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Literature in English: Article Databases / Literary Criticism

Key Databases

MLA International Bibliography

Covers literary theory and criticism, film, radio, television, theater, all aspects of folklore, and more. Indexes academic journals, books, book chapters, and dissertations.

Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (ABELL)

Index of monographs, periodical articles, critical editions of literary works, book reviews, collections of essays and doctoral dissertations about English language, literature, and culture.

Arts and Humanities Citation Index

Search article titles and abstracts (short descriptions) from the most comprehensive collection of scholarly journals in the arts and humanities. You can cross search with journals in the social sciences and sciences by adding them in the "editions" menu.

JStor

Provides searchable full text of back issues of selected scholarly journals. Coverage varies, but ends 5 years prior to the current year for most titles. Use the Advanced Search to limit to journals in specific subject areas or limit to articles and exclude book reviews.

Project Muse

Provides searchable full-text of recent volumes of journals in the humanities, arts, and social sciences.

Literature Online (LION)

Contains literary criticism, full text of poetry, drama, and prose fiction from the seventh century to the present, and reference sources (biographies, bibliographies, companions, and encyclopedias & dictionaries). Searches the Annual Bibliography of Language and Literature (ABELL), and links to JSTOR and Project Muse.

World Shakespeare Bibliography Online

Annotated entries for scholarly and popular Shakespeare materials. Reviews of books, productions, films, and audio recordings.

International Medieval Bibliography

Multidisciplinary bibliography of Europe, North Africa and the Near East, 300-1500 c.e. It provides a comprehensive, current bibliography of articles in journals as well as conference proceedings and essay collections  worldwide.

 

Literary Biography / Critical Overviews

Cambridge Companions Online

Provides introductions to major writers, artists, philosophers, topics and periods.

Dictionary of Literary Biography

Biographical and critical essays on the lives, works, and careers of the world's most influential literary figures from all eras and genres.

Literature Online

Contains short literary biographies for major authors, charts reception and criticism over time.