LibGuides: English: Reference Sources


Library Research Guides

Context

Reading a literary work set in an unfamiliar time period or location? Reference works can help provide a brief introduction to countries, their history, and even to specific historical events. Knowing its context can bring an added layer of meaning to a literary work.

Britannica Academic Online - Encyclopedia Britannica This link opens in a new window
A good general encyclopedia. Includes entries for major historic events and figures. Country entries include sections on history.
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
A database of dictionaries, language reference, and subject encyclopedias published by Oxford University Press. Search tips: Results are entries from multiple sources and tell you the title and word length for each - a good way of scanning for a definition of a term from a specific field and of substantial detail. MHC users only have access to the results/reference works that show a green open lock icon.
Europa World Yearbook This link opens in a new window
First published in 1926, the year book is renowned as one of the world's leading reference works, covering political and economic information in more than 250 countries and territories. Useful sections included for each country: Country Profile, Recent History, Physical and Social Geography.

Background information on authors and literature

Biography in Context (aka Biography Resource Center) This link opens in a new window
Biography in Context delivers outstanding research support with 600,000+ biographical entries — on more than 528,000 individuals — spanning history and geography.
Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete This link opens in a new window
Biographical dictionary with essays on the lives, works, and careers of literary figures from all eras and genres.
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
A database of dictionaries, language reference, and subject encyclopedias published by Oxford University Press. Search tips: This is a good source if you're not sure which reference work an author or literary movement or concept might show up in. Results are entries from multiple sources and tell you the title and word length for each - a good way of scanning for a definition of a term from a specific field and of substantial detail. MHC users only have access to the results/reference works that show a green open lock icon.

Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature by David Scott Kastan (Editor)
ISBN: 0195169212
Publication Date: 2006
Entries on authors, themes, movements, genres, institutions, etc. across the history of British Literature. There are even entries for major works. Author entries include biographical information as well as lists of Further Reading that can help point you to seminal biographies of the author and critical analysis of their work. Search tip: This reference work is a part of the Oxford Reference database. When you click into this title, scroll down the page that appears and use the "Search within work" search box on the left side of the page to search for a term or use the alphabetical list of entries to browse the work.
The Oxford encyclopedia of American literature by edited by Jay Parini
ISBN: 9780195307726
Author entries include biographical information as well as lists of Further Reading that can help point you to seminal biographies of the author and critical analysis of their work. Search tip: This reference work is a part of the Oxford Reference database. When you click into this title, scroll down the page that appears and use the "Search within work" search box on the left side of the page to search for a term or use the alphabetical list of entries to browse the work.
The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English by Jenny Stringer (Editor); John Sutherland (Introduction by); John Sutherland (Other)
ISBN: 0192122711
Publication Date: 1996-10-31
This Companion examines English-language writers and writing throughout the twentieth century, in all major genres and from all around the world. Search tip: This reference work is a part of the Oxford Reference database. When you click into this title, scroll down the page that appears and use the "Search within work" search box on the left side of the page to search for a term or use the alphabetical list of entries to browse the work.
The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature by William L. Andrews (Editor); Frances Smith Foster (Editor); Trudier Harris (Editor)
ISBN: 9780198031758
Publication Date: 2001
Collects more than 400 biographies (authors, critics, literary characters and historical figures) of both well-known figures and the lives and careers of writers not found in other reference works. Also includes the 150 plot summaries of major works. Search tip: This reference work is a part of the Oxford Reference database. When you click into this title, scroll down the page that appears and use the "Search within work" search box on the left side of the page to search for a term or use the alphabetical list of entries to browse the work.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latina and Latino Literature by Louis G. Mendoza (Editor)
ISBN: 9780190624316
Publication Date: 2020-03-26
Offers a sweeping introduction to a variety of genres and themes in Latina/o literature from its Latin American origins in the precolonial period to contemporary texts and perspectives. The collection illustrates the historical, social, and political contexts in which successive generations of Latina and Latino authors have written, exploring the interrelationship between geography, national origin, race, gender, sexuality, and other cultural and ethnic identities. Search tip: This reference work is a part of the Oxford Reference database. When you click into this title, scroll down the page that appears and use the "Search within work" search box on the left side of the page to search for a term or use the alphabetical list of entries to browse the work.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Asian American Literature and Culture by Josephine Lee (Editor)
ISBN: 9780190699628
Publication Date: 2020-03-13
From Asian American literary classics to experimental theater, from K-pop to online gaming, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Asian American Literature and Culture guides both established scholars and readers new to this study through the extensive landscape of Asian American writing and cultural production. Search tip: This reference work is a part of the Oxford Reference database. When you click into this title, scroll down the page that appears and use the "Search within work" search box on the left side of the page to search for a term or use the alphabetical list of entries to browse the work.
Native American Literatures: An Encyclopedia of Works, Characters, Authors, and Themes by Kathy J. Whitson
Call Number: Mount Holyoke College Main Library Reference PS153.I52 W47 1999
ISBN: 9780874369328
Publication Date: 1999-03-24
An encyclopedia of Native American literatures featuring articles on individual authors, on individual works, on important characters in works, and on terms and events of historical significance that figure in many of the works.
The Oxford Classical Dictionary by Simon Hornblower; Antony Spawforth; Esther Eidinow
ISBN: 9780199545568
Publication Date: 2012-05-04
Covers all aspects of the classical world from literature and history to religion, science, and archaeology. Ancient Greek and Roman culture had a lasting influence on Western literature. Search tip: This reference work is a part of the Oxford Reference database. When you click into this title, scroll down the page that appears and use the "Search within work" search box on the left side of the page to search for a term or use the alphabetical list of entries to browse the work.

