British Literature
Online and Print 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 and concepts specific to British literature. The library also has a number of print encyclopedias that can be found in the reference section on the second floor of the library.
Online
- Continuum Encyclopedia of British LiteratureA large source for entries relating to British literature.
The Encyclopedia of English Renaissance Literature by Call Number: Ref. PR411 .E53 2012
An Encyclopedia of British Women Writers by Call Number: Ref. PR111 .E54 1998This broad examination of women writers identified with Great Britain builds on its predecessor's strengths, with fifty percent new material as well as completely updated entries. Over 600 writers are discussed in terms of their biographies, with precise details where these could be ascertained and in some cases correcting biographies in other reference works, as well as thematic issues and critical reception. Each entry includes a definitive bibliography of primary works and thorough secondary bibliographies (including book-length studies, reference works, major essays and reviews) to lead readers to other sources.
Dictionaries
The English language has changed dramatically over time. Below are dictionaries to help you understand the history of the language, as well as look up definitions and spelling.
- Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new windowA historical dictionary documenting the evolution of the English Language.
- Middle English Dictionary (Online)Dictionary of Middle English words and phrases.
- Anglo-Saxon/Old English Dictionary (Online)Dictionary of Old English words and phrases.
Hint: 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.
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 British 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 Othello, a journal like Shakespeare Quarterly might be a good place to search.
- Chaucer ReviewCovers Chaucer and his works, but also covers other related Middle English issues and "associated studies on medieval literature, philosophy, theology, and mythography relevant to an understanding of the poet, his contemporaries, his predecessors, and his audiences." Essentially, a good source for critical analysis of Geoffrey Chaucer and related Middle English works.
- English Literary RenaissanceCovers topics during the English Renaissance period, approximately 1485-1665, including topics on Tudor to Stuart era England as well as "Shakespeare, Spenser, Donne, and Milton."
- The Review of English StudiesCovers a broad scope: English literature from its very beginnings until today. The Review of English Studies is more concerned with topics of "historical scholarship" as opposed to literary interpretation.
- SEL: Studies in English Literature 1500-1900Operates on a unique rotating schedule which rotates quarterly as follows: Winter-English Renaissance, Spring - Tudor and Stuart Drama, Summer-Restoration and Eighteenth Century, and Autumn - Nineteenth Century.
- Shakespeare QuarterlyA journal published and housed by the Folger Shakespeare Library about, you guessed it, all things Shakespeare.
- Victorian Literature and CultureCovers all things Victorian, with a special focus on literature and culture.
Historical Resources
Literature and history are, and have always been, closely related. These online and print resources covering various topics on British history can help you understand not only the literature, but also its times.
Books
Atlas of British History by Call Number: G1811.S1 G5 1993This atlas charts the expansive history of Britain, from the days of the Celts and the Roman Conquest to the present, offering authoritative coverage of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, as well as the rise and decline of the overseas empire. In 120 maps the great milestones of British history, such as Crecy and Hastings, Blenheim and Waterloo, and Passchendale and Dunkirk are covered, in addition to important social, economic, political and religious perspectives throughout centuries of history.
Reader's Guide to British History by Call Number: Ref. DA34.R43 2003A masterful attempt to describe the historical secondary literature of the British Isles -- from prehistory to the present day -- the set is comprised of substantial essays of 1,000 to 3,000 words each on a wide array of subjects -- all written by pre-eminent scholars in language accessible to beginning students and advanced researchers. Each listed essay title is given a thorough annotation
The New A-Z of Empire by Call Number: DA16 F38 2011The British Empire in its late-Victorian heyday spanned the globe and linked a quarter of the world’s population to Britain. The New A-Z of Empire responds to the current burgeoning interest in empires and covers 400 years of British imperial history from the founding of the East India Company in 1600, through the "First" and "Second" British Empires and includes the "Scramble for Africa," World War I, the Mandate System, Dominion status, World War II, nationalism, decolonization, and Commonwealth development.
The Oxford Companion to British History by Call Number: Ref. DA34.O93 1997The Oxford Companion to British History covers all aspects of the history of Britain from 55 BC to the present day. Written by over 100 distinguished specialist contributors, the variety of entries provides a wealth of essential information touching all aspects of British history: political, economic, social, military, people, events, and institutions.
Internet Resources
- British History OnlineU. of London's Institute for Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust developed this digital library of sources for British history.
- British National ArchivesThe records of the UK's central government and courts of law, as well as current information on nongovernmental records located worldwide pertaining to British history.
- British Library ResourcesUnique collection items and expert commentary related to History, English and Citizenship.
Search the entire library catalog here.
