Literature Criticism

Literary criticism is the comparison, analysis, interpretation, and/or evaluation of works

of literature. Literary criticism is essentially an opinion, supported by evidence, relating
to theme, style, setting or historical or political context. It usually includes discussion of
the work’s content and integrates your ideas with other insights gained from research.
Literary criticism may have a positive or a negative bias and may be a study of an
individual piece of literature or an author’s body of work.
Although criticism may include some of the following elements in order to support an
idea, literary criticism is NOT a plot summary, a biography of the author, or simply
finding fault with the literature.
Researching, reading, and writing works of literary criticism will help you to make better
sense of the work, form judgments about literature, study ideas from different points of
view, and determine on an individual level whether a literary work is worth reading.

Examples of some types of literary criticism are:

 Biographical
 Comparative
 Ethical
 Expressive
 Feminist
 Historical
 Mimetic
 Pragmatic
 Psychological
 Social
 Textual
 Theoretical

Literary Criticism Databases

Literary criticism in essays shortened from their original published versions can be
found in the first two databases. Full text databases follow.

 Literary Index (Gale Literary Sets)

Gale's Literary Index is a master index to the major literature products published
by Gale, including Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism, and
 Poetry Criticism. Coverage: Gale products published through June 2006.
Citations Only.

 Gale Literary Criticism

Authoritative source of literary criticism, summarizing authors' lives and works.

Includes excerpts from scholarly articles. IMPORTANT NOTE: Because this
source is an encyclopedic work, it should NEVER be directly cited. Always look
up the original source of the excerpted and reprinted articles. Coverage: Varied.
Mostly Full-Text.

 Essay and General Literature Index

Index to chapters and essays contained in books of collected works. Focuses on

humanities and social sciences, including works published in the United States,
Great Britain and Canada. Covers archaeology, folklore, architecture, history, art,
linguistics, literature, music, classical studies, poetry, drama, political science,
economics, religion women's studies, and film. Coverage: 1900 to present.
Citations Only.

 Humanities Source

Full text of hundreds of journals, books and other published sources from around
the world in all aspects of the humanities including Archaeology, Area Studies,
Art, Classical Studies, Communications, Dance, Film, Gender Studies, History,
Journalism, Linguistics, Literature, Music, Performing Arts, Philosophy, and
Religion. FOR CITATION SEARCHING: Click the "More" button at the top of the
search screen, then click "Cited References." Coverage Range: Mid-1970s -
present.

 Humanities and Social Sciences Retrospective

A citation-only database that includes articles from English-language periodicals

on such subjects as Anthropology, Archaeology, Area Studies, Art, Classical
Studies, Community Health & Medical Care, Criminal Justice, Dance,
Economics, Environmental Studies, Ethics, Family Studies, Film, Gender
Studies, Geography, History, International Relations, Journalism, Law,
Linguistics, Literature, Music, Performing Arts, Philosophy, Political Science,
Psychiatry, Psychology, Religion, and Sociology. Articles in this database were
published between 1907 and 1984. Use the library's "Get It!" button to obtain
materials with no direct full-text link. Coverage: 1907 to 1984. Citations Only.

 MLA International Bibliography (Modern Language Association) with Full Text

The definitive index for the study of language, literature, composition, folklore,
and film with full text for more than 1,000 journals. International in scope, the
 bibliography covers scholarly publications from the early 20th century to the
present, including journal articles, books, and more. Coverage: 1963-present.
Some full text.

 Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive

Full-text version of one of the literary journal, which scrutinized, dissected,

applauded, and occasionally disparaged, the work of the twentieth century's
leading writers and thinkers. Covers articles published between 1902 and 1990.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This database allows only one user at a time. Please be
sure to log off when you are finished. Coverage: 1902 to 2007. Mostly Full-Text.

 Magill's Literary Annuals

Each volulme offers reviews of the major literature published during the previous
calendar year. Reviewed titles include examples of literature, both fiction and
nonfiction, published in English, from writers in the United States and around the
world. 1977 - Present.