American Literature
Online Encyclopedias
The following links will take you to online encyclopedias and reference manuals to help you get started on your research. Here you can find general background information, definitions, and history on many literary terms, concepts, works, and authors specific to American literature.
- Continuum Encyclopedia of American LiteratureA bibliography-focused encyclopedia of American literature.
- A New Literary History of AmericaA New Literary History of America contains essays on topics from the first conception of a New World in the sixteenth century to the latest re-envisioning of that world in cartoons, television, science fiction, and hip hop. Literature, music, film, art, history, science, philosophy, political rhetoriccultural creations of every kind appear in relation to each other, and to the time and place that give them shape. Also contains an introduction and index.
- Encyclopedia of African-American WritingCovers the role and influence of African-American cultural leaders, from all walks of life, from the 17th century to the present.
Print Encyclopedias
The library also has a number of print encyclopedias that can be found in the Reference section on the second floor of the library. Reference books cannot be checked out of the library but there are scanners available on the second floor that can be used to scan information from these texts into a PDF which you can email to yourself.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature by Call Number: Ref. PS21 .E537 2004The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature gathers together 350 essays from over 190 leading scholars on the whole of American literature, from European discovery to the present. At the core of the Encyclopedia lie 250 essays on poets, playwrights, essayists, and novelists. Figures such as Whitman, Melville, Faulkner, Frost, and Morrison are discussed in detail with each examined in the context of his or her times, an assessment of the writer's current reputation, a bibliography of major works, and a list of major critical and biographical works about the writer.
Finding Articles
Use databases to find academic articles to continue your research. Below are the most helpful databases for finding relevant articles for literature and literary topics. The MLA International Bibliography is the most popular, as it indexes most published works in literature. Make sure to click the "full text" option when searching if you are looking for the full article PDF.
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowSubjects covered include literature, language and linguistics, folklore, literary theory and criticism, and the dramatic arts.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowAn archive of important scholarly journals, eBooks and primary sources in 75 disciplines. Offers high-resolution, scanned images of journal issues and pages as originally published.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new windowIncludes 400 scholarly journals in humanities, social sciences, and mathematics and over 50,000 ebooks primarily from university presses.
Good Starting Journals for American Literature
The following are links to specific academic journals which are published and peer-reviewed by experts in the field. If you want to narrow your search to a specific time period or genre, finding a journal that publishes in that area can help. For example, if you are writing a paper about Cormac McCarthy, you might want to check out Western American Literature.
- American Literary HistoryDesigned to cover a more broad range of criticism on American literature from a wide-range of genres, topics, and time periods.
- American LiteratureIncludes articles on American authors from all time-periods as well as a large book review section.
- American Poetry ReviewCriticism on contemporary American poets.
- Early American LiteratureFocuses on American literature from the early national period up until 1830. EAL "invites work treating Native American traditional expressions, colonial Ibero-American literature from North America, colonial American Francophone writings, Dutch colonial, and German American colonial literature as well as writings in English from British America and the US."
- Western American LiteratureFocuses on works and topics surrounding the American West, including traditional western authors as well as New Westerns like Cormac McCarthy or Sherman Alexie.
Historical Resources
Literature and history are, and have always been, closely related. These online and print resources covering various topics on American history can help you understand the literature and its times.
Books
The Penguin History of United States of America by Call Number: E178.B86 1990This new edition of Brogan's superb one-volume history - from early British colonisation to the Reagan years - captures an array of dynamic personalities and events. In a broad sweep of America's triumphant progress. Brogan explores the period leading to Independence from both the American and the British points of view, touching on permanent features of 'the American character' - both the good and the bad. He provides a masterly synthesis of all the latest research illustrating America's rapid growth from humble beginnings to global dominance.
Atlas of American History by Call Number: Ref. E179.5.N37 2007Two-color and four-color maps illustrate aspects of each period of American history. Accompanying text, tables, graphs, and charts recall our national history.
