Literary criticism is the term applied to the reasoned study and analysis of a literary document. It is not intended to find fault with the piece of literature, but rather to examine it to determine attributes such as the composition's meaning, structure, and worth by comparison to other works. We analyze literature to increase our understanding and appreciation. Like a good discussion or debate, the observations of others may be useful in developing our own interpretations. However, the main purpose of a critical essay is to articulate and attempt to corroborate your views on the work, not simply summarize the plot, reconstruct the author's life or reiterate another critic's comments.
Some ideas about structuring a critical essay:
- Begin with a purposeful introduction:
Announce an argument, pose a question or communicate the intellectual appreciation of a topic. Show significance of topic or question - why is it interesting and important? - Develop the critical threads:
Help the reader understand the essential facts - provide textual support about the work/topic/concept, but do not summarize the plot. Consider incorporating pertinent and/or insightful information about the author's life (see Biographical Information about the Author), the relationship of the piece to the period (see Criticism Arranged by Author's Time Period) and/or other opinions or theory about the work (see Literary Criticism about an Author or his Work).
Help the reader understand your own "critical judgments" - provide the criterion against which the work/topic/concept is being compared. Clearly state your line of reasoning that makes your theory/ position valid or invalid. Give specific, relevant examples to confirm or refute your assertions. - End with a strong conclusion:
Recap. Refocus attention on compelling pieces of supporting evidence. Discuss the implications or applications of your thesis. Invite further study.
Biographical Information about the Author
Reference Resources
- Dictionary of Literary Biography -- Ref PS21 .D56
Systematically presents career biographies and criticism of writers from all eras and all genres through volumes dedicated to specific types of literature and time periods. 300+ volumes - Dictionary of Literary Biography Documentary Series -- Ref PS21 .D561
Intended as a supplement to the Dictionary of Literary Biography, the Documentary Series makes significant literary documents accessible to students and scholars. Each volume concentrates on a particular literary period or movement - African American Authors, 1745-1945
Ref PS153.N5 A32 2000 - African American Writers
Ref PS153.N5 A344 2001 - American Writers to 1900
Ref PS92.A43 1983 - American Writers since 1900
Ref PS92.A432 1983 - Ancient Writers: Greece and Rome
Ref PA3002 .A5 1982 - Asian American Novelists
Ref PS153.A84.A825 2000 - Contemporary Authors
Ref Z1224.C6 - Contemporary Authors New Revision
Ref Z1224.C61 - Contemporary American Ethnic Poets
Ref PS153.M56 C66 2004 - Dictionary of British and American Women Writers, 1660-1800
Ref PR113.D5 1985 - Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers
Ref PN481.E5 1991 - Feminist Writers
Ref Z5304.A8 F46 1996 - Great American Writers: Twentieth Century
Ref PS221.G74 2002 - Great World Writers: Twentieth Century
Ref PN771.G73 2004 - Modern American Women Writers
Ref PS151.M54 1990 - Women Writers of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
Ref Z2233.5.W6W66 1989
To find biographies about an author in our online catalog
Subject search: Morrison, Toni - biography
To find biographical information in our online databases:
All of the databases listed are available on the databases page.
- Biographies Plus Illustrated
- Contemporary Authors
- LexisNexis Academic
- Literature Resource Center
- Literature Online (LION)
To find biographical information on the web:
Criticism Arranged by Author's Time Period
Reference Sources
- Classical and Medieval Literary Criticism
Ref PN681.5.C57 - Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800
Ref PN86.L53 - Nineteenth Century Literary Criticism
Ref PN761.N5 - Twentieth Century Literary Criticism
Ref PN771.G27 - Contemporary Literary Criticism
Ref PN771.C59 - World Literature and Its Times (vol. 1-4)
Ref PN50.M625 - Shakespearean Criticism
Ref PR2965.S43
To find information about literary history in our online catalog:
Subject search:
- American Literature - Colonial Period, ca.1600-1775
- European literature - 20th century
- Harlem Renaissance - Encyclopedias
To find information about literary history in our databases:
Literature Resource Center - Literary-Historical Timeline
To find information about literary history on the web:
- Literary History
http://www.literaryhistory.com/ - IPL Literature by Time Period
http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/hum60.40.00/ - Literary Resources on the Net
