Introduction to Literary Study

This is a list of some of the resources in Paul Robeson Library, and on the Internet, that might be useful to students in Introduction to Literary Study. Feel free to contact Julie Still or any of the other librarians for further assistance.

• Reference Works
  
• Locating Books
  
• Appropriate Journal Indexes
  
• Selected Databases and Internet Resources
  

Reference Works

Poplawski, Paul. A Jane Austen Encyclopedia / REF PR4036.A28 1998
Lambdin, Laura C. and Robert Thomas Lambdin (eds.) A Companion to Jane Austen Studies / PR4037.C66 2000
Gilson, David. A Bibliography of Jane Austen / REF PR 4036 .G54 1982
Roth, Barry. An Annotated Bibliography of Jane Austen Studies, 1973-1983 / REF PR 4037 R68 1985
Paul Robeson Library English Guide
Paul Robeson Library Poetry Criticism Guide
Paul Robeson Library Shakespeare Reference Sources Guide

Locating Books

Use these subject headings when looking for books in IRIS, the Rutgers Libraries Catalog:

• Austen, Jane
• Shakespeare, William
• Poetry

Since the libraries own a great many books on all of these topics you may want to experiment with the Keyword "search everything" option. You can put in terms that will be searched through author, title, subject, and, where available, table of contents. For example, "shakespeare and romeo and characters" will retrieve books that discuss those three concepts in some way.

Be aware that items at the Alexander Library in New Brunswick purchased before c. 1970 and not checked out since then are not included in IRIS. We have a copy of their old card catalog from c. 1970 on microfilm. Ask at the Reference Desk for more information.

Two other catalogs may be useful in locating resources for your paper. You can request items from these catalogs on interlibrary loan.

• RLIN -- database of catalogs from research libraries
• CRL (Center for Research Libraries)

Appropriate Journal Indexes

The library has several journal indexes available. The best indexes for you are probably:

• MLA International Bibliography, the primary index for literary criticism
  
• Project Muse, full text articles from selected humanities journals, for the last 5 years or so, including Shakespeare Quarterly
  
• Gale Literature Resource Center is the online equivalent of print publications such as Nineteenth Century Literary Criticism and Shakespearean Criticism
  
• Academic Search Premiere is less likely to have in-depth literary criticism but it does have the full text of some relevant journals
  

Selected Databases and Internet Resources

Some of the databases may be of interest or use to you.

• Republic of Pemberley (http:www.pemberley.com) contains the full text of Sense and Sensibility as well as some other relevant Austen resources.
  
• Jane Austen Information Page (http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/janeinfo.html) contains the full text of Sense and Sensibility as well as related reference materials.
  
• English Poetry Database and African American Poetry Database. Both of these are on the Rutgers Libraries Database page and contain the searchable full text of poems.
  
• Literary Resources on the Net (http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/)
  
• Voice of the Shuttle (http://vos.ucsb.edu), electronic resources in the humanities.

Khan, Sadiya P. "A critical review of Internet sites as a research source for Shakespeare," Library Review 49 #8 (2000): 392-399. Available on the web.

Still, Julie and Vibiana Kassabian, "Searching for Bill and Jane: Electronic Full-Text Literature," Database (Oct/Nov 1998): 12-24.

updated 1/17/02
still@crab.rutgers.edu
Return to Julie Still's home page