The American People by Call Number: E178.7.A4927 2000This engaging text examines U.S. history as revealed through the experiences of all Americans, both ordinary and extraordinary. With a thought-provoking and rich presentation, the authors explore the complex lives of Americans of all national origins and cultural backgrounds, at all levels of society, and in all regions of the country. A vibrant four-color design and compact size make this book accessible, convenient, and easy-to read.
Internet Resources
- America: History and Life This link opens in a new windowHistorical coverage of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present.
- Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation This link opens in a new windowU.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1873. Continental Congress, Constitutional Convention, 1st - 42nd Congresses.
- Making of America (Cornell) This link opens in a new windowNineteenth century American social history. Emphasis on education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology. 267 books and 100,000 articles. Produced by Cornell University.
- Making of America (University of Michigan) This link opens in a new windowNineteenth century American social history. Emphasis on education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology. 8,500 books and 50,000 journal articles. Produced by the University of Michigan.
Search the entire library catalog here.
Materials on Literature topics are found under the "P" category more generally, while subclass PS features American literature specifically. These books are found on the third floor of the Chester Fritz Library.
| PS1-3576 | American literature |
|---|---|
| PS201-217 | 19th century |
| PS221-228 | 20th century |
| PS229-231 | 21st century |
| PS241-286 | Special regions, states, etc |
| PS301-326 | Poetry |
| PS330-353 | Drama |
| PS360-380 | Prose |
| PS501-689 | Collections of American literature |
Featured Books
Looking for an interesting research topic? Currently, the featured books section holds some of the newest additions to the library's collection of research-worthy, literary texts on American literature.
Captain America, Masculinity, and Violence by Call Number: PN6728.C35 S77 2015Captain America's adventures span from World War II through the Cold War to the American War on Terror. In Captain America, Masculinity, and Violence, Stevens reveals how the hero evolved to maintain relevance to America's fluctuating ideas of masculinity, patriotism, and violence. Tracking the history of Captain America's adventures, Stevens places them in dialogue with the comic book industry as well as American politics, showing how the hero represents the ultimate American story: permanent enough to survive for more than seventy years with a history fluid enough to be constantly reinterpreted to meet the needs of an ever-changing culture.
A History of American Civil War Literature by Call Number: PS217.C58 H57 2016This book is the first omnibus history of the literature of the American Civil War, the deadliest conflict in U.S. history. A History of American Civil War Literature examines the way in which the war has been remembered and rewritten over time in prose, poems, and other narratives. This History incorporates new directions in Civil War historiography and cultural studies while giving equal attention to writings from both northern and southern states. It redresses the traditional neglect of southern literary cultures by moving between the North and the South, thus finding a balance between Union and Confederate texts. Written by leading scholars in the field, this book works to redefine the boundaries of American Civil War literature while posing a fundamental question: why does this 150-year-old conflict continue to capture the American imagination?
Wolf-Women and Phantom Ladies by Call Number: New Books PS173.W6 D55 2015Popular culture in the 1940s is organized as patriarchal theater. Men gaze upon, evaluate, and coerce women, who are obliged in their turn to put themselves on sexual display. In such a thoroughly patriarchal society, what happens to female sexual desire? Wolf-Women and Phantom Ladies unearths this female desire by conducting a panoramic survey of 1940s culture that analyzes popular novels, daytime radio serials, magazines and magazine fiction, marital textbooks, Hollywood and educational films, jungle comics, and popular music. In addition to popular works, Steven Dillon discusses many lesser-known texts and artists, including Ella Mae Morse, a key figure in the founding of Capitol Records, and Lisa Ben, creator of the first lesbian magazine in the United States.
The New Midwest by Call Number: PS273 .A824 2016In the public imagination, Midwestern literature has not evolved far beyond heartland laborers and hardscrabble immigrants of a century past. But as the region has changed, so, in many ways, has its fiction. In this book, the author explores how shifts in work, class, place, race, and culture has been reflected or ignored by novelists and short story writers. From Marilynne Robinson to Leon Forrest, Toni Morrison to Aleksandar Hemon, Bonnie Jo Campbell to Stewart O'Nan this book is a call to rethink the way we conceive Midwestern fiction, and one that is sure to prompt some new must-have additions to every reading list.
