World Literature in English

FL 209-01 - Fall 2003


A Guide to Resources

A. C. Buehler Library, Elmhurst College


Finding Articles
Accessing Library Resources From Off Campus


 

Finding Background Information

Britannica Online ~ The Encyclopedia Britannica provides scholarly information about authors, their works, historical periods and countries.

For more information on particular countries, try the following:

  • Library of Congress Country Studies
  • CIA World Factbook
  • Countries and Their Cultures (2001). R 306.03 C855
  • Worldmark Chronology of the Nations (1999). R 910 W927 cn
  • CultureGrams (2002). R 909.82 C968 2003
  • Encyclopedia of European Social History from 1350 to 2000 (2001). R 306.09403 E56

 

Finding Books

Books are often good sources of biographies and literary criticism.
  • Use Illinet Online (IO)to find books held in the Elmhurst College library as well as books owned by 55 other Illinois academic and research libraries.
  • Sample Searches
       
      • Works by Franz Kafka - Browse Author: Kafka Franz
      • Works about Franz Kafka - Browse Subject Words: Kafka Franz
  • Sample Library of Congress Subject Headings (Browse Subject search):
       
      • Mann Thomas (for books about Thomas Mann or his work)
      • Maupassant Guy de 
  • When Elmhurst College doesn't have the material you need, search the following:
    • Illinet Online - select All ILCSO libraries, then repeat your search - you can place your own requests by selecting Request, then entering your ID (currently your SSN) and last name and following the instructions on the screens. If you have trouble placing requests, please contact the Reference Desk (630-617-3173).
    • SWAN - the Suburban Library System catalog, including Elmhurst Public Library. Please note that the Elmhurst Public Library at its current location will close on September 8 and will reopen in its new building on October 4, 2003.
    • WorldCat, then request the book through interlibrary loan.
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Finding Articles

Articles are often a good source of literary criticism. Some databases are good sources of biographies.
  • Gale Databases ~ Includes the Dictionary of Literary Biography and the Twayne series which provides criticism of the works of major U.S., English, and world authors from Aristophanes to the present. Author entries range from 175-200 pages.The Twayne series is a good place to start for literary criticism. Dictionary of Literary Biography is one of the best places to start for biographical information about authors. 
    • Literary Index ~ An online index to the print Gale literature criticism series, many of which the library owns, including Contemporary Literary Criticism, Poetry Criticism, Drama Criticism, and Short Story Criticism.

      To access this resource from off campus, go to Reference/Literature Sources, then choose one of the Gale Databases from the list (Dictionary of Literary Biography or Twayne Author Series). You may also want to look at Accessing Library Resources From Off Campus.

  • MagillOnLiterature ~ This database contains a wealth of critical essays and plot summaries of those works most often studied and written about by scholars.
    • MagillOnAuthors ~ Intended as a companion reference work to MagillOnLiterature, this database covers a variety of different authors. There is also a literary glossary.

     

    To access this resource from off campus, go to Reference/Literature Sources, then choose one of the Magill databases from the list. You may also want to look at Accessing Library Resources From Off Campus.

  • MLA International Bibliography ~ The primary index to literary criticism.
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Internet Resources

Evaluating Internet Resources

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This page was created 28 September, 2000 by Anne Jordan-Baker
and was last modified 8 September, 2003 by
Elaine Fetyko Page, Elmhurst College Library.