Need Citation Help?
Use the Library's quick guides to help with citing in MLA or APA style.
- MLA Citation Style HelpA series of examples to help with MLA citation style.
- APA Citation StyleA series of examples to help with citing in APA style.
- Chicago Style/Turabian Citation Style HelpA series of examples to help with Chicago/Turabian citation style.
Citation Tools
- ZoteroA citation management tool, helpful for organizing and formatting the references for your bibliographies.
- How to Guide to EndNoteContains links and information on downloading and using the EndNote citation management software.
- How to Guide to MLA StyleA guide to citing with MLA style, with examples of various citation formats.
Classic Catalog Search
Google Scholar Search
Open Access Journals
PMLA Table of Contents
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Recommended Databases
These databases are particularly good for research in literary studies.
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowThis electronic version of the MLA International Index comprehensively covers modern languages and literature. (1963 -)
- Web of Science This link opens in a new windowTracking citations is the most important feature of this scholarly interdisciplinary index (1980 - ). Arts & Humanities Search is one component of this database.
- Project Muse This link opens in a new windowA searchable database that provides access to the full text of journals published by Johns Hopkins University Press and other university presses.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowProvides image and full-text online access to back issues of selected scholarly journals in history, economics, political science, demography, mathematics, and other fields of the humanities and social sciences. WSU has perpetual access to the Arts and Sciences I-XV, Hebrew Journals and Sustainability Collections.
- Early English Books Online This link opens in a new windowEarly English Books Online (EEBO) contains digital facsimile page images of virtually every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from 1473-1700 - from the first book printed in English by William Caxton, through the age of Spenser and Shakespeare and the tumult of the English Civil War.
- Gale Primary Sources Eighteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new windowECCO consists of every significant English-language and foreign-language title printed in the United Kingdom during the 18th century, along with thousands of important works from the Americas onThe American Revolution, The French Revolution and The Industrial Revolution.
- ECCO-TCPFully-searchable, SGML/XML-encoded texts from the 150,000 titles available in the Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) database
- Gale Primary Sources Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new windowNineteenth Century Collections Online is a digitized collection of primary sources related to the nineteenth century. Materials within the collection consist of monographs, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, ephemera, maps, statistics, and more. Four archives are available: "British Politics and Society;" "European Literature, 1790-1840: The Corvey Collection;" "Asia and the West: Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange;" and "British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture."
- British Humanities Index This link opens in a new windowAn international abstracting and indexing tool for research in the humanities.
- Iter bibliography This link opens in a new windowIter's bibliography includes literature pertaining to the Middle Ages and Renaissance (400-1700). Citations for books, journal material (articles, reviews, review articles, bibliographies, catalogues, abstracts and discographies) are included, as are citations for essays in books (including entries in conference proceedings, festschriften, encyclopedias and exhibition catalogues).
Databases for Literary Research
General Databases
These databases cover a wide range of topics and will help you find a number of full-text scholarly articles to begin your research.
Online Journals
- Project MUSEClick for a list of the many literary criticism journals available. Full-text articles from the most current issues.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowJSTOR contains full text for over 100 journals of literary criticism. Most issues are backfiles. For the most current articles consult Project MUSE or search the MLA Bibliography database.
- PMLA, 2002-currentOnline access from 2002-current to articles from PMLA. For previous years see JSTOR.
- PMLA, 1889-2004Backfiles of PMLA available from JSTOR.
- Early Modern Literary StudiesEarly Modern Literary Studies (ISSN 1201-2459) is a refereed journal serving as a formal arena for scholarly discussion and as an academic resource for researchers in the area.
- American Literary ScholarshipNow sold as an annual journal, American Literary Scholarship covers current critical analysis of American literature. Bibliographic essays are arranged by writers and time periods, from pre-1800 to the present. Among the writers discussed are Emerson, Hawthorne, Poe, Melville, Whitman, Twain, James, Pound, and Faulkner.
