LibGuides: Literature: Websites for Lit Crit

American Literature

Antislavery Literature
This archive contains a myriad of antislavery materials from works of fiction to slave narratives. Developed by scholars at Arizona State University, the material offers a comprehensive source for researchers.
Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University
Resources on the life and works of the Congregationalist preacher Jonathan Edwards.
Literary Kicks
Covers "Beat" writers like Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Ferlinghetti. Contains biographical information as well as links to literary criticism.
Literature @ SunSITE
Collection of resources on primarily American authors. Developed by the University of California, Berkeley.
Mark Twain in His Times
Archival source of all things Mark Twain, containing author information and literary criticism of his works, including stage performances.
PAL: Perspectives in American Literature
Developed by Paul P. Reuben of California State University, Stanislaus, this site breaks down American Literature by time period, providing information on authors and their works.
Walt Whitman Archive
This outstanding site gives researchers access to the vast repository of work created by Walt Whitman. Housed at the University of Nebraska's Center for Digital Research in the Humanities, the site is edited by Whitman scholars Ed Folsom and Kenneth M Price.

Reference Websites

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
Classic reference source for quotations.
more...less...
Includes "passages, phrases, and proverbs traces to their sources in Ancient & Modern Literature."
Cambridge History of English & American Literature
This 18 volume encyclopedia covers all aspects of English & American literature.
Internet Public Library
Literary Criticism section of this librarian vetted collection of resources.
Reading: Harvard Views of Readers, Readership, and Reading History
This collection of resources related to reading contains open-access texts and other digitized materials produced by Harvard University Library.
Voice of the Shuttle
Fantastic collection of sources for Literature & Humanities from University of California, Santa Barbara.

Myth & Legend Websites

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable
Definitions of key phrases and fables found in literature.
Encyclopedia Mythica
This online encyclopedia covers mythology, folklore and religion in six geographical areas.
Encyclopedia of ARDA
Online resource devoted to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Folklinks: Folk and Fairy-Tale Sites
Online companion to Folk and Fairy Tales: A Handbook
Greenwood Press, developed by D. L. Ashliman of the University of Pittsburgh.
The Best of Legends
Covers European and English folklore with both scholarly and general information.
SurLaLune, FairyTales
Includes full-text of 49 popular fairy tales, annotated with links to additional information.

Website Evaluation

Have you seen the cartoon showing a dog sitting at a computer monitor?

The message: anyone can post anything they want on the Web!

This is a weaknesses and a strength. It is a strength because the Internet allows everyone to have a voice and it supports the democratic principle of free speech. At the same time, this is a weakness because it means people without qualifications, without knowledge can post information on the Internet. The burden for website evaluation rests with you, the user.

Explore these websites for more information on evaluating websites:

Evaluating Web Pages
(UC Berkeley)

Good, the Bad & the Ugly

ICYouSee: T is for Thinking
(Ithica College)

British & World Literature

Eighteenth Century Resources-Literature
World wide coverage of all aspects of 18th century literature. Developed by Rutgers English Professor Jack Lynch.
Labyrinth Library
Resources for medieval literature from throughout Europe, including text and commentary.
Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature
Comprehensive coverage of English Literature, from Medieval and Reniassance to the 17th, 18th & 19th centuries.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Full-text access to the works of Shakespeare. Includes link to sources of additional information on Shakespeare.
Shakespeare Resource Center
Variety of resources related to Shakespeare the person, his writings, the controversies surrounding him as well as theatrical productions of his work.
Nineteenth Century Literature
Links to information on the major writers of 19th century British Literature.
The Victorial Web
Series of informative articles about Victorian England, including literary works.
Shakespeare's Sonnets
Contains the full-text of Shakespeare's sonnets from Thomas Thorpe's 1609 edition along with some commentary on the works.
Danteworlds
Contains visual art, written commentary and audio renditions of Dante's classic work.

Google Scholar

Locate scholarly sources using Google Scholar. Note: not all items will be full-text. Contact NMC Library for help obtaining materials.