English Pathfinder: Renaissance 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.


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.

Historical Abstracts
Historical Abstracts covers materials treating all aspects of world history, except the United States and Canada, from 1450 to the present.

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.

ITER: Gateway to the Middle Ages & Renaissance
Literature pertaining to the Middle Ages and Renaissance (400-1700 C.E.). Includes citations for books, journal articles, and essays in books.

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

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 Shakespearean Criticism.

Project Muse
Search journals published by Johns Hopkins University Press.



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.

Encyclopedia of the Renaissance
REF CB361. E52 1999

Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature
REF PR19. O95 2006

Continuum Encyclopedia of British Literature
REF PR19. C66 2002

Oxford Companion to English Literature
REF PR19. D73 1985

Larousse Dictionary of Literary Characters
REF PR19. L37 1994

St. James Reference Guide to English Literature
REF PR106. S7 1985

Reference Guide to English Literature
REF PR106. S7 1991

Guide to British Poetry Explication (Medieval through Contemporary)
REF PR 311. M34 1991

The Columbia History of the British Novel
REF PR821. C65 1994

 

 

Biographies

Print:

British Writers
REF PR85. B6882

A Biographical Dictionary of Renaissance Poets and Dramatists
REF PR421. S33 1983


Electronic:

Dictionary of National Biography
Biographies of people who shaped the British Isles.

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

English Renaissance Prose Fiction, 1500 - 1660: An Annotated Bibliography of Criticism
REF PR833. H372 1985

 

 

Criticism

The Critical Perspective (Medieval through 1904)
REF PR85. C76

English Renaissance Prose Fiction, 1500 - 1660: An Annotated Bibliography of Criticism
REF PR833. H372 1985

 

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.

 

Websites

Voice of the Shuttle
Humanities resources from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Sonnet Central
English sonnets, commentary, and relevant web links.

Luminarium
Anthology of English literature.

Literary Resources - Renaissance
A "meta" site maintained by Rutgers University, Newark.