LibGuides: English IV: Short Story Research: Databases

What is Literary Criticism?

"Criticism asks what literature is, what it does, and what it is worth."
- Encyclopedia Britannica

Literary criticism analyzes, interprets, and evaluates works of literature. Though you most often find criticism in the form of an essay, in-depth book reviews may also be considered criticism. Criticism may analyze an individual work of literature. It may also examine an author’s body of work.

Why study literary criticism?

Authors present us with work that can have multiple meanings, expecting us to consider thoughtfully - to interpret. Writers and critics build on each others' understanding of a work of literature in a kind of dialog. Good criticism can help us develop a better understanding of a work. In addition, it can help us develop a point of view about a work, whether or not we agree with the opinions of the critic.

When looking at literary criticism, check for:

Credentials of the writer
Quality of the sources--journals, books, Websites
Opinions, supported by evidence, relating to:
- Characterization
- Voice
- Style
- Theme
- Setting
- Technical qualities of the writing (artistry, style, use of language)
- Interpretation
- Complex ideas and problems
- Relationship of work to the time, or social, historical, or political trends

AVOID these types of sources - they are NOT literary criticism:

Plot summaries, SparkNotes, LitCharts, Cliff's Notes, etc.
Casual posts on discussion groups
The works of other students

Stories and Themes

“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

"Antebellum South" versus Reconstruction
Isolation
Society/Class (i.e Being a lady)
Death

“Recitatif" by Toni Morrison

Race
Class
Identity
Memory
Social progress

Gale Literature Resource Center

Literature Resource Center
BEST FOR LITERARY CRITICISM - This database focuses on articles that analyze literature and authors. Do a KEYWORD search using your short story title to find any essays that mention it. Put your title in quotation marks (ie. "The Third and Final Continent"). From these results, find the box on the right that says SEARCH WITHIN RESULTS and enter a term related to your topic to find articles that are relevant to your essay. If you know the name of the book in which your short story was included, search that, too.

JSTOR

JSTOR
BEST FOR LITERARY CRITICISM - This database contains scholarly articles on a variety of topics. Make sure that you put AND between keywords (eg. "story of an hour" AND marriage) to get more precise results.

Academic Search Elite

Academic Search Premier
BEST FOR LITERARY CRITICISM - This is a large, multidisciplinary database, and great for finding a range of articles related to your story, author, or theme. Click on FULL-TEXT to only see articles in the database. If you want an article that is cited, but not in the database, email Ms. Clarke from the database and let her know you want her to get it for you.

Biography in Context

Biography in Context
BEST FOR AUTHORIAL RESEARCH - This comprehensive database of biographical information covers over 340,000 people from throughout history, including writers. By learning about the author, one can see the person's life and times reflected in their work. Under REFERENCES, biographical essays provide excellent authorial research sources.

U.S. History in Context

U.S. History in Context
BEST FOR HISTORICAL RESEARCH - Although this database focuses on U.S. history, not literature, it can provide background information on many of the references in the stories (ie. Antebellum South).

World History in Context

World History in Context
BEST FOR HISTORICAL RESEARCH - Although this database focuses on world history, not literature, it can provide background information on many of the references in the stories (ie. Dublin 19th century, India and Partition).

All Databases at Bullis Library

ALL BULLIS LIBRARY DATABASES
Access the full list of databases to which Bullis Library subscribes.

English IV: Short Story Research: Databases