English Literature

Literary theory has become the hegemonic methodology for the study of text and is often regarded both as a sub-discipline in itself and as a critical tool through which to liberate deeper and more complex meanings from texts. It encompasses a massive range of topics, including periods, movements, themes and works that make it a dynamic field of study. Given that literary theory draws from other disciplines such as linguistics, philosophy, psychoanalysis, sociology, the social sciences and work from non-Anglophone cultures and traditions, the very scope which makes it a necessary tool for contemporary academics and intellectuals can be off-putting in terms of locating a starting point for any specific inquiry. Oxford Bibliographies in Literary and Critical Theory will offer clearly-signposted pathways through the different areas, and will make clear references to the other disciplines which feed in to, and are often transformed by, literary theory.

The accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past. It traces the usage of words through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources, from classic literature and specialist periodicals to film scripts and cookery books.

Selection of reference books including encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and books of quotations, as well as a range of subject-specific titles covering everything from art to accountancy and literature to law.

Provides nearly 10,000 biographical and critical essays on the lives, works, and careers of the world's most influential literary figures from all eras and genres.

Provides complete biographical and bibliographical information and references on more than 120,000 U.S. and international authors.

Offers portraits of more than 17,400 men & women from all eras and walks of life whose lives have shaped the nation. The database includes only deceased individuals.

Covers "Earliest Times" to 2002. Subjects include Irish people and people who have had influence on Ireland

Biographical dictionary of people of distinction in the British Isles and its colonies who died before December 31, 2005. Provides signed articles, each with a bibliography of resource materials, written by specialists.

Comprehensive biographical database providing short biographical information on 3.6 million persons with a historical coverage. Digital facsimile articles from more than 2,300 reference works are also included for 1.3 persons.

This database offers subject or theme based collections of content within a richly functional, fully cross-searchable online environment. The books in these series survey scholarship on individual writers or other notable people, on schools of thought, and other topics. They serve as textbooks, as excellent starting places for research, and as scholarly works in their own right.

Covers American literary history from the 1600s to the present day. The Encyclopedia includes essays on poets, playwrights, essayists, and novelists, as well as major works and essays on literary movements, periods, and themes.

Covers Australian writing from European settlement to the early 1990s. The Companion contains entries on writers, plays, novels, poems, newspapers, journals, anthologies, literary prizes, movements, and professional organizations. It also includes useful plot summaries, detailed biographies, and a number of essay-length articles on key areas, such as Aboriginal writing and science fiction.

Covers the history of literature in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland in the major literary languages (Anglo-Saxon, English, Welsh, Scots, Irish, and Latin). It includes substantial accounts of individual authors (e.g., Spenser, Pope, Austen) and detailed histories of particular themes, movements, genres, and institutions (e.g., The Stationers' Company, the sonnet, the School of Night, or the Sublime).

Covers fiction, prose, poetry, drama, prominent writers, literary magazines, publishers, and more general topics.

Covers sixteen centuries of the literature and literary culture of Ireland. From the ogam alphabet in the 4th century, to contemporary writers such as Roddy Doyle and Seamus Heaney. Contains information on writers and their works, movements, genres, topics, folklore, and historical, religious, and cultural events.

Over 1,500 entries on writers, novels, plays, poetry, journals, periodicals, anthologies, literary movements, and professional organisations.

Scholarly commentary on poets & specific poems.

WorldCat is a database that allows researchers to search the combined catalogs of hundreds of libraries around the world. It contains more than 52 million records for books, journals, audiovisual materials and more. This source can help researchers find items, verify citations, and identify which libraries hold a particular title.