University Library > Guides > English 300-American Gothic Literature

English 300
American Gothic Literature

Prof. Beth Lueck

Table of Contents:

Search Tips

This Tips to Save you Time: Find Info Fast Powerpoint presentation provides an overview of the library research process and commonly used keyword search tips. Generally, you will start your research with keyword searches, so it is a good idea to memorize these tips. Look for resource specific tips, such as the truncation symbol and date range limit, on the help screens of the catalog or database, and on the in-depth How to Use guides created by Andersen Librarians, such as these:

Use Catalogs to Find Books and Videos

The Library Catalog contains records of library holdings, such as books, videos, and government documents. It provides the call number and location, which are needed to find them in the Library.

The Catalog does not help locate journal, magazine or newspaper articles; to find these periodical articles use online databases or print indexes.

Detailed instructions for searching the catalog are in these two guides: How to Use the Library Catalog: 1. Basic Search and How to Use the Library Catalog: 2. Additional Features. Sample searches:

ann and radcliffe and criticism

walpole and horace and (autobiograph? or biograph?)

("gothic revival" and literature) or "gothic literature" or "gothic fiction"

It is worthwhile to be both comprehensive and detailed when searching. Be thorough by using synonyms and truncation when there are multiple ways to refer to an idea. Be focused by using "and" to combine different ideas together.

Access the catalog from any Andersen Library webpage by selecting Books from the Find menu, then clicking on Andersen Library Catalog. Alternatively, use the center search box or the left sidebar on the Library homepage.

Book isn't here? Use Universal Borrowing or Interlibrary Loan to borrow from other libraries.

Top of Page

Use Databases to Find Articles

Andersen Library subscribes to many databases and indexes that can be used to locate periodical (journal, magazine and newspaper) articles, as well as book chapters, dissertations and the like. Online databases are the preferred way to find recent articles. If you need older articles, or cannot find any articles on your topic using online databases, ask a Librarian for assistance with researching and using the print indexes. Indexes and databases list articles that may or may not be owned by Andersen Library. More about how to find periodicals & articles in the Library below.

Access online databases by selecting Articles from the Find menu on any Andersen Library webpage. Then,

  • To find a database you know about, click on the link for the first letter of its name under Indexes & Databases in Alphabetical Order
  • To find a database on your subject, click on the subject under Indexes & Databases by Subject. Literature databases are listed under Humanities
  • To search several databases in the same system at once, such as EbscoHost, click on a system name under Indexes & Databases by System

Databases can also be reached from the center search box on the Library homepage, by clicking on Articles or Top Databases.

Basic instructions for searching databases can be found in Andersen Library's online How to Use Guides. Additional tips, including various limits and other searches types, can be found on help screens in the databases.

Detailed instructions for searching several literature databases are in these guides: How to Use EBSCOhost, How to Use JSTOR, and How to Use WilsonWeb. Sample searches in MLA International Bibliography (EBSCOhost):

(relig* or christian*) and dickinson and emily

"angel at the grave" and edith and wharton

In literary databases it is not necessary to searching using the word "criticism." It is, however, worthwhile to be both comprehensive and detailed when searching. Be thorough by using synonyms and truncation when there are multiple ways to refer to an idea. Be focused by using "and" to combine different ideas together and putting quotes around phrases.

How do you know whether an article is scholarly or not? Check out the Scholarly Journal v. Popular Magazine Articles guide.

