CHAPTER 17:

LITERATURE REFERENCE SOURCES

This chapter describes standard research aids for topics in literature
and literary criticism and explains some of their uses.

In this chapter the word literature refers to prose and poetry that is thought by at least some experts to be unusually fine expressions of feeling, imagery, and/or ideas—writings, in short, that have enduring human interest and appeal. 

A common impression about literature, as opposed to popular fiction and light reading, is that it is hard to read and understand. This opinion is not wholly true. Many great works of literature are clear, simple, and direct—and a delight to read. But let's face it. Some novels, plays, stories, and poems you are required to read for English or Modern Language classes are very difficult. The words and sentence structure are unfamiliar, the plots confusing, the ideas bewildering, the characters subtle and strange. 

Don't despair!  One of the most basic literature study aids is a simple plot summary. Of course, reading a summary is never an adequate substitute for reading the real thing, but plot summaries can help you follow the twists and turns of a confusing story, sort out the main characters, and get an overview of the work.

Sources of plot summaries include: MASTERPLOTS (ref PN44.M33), which contains brief versions of over 2,000 classics of world literature, including poems and non-fiction; the SURVEY OF CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE (ref PN44.M34), which summarizes outstanding writings published between 1954 and 1969; and MAGILL'S LITERARY SUPPLEMENT (ref PN44.M35), an annual publication that contains summaries and essay-reviews of 100 outstanding books published each year.
 
Literature courses also often require you to find information regarding the life and writings of a particular author. For many years the standard printed sources for living or recently dead authors has been a steadily growing set of books entitled CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS (index Z1224 .C6). This series now numbers almost 300 volumes, which contain brief, factual biographies of over 100,000 writers of fiction, songs, non-fiction, and poetry. The biographies include not only lists of the author’s writings, but also many additional sources of critical and biographical information. 

For particularly important writers, the standard printed source is another multi-volume set of books collectively entitled, DICTIONARY OF LITERARY BIOGRAPHY (DLB, index PS88 .D5). This series now includes over 320 volumes and contains lengthy biographical and critical essays on writers who have made major contributions to the development of English and American literature, regardless of when or where they lived.

These essays also include lists of the author’s writings and additional critical and biographical sources. Some of the volumes are topical or regional, others deal with particular literary genres, and others deal with time periods. A companion DLB Documents Series (index PS88 .D53) provides important documents related to the development of selected writers and literary movements. 

These two resources and over ninety other literary research aids now are indexed in the Literary Index database, which can be accessed from the Articles, Databases link on the Library's website. This index combines into one source and cross references more than 135,000 author names, including pseudonyms and variant names. 

A standard resource for locating literature criticisms is the 300+ volume set of LITERATURE CRITICISMS.  This expansive collection collects critical essays of the world's foremost literature, beginning with LITERATURE CRITICISMS FROM 1400 TO 1800 (index PN86 .L56) through CONTEMPORARY LITERARY Criticism (CLC, index PN771 .C59).

A particularly useful series created by Oxford University Press is devoted to various national literatures. The series includes, for example: 
THE OXFORD COMPANION TO ENGLISH LITERATURE (ref PR19.094 2000),  THE OXFORD COMPANION TO AMERICAN LITERATURE (ref PS21.H3 1995), and THE OXFORD COMPANION TO GERMAN LITERATURE, (ref PT41.G3 1997).

Click on link to go to the Assignments page and print Assignment SEVENTEEN

http://library.boisestate.edu/skills/locate/assignments.htm/