Literature: Books

Literary research typically begins with an examination of primary texts, which are found using the MU Library's Main Catalog.

You can also try Google Book Search for public domain books that you can download as PDFs or e-reader format. If you discover that your search is too broad, consider using Google's Advanced Book Search to locate only those titles that are full-text.

The Library Catalog

The best place to find books is in the MU Library Catalog. Common search paths include:

Reference Materials

Use the following sources to find reference works on literary genres, bibliographies (historical lists of works produced by a single author), literature from specific ethnic groups or geographical locations, literary companions, and literary history:

Histories/Guides

Oxford Companion to English Literature. PR 19 O94 2000  
 Oxford Companion to Irish Literature. PR 8706 O88 1996
Shakespeare Companion. PR 2892 H3 1964a  
 Oxford Companion to Women's Writing in the United States. PS 147 O94 1995
Companion to Southern Lit.:Themes, Genres, Places,   People, Movements, and Motifs. PS 261 C55 2002  
Oxford Companion to African-American Lit. PS 153 N5 O96 1997  
 Voices of Multicultural America. PS 663 M55 V64 1996  
 Encyclopedia of Latin-American Literature.  PQ 7081 A1 E56 1997
Reader's Guide to Literature in English. PR 85 R42 1996
 Encyclopedia of the Novel. 2 vols. PN 41 E487 1988 
Encyclopedia of World Literature in the Twent. Century. PN 771 E5 1999
 Columbia Guide to the Literatures of Eastern Europe   Since 1945. PN 849 E9 S444 2003  
 Timetables of World Literature. PN 524 K87 2003

Literary Criticism

 The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism

Literature Crtitiism Online

Poetry

  Granger's Index to Poetry. PN 1022 H39 2002  
 Critical Survey of Poetry. Multiple vols. PN 1021 C7 2003
 American and British Poetry: A Guide to the Criticism. PS 303 A44
 Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry. PR 601 C56 2001
 Encyclopedia of American Poetry: The Nineteenth Century. PS 316 E53 1998
 Last Lines: An Index to the Last Lines of Poetry. 2 vols. PN 1022 .K55 1992
Patterns of Poetry: An Encyclopedia of Forms. Ref. PN1042 .W514 1986

Theater

 Critical Survey of Drama. Multiple vols. PN 1625 C68 2003  
World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre. Multiple vols. PN 1861 W67 1994  
 Oxford Companion to the Theatre. PN 2035 O9 1983
 Oxford Companion to American Theatre. PN 2220 B6 1984