These are some great databases to get you started researching literary topics:

  • Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost) UW-W users only How to Use EbscoHost
    Covers a wide range of popular and scholarly publications in many subject area including literature, literary criticism and more.
  • Biography Ref Bank Select UWW access only
    Contains 40,000 full text biographies of authors, artists, and other people.
  • Contemporary Authors UWW access only
    Includes biographical and bibliographical information on nearly 100,000 modern authors, including gothic authors from the mid-nineteenth century forward.
  • Humanities Full Text (WilsonWeb) UW-W users only How to Use WilsonWeb
    Covers English-language periodicals in the subjects of literature, literary criticism and more.
  • Humanities International Complete (EBSCOhost) UW-W users only How to Use EbscoHost
    Covers journals, books and other important reference sources in the literature, literary criticism and other topics in the humanities.
  • JSTOR Arts & Sciences I, II & III Collection  UWW access only  [More JSTOR Info] How to Use JSTOR
    An archival project which provides full-text access to complete runs of back issues of scholarly journals in topics including language and literature, literary criticism, folklore, and much more. Search this database and automatically search the content of Project Muse too.
  • Literary Reference Center (EBSCOhost) UW-W users only How to Use EbscoHost .comprehensive literary reference database which includes the content of MagillOnLiterature Plus and offers information from over 1,000 books.
  • MLA International Bibliography (EBSCOhost) UW-W users only How to Use EbscoHost
    This is the largest and most comprehensive database covering scholarship in the modern languages, linguistics, literature, literary criticism, folklore, and drama.
  • Sage Premier Journals Online UWW access only
    Provides electronic access to peer-reviewed, full-text journals Humanities, Social Sciences, and other subjects.
Top of Page

Find Periodicals and Articles in the Library

Most databases have some full text articles in addition to article citations. When an article is not available in that database, use Find It to determine whether and where Andersen Library has a specific article.

If you are not in a database, use the Journal Holdings List or Citation Linker to determine whether and where the University Library has a periodical.

How? Check out the How to Use Find It & Citation Linker guide.

Top of Page

Borrow from Other Libraries

There are two interlibrary loan services you can use to borrow materials that are not in the Library.

  • Universal Borrowing (UB) is a free service by which you can order books, videos, government documents and other materials (but not articles) from other UW System libraries for free, and have them arrive here in a few short days.
  • Interlibrary Loan (ILL) using ILLiad, is a service used to borrow books, videos, government documents, articles and other materials from libraries around the world. It takes longer than UB and costs $1.

How? Check out the How to Borrow From Other Libraries guide.

Websites

There are a lot of great websites out there, and a lot of duds. How can you tell the difference? These guides have some great tips for Evaluating Internet Resources. One way that helps to separate good from the not-so-good is a search that limits the results to education websites only, like this in Google:

"elizabeth gaskell" criticism site:edu

Another method is to use a search engine like Google Scholar.

Here are a few websites you might find useful:

Ann Radcliffe (Lilia Melani, Brooklyn College)
Provides a detailed biography of Ann Radcliffe and offers literary theory on Radcliffe’s works.

Appendix N: The Gothic and American Literature (Paul P. Reuben, California State Univ. Stanislaus)
This appendix to PAL: Perspectives in American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide contains bibliographies of select works and criticism of Louisa May Alcott, Harriet Prescott Spofford, and more.

Edgar Allen Poe Review (Poe Studies Association)
Published twice yearly.

Electronic Text Center (University of Virginia) Full Text of Gothic Literature that is out of copyright.

The Female Gothic: Essays & Female Gothic Literature (Kathleen L. Nichols, Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS)
This section of Nichols’ webpage (entitled The Monstrous Feminine in Literature and Art) features links to a number of online resources about or etexts of literature by authors including Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and and more.

A Glossary of Literary Gothic Terms (Douglass H. Thomson, Georgia Southern University)
Features contributions from University students. The glossary is an alphabetical index of gothic terms; each entry describes how the terms are used in the context of gothic literature and also gives examples of gothic texts in which the terms are used.

Gothic Experience (Lilia Melani, Brooklyn College)
Created to support a class in gothic literature, this website contains definitions, information about several authors, a list of relevant websites and more.

Horror Literature Site (BellaOnline: The Voice of Women)
Features articles on horror literature, including several on related gothic topics.

