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English & Literature: Explore a Topic

An introduction to some of the resources for English classes.

Find Background Information

Good places to find background information:
  • Your textbook or class readings
  • Encyclopedias and reference books
  • Credible websites
  • And of course ...

Library Reference Sources

Clarify Your Question

Broad resources like the ones in the Exploration tab help to place your topic in the context of the broader discipline that you study, reveal useful search terms, and - best of all - stimulate questions that inspire your writing.

Important Considerations
  • The shorter the paper, the more specific the topic.
  • Is there a specific area within the broader topic that you're curious about or even irked by?
  • Is there a cause-effect relationship that you're curious about?
  • Look for unanswered questions.
  • Are there time periods or groups of people within the discipline that strike a chord for you?
  • If you think you've got a topic worth writing about, try to explain it informally to a friend. Are there gaps in what you know? Did any questions come up?
Are there books on your topic?

When a reference tool is too broad, it can be useful to seek out a book, and sometimes scholars get together to tackle a subject, breaking it apart into chapters written by experts on that specific subtopic. We call those books anthologies, and they can be very helpful in choosing a rabbit hole, so to speak.

English Book Databases

More Reference Databases

Handbooks, Encyclopedias, & Dictionaries

The Handy English Grammar Answer Book

From a brief history of the English language to the deconstruction and explanation of the different parts of a sentence, and from showing how to punctuate correctly to how to organize a well-argued essay

The Oxford Companion to American Literature

One of the finest resources to this country's rich history of great writers.

The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters

The first major reference book on monsters for the scholarly market.

Black Literature Criticism

Focuses on writers and works published since 1950.

The Handy Literature Answer Book

An engaging, easy-to-read look at literature basics such as themes, symbols, context, and other literary device

Encyclopedia of Contemporary LGBTQ Literature of the United States

Covers contemporary lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer American literature and its social contexts.

A Dictionary of Literary Symbols

Explains and illustrates the literary symbols that we all frequently encounter and gives hundreds of cross-references and quotations.

Key Terms in Literary Theory

Defines terms and concepts in literary theory, along with explanations of the major movements and figures in literary and cultural theory and an extensive bibliography.

Key Concepts in Postcolonial Literature

The main themes, issues, and critical perspectives that have had the greatest effect on postcolonial literatures.

The American Heritage Dictionary

Also in our reference stacks at R 423 A51253 2006