In addition to our subject guide on Literature & Criticism, there are numerous materials located in the library.

Most literary works and books of literary criticism have call numbers beginning with P and are located on the 3rd floor.

The P classification is sub-divided by national literatures. For example:

PA Classical literatures
PG Russian literature
PQ French and Spanish literatures
PR English literature
PS American literature

Within national divisions, books are arranged first by the century in which the author was writing and then alphabetically by the author's last name.

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BIBLIOGRAPHIES AND GUIDES TO LITERARY RESEARCH
REF - located in the reference area on the 1st floor.

• Baker, Nancy L. Research Guide for Undergraduate Students: English and American Literature.
  REF PR56 .B34 2000
  This is intended for undergraduates and includes a how-to approach.

• Harner, James L. Literary Research Guide: An Annotated Listing of Reference Sources in English Literary Studies.
  REF PR83 .H34 1998
  This is intended for the literary scholar and the advanced student.

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DIGESTS OF LITERARY CRITICISM
The following series published by Gale Research Company contain excerpts of previously published criticism covering specific literary periods. Use the latest volume of the appropriate series to locate the volumes that contain criticism on the author or work.

REF - located in the reference area on the 1st floor.

• Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism (CMLC).
  REF PN681.5 .C57

• Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800.
  REF PN701 .L56

• Shakespearean Criticism (SC).
  REF PR2965 .S44

• Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism (NCLC)
  REF PN761 .N56

• Twentieth Century Literary Criticism(TCLC)
  REF PN771 .G27T
  Covers authors who died between 1900 and 1959.

• Contemporary Literary Criticism (CLC).
  REF PN771 .C59
  Used for authors now living or those who died after December 31, 1959.

• Drama Criticism (DC).
  REF PN1601 .59
  Covers only the dramatic works of authors

• Poetry Criticism (PC).
  REF PN1010 .P499
  Covers poets of any time period, but discusses only their poetic work.

• Short Story Criticism (SSC).
  REF PN3321 .S56
  Covers only the short stories of writers.

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COMPANIONS TO LITERARY HISTORY
Companions include brief entries on topics such as literary movements, author biographies, plot summaries, characters, and related subjects. Most of these are located on the third floor.

REF - located in the reference area on the 1st floor.

• Oxford Companion to American Literature.
  REF PS21 .H3 1983

• Oxford Companion to English Literature.
  REF PR19 .D73 1985

• Cambridge Companion to British Romanticism.
  PR457 .C33 1993

• Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy.
  PA3131 .C29 1997

• Cambridge Companion to the Eighteenth-Century Novel.
  PR851 .C36 1996

• Cambridge Companion to the Victorian Novel.
  PR871 .C17 2001

• Cambridge Companion to Victorian Poetry.
  PR591 .C36 2000

• Cambridge Guide to American Theatre.
  REF PN2220 .C35 1993

• Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English.
  REF PR471 .O94 1996

• Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry in English.
  REF PR601 .O9 1994

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MAJOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE DICTIONARIES

REF - located in the reference area on the 1st floor.

• Oxford English Dictionary. (OED) (Online & Print)
  REF PE1625 .O87 1991
  This 20-volume authoritative English language dictionary includes a detailed history or etymology for every word.

• Dictionary of American Regional English.
  REF PE2843 .D52 1985

• The Oxford American Dictionary and Language Guide.
  REF PE1628 .O8616

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JOURNALS/PERIODICALS (Peer-reviewed)
The current issues of journals in the library are located on the first floor. Older issues are located on the second floor in bound (book) format or as microform located on the first floor.
Here is a listing of the Literature journals to which the library subscribes and a listing of the Literature journals in print format.

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MAIN COLLECTION
Literature and books on literary criticism are usually intertwined according to the following Library of Congress Classification. All print material is located on the third floor of the library.

• PA - Classical, Greek, Roman, Medieval Literature
• PB - Celtic Literature
• PG - Russian, Slavic Literature
• PJ - Hebrew, Near Eastern, Semitic, Syriac Literature
• PK - Indo-Iranian Literature
• PL - African, Far Eastern Literature
• PN - General Literature, Drama, Poetry, Prose, Film, Communication
• PQ - French, Italian, Potuguese, Spanish Literature
• PR - English Literature
• PS - American Literature
• PT - Danish, Dutch, German Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish Literature
• PZ - Juvenille Fiction

 

Ask at the Reference Desk, call 401.341.2289, or submit a question online if you need assistance.