http://www.andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/
Literary Criticism about an Author or Work
Reference Sources
American Literature
- African American Authors, 1745-1945
Ref PS153.N5 A32 2000 - African American Literature, Oxford Companion to
Ref PS153.N5 O96 1997 - African American Writers
Ref PS153.N5A 344 2001 - American Ethnic Literatures
Ref Z1229.E87 P43 1992 - American Writers
Ref PS129.A55 - Asian American Writers
Ref PS153.A84 1999 - Asian American Literature
Ref PS153.A84 A82 1999 - Critical Perspectives on Native American Fiction
Ref PS153.I52 C751993 - Handbook of Native American Literature
Ref PM155.D53 1996 - Hispanic Literature of the United States
Ref PS153.H56 K36 2003 - Latin American Writers
Ref PQ7081.A1L37 1989 - Modern American Women Writers
Ref PS151 .M54 1990 - Modern Latin American Literature
Ref PQ7081.F63 1975
Multicultural and World Literature:
- African Literature and Its Times
Ref PN50.M625 2000 - African Writers
Ref PL8010.A453 1997 - British and Irish Literature and its Times: Beginnings to Current
Ref PN50.M625 2001 - British Writers
Ref PR85 .B688 1984 - European Writers
Ref PN501.E9 1985 - Hispanic Literature Criticism
Ref PQ7081.A1H573 1994 - Latin Literature and Its Times
Ref PN50.M625 1999
Gay Lesbian Literature
- Gay and Lesbian Literary Heritage
Ref PN56.H57 G365 1995 - Gay & Lesbian Literature
Ref PN56 .H57 G36 1994
Women
- More Women in Literature: Criticism of the Seventies
Ref PN56.W64 - Bloomsbury Guide to Women's Literature
Ref PN471 .B57 1992 - Feminist Writers
Ref Z5304 .A8 F46 1996 - Modern American Women Writers
Ref PS151 .M54 1990
General
- Contemporary Dramatists
Ref PR106 .V5 1982 - Critical Survey of Drama
Ref PR623 .C75 1986 - Critical Survey of Long Fiction
Ref PR821 .C7 2000 - Critical Survey of Poetry
Ref PR 502 .C85 - Critical Survey of Short Fiction
Ref PN 3321 .C7 2001 - Drama Criticism
Ref PN1625.D72 - Nonfiction Classics for Students
Ref PN3555 .N67 2001 - Poetry Criticism
Ref PN1010.P499 - Social Impact of the Novel
Ref PN3344 .J64 2002 - Short Story Criticism
Ref PN3321.S5
Plot Synopsis and Basic Criticism
- Authors Digest; The World's Great Stories in Brief
Ref PN44.J7 1970 - Critical Survey of Drama: English Language Series
Ref PR623.C75 1985 - Critical Survey of Drama: Foreign Language Series
Ref PN1625.C74 1986 - Critical Survey of Long Fiction
Ref PR821.C7 2000 - Critical Survey of Long Fiction: Foreign Language Series
Ref PN3451.C75 1984 - Critical Survey of Long Fiction: English Language Series
Ref PR821.C7 1983 - Critical Survey of Short Fiction
Ref PN3321.C7 2001 - World Literature Since 1945; Critical Surveys of the Contemporary Literatures of Europe and the Americas
Ref PN771.I9 - Masterplots: 2010 Plot Stories and Essay Reviews
Ref PN44 .M33 - Masterplots Complete-- includes the contents of 21 sets of reference books with information on over 11,000 works of literature and over 2,000 author biographies
CD-ROM at Reference Desk
Poetry Reference
- Critical Survey of Poetry
Ref PR502 .C85 - Critical Survey of Poetry: Foreign Language Series
Ref PN41 .C7 1984 - Modern Spanish American Poets
Ref PS21.D56 v.283 - Poetry Criticism
Ref PN1010.P499 - The Poet's Dictionary: A Handbook of Prosody and Poetic Devices
Ref PN44.5.P3 1989 - Contemporary American Ethnic Poets
Ref PS153.M56 C66 2004
To find books on literary criticism about an author or his work in our card catalog
Subject search- Morrison, Toni - Characters
- Morrison, Toni - Criticism and interpretation
- Morrison, Toni - Political and social views
To find chapters of literary criticism about an author or his work in a book by one or more authors:
Essay and General Literature Index (1900- ) At study tables on 1st floor
This index leads the researcher to chapters in larger books that have to do with the author or work.
To find literary criticism about an author or his work in our online databases:
Literature Resource Center
is an online database providing access to biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses of authors from every age and literary discipline. It offers in-depth coverage of more than 120,000 novelists, poets, essayists, journalists, and other writers, with in-depth coverage of 2,500 of the most-studied authors. This database includes searchable electronic versions of Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism, and Dictionary of Literary Biography.
Literature Online (LION)
is an online database with biographical entries for over 3,200 authors, 174 full-text journals, more than 860,000 records covering monographs, periodical articles, critical editions of literary works, book reviews, collections of essays and doctoral dissertations published anywhere in the world and electronic versions of several notable print reference works.
