARY –
Reference -- PN41 .E487 1998
Provides information about authors’ lives and works, technical and formal aspects of novels, critical approaches and the origins and development of the novel in countries and regions around the world. Entries on individual writers assess the place of that writer within the development of the novel form, explaining why & in what ways a writer is important. Individual novel entries discuss the importance of that novel not only within the work of its writer but also within the history of the novel form. (book blurb)
Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature. STROZIER LIBRARY -Reference -- PN471 .S58 2006
An accessible one-volume encyclopedia with hundreds of informative A-to-Z entries covering a wide range of works and writers from around the world, as well as a range of genres, including novels, short stories, poetry, plays, and criticism. It focuses on the feminist works and writers that most often appear in high school and college curriculums. According to Library Journal, "features include a comprehensive index, a list of authors by genre, a list of major authors of feminist literature and their works, a time line of feminist literature, a primary- and a secondary-source bibliography, and a filmography."
- Criticism Collections
Each volume has excerpts from book review periodicals, general magazines, scholarly journals, monographs and books. Includes critical evaluations from the beginning of the authors’ careers to the most current commentary. Also features interviews, feature articles and other published writings. Each volume profiles about 10 to 12 novelists, poets, scriptwriters and other creative writers. Each of the approximately 200 excerpts per volume is prefaced by a full citation and annotation.
Contemporary Literary Criticism. STROZIER LIBRARY -- Reference -- PN771 .C59
Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800. STROZIER LIBRARY -- Reference -- PN86 .L56
Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. STROZIER LIBRARY -- Reference -PN761 .N56
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. STROZIER LIBRARY -- Reference -- PN771 .T93
- Handbooks/Companions/Guides
Dillar, R.H.W., and Amanda Cockrell, eds. Twayne Companion to Contemporary Literature in English. STROZIER LIBRARY -- Reference -- PS225 .T88 2003 This two-volume set comprises critical examinations of 101 writers who were working or influencing the work of other writers during the past quarter of a century, and who have not been widely written about elsewhere. The essays, 5,000 to 6,000 words in length, present biographies, context-setting discussions, and critical interpretations of their major works. (Books in Print)
Groden, Michael, Martin Kreiswirth, and Imre Szeman, eds. The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism. STROZIER LIBRARY Reference PN81 .J554 2005 While concentrating on the explosion of contemporary critical and theoretical works, the Guide presents a comprehensive historical survey of ideas and individuals ranging from Plato and Aristotle to twentieth-century scholars. It includes more than 240 alphabetically arranged entries on critics and theorists, critical schools and movements, and the critical and theoretical innovations of specific countries and historical periods. (Books in Print)
Harmon, William. A Handbook to Literature. STROZIER LIBRARY – Reference -- PN41 .H355 2006 This handbook provides an alphabetical listing of more than 2,000 important terms and facts in literature, linguistics, rhetoric, criticism, printing, bookselling, and information technology. Covers a wide range of terms, most centered in literature, but extending into other areas, such as film, radio, TV, literary theory, music, graphic arts, classical studies, and computing and information science. (Books in Print)
Magill, Frank N, ed. Masterplots. STROZIER LIBRARY -- Reference – PN44 .M33 1996 Essays on standard and recent classics of world literature. Covering major literary works from antiquity to the 1990s, each entry includes a summary of the work and a critical evaluation. Masterplots series include American Fiction, African-American Literature, , British Fiction, European Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Drama, World Fiction and Short Story Masterplots. (Books in Print)
Finding a Book
Literary criticism can be found in collections of essays or in books written by literature scholars. Books can be located by several methods. One can either browse the collection or search in the online FSU Library Catalog.
- To browse the literature and literary criticism, go to the 5th floor of Strozier Library. Languages, Literature, Theater, Communication, and Film are all located in the P section in the Library of Congress System. The following breakdown can help you find literary criticism materials:
PN---Literature history and collections (General)
PQ---Romance literature
PR---English literature
PS---American literature
PT---Teutonic literatures
PZ---Fiction and juvenile literatures
(Note: The reference collection on the first floor of Strozier uses the same call number system)
- One way to search the catalog is to do an Advanced Search. Put in the name of the text you are researching in the first box, and in the second box put in a search term related to your topic. Here is an example:
- You may also want to do a subject heading search:
Other subject headings you could look up include:
Poetry -- History and criticism
Fiction -- History and criticism
American literature -- History and criticism
British literature -- History and criticism
English drama -- History and criticism
Short stories, American -- History and criticism
Finding an Article
You may also find literary criticism in articles in scholarly journals and in book collections.
- Examples of key literary journals include:
Comparative Literature Studies
- One can find journal articles in our online databases. All of the following databases can be found from the FSU Libraries homepage by clicking on “English” under the Find articles, journals, and databases by subject section in the middle of the screen.
Essay & General Literature Index
Indexes essays and articles that have been published in collections as books. It is a good source of literary criticism published in books rather than in periodical articles from 1985-More than 300 volumes are indexed annually.
Literature Resource Center
Includes Contemporary Authors, Dictionary of Literary Biography, and Contemporary Literary Criticism Select Provides access to biographies, bibliographies and critical analysis of authors from every age and literary discipline.
MLA Bibliography
Multilingual index to books and journals in the fields of literature, languages, linguistics, and folklore from 1926-present.
Project MUSE
Provides access to the full-text of more than 200 scholarly journals published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. Subjects include art, anthropology, classics, culture and society, demographics, economics, folklore, history, language, literature, mathematics, medicine and health, philosophy, politics, religion, science, sociology, etc.
Websites
Guide to Conducting Literary Research
The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing
Research and Documentation Online
Introduction to Modern Literary Theory
Created by Arianne Hartsell and Stephen Michaels