Carrollton Libraries: ENGLISH: British Literature : Researching Literature

British Literature Web Resources

Ages of English Timeline
Interactive timeline explores the development of the English language from the Anglo-Saxon invasions to modern rap. British humor as well as audio to literary texts bring the language to life.
British Library Online Gallery
Browse collection of primary source manuscripts and images or type search term, such as "restoration" or "elizabethan"
Medieval Realms from British Library
Victorian Resources from British Library
The Victorian Web (Brown University)
Resource for courses in Victorian literature at Brown University, contains information about science, politics, gender, technology, economics, religion, philosophy, visual arts, and literature in the Victorian era.

Google Search Tips and Google Scholar

The entertaining and informative infographic supplies tips to "get more out of Google." Created by contributors of HackCollege (www.hackcollege.com).

Google Scholar
Successful searching for scholarly articles on the web begins with Google Scholar.
Sweet Search
Sweet Search web guides are developed by research experts and educators.

Library Databases and How to Cite Them

Databases can be accessed at school or at home. See librarian for username and password to access databases at home. The little blue circle with the i on it provides information on citing the database using NoodleTools.

Gale Virtual Reference Library
This is a collection of ebooks. Select topic of Literature and select from book series including Twayne's Authors Online, Scribner Writers Online, American Women Writers, concise Major 21st Century Writers, Nonfiction Classics for Students, and Shakespeare for Students.

more... less...

When CITING, start as an online database and then change type of content to BOOK. These are reference books, and the entry online will provide the publication information, especially if you look at the print preview version.

Example (APA):
Nelson, M. R. (2010). Adhesion: How much weight is required to break the adhesive force between an object and water? In K. Krapp (Ed.), Experiment central: Understanding scientific principles through projects (2nd ed., Vol. 6, pp. 1264-1270). Retrieved from Gale Virtual Reference Library database.

Example (MLA):
Chase, Cida S. "Costa Rican Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. Ed. Jeffrey Lehman. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2000. 429-36. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 5 July 2012.
JSTOR
Advanced: Articles from scholarly journals which are at least 2 years old. Always begin by logging in to JSTOR so that you have a green search icon next to your resulting journal articles. To print, click on View pdf, and then go to file and print.

more... less...

In JSTOR, click on view citation for all information needed to cite. Select either APA (for Science classes) or MLA. Begin your citation with Journal, select database, and you have the publication information.

Example MLA:
Axelson, Leland J., and Paula W. Dail. "The Changing Character of Homelessness in the United States." Family Relations 37.4 (1988): 463-69. JSTOR. Web. 5 July 2012.

Example APA:
Prasad, D. (1978). Ureolytic bacteria in wastewater. Journal (Water Pollution Control Federation), 50(5), 970-972. Retrieved from JSTOR database.
Literature Resource Center (Gale Databases TEL)
Begin search by limiting results to person or name of literary work. On search results page, use tabs at top to sort by Literature Criticism, Biographies, Topic Overviews, etc. The Multimedia Tab contains podcasts of interviews. Once you locate articles, refine your search by box on left with hyperlinks to topics to narrow results further.

more... less...

First example follows for citing a Journal article in NoodleTools. Always begin by selecting the type of article and then change tab to Database. Use MLA citation style for English.
Second example is for a Journal article reprinted in an anthology or collection in NoodleTools. To cite this type of resource, select Anthology/Collection and then change tab to Database. Next, in Source section, change source to Journal.

First Example Journal Article(MLA):
Bond, Chris. "Frankenstein: Is it Really About the Dangers of Science?" The English Review 20.1 (2009): 28. Literature Resource Center. Web. 5 July 2012.

Journal Article, reprinted in an Anthology or Collection:

Second Example, Journal article from an Anthology/Collection:
Sherry, James. "Pride and Prejudice: The Limits of Society." Studies in English
Literature, 1500-1900 19.4 (1979): 609-22. Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century
Literature Criticism. Ed. Kathy D. Darrow. Vol. 207. Detroit: Gale, 2009.
N. pag. Literature Resource. Web. 17 Jan. 2013.

Search Tips and Videos - JSTOR

These time-saving tips will make your database and online searching more efficient and precise.

Use quotation marks to create a bound phrase (such as "Charles Dickens").
Use AND to narrow your search results. Use OR to link synonyms or similar terms to expand search results. Use NOT to eliminate results that do not match your search need.
Use INDEX in databases (if provided) to find related subjects or more precise wording to describe your subject.
When you find a helpful article (including summaries, scholar.google.com), look at the keywords describing the article and expand your search using those terms. Also, skim Bibliography to locate helpful articles and mine those resources for further exploration of related research.

JSTOR Advanced Searching Video
On JSTOR video webpage, scroll to video: Advanced Searching on JSTOR.

Shakespeare and the Plague

What Shakespeare Actually Did During the Plague By Daniel Pollack-Pelzner April 1, 2020
“Just a reminder that when Shakespeare was quarantined because of the plague, he wrote ‘King Lear.’ ” —Rosanne Cash, on Twitter, March 13, 2020