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American Literature

Use this guide to identify research tools and strategies for the study of American Literature.

In the Stacks

Critical Series

  • The Cambridge Companion to... (also available online)

  • Critical Essays on American Literature

  • Modern Critical Interpretations

  • Twayne's American Authors (also available online)

  • Twayne's Masterwork Studies (about specific works)

  • Twayne's Studies in Short Fiction

Use the Advanced Search. 

  • Use All of These to search terms together (such as The Great Gatsby AND Fitzgerald)
  • Or use Any of These to search two fields simultaneously (see screenshot below).

Use truncation.

  • Enables you to search for many words at the same time.
  • Ex: Searching for poe* will find results that include the terms poem, poems, poetry, and poet.

Screengrab of Henry search demonstrating Advanced Search of the Sound and the Fury in the Note and Title fields, with the Any of These bullet selected.

Search the Notes field. 

  • Searches the table of contents of anthologies of literature and criticism.

Use Subject Headings.

  • Searches for works that are about your topic, despite the keywords used.

Search synonyms.

  • Always search for multiple terms (ex: drama, theater, plays, etc.).

Need a book the library does not own?

You can request the book through Interlibrary Loan.  Info and a downloadable form are available here!

To search for books available in other libraries, try using

WorldCat -- Search the holdings of more than 10,000 libraries to locate books and identify citation information.

OR

Library of Congress -- Access to the Library of Congress catalog and other online collections.

NOTE: Users do not need to identify a library that owns the book. Simply provide the appropriate information on the form and library staff will do the rest!

Is it a scholarly publisher?

Here are some of the scholarly publishers you'll find at Buhl Library:

  • Belknap
  • Blackwell
  • Gale
  • G. K. Hall
  • Praeger
  • Routledge
  • Sage
  • Salem
  • University Press (any)
  • Wiley
  • Wiley-Blackwell

In these eBook Collections

Introductory Criticism

Criticism by Author, Work, and/or Topic

Journal Article Databases

Journal articles are very specific. 

  • Finding articles is easier after you have read up on your topic.


Use more than one article database. 

  • No database searches everything.
  • For thorough research, use more than one database and try different search terms.

Need an article that isn't full text? Access the request form below.

Still unsure if a journal is scholarly, try Ulrich's.

Literary Criticism Websites

Sites By Author