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English / Literature

Background Information

Background sources provide foundational information to help get your research started.  These are useful sources for getting an overview of an unfamiliar topic or exploring new avenues of a familiar topic.  Many of these sources include bibliographies that can point you to additional high-quality, relevant sources.  

Searchable Collections of Background Information

Reference Resources for Literature

Print Background Resources for Literature

Ref Stacks        PN41 .B4 2008      Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia (5th ed.)

Ref Stacks        PN41 .C83 1998      Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory  (4th ed.)

Ref Stacks        PN44.5 .Q58 2006    Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms

Ref Stacks        PN41 .M42 1995      Encyclopedia of Literature

Ref Stacks        PN81 .J554 2005      The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism

Ref Stacks        PN41 .E487 1998      Encyclopedia of the Novel (2 vols.)

Ref Stacks        PN41 .C67 2008 Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms (3rd ed.)

Ref Stacks        PN41 .H355 2000 Handbook to Literature

Ref Stacks        PS21 .H3 1995 Oxford Companion to American Literature

Ref Stacks        Online  Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature (online)

Ref Stacks        PR19 .D73 1995 Oxford Companion to English Literature

Ref Stacks        Online Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature (online)

Encyclopedias for Historical, Cultural, Biographical & Literary Context:

Subject Guide

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