The Reference Shelf:  Literature

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Literature Resource Center

"Rich in biographical, bibliographical, and critical content, the Literature Resource Center is the premier Internet resource for information on literary figures from all time periods writing in such genres as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, journalism, and more.   These searches are available: Author Search. Enables the user to find biographies, bibliographies, and full-text criticism of an author's works and literary career. Title Search. Enables the user to locate a reference to a work of literature within author biographies, bibliographies, critical essays, and work overviews. Keyword Search. Enables the user to conduct a broad search against targeted fields in each document. Advanced Search. Enables the user to design a more powerful search using such criteria as Author Name, Title, Critic name, Keyword, and Full Text. Authors by Type Search. Enables the user to identify an author or list of authors using a variety of classifications, including genre, literary movement/time period, nationality, ethnicity, gender, date of birth and/or death. Literary-Historical Timeline Search. Enables the user to target a specific date range for literary figures, movements, and historical events. Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature Search. Enables the user to find entries for authors, works, literary landmarks, literary and critical terms, mythological and folkloric figures, fictional characters, literary movements and prizes from the entire 10,000-plus-term resource."   How to cite information from the LRC

 

Other General Literature Resources
American Ethnic Writers From the introduction:  "American Ethnic Writers explores the rich tradition of these writers and the ways in which they have expressed their sense of identity through literature, both fiction and nonfiction. This set profiles 136 writers and one or more of their works. Thus, 217 essays provide an analysis of literary works—novels, plays, short stories and collections, poems and collections, autobiographies, and essays."	netLibrary
Chronology of American Literature: America's Literary Achievements from the Colonial Era to Modern Times From the introduction:  "...A record of America’s literary achievements from the beginning of European exploration and settlement through the end of the twentieth century...The Chronology is divided into five sections, corresponding to major stages in American literary history. Each work is briefly described to indicate what it is about and why it is included. Key birth and death dates and literary prizes are listed in sidebars, alongwith annual bestseller lists beginning in 1895."	netLibrary
Encyclopedia of Literature and Criticism "A discussion of English Literature, how it has been discussed, and how it is being discussed now."	netLibrary
Lannan Foundation Audio Archive An amazing audio collection of readings and interviews of contemporary authors.  "The archive contains several hundred hours of programs; many are once-in-a-lifetime events featuring a wide-ranging group of writers, poets, social and cultural activists and thinkers. The archive grows on a monthly basis as we continue to add fresh audio files from live programs hosted in Santa Fe before a public audience as well as additional Lannan-sponsored events. Many events feature a reading by the selected writer or poet followed by a lively conversation between the reader and a colleague." Authors include:  W.S. Merwin; Czelaw Milosz; Toni Morrison; Joyce Carol Oates; Sharon Olds; Russell Banks; and T.C. Boyle
Literary Index "Gale's Literary Index provides quick and easy access to author and title listings from over 130 literature products from Gale and the imprints Charles Scribner's Sons, St. James Press, and Twayne Publishers. The referenced products themselves will contain complete biographies on authors and critical essays on their writings. You can use Gale's Literary Index as a starting point to locate authors and titles covered in any [of the] volumes."
Minnesota Author Biographies Project "Provides biographical sketches of 36 past and present Minnesota authors. Each entry is accompanied by a selected bibliography of significant works by the author and lists of both print and web-based sources of additional information about the author."
Routledge History of Literature in English "This book explores the long, jagged history of writing in the British Isles, from the Anglo-Saxon and the early Christian period up to the present day.  It emphasizes the growth and development of the English language and how changing understanding of the nature of language has affected the growth of writing. It looks in detail at the at the social and cultural history of the centuries in which the British literary tradition has grown, and explores the historical experience as well as the literary importance of the writers it considers."	netLibrary

Poetry
Poets.org "The official website of Academy of American Poets, Poets.org offers hundreds of essays and interviews about poetry, biographies of more than 500 poets, over 1,700 poems, and audio clips of one hundred poems."

Children's and Young Adult's Literature
100 Most Popular Picture Book Authors and Illustrators Biographical information, with a list of selected books and suggestions for further reading.	netLibrary
100 More Popular Young Adult Authors: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies	netLibrary
Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators From the Introduction:  "...Contains three types of entries: biographies about the creators; overviews of history, issues, and genres; and “Voices of the Creators,” written by thirty of our finest authors and illustrators.  Focus[es] primarily on contemporary American authors and illustrators..."	netLibrary
Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature Publisher's description: "It offers comprehensive coverage of children's literature, from medieval chapbooks of moral instruction for children to J. K. Rowling's immensely popular Harry Potter books. ...The Encyclopedia not only documents but also interprets every work, major and minor, that has played a role in the history of children's literature in the world. General essays illuminate prominent trends, themes, genres, and the traditions of children's literature in many countries. In addition, the Encyclopedia provides biographies of important writers, as well as extensive coverage of illustrators with numerous examples of their work. Sociocultural developments such as the impact of toys, films, animation, the Internet, literacy, libraries and librarians, censorship, the multicultural expansion of the field, and other issues related to the appreciation and dissemination of children's literature are also addressed. "While the Encyclopedia concentrates on the tradition known best by its readership, it also covers the international development of children's literature and offers an unprecedented treatment of works from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, African countries, and other nations."	Oxford
Quotation Index to Children's Literature "...Designed to identify and locate quotations and phrases found in books, tales, and poetry commonly considered to be works for children, few of which have been indexed in the standard quotation indexes. It is not merely a collection of inspirational lines or quotations selected by topic. This is the place to find out where “Always winter and never Christmas” and “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents” come from. It will help identify books that are set in fictional towns like Who-ville and Chewandswallow and those that feature characters like the Lost Boys and the Assistant Pig-Keeper.  It will also answer specific questions about a book, such as “What did Charlotte write about Wilbur in her web?” and “What is Pippi Longstocking’s full name?”  Using the keyword and subject entries in the index, you can find quotations from children’s literature on a particular topic."	netLibrary

Fiction
100 Masters of Mystery and Detective Fiction From the Introduction:  "...Attempts to be both wide-ranging and in-depth. However, it also serves as a snapshot of a hundred admirable men and women of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as they broke ground in a field that grows larger with each passing year. Detectives and spies, amateurs and private eyes are becoming increasingly diverse in personality traits and backgrounds. The female detective, once rare, is a thriving species, and she is joined by American Indians, African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, homosexuals, and those with physical disabilities. The sleuth at home may be an art historian, a wine connoisseur, or a steeplechase jockey. This diversity represents more than a marketing gimmick; it has contributed pleasing dimensions of characterization not found in early mysteries."	netLibrary
Classics of Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature From the introduction:  "A two-volume set offering plot summaries and analyses of 180 major books and series in the fields of science fiction and fantasy. The titles it covers have been selected because they rank among the most frequently taught books in their fields in high school and undergraduate literature and cultural history courses."	netLibrary