Research Guides: Literary Criticism: Home

Literary Criticism in Library Databases

Literary Criticism Resources:
Use these databases to find sources (journal articles, chapters in books, etc.) that analyze, discuss, and interpret works of literature.

MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Covers literature, language and linguistics, folklore, film, literary theory and criticism, and dramatic arts, as well as the historical aspects of printing and publishing. Over 6,000 journals and series, plus 1,200 book publishers, are indexed. Articles date from 1926-present.
Literature Criticism Online This link opens in a new window
Provides excerpts from criticism on literature from classical times to 1800. Our subscription includes: Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Literature Criticism from 1400 – 1800, Shakespeare Criticism, Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, Poetry Criticism, Short Story Criticism, Twentieth-Century Literature Criticism and Contemporary Literature Criticism.
MUSCAT Plus This link opens in a new window
MUSCAT Plus searches for books, journal articles, media, and more in Musselman Library and beyond.

Helpful Reference Tools for Literary Studies

Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism This link opens in a new window
Provides a comprehensive historical survey of the field's most important figures, schools, and movements. Includes alphabetically arranged entries and subentries on critics and theorists, critical schools and movements, and the critical and theoretical innovations of specific countries and historical periods.

Purdue OWL: Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism
Provides brief overviews of different critical approaches plus helpful questions when considering a particular literary text.

Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new window
Provides access to biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses on over 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world.