Wilson OmniFile
is full of articles as far back as 1995 text plus abstracts and bibliographic indexing of the most noted scholarly sources in the humanities, as well as numerous lesser-known but important specialized magazines. The database indexes, abstracts and delivers the full text of feature articles, interviews, obituaries, bibliographies, original works of fiction, drama, and poetry, book reviews, and reviews of ballets, dance programs, motion pictures, musicals, operas, plays, radio and television programs, and more.
MLA International Bibliography
is the major database in the area of literature, language and linguistics and indexes 4,000 journals, monographs and proceedings. Mostly it serves as an index, though there is some linked full text. Once you have identified an interesting article, you can use the Periodical Locator to check whether we have access to that particular journal.
Academic Search Premier
is a large academic multi-disciplinary database, providing full text for nearly 4,700 publications, including full text for more than 3,600 peer-reviewed journals. PDF back files to 1975 or further are available for well over one hundred journals, and searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,000 titles. This database is updated on a daily.
JSTOR
is a full text retrospective database. The fifty-eight titles in the Language & Literature Collection span the literary cultures of many different countries, and contain articles in several languages, including Arabic, Italian, and German. Developed with the help of the Modern Language Association, this collection includes PMLA and a range of core journals in the diverse fields of literary criticism that have emerged in the last thirty years.
To find literary criticism about an author or work on the web:
- Literary Resources on the Net
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/ - American Authors on the Web
http://lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/AmeLit-G.html - IPL Online Literary Criticism Collection
http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/ - MERLOT
http://www.merlot.org/ - Literature and Literary Criticism
http://www.southtexascollege.edu/main/litsearch.html - Yahoo Humanities/Literature Directory
http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Literature/
Critical Theory evolved as a means of communicating a considered opinion about a literary work. To suggest that most theorists' "approaches" may be grouped into broad categories that focus exclusively on the text, the author, the reader or the context of the work is an oversimplification. Literary theory often builds on past models and is complexly interwoven. Some examples of movements, perspectives and schools of literary criticism include:
| Archetypal Theory/Myth Avant-Garde Criticism Bakhtin Group Biblical Criticism Cultural Criticism Constructivism Dadaism |
Deconstruction Dialogic Criticism Existentialism Feminist Criticism Formalist French Feminism Gender Criticism Genre Criticism Hermeneutics |
Linguistic Criticism Marxist Criticism Modernism Neo-Aristotelian New Criticism New Historicism Prague Linguistic Circle Post colonialism Postmodernism |
Post structuralism Psychoanalytic Criticism Reader-response Criticism Reception Theory Russian Formalism Semiotics Surrealism Structuralism Travel Theory |
A very good book in our collection, A Guide to Criticism and Research, (PN81.S73 1996), is helpful in the analysis of a literary work as it:
- discusses different approaches to literary criticism,
- offers instruction on topics such as introducing a thesis or refuting other critics' arguments,
- provides starting points for accessing electronic and print reference sources on your topic, and
- gives many sample essays and MLA citations to refer to when documenting your sources
Other Reference Tools about Literary Terms and Concepts:
- Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms
Ref PN41.C67 1990 - Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory
Ref PN41.C83 1991 - Dictionary of Modern Critical Terms
Ref PN41.D4794 1987 - Encyclopedia of Contemporary Literary Theory: approaches, scholars, terms
Ref PN81.E63 1993 - Encyclopedia of Literary Critics and Criticism
Ref PN86.E63 1999 - Encyclopedia of Literary Modernism
Ref PN56.M54 E53 2003 - Glossary of Contemporary Literary Theory
Ref PN44.5.H37 1998 - Multicultural dictionary of Literary Terms
Ref PN41.C28 1999 - Poet's Dictionary: a handbook of prosody and poetic
Ref PN44.5.P3 1989
Literary Theory on the Web:
- Voice of the Shuttle - Literary Theory
http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2718 - Literary Resources on the Net - Theory
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/theory.html - IPL Literary Criticism Collection
http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit - Glossary of Literary Theory
http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/glossary/headerindex.html - Introductory Guide to Critical Theory
http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/index.html - Critical Theory at LitLinks
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/litlinks/critical/index.htm - Notes in the Margin Glossary/Lit. Terms
http://www.notesinthemargin.org/glossary.html - Yahoo Literary Criticism
http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Literature/Criticism_and_Theory/ - Bibliography of Literary Theory, Criticism
http://www.unizar.es/departamentos/filologia_inglesa/garciala/bibliography.html
Last Updated - November, 2005