African American Writing by Call Number: PS153.N5 S64 2016Werner Sollors’ African American Writing takes a fresh look at what used to be called “Negro literature.” The essays collected here, ranging in topic from Gustavus Vassa/Olaudah Equiano to LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka, and in time from the Enlightenment to the Obama presidency, take a literary approach to black writing and present writers as readers and as intellectuals who were or are open to the world.
The Cambridge Companion to American Gay and Lesbian Literature by Call Number: PS153.G38 C36 2015This Companion examines the connections between LGBTQ populations and American literature from the late eighteenth to twenty-first centuries. It surveys primary and secondary writings under the evolving category of gay and lesbian authorship, and incorporates current thinking in US-based LGBTQ studies as well as critical practices within the field of American literary studies. This Companion also addresses the ways in which queerness pervades persons, texts, bodies, and reading, while paying attention to the transnational component of such literatures. In so doing, it details the chief genres, conventional historical backgrounds, and influential interpretive practices that support the analysis of LGBTQ literatures in the United States
Movie/TV Adaptations
The library has a DVD collection which includes many film and television adaptations of some of American literature's most popular and impactful works. The following are some of our featured DVD editions. The DVD's are on the the third floor of the library and can be checked out with your student ID just like books! (Make sure to check out the popular releases when you're there, too!).
Breakfast at Tiffany'sCall Number: PN1997 .B74 2017 DVDHolly Golightly is a carefree New York playgirl who is scouring Manhattan looking for a suitable millionaire to marry. However, when Paul Varjak, a struggling young writer, moves into her apartment building, she becomes interested in him. Paul gets swept into Holly's dizzying, delightfully unstructured lifestyle. Loosely based on the novella by Truman Capote.
The Color PurpleCall Number: PS3573.A425 C62 2007 DVDThe heart-wrenching story of a young black girl in the early 20th century who's forced into a brutal marriage and separated from her sister. Based on the novel by Alice Walker.
Fahrenheit 451Call Number: PN1997 .F26 2003 DVDMontag, a regimented fireman in charge of burning the forbidden volumes, meets a revolutionary school teacher who dares to read. Suddenly he finds himself a hunted fugitive, forced to choose not only between two women, but between personal safety and intellectual freedom. Based on the novel by Ray Bradbury.
The Grapes of WrathCall Number: PN1997. G73 2004 DVDThe migration of the Joad family to California from their dust-bowl farm in Oklahoma during the Great Depression. Based on the novel by John Steinbeck.
The Great Gatsby (2013)Call Number: PN1997.2 .G74 2013 DVDThe Great Gatsby follows viable writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922. Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the rich and their loves and deceits. Stars Leonardo Dicaprio. Based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Little WomenCall Number: PN1997 .L588 2000 DVDLouisa May Alcott's classic coming-of-age story follows the childhood adventures of the four free-spirited March sisters and their family's struggles during the Civil War.
The ShiningCall Number: PN1997 .S5564 DVDA young boy and his parents spend the winter in a resort hotel which is possessed by ghosts. Based on the classic Stephen King horror novel.
A Streetcar Named DesireCall Number: PN1997 .S74 2010 DVDAfter being exiled from her hometown of Auriol, Mississippi for seducing a seventeen-year-old boy at the school where she taught English, Blanche DuBois arrives unexpectedly at the New Orleans home of her pregnant sister Stella Kowalski and her Stella's husband Stanley. Stanley, both repulsed and attracted to Blanche, discovers that she has mortgaged property left to both sisters and spent all the money whereby he sets about discovering everything else he can about her past. Tension between Blanche and Stanley builds as time passes and is intensified when Blanche begins dating one of Stanley's poker buddies. Based on the play by Tennessee Williams.
To Kill a MockingbirdCall Number: PN1997 .T558 2012 DVDIn a racially divided Alabama town in the 1930s, widowed lawyer Atticus Finch agrees to defend a young black man accused of raping a white woman, teaching his children valuable lessons about prejudice and empathy. 3 Academy Awards, 1963.
