University Library > Guides > Literary Research: General Sources

Syllabus for Literary Research: 1b. General Sources: Literary Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Histories & Summaries

 Literary Research Guides
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This guide lists selected titles of books and databases held by the UW-Whitewater Andersen Library. It is not a comprehensive list of available titles. Search HALcat, the Andersen Library Catalog, to find additional books held by the UW-Whitewater or other UW-System libraries.

Locations: Call numbers preceded by Main are in the Main Collection (3rd floor), those preceded by Ref are in the Reference Collection (2nd floor), and those preceded by Remote Storage need to be retrieved by a Circulation staff member. Items without call numbers are online indexes and databases accessible from the Indexes & Databases Arranged by Subject: Humanities webpage, or by clicking on the linked title.

Literary Dictionaries or Encyclopedias

  • Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia   4th ed.
    Ref   PN41 .B4 1996
  • The Cambridge Guide to English Literature
    Ref   PR85 .C28 1983
  • Encyclopedia of Literature and Criticism
    Ref   PN81 .E53 1991
  • Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
    Ref   PN41 .M42 1995
  • The Oxford Companion to English Literature rev. ed.
    Ref   PR19 .D73 1995
    Online   Oxford Companion to English Literature 2009
  • The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English
    Ref   PR471 .O94 1996
  • Reader's Guide to Literature in English
    Main Oversize   PR85 .R33 1996

American

  • Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature
    Ref   PS21 .B46 1991
  • Dictionary of Native American Literature
    Ref   PM155 .D53 1994
  • The Oxford Companion to American Literature   6th ed.
    Ref   PS21 .H3 1995
    Online   Oxford Companion to American Literature 2009
  • The Oxford Companion to Women's Writing in the United States
    Ref   PS147 .O94 1995

British

  • Companion to Scottish Literature
    Ref   PR8506 .R69 1983
  • Dictionary of Irish Literature
    Main   PR8706 .D5
  • The Oxford Companion to the Literature of Wales
    Ref   PB2361 .O94 1986
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Glossaries of Literary Terms

  • The Book of Literary Terms: the Genres of Fiction, Drama, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, and Scholarship
    Ref PN44.5 .T87 1999
  • A Glossary of Contemporary Literary Theory   4th ed.
    Ref   PN44.5 .H37 2000
  • Dictionary of Concepts in Literary Criticism and Theory
    Ref   PN41 .H36 1992
  • A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory   4th ed.
    Ref   PN41 .C83 1998
  • Encyclopedia of Contemporary Literary Theory
    Ref   PN81 .E43 1993
  • A Glossary of Literary Terms   6th ed.
    Main   PN41 .A184 1993
  • A Handbook to Literature   5th ed.
    Main   PN41 .H6 1986
  • The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism
    Main   PN81 .J554 1994
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Summaries of Literary Works

  • Literary Reference Center UW-W users only (EBSCOhost)
    This online database contains all of Masterplots, Masterplots II and Magill's Literary Annual as well as several other books.
  • Masterplots   2nd ed. rev.
    Remote Storage   PN44 .M33 1996   vols. 1-12
  • Masterplots II: African American Literature Series
    Remote Storage   PS153 .N5 M2645 1994   vols. 1-3
  • Masterplots II: American Fiction Series
    Remote Storage   PN846 .M37 1986   vols. 1-6
  • Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series
    Remote Storage   PR881 .M39 1987   vols. 1-4
  • Masterplots II: Drama Series
    Remote Storage   PN6112.5 .M37 1990   vols. 1-4
  • Masterplots II: Poetry Series
    Remote Storage   PN1110.5 .M37 1992   vols. 1-6
  • Masterplots II: Short Story Series
    Remote Storage   PN3326 .M27 1986   vols. 1-10
  • Magill's Literary Annual  
    Ref   Z1219 .M33   1977-2001 (see online resource above for more recent volumes)
  • Survey of Contemporary Literature: Updated Reprints of 2300 Essay-Reviews from Masterplots Annuals, 1954-1976   rev. ed.
    Ref   PN44 .M34 1977

Indexes to Summaries of Literary Works

  • Magill Index to Critical Surveys: Cumulative Indexes 1981-1988
    Ref Desk   PN524 .M34 1990
  • Magill Index to Masterplots: Cumulative Indexes 1963-1993
    Remote Storage   Z6511 .M252 1994
  • Plot Summary Index   2nd ed. rev. and enl.
    Ref   Z6514 .P66 K64 1981
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Dictionaries of Literary Characters

  • Cyclopedia of Literary Characters
    Remote Storage   PN44 .M3 1963
  • Cyclopedia of Literary Characters II
    Remote Storage   PN44 .M3 1990   vols. 1-4
  • Dictionary of American Literary Characters
    Ref   PS374 .C43 D5 1990
  • Larousse Dictionary of Literary Characters
    Ref   PR19 .L37 1994
  • Literary Reference Center UW-W users only (EBSCOhost)
    This online database contains Cyclopedia of Literary Characters as well as several other books.
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Literary Histories

American

  • The Cambridge History of American Literature
    Ref   PS92 .C34 1994
    • vol. 1 - 1590-1820
    • vol. 2 - 1820-1865
    • vol. 3 - Prose writing, 1860-1920
    • vol. 4 - Nineteenth-century poetry, 1800-1910
    • vol. 5 - Poetry and Criticism, 1900-1950
    • vol. 6 - Prose Writing, 1910-1950
    • vol. 7 - Prose Writing, 1940-1990
    • vol. 8 - Poetry and Criticism, 1940-1990
  • Literary History of the United States   3rd ed. rev.
    Ref   PS88 .L523  
    • vol. 1 (history)
    • vol. 2 (bibliography)
    • bibliography suppl. II

British

  • A New Critical History of Old English Literature
    Main   PR173 .G73 1986
  • Oxford History of English Literature
    Ref   PR83 .O9
    • vol. I pt. 1 - Middle English Literature
    • vol. II pt. 1 - Chaucer and the Fifteenth Century
    • vol. II pt. 2 - English Literature at the Close of the Middle Ages
    • vol. III - English Literature in the Sixteenth Century Excluding Drama
    • vol. IV - The English Drama, 1485-1585
    • vol. VI (originally IV pt. 2) - English Drama 1586-1642: The Age of Shakespeare
    • vol. V - English Literature in the Earlier Seventeenth Century, 1600-1660  2nd ed. rev.
    • vol. VI - English Literature of the Late Seventeenth Century
    • vol. VII - English Literature in the Early Eighteenth Century, 1700-1740
    • vol. VIII - The Mid-Eighteenth Century
    • vol. IX - English Literature, 1789-1815
    • vol. X - English Literature, 1815-1832
    • vol. XIII (originally XI pt. 1) - The Victorian Novel
    • vol. XIV (originally XI pt. 2) - Victorian Poetry, Drama and Miscellaneous Prose, 1832-1890
    • vol. XII - Eight Modern Writers

Other English Language or American

  • The Making of the Australian Literary Imagination
    Main   PR9605.2 .N55 2002
  • A History of Australian Literature
    Main   PR9604.3 .G6 1986
  • A History of Canadian Literature
    Ref   PR9184.3 .N48x 1989
  • History of Mexican Literature
    Main   PQ7111 .G62 1968
  • Literary History of Canada: Canadian Literature in English
    Main   PR9111 .K4
  • The Penguin New Literary History of Australia
    Main   PR9604.3 .P4 1988
  • Spanish-American Literature; a History
    Main   PQ7081 .A56342 1969 vols. 1-2
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Last Revised: MS - 2/23/2010