English Pathfinder: Native American Literature

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.

 

 

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

Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) is the best place to begin a search for information about people. It is an index of reference sources containing biographical information on individuals, both living and deceased, from every field of activity and from all areas of the world. This index is not full-text, but Dickinson College owns many of the materials referenced in the database. A librarian can help you locate any materials you are having trouble locating.

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. This database is a good starting point for research in literature, and may also help you place your topic in social, political, and cultural contexts.

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.

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.

 

Dictionary of Native American Mythology
REF E98. R3 G46 1992

Dictionary of Native American Literature
REF PM155. D53 1994

Native American Literatures: An Encyclopedia of Works, Characters, Authors & Themes
REF PS153. I52 W47 1999

 

 

Biographies

 

Print:

A Biobibliography of Native American Writers, 1772 - 1924
REF E77. L57 1981

The Encyclopedia of Native American Biography
REF E89. J69 1997

Who Was Who in Native American History
REF E89. J69 1997

Native American Women: A Biographical Dictionary
REF E98. W8 B38 1993

The A to Z of Native American Women
REF E98. W8 S65 1998

 

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

 

Native American Periodicals & Newspapers, 1828 - 1982
REF E77. D36 1984

A Biobibliography of Native American Writers, 1772 - 1924
REF E77. L57 1981

Native American Folklore, 1879 - 1979: An Annotated Bibliography
REF E98. F6

Contemporary Native American Literature
REF PS153. I52 J32 1977

The Native American in American Literature
REF PS173. I6

The Native American in Long Fiction
REF PS374. I49 B42 1995

 

 

Criticism

 

Print:
Native North American Literature
REF PS508. I5 N38 1994

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), Drama Criticism, Poetry Criticism, and Short Story Criticism.

 

Primary Resources

Native American Periodicals & Newspapers, 1828 - 1982
REF E77. D36 1984

American Indian and Alaska Native Newspapers and Periodicals
REF PN4883. L57 1984

 

Websites

 

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