English
Discover - search multiple databases at once
Discover searches most of the Mount Holyoke library's subscription databases and the Five College Libraries catalog at the same time. It allows you to search materials in all formats (print and electronic, text and multimedia) and across subjects. This can be really useful - very helpful if the topic you're researching is interdisciplinary - or can be a bit overwhelming if you get a lot of results. If the latter happens, you can always switch to searching the more focused, literature-specific databases on this page.
- Discover This link opens in a new windowA combined database made up of many individual resources including the library catalog and the majority of our subject-specific databases. Tip: you can use the Refine Results > Limit To > Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals option to limit your results to articles from scholarly journals.
Literature databases
These databases track articles, books, and book chapters published in sources that cover the field of literature.
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowIndexes over 3,000 journals and series in the fields of literature, language, linguistics, film, folklore and drama. Also covers relevant books, working papers, proceedings, bibliographies, and other formats. Tip: in the Refine Results section of the results page, check the Limit To option "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" to limit your results to articles from peer reviewed journals.
- Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new windowBiographical information, overviews, full-text (online) literary criticism and reviews on more than 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world. Tip: click on the "Advanced search" link under the search box to get to a search form with a MORE OPTIONS section including a Peer-Reviewed Journals checkbox that will limit your search results to articles from scholarly journals.
- LION/Literature Online This link opens in a new windowA collection of over 350,000 full-text (online) works of English, American, African-American and Canadian poetry, drama and prose from the 8th century to the present, with complementary criticism and reference resources. Tip: to restrict your search to literary criticism, click on the Criticism button above the search box. To limit your search to scholarly articles, select the Peer Reviewed checkbox below the search box. Note that this database is not searched by Discover.
- Arts and Humanities Citation Index This link opens in a new windowBibliographic and citation information for journal articles in the arts and humanities from 1975-present. Part of the Web of Science Core Collection. Many but not all of the journals and included in this database are scholarly. Not sure if a journal is peer-reviewed? Look it up in the Journal Locator!
Multidisciplinary databases that include literature studies content
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowJSTOR provides access to more than 12 million academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in 75 disciplines. Many but not all of the journals and included in this database are scholarly. Not sure if a journal is peer-reviewed? Look it up in the Journal Locator!
- ProjectMUSE This link opens in a new windowProject MUSE is a digital library of books and journals in the humanities and social sciences from over 200 of the world’s most distinguished university presses and scholarly societies. Many but not all of the journals and included in this database are scholarly. Not sure if a journal is peer-reviewed? Look it up in the Journal Locator!
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Google's database of scholarly works. Much of the content is articles and books, but you will also see theses, dissertations, patents and other items here.
If you are on campus you can often access full text articles available through the library directly from Google Scholar. If you are off campus, go into the settings and set the library link to Mount Holyoke College.
Databases for related fields
- Film & Television Literature Index This link opens in a new windowThe definitive online tool for film and television literature including film & television theory, preservation & restoration, screenwriting, and production. Search tip: in the Refine Results section of the results page, check the Limit To option "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" to limit your results to articles from peer reviewed journals.
- International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance This link opens in a new windowIndex of journal articles, books, book chapters and dissertation abstracts on all aspects of theatre and performance. Also contains the full text of 170 journals, and more than 360 full-text books. Search tip: in the Refine Results section of the results page, check the Limit To option "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" to limit your results to articles from peer reviewed journals.
Reviews and interviews
Not all books, plays, films and their creators receive the same amount of coverage in scholarly literature. Also, it takes time (months, sometimes a year or more) for scholarly articles to be published, so new works aren't likely to appear in that kind of source right away. If you're not finding much information about a work or its creator in scholarly journals or books, you may want to look for reviews and interviews. These may be found in magazines and newspapers. A few databases to search for reviews and interviews:
- Discover This link opens in a new windowA combined database made up of many individual resources including the library catalog and the majority of our subject-specific databases. Search tip: use the Refine Results > Source Types menu to select Reviews to limit your results to reviews. If you're searching for interviews, add the term "interview" to your search.
- ProQuest News & Newspapers This link opens in a new windowGives access to thousands of newspapers and articles. Search tip: To limit your search to just book reviews or interviews, choose to do an “Advanced” search and, in the "Search Options" > "Document Type" section of the search page, select "Review" or "Interview." Note that this database is not searched by Discover.
- GoogleGoogle can be used to search for reviews and author interviews. Search on the author name and the term "review" or "interview." To limit your search to news sources, click on the News tab at the top of your results list.
Companions
Literary companions are guides to an author and their works. They often include a sampling of articles that analyze different aspects of the author's works. This can offer a useful place to start when you're just beginning to explore and haven't picked a research topic of your own yet. Keep in mind that you'll usually only find companions for better known, established authors.
To find out if there's a companion for an author you're researching, search the author's name and the term "companion" in Discover. For example:
Selected journals
Some suggested journals for Professor Day's ENGL 199 Introduction to the Study of Literature class:
- American Literature (2000 - present)Each issue contains articles covering the works of several American authors—from colonial to contemporary—as well as an extensive book review section; a “Brief Mention” section offering citations of new editions and reprints, collections, anthologies, and other professional books; and an “Announcements” section that keeps readers up-to-date on prizes, competitions, conferences, grants, and publishing opportunities. For older issues, visit JStor.
- Callaloo (1995 - present)Callaloo, the premier journal of literature, art, and culture of the African Diaspora, publishes original work by and about writers and visual artists of African descent worldwide. Callaloo offers an engaging mixture of fiction, poetry, critical articles, interviews, drama, and visual art. For older issues, visit JStor.
- Contemporary Literature (2004 - present)Contemporary Literature publishes scholarly essays on contemporary writing in English, interviews with established and emerging authors, and reviews of recent critical books in the field. For older issues, visit JStor.
- Journal of Asian American StudiesJournal of Asian American Studies (JAAS) explores all aspects of Asian American experiences through original articles detailing new theoretical developments, research results, methodological innovations, public policy concerns, and pedagogical issues. The Journal also publishes book, media, and exhibition reviews.
- Novel (1999 - present)Novel is a peer-reviewed journal devoted to new criticism and theory in novel studies. For older issues, visit JStor.
Some suggested journals for Professor Caitlin Mahaffy's English 211 Shakespeare class:
- ELH (English Literary History)"ELH welcomes sophisticated, groundbreaking essays on all literatures in English and on cultural forms and contexts related to those literatures . . . the journal's editors balance historical, critical, and theoretical concerns in seeking to publish the very best work on English-language writing from its beginnings to the present day." For older issues, visit JStor.
- Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies"The journal fosters rigorous investigation of historiographical representations of European and western Asian cultural forms from late antiquity to the seventeenth century." For older issues, visit Project MUSE.
- Shakespeare Bulletin (2006-present)A "a peer-reviewed quarterly journal which publishes articles at the cutting edge of Shakespearean and early modern performance studies and theater history." For older issues, visit JStor.
- Shakespeare Quarterly (2001-present)A "a refereed journal committed to publishing articles in the vanguard of Shakespeare studies." For older issues, visit JStor.
- Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900"SEL focuses on four fields of British literature in rotating, quarterly issues: English Renaissance, Tudor and Stuart Drama, Restoration and Eighteenth Century, and Nineteenth Century. The editors select learned, readable papers that contribute significantly to the understanding of British literature from 1500 to 1900." For older issues, visit JStor.