- Year's Work in English Studies (YWES)The Year's Work in English Studies is the qualitative narrative bibliographical review of scholarly work on English language and literatures written in English. Print copies are available in the Purdy/Kresge library, covering 1919/1920-1992,1996-2005. Call number: PE 58 .E6
- American periodicals series online, 1740-1900 This link opens in a new windowConsists of digitized reproductions of more than 1,100 eighteenth and nineteenth century newspapers and periodicals in the original microfilm reproduction series, American periodical series, I, II, and III. When completed in 2003, this database will have more than 7,000,000 pages of full text periodicals.
Where are the print journals?
The library focuses on providing online access to journals when possible. However, a small collection of print issues of journals are located on the second floor of the Kresge wing of the Purdy-Kresge Library. They are arranged alphabetically by title.
Check the library catalog to see whether a journal is available in print or online.
Literary Theory Books and Reference Resources
New Directions in Philosophy and Literature by Call Number: WSU Libraries ebookISBN: 9781474449144Publication Date: 2019This forward-thinking, non-traditional reference work uniquely maps out how new developments in 21st century philosophy are entering into dialogue with the study of literature.
The New Feminist Literary Studies by Call Number: WSU Libraries ebookISBN: 9781108599504Publication Date: 2020The New Feminist Literary Studies presents sixteen essays by leading and emerging scholars that examine contemporary feminism.
- Race in LiteratureBooks and ebooks with the subject heading Race in Literature in the library's collections.
History and Background
- British History OnlineAccording to its site description, "British History Online is the digital library containing some of the core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles."
Theory
Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction by
What is literary theory? Is there a relationship between literature and culture? In fact, what is literature, and does it matter? These are some of the questions addressed by Jonathan Culler in this Very Short Introduction to literary theory. Often a controversial subject, said to have transformed the study of culture and society in the past two decades, literary theory is accused of undermining respect for tradition and truthand encouraging suspicion about the political and psychological implications of cultural projects rather than admiration for great literature. Here, Jonathan Culler explains "theory", not by describing warring "schools" but by sketching key "moves" theory has encouraged, and speaking directly about the implications of theory for thinking about literature, human identity, and the power of language. In this new edition Culler takes a look atnew material, including the "death of theory", the links between the theory of narrative and cognitive science, trauma theory, ecocriticism, and includes a new chapter on "Ethics and aesthetics". This lucid introduction is useful for anyone who has wondered what all the fuss is about or who wants tothink about literature today.
Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780199691340Publication Date: 2011
Literary theory: An Introduction by Call Number: E-book (Online)ISBN: 9781405179218Publication Date: 2008
Literary Criticism from Plato to the Present: An IntroductionCall Number: E-book (Online)ISBN: 9781444328011Publication Date: 2010Chapters on all major critical movements. Helpful for overview of a critical approach.
The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & CriticismCall Number: Z 6514 .C97 J64 1994 (Purdy/Kresge) LIB USE ONLYISBN: 0801845602Publication Date: 1994
Definitions & Literary Analysis
Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory by
With new entries and sensitive edits, this fifth edition places J.A. Cuddon's indispensable dictionary firmly in the 21st Century. Written in a clear and highly readable style Comprehensive historical coverage extending from ancient times to the present day Broad intellectual and cultural range Expands on the previous edition to incorporate the most recent literary terminology New material is particularly focused in areas such as gender studies and queer theory, post-colonial theory, post-structuralism, post-modernism, narrative theory, and cultural studies. Existing entries have been edited to ensure that topics receive balanced treatment
Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781118326015Publication Date: 2012
Dictionary of Postmodernism by
A Dictionary of Postmodernism presents an authoritative A-Z of the critical terms and central figures related to the origins and evolution of postmodernist theory and culture. Explores the names and ideas that have come to define the postmodern condition - from Baudrillard, Jameson, and Lyotard, to the concepts of deconstruction, meta-narrative, and simulation - alongside less canonical topics such as dialogue and punk Includes essays by the late Niall Lucy, a leading expert in postmodernism studies, and by other noted scholars who came together to complete and expand upon his last work Spans a kaleidoscope of postmodernism perspectives, addressing its lovers and haters; its movers and shakers such as Derrida; its origins in modernism and semiotics, and its outlook for the future Features a series of brief essays rather than fixed definitions of the key ideas and arguments Engaging and thought-provoking, this is at once a scholarly guide and enduring reference for the field
Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781118902158Publication Date: 2015
- Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new windowGale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
- Historical Dictionary of Science FictionThis work-in-progress dictionary is a comprehensive quotation-based dictionary of the language of science fiction. It is edited by Jesse Sheidlower, adjunct assistant professor in the Writing program at Columbia University.
- Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new windowElectronic version of: Oxford English dictionary, 2nd ed., New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.
Web Resources
- English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC)From the British Library, this list contains items published between 1473 and 1800 in English. Texts can be found in the Early English Books Online (EEBO) database.
- Electronic Literature OrganizationHosted by MIT, this site features "new literary forms that are made to be read on digital systems, including smartphones, Web browsers, and networked computers." Browse the "electronic literature collection, v. 1."
- Medieval Imaginations: Literature and Visual Culture in the Middle AgesFrom Cambridge University, this site offers "a database of images to enable you to explore the interface between the literature and visual culture of medieval England."
- British Library Discovering LiteratureA free educational resource that provides access to the Library’s literary and historical collections. Access manuscript and printed sources on the historical, political and cultural contexts in which key literary works were written. Includes short documentary films and teacher notes.
- Center for Renaissance Studies ConsortiumWSU is a member of this consortium:
It provides
Reimbursement of travel and accommodation costs for any faculty member or graduate student who conducts research or participates in medieval and/or early modern programming at the Newberry Library (including conferences, one-day workshops for graduate students, and graduate courses)
The ability for faculty and ABD graduate students to apply for earmarked short-term research fellowships at the Newberry Library
The ability for graduate students to apply for one-day workshops on medieval and/or early modern topics
The ability for graduate students to take semester-long courses on medieval and/or early modern topics
The ability for graduate students to participate in and help organize an annual interdisciplinary conference on medieval and early modern research
The ability for faculty to apply to run one-day workshops and/or semester-long courses on medieval and/or early modern topics
The ability for faculty to apply to organize small conferences on medieval and/or early modern topics
Reciprocal rights at the Folger Library in Washington, DC, allowing faculty and graduate students to be reimbursed for research expenses and to participate in medieval and early modern programming there - Shakespeare & the Four HumorsInformation about the display, along with resources on Shakespeare and Elizabethan medicine.
Literary Magazines
Literary Magazines
Available through WSU Libraries
Poetry & Short Story Reference Center (Includes The Iowa Review, The Southern Review, Southwest Review, Boulevard, Virginia Quarterly Review, Kenyon Review, AGNI, Greensboro Review, The American Poetry Review, New England Review, Poetry, Antioch Review, Massachusetts Review)
ProQuest Central (Includes New Yorker, Ploughshares, Michigan Quarterly Review, Harvard Review, The Atlantic Monthly)
Project Muse (Includes Fourth Genre, River Teeth, Missouri Review, The Sewanee Review, Prairie Schooner)
Request through Interlibrary Loan
Paris Review, A Public Space, North American Review, Timothy McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, The Gettysburg Review, One Story, Zyzzyva, ZoeTrope: All Story, Fiction, Granta, Black Warrior Review, The Threepenny Review, n+1, Conjunctions, Ninth Letter, Glimmer Train (ceased publication 2019), American Short Fiction, New Letters, Alaska Quarterly Review, CutBank,
Available freely online
Colorado Review, Oxford American, Narrative Magazine, Able Muse Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, TriQuarterly, crazyhorse, Harper’s Magazine,