English Pathfinder: Fantasy & Science Fiction

The following lists are not comprehensive. The items listed on this page are representative of some of the most frequently used research materials on this topic. To find more material, consult the library catalog or contact your librarian for assistance.


Indexes

An index is a specialized database that organizes information about the locations of articles in journals/magazines, reports and newspapers; and book chapters, papers in conference proceedings, and book reviews. Indexes provide the complete bibliographic citation of an article, including the title of the article, author, name of the journal, volume number, the pages of the journal in which the article can be found, and a short summary, or abstract, of the article. Some indexes are in book form, and some are electronic databases. Some electronic databases, including MLA, do NOT provide the complete text of articles. For tips on how to effectively search databases, and how to find journals that are not available on-line, contact your librarian, or consult How to Find Materials on English in the Waidner-Spahr Library.

 

Print:

Science Fiction Book Review Index
REF PN3433.8. H36 1981

Electronic:

MLA International Bibliography (Modern Language Association)
The premier scholarly index for literature, language, linguistics, and folklore.

Essay and General Literature Index
Indexes chapters and essays contained in books of collected works.

Humanities Full Text
Covers journal articles in the humanities, archaeology, art, classics, film, folklore, history, journalism and communications, linguistics, literature, music, performing arts, and religion.

Humanities and Social Sciences Retrospective
A bibliographic database that cites articles from English-language periodicals. Coverage includes a wide range of interdisciplinary fields covered in a broad array of humanities and social sciences journals.

JSTOR
An interdisciplinary archive of over 600 journals in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

Lexis-Nexis
Lexis Nexis will provide you with full-text from newspapers around the world, for up to the past ten years.

MLA International Bibliography
The premier scholarly index for literature, language, linguistics, and folklore from the Modern Language Association.

Project Muse
Project Muse covers numerous subject fields in the humanities, the social sciences, and the arts, including history. Journals covered by Project Muse are scholarly and peer-reviewed, published by a not-for-profit press or scholarly society, and be a sensible fit with titles in the humanities, the social sciences and the arts.

Reader's Guide Full Text
This index will help you find articles in popular newsstand publications, such as Time and Newsweek.

WorldCat
A catalog of books and other materials in libraries worldwide. You can use this database to find out what libraries own material you might need.

 

 

Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

Dictionaries and encyclopedias are helpful in finding basic information about your topic area. They may also serve as sources of inspiration to you as you search for new topics to research. The following list is not comprehensive. Search the library catalog for more encyclopedias and dictionaries. Refer to How to Find Materials on English in the Waidner-Spahr Library for tips on how to best perform a search, or contact your librarian for assistance.

 

Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature
REF PN56. F34 S97 1983

Encyclopedia of Utopian Literature
REF PN56. U8 S66 1995

Reference Guide to Science Fiction, Fantsy & Horror
REF PN 3433.5. S2974 1997

Magill's Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature
REF PN3433.8. M24 1996

Reader's Guide to Twentieth Century Science Fiction
REF PN3433.8. R44 1989

The Encyclopedia of Fantasy
REF PN3435. E53 1997

Science Fiction, the Early Years...from the Earliest Times to the Appearance of Genre Magazines in 1930
REF PN3448. S45 B62 1990

British Science Fiction: A Chronology 1478 - 1900
REF PR830. S35 R84 1992

 

Biographies

 

Print:

St. James Guide Fantasy Writers
REF PN3435. S715 1995

Supernatural Fiction Writers: Contemporary Fantasy and Horror
REF PN3435. S96 2003

Electronic:

Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Biography and Genealogy Master Index is the first place you should look when seeking biographical information on any living or deceased person worldwide. It is an electronic index to over 13 million biographical entries in 3,400+ biographical reference works.

 

Contemporary Authors

A database that includes biographic details on approximately 100,000 modern novelists, poets, playwrights, nonfiction writers, journalists and scriptwriters. Featured are current writers, the most-studied literary figures of the early 20th Century and authors from around the world whose works have been translated into English or published in the United States. Included are the author's writings, media adaptations, works in progress sidelights and interviews.


Dictionary of Literary Biography
The Dictionary of Literary Biography presents career biographies and criticism of writers from all eras and all genres through volumes dedicated to specific types of literature and time periods.

 

Bibliographies

 

Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature: A Checklist 1700 - 1974
REF PN3448. S45 R4212 1992

British Science Fiction: A Chronology
REF PR830. S35 R84 1992

The Literature of Fantasy: A Comprehensive, Annotated Bibliography
REF PR830. F3



Criticism

 

Print:
Fantasy and Horror: A Critical and Historical Guide
REF PN56. F34

Anatomy of Wonder: A Critical Guide to Science Fiction
REF PN3433.8. A52 1995

Survey of Science Fiction Literature
REF PN3448. S45 S88 1979

Electronic:

Literary Index
Gale's Literary Index is a master index to the major literature products published by Gale, including Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Critisicm, and Poetry Criticism.

Literature Criticism Online
This index includes several literary criticism series including Contemporary Literary Criticism (CLC), Twentieth Century Literature Criticism (TCLC), and Short Story Criticism.

 

Websites

 

Literary Resources on the Net
A "meta" site maintained by Rutgers University — Newark.