Researching Literary Criticism

Journal Databases & Digital Collections

MLA International Bibliography
The research tool is created by the Modern Language Association (MLA), an organization dedicated to the study and teaching of language and literature.

It includes book chapters, journal articles, reviews and other sources related to world literature. Publications on literary theory and criticism, dramatic arts (film, radio, television, theatre), and folklore can also be found in the index.

Literature Resource Centre
Includes critical and literary analysis, as well as biographical and contextual information.

Literature Criticism
A comprehensive, scholarly collection of books and articles pertaining to various authors, works, and periods in literature. It contains contemporary and historical analysis derived from books, scholarly journals, popular magazines, newspapers, and other types of publications. 

Bibliographies

A bibliography is a list of the books of an author or publisher, or on a specific subject. A bibliography about a particular author lists books and articles which discuss his or her work.

Oxford Bibliographies

Oxford Bibliographies is a collection of discipline-based subject guides. Each guide lists annotated citations of books and articles about an author and his or her work.

Finding Other Bibliographies

Use the advanced search option in LibrarySearch to find a print or online bibliography of a specific novel or author.

1. In the drop-down menu under Any field, select Subject. 
2. Enter the name of the author and the word bibliography (for instance, Pratt, Edwin John bibliography).
3. Under Format, select Books.
4. Once you have executed the search, navigate to the list of filters on the left-hand side.
5. To find most recently published books, under Sort by on the left-hand side, select Date–newest.

Books

Use the advanced search option in LibrarySearch to find books and article that discuss an author’s work.

Finding Criticism Regarding a Particular Author

1. In the drop-down menu under Any field, select Subject.
2. Enter the author's name, beginning with his or her last name (such as Pratt, Edwin John).
3. Under Format, select Books.
4. Once you have executed the search, navigate to the list of filters on the left-hand side. 
5. Select Criticism and Interpretation, History and Criticism, Influence, Literary Criticism and other other topics that are relevant to your research.
6. Select Apply Filters. 
7. To find most recently published books, under Sort by select Date–newest.

Finding Criticism Regarding a Particular Novel or a Poem

1. In the drop-down menu under Any field, select Subject.
2. Enter the name of the author as well as the title of a novel or a poem (for instance, Pratt, Edwin John Brébeuf and his brethren).
3. Once you have executed the search, navigate to the list of filters on the left-hand side.
4. To find most recently published books, under Sort by select Date–newest.

Additional Research Resources

Other major research resources in the field of Literature are listed on the University of Toronto Libraries website.

created by: Agatha Barc | reviewed & updated: 27 October 2023