Individual Authors (Leila S. May, North Carolina State Univ.)
List of links to pages about authors relevant to a course entitled Hon 200 Monstrosity Madness Marginality.

Intute
Provides access to Web resources for education and research, selected and evaluated by a network of subject specialists.

The Literary Encyclopedia
Provides biographical information, author bibliographies, lists of contemporaries, and links to other resources. About 600 words per entry are available without subscription.

The Literary Gothic (Jack G. Voller, Southern Univ. of Illinois-Edwardsville) Broad coverage of literary gothicism, including gothic fiction as well as ghost stories, supernaturalism, and gothic-related literary genres up to 1950. Provides links to other resources and e-texts of gothic works. Features also include an alphabetical list of gothic authors, and a title index.

Project Gutenberg Full Text of Gothic Literature that is out of copyright.

Romantic Circles Praxis Series
RCPS is committed to mapping out the languages, cultures, histories, and theories of Romanticism with critical writing of contemporary Romanticist scholarship. Also contains some articles relevant to Gothic texts.

The Romantic Period: Topics: The Gothic (The Norton Anthology of English Literature)
Provides a general overview of the themes in gothic literature, the history of the genre, and its primary authors. The Web site also features overviews on and excerpts from a few gothic texts, study questions, a list of Web resources, and an index of links to gothic illustrations. The Web site is created by publisher W. W. Norton and Company.

Romanticism and Victorianism on the Net: An International Refereed Journal Devoted to Romantic Studies
Refereed ejournal containing articles on British Romantic studies. Users can search for articles by keyword, author, title, or publication year using the database Érudit, but keep in mind that this is a French-language search engine.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database (Hal W. Hall, Texas A&M University)
This database contains bibliographic access to tens of thousands of "articles, books, news reports, obituaries, motion picture reviews and other material about science fiction and fantasy. Some coverage of gothic, horror, and utopian literature is included." Searchable by author, title, imprint, and subject.

The Sickly Taper (Fred Frank, emeritus, Allegheny College)
A comprehensive website, featuring an index of books, articles, dissertations, and book chapters on the topic; links to publishers of gothic novels, information about new publications on gothic literature, bibliographies of gothic fiction anthologies and collections; a list of Frank’s many publications on Gothic literature; and other bibliographies on specific authors and Gothic topics.

The Victorian Literary Studies Archive Hyper-Concordance (Mitsuharu Matsuoka, Nagoya University, Japan)
This concordance allows users to search the full text of Victorian texts, including several in the Gothic genre.

The Victorian Web (George P. Landow, Brown University)
Focuses on pre-Victorian and Victorian authors, including those in the Gothic genre. Includes information on Ann Radcliffe, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and more. Provides biography, a bibliography, and scholarly information. This is an online version of Context 61, which is a resource for courses on Victorian literature.

Voice of the ShuttleSearch for "Gothic" or author names. Links to some great sites, but unfortunately, also has quite a few broken links.

Wikisource Full Text of Gothic Literature that is out of copyright.

Citing References in MLA Style

Whether you choose to quote or paraphrase sources in your research paper, you must cite each source you use. For rules and examples, look here:

  • Rules for Writers 5th ed. 2004. Reference Desk PE1408 .H277 2004
  • MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 7th ed. 2009. Reference Desk LB2369 .G53 2009
  • MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing 3rd ed. 2008. Reference Desk PN147 .G444 2008
  • Citing References: MLA Style - (Andersen Library, UW-Whitewater)
  • MLA Formatting and Style Guide - (Online Writing Lab at Purdue)
  • MLA Documentation - (Writing Center at UW-Madison)

Want to jump start your list of references? This Citation Formatters guide has some tools you can use...just remember they are not foolproof. You will need to review your citations to make sure they are correct.

For assistance with resources listed on this page, or with your research project, contact a reference librarian at (262) 472-1032, by email or chat or in person at the Library's Reference Desk.

Last Revised: MS - 2/23/2010