Literary terms and concepts

Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms
Provides clear and concise definitions of literary terms. Search tip: This reference work is a part of the Oxford Reference database. When you click into this title, scroll down the page that appears and use the "Search within work" search box on the left side of the page to search for a term or use the alphabetical list of entries to browse the work.

Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism This link opens in a new window
An indispensable resource for scholars and students of literary theory and discourse. Compiled by 275 specialists from around the world, the Guide presents a comprehensive historical survey of the field's most important figures, schools, and movements and is updated annually.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Literary Theory by John Frow (Editor-In-Chief)
Call Number: ebook
ISBN: 9780190699604
Publication Date: 2022-05-20
This volume presents a broad and in-depth overview of every aspect of literary theory, both traditional and contemporary. Around 180 full-length essays written by international experts illustrate the problems, the concepts, and the methodologies that arise when we discuss literary criticism, offering the most comprehensive exposition and analysis currently available of literary theory in all its many dimensions.
A Dictionary of Literary Symbols by Michael Ferber
Call Number: ebook
ISBN: 9780521870429
Publication Date: 2007-06-21
Also available in print: MH Reference PN56.S9 F47 2017

The English language past and present

The English language has changed over time. Words we use today may have meant something quite different in Medieval or Early Modern times, or may not have been introduced into the English language until much later. Some words that were used frequently in the past are no longer used today. Specialized dictionaries can help you navigate the range of words and their changing meanings over time.

Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
The finest and most comprehensive dictionary of the English Language. Includes extensive quotations documenting usage, searchable by author. Entries in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) contain definitions and examples of usage with dates that can help you determine a word's meaning now and at different points in the past. For helpful tips explaining how get the most out of this dictionary, see the OED's Video Guides.

Shakespeare's Words - Glossary
Glossary of "words that no longer exist in Modern English, have changed their meaning since Shakespeare's day, or have an encyclopedic or specialized sense that would make them unfamiliar to many modern readers." From the authors of the book by the same title.

Middle English Compendium This link opens in a new window
The Middle English Compendium has been designed to offer easy access to and interconnectivity between three major Middle English electronic resources: an electronic version of the Middle English Dictionary, a HyperBibliography of Middle English prose and verse, based on the MED bibliographies, a Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse, as well as links to an associated network of electronic resources. Published by University of Michigan.

Bosworth-Toller's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online
Online edition of An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, based on the manuscript collections of the late Joseph Bosworth, edited by Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller. It is the largest complete dictionary of Old English.