Materials on Literature topics are found under the "P" category more generally, while subclass PR features British literature specifically. These books are found on the third floor of the Chester Fritz Library.
| PR1-9680 | English literature |
|---|---|
| PR1-56 | Literary history and criticism |
| PR111-116 | Women authors |
| PR171-236 | Anglo-Saxon (Beginnings through 1066) |
| PR251-369 | Medieval. Middle English (1066-1500) |
| PR401-488 | Modern |
| PR500-614 | Poetry |
| PR621-744 | Drama |
| PR750-890 | Prose |
| PR1098-1369 | Collections of English 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 British literature.
The History of British Women's Writing, 700-1500 by Call Number: PR111 .H57 2010 (CFL third floor stacks).This volume focuses on women's literary history in Britain between 700 and 1500. It brings to the fore a wide range of women's literary activity undertaken in Latin, Welsh and Anglo-Norman alongside that of the English vernacular, demanding a rethinking of the traditions of literary history, and ultimately the concept of 'writing' itself.
The Oxford Handbook of Literature and the English Revolution by Call Number: PR431 .O96 2012 (CFL third floor stacks)."This Handbook offers a comprehensive introduction and thirty-seven new essays by an international team of literary critics and historians on the writings generated by the tumultuous events of mid-seventeenth-century England. Unprecedented events-civil war, regicide, the abolition of monarchy, proscription of episcopacy, constitutional experiment, and finally the return of monarchy-led to an unprecedented outpouring of texts, including new and transformed literary genres and techniques. The Handbook provides up-to-date scholarship on current issues as well as historical information, textual analysis, and bibliographical tools to help readers understand and appreciate the bold and indeed revolutionary character of writing in mid-seventeenth-century England.
Romanticism and Caricature by Call Number: PR447 .H38 2013 New BooksIan Haywood explores the 'Golden Age' of caricature through the close reading of key, iconic prints by artists including James Gillray, George and Robert Cruikshank, and Thomas Rowlandson. This approach both illuminates the visual and ideological complexity of graphic satire and demonstrates how this art form transformed Romantic-era politics into a unique and compelling spectacle of corruption, monstrosity and resistance. New light is cast on major Romantic controversies including the 'revolution debate' of the 1790s, the impact of Thomas Paine's 'infidel' Age of Reason, the introduction of paper money and the resulting explosion of executions for forgery, the propaganda campaign against Napoleon, the revolution in Spain, the Peterloo massacre, the Queen Caroline scandal, and the Reform Bill crisis. Overall, the volume offers important new insights into the relationship between art, satire and politics in a key period of history.
Shakespeare's Restless World by Call Number: PR2910 .M243 2013 (CFL third floor stacks).In this brilliant work of historical reconstruction Neil MacGregor and his team at the British Museum, working together in a landmark collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the BBC, bring us twenty objects that capture the essence of Shakespeare’s universe. A perfect complement to A History of the World in 100 Objects, MacGregor’s landmark New York Times bestseller, Shakespeare’s Restless World highlights a turning point in human history.
Movie/TV Adaptations
The library has a DVD collection which includes many film and television adaptations of some of British literature's most popular and impactful works. The following are some of our featured DVD editions. The DVD's are on 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!).
Bleak HouseCall Number: PN1992.77 .B54 2009 DVDBased on book by Charles Dickens. Two innocent young orphans are the potential heirs to a fortune. Their fates are snarled in a monumental legal battle.
EmmaCall Number: PN1992.77 .E463 2010 DVDJane Austen's classic novel of the witty, strong-willed Miss Woodhouse's thwarted attempts to play matchmaker adapted into this four-part miniseries.
Far From the Madding CrowdPublication Date: 2015Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Tom Sturridge, and Michael Sheen star in Thomas Vinterberg's adaptation of Thomas Hardy's beloved novel about an independent woman pursued by a trio of disparate suitors.
Great ExpectationsCall Number: PN1992.77 .G74 2012 DVDNothing is quite as it seems in this lush retelling of Dickens' classic coming-of-age story with colorful characters: conspirators, rogues, rakes, and wretches.
Little DorritCall Number: GT4985 .C48 2009 DVDCharles Dickens adaptation. When Arthur Clennam returns to London after several years abroad, he wants to learn more about his mother's new seamstress, young Amy Dorrit. His search brings him to the Marshalsea Debtors Prison, where he learns the truth about struggle and hardship in 1820s England.
Mansfield ParkCall Number: PN1997.2 .M36372 2008 DVDIn one of Jane Austen's most complex plots, Billie Piper (Doctor Who) stars as Fanny Price, who goes to live with prosperous relatives at Mansfield Park and must navigate a labyrinth of intrigues and affairs among the occupants of the house.
Pride and PrejudiceCall Number: PN1992.77 .P75 2010 DVDOne of five unmarried daughters living in a world where an advantageous marriage is a woman's sole occupation, Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wed for love, not money or privilege. Hailed as one of the greatest television productions of all time, this mini-series adaptation of Jane Austen's novel stars Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the BaskervillesCall Number: PN1997 .S57 2004 DVDThe classic Sherlock Holmes tale, performed by Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
