English Literature: A Research Guide
English literature is rich and varied and includes forms such as poetry, prose, drama, the novel, short stories, essays. As one of the oldest national literatures in the Western world, English literature dates back as far as A.D. 700. The materials listed below include information about authors from England, Scotland, and Wales and their works. This guide introduces researchers to some of the basic informational sources on the topic. The terms and phrases listed in the subject headings below can be used to search for more materials in the library’s catalog and research databases. If you need further assistance, please ask a librarian.
Books
Annals of English Literature, 1475–1950 by Jyotish C. Ghosh, Elizabeth G. Withycombe, and Robert William Chapman. Oxford: Clarendon, 1961.
The principal publications of each year, together with an alphabetical index of authors with their works.
British Authors Before 1800 edited by Stanley Kunitz and Howard Haycraft. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1952.
Many of the entries in this alphabetically arranged resource are illustrated and nearly all end with a bibliography of works by and about the author.
British Authors of the Nineteenth Century edited by Stanley Kunitz and Howard Haycraft. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1936. ISBN: 0824200071.
A single volume biographical dictionary that provides brief accounts of the lives of the major and minor British authors of the 19th century.
British Writers by Ian Scott-Kilvert, 8 vols. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1979–1984. ISBN: 0684157985.
An eight-volume set of literary biographies, originally published as individual studies in a British Council series called Writers and their Work.
The Cambridge Guide to English Literature by Ian Ousby. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993. ISBN: 0521440866.
An illustrated guide to the literature of the English-speaking world covering more than 1,000 years.
A Literary History of England by Albert C. Baugh. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1967.
A comprehensive and scholarly history of the literature of England. Arranged by period and genre, with an extensive bibliographical supplement.
The New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature edited by George Watson and Frederick W. Bateson. 5 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1969–1977. ISBN: 0521072557.
Covers English literature from 600 A.D. to modern times. Arranged chronologically and under periods by literary form. Vol. 1: 600–1660; vol. 2: 1660–1800; vol. 3: 1800–1900; vol. 4: 1900–1950; vol. 5: Index.
New Century Handbook of English Literature edited by Clarence L. Barnhart. New York: Appleton, 1967.
Over 14,000 entries with authors, titles, plots, characters, places, literary terms and allusions. Includes pronunciation keys and bibliographies.
Oxford Companion to English Literature edited by Margaret Drabble. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN: 0198662440.
Includes brief articles on authors and literary works from all periods of English literature arranged alphabetically.
The Oxford Illustrated Literary Guide to Great Britain and Ireland by Dorothy Eagle, Hilary Carnell, and Meic Stephens. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. ISBN: 019283133X.
Entries for places in Great Britain and Ireland with literary associations. Fictitious names of real places are entered as cross-references.
A Research Guide for Undergraduate Students: English and American Literature by Nancy L. Baker and Nancy Huling. New York: MLA, 2000. ISBN: 0873529782.
A concise guide for undergraduates for researching papers which provides a systematic way of locating materials and includes a selective bibliography.
Web Sites
The Camelot Project
Sponsored by the University of Rochester, this database includes of Arthurian texts, images, bibliographies, and other related information.
English Literature on the Web
E-text archives, information on children’s books and authors, medieval English literature, British authors and literature of various time periods.
Luminarium
This is an excellent resource for Middle English literature, Renaissance literature, and 17th-century literature.
Old English Literature
This site contains works such as Beowulf along with criticism about these works, as well as numerous prose, poems and reference works in Middle English.
Victoria Research Web
Dedicated to the study of 19th-century British Literature this is a valuable resource for students, teachers and researchers studying the period.
Voice of the Shuttle—English Literature
An excellent site on 18th-century literature and valuable for finding general resources, authors, works, projects, and criticism.
Subject Headings
•English literature—dictionaries
•English literature—encyclopedias
•English literature—16th century
•English literature—17th century
•English literature—18th century
•English literature—19th century
•English literature—20th century
•English literature—21st century