English language and literature

Below are listed library resources and research strategies pertaining to the research of English language, literature, linguistics and related topics.

• Many topics (such as women writers as feminists, or minority writers as activists) may be found not only in their relations to lang/lit studies, but also in relation to social or historical topics.
• Scholars in language and literature studies are especially prolific generators and organizers of bibliographies and similar lists. Even if the book or article in front of you appears to be off-topic or covers ground already familiar to you, check out its bibliography and recommended-reading lists anyway; you never know what you might turn up.
• When searching in online databases, remember that different products use different subject vocabularies. For example, MLA has a very specific and organized subject list tailored to lang/lit studies, while general periodical databases such as Academic Search Premier are far less specialized.

Call numbers

Browsing the shelves is a simple, powerful method for finding materials on your topic. You can quickly evaluate the scope of a book by checking its table of contents, index and bibliography. Depending upon your exact focus, you will want to browse different areas of the Circulating Collection (located on the Upper Level). Some good places to start include:

PE	English language
PE 101 - 458 PE 501 - 693 PE 814 - 896 PE 1001 - 1693 PE 1700 - 3602 PE 3701 - 3729	Anglo-Saxon. Old English Middle English Early Modern English Modern English Dialects. Provincialisms, etc. Slang. Argot, etc.
PN	Literature (general)
PN 1 - 9 PN 20 - 30 PN 45 - 57 PN 59 - 72 PN 80 - 99 PN 101 - 245 PN 441 - 1009.5 PN 1530 PN 1551 PN 1560 - 1590 PN 1600 - 3307 PN 3311 - 3503 PN 4001 - 4355 PN 4390 PN 4400 PN 4500 PN 4699 - 5650 PN 6010 - 6790	Periodicals Societies Theory. Philosophy. Esthetics Study and teaching Criticism Authorship Literary history The monologue The dialogue The performing arts. Show business Drama Prose. Prose fiction Oratory. Elocution, etc. Diaries Letters (literary history) Essays (literary history) Journalism. The periodical press, etc. Collections of general literature
PR	English literature
PR 1 -56 PR 57 - 78 PR 111 - 116 PR 125 - 138.5 PR 161 - 479 PR 500 - 611 PR 621 - 739 PR 750 - 885 PR 901 - 907 PR 908 PR 911 - 917 PR 921 - 927 PR 931 - 937 PR 951 - 981 PR 1098 - 1369 PR 1490 - 1799 PR 1803 - 2165 PR 2199 - 3195 PR 3291 - 3785 PR 3991 - 5990 PR 6000 - 6049 PR 6050 - 6076 PR 6100 - 6126 PR 8309 - 9680	Literary history and criticism Criticism Women authors Relations to other liteatures and countries Criticism Poetry Drama Prose Oratory Diaries Letters Essays Wit and humor Folk literature Collections on English literature Anglo-Saxon literature Anglo-Norman period. Early English. Middle English English renaissance (1500 - 1640) 17th and 18th centuries (1640 - 1770) 19th century (1770/1800 - 1890/1900) 1900 - 1960 1961 - 2000 2001 - English literature: provincial, local, etc.
PS	American literature
PS 126 - 138 PS 147 - 152 PS 163 - 173 PS 185 - 228 PS 241 - 286 PS 301 - 325 PS 330 - 352 PS 360 - 379 PS 400 - 408 PS 409 PS 410 - 418 PS 420 - 428 PS 430 - 438 PS 451 - 478 PS 490 PS 501 - 688 PS 700 - 3626 PS 8001 - 8599	Biography, memoirs, letters, etc. Women authors Treatment of special subjects, classes By period Special regions, states, etc. Poetry Drama Prose Oratory Diaries Letters Essays Wit and humor. Satire Folk literature Juvenile literature (general) Collections of American literature Individual authors Canadian literature

To see a brief outline of the entire Library of Congress classification system, click here.

Reference resources in Hewes Library

Reference materials such as handbooks, encyclopedias and dictionaries provide excellent starting points for lang/lit research. You will find the resources below, among others, in the Reference Collection on the Main Level.

• Encyclopedia of folklore and literature REF PN 41. E48 1998
• Encyclopedia of the novel (2 vol) REF PN 41. E487 1998
• Dictionary of concepts in literary criticism and theory (2 vol) REF PN 41. H36 1992
• A glossary of contemporary literary theory REF PN 44.5 H37 1998
• Dictionary of literary terms REF PN 44.5 S46
• Literature and its times (5 vol) REF PN 50. L574 1997
• World literature and its times (5 vol) REF PN 50. M625. 1999
• Encyclopedia of literary critics and criticism (2 vol) REF PN 75. E53 E53 1999
• Encyclopedia of rhetoric REF PN 172. E52 2001
• The Oxford companion to children's literature REF PN 1008.5 C37 1984
• The Princeton encyclopedia of poetry and poetics REF PN 1021. N39 1993
• Encyclopedia of the essay REF PN 4500. E63 1997
• The Oxford companion to English literature (5th ed) REF PR 19. D73 1985
• Library research guide (3d ed) REF PR 83. H34 1998
• The Oxford companion to Irish literature REF PR 8706. O88 1996

Online resources

Print indexes

Even with online databases dripping from every discipline, the old print indexes are still worth investigating: they often extend coverage far beyond online coverage, and may provide abstracts where current online products offer only citations. One print index is directly applicable to art studies:

• Book review digest 1905 - 1996
• Book review index 1965 - 2002
• Essay & general literature index 1900 - 2004
• Granger's index to poetry 1918 - 1994
• Humanities index 1974 - 1996
• MLA bibliography / international bibliography 1969 - 1994

Human resources: your local librarians

Hopefully, the ideas and resources above will help you to get started in your research. If you have any questions, comments or difficulties, please contact a librarian at the Reference Desk: (309) 457-2301.