ENGL 1127.104: Writing About Shakespeare  Tags: shakespeare english_literature theater  

Reference sources -- both in print and online -- can provide information and overviews of a subject, providing historical context, identifying key events and people, and describing important concepts. A good reference source might also contain a core bibliography of books and journal articles worth looking for. This list highlights some reference material of particular relevance for this class.

Language & Literary Terms

Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 9th ed. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage, 2009.Olin Ref PN41 A184 2009

"For clarity, concision and elegance Abrams has few peers and no superiors; plain spoken but not simplistic, his essays on critical methods are the best short treatments in the business." (Choice)

 

Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism c1997- .

A full-text searchable database of articles on individual critics and theorists, critical and theoretical schools and movements, and the critical and theoretical innovations of specific countries and historical periods. It also treats related persons and fields that have been shaped by or have themselves shaped literary theory and criticism. Each entry includes a selective primary and secondary bibliography. Paper edition (2005) in Olin Reference: Olin Ref PN81 J554 2005 +.

 

Oxford English Dictionary Online

The greatest dictionary of the English language, its aim is to present in alphabetical series the words that have formed the English vocabulary from the time of the earliest records down to the present day, with all the relevant facts concerning their form, meaning, pronunciation, and etymology. Over 400,000 entries. The most important use of this dictionary is for historical information about a word. This online edition is more up-to-date than the printed Second Edition, and represents the latest progress towards the Third Edition. Second ed. in Olin Ref PE 1625 M98 1989, and Uris Ref PE1625 M978 1989

Literature Reference Sources

The Cambridge Historical Encyclopedia of Great Britain and Ireland. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1985. Uris Ref DA 34 C17+; also Olin Ref

An illustrated overview of British history. Provides chapters of about forty pages each dealing with the major periods in British history, for example, "Reformation and Inflation, 1450-1625."

A Literary History of England. 2nd ed. New York: Appleton, 1967. Uris Ref PR 83 B34 1967; also Olin Ref

A comprehensive and scholarly history of the literature of England. Arranged by period and genre, with numerous footnotes indicating standard editions and an extensive bibliographical supplement listing, by chapter and page, the most important books and articles in which the reader may pursue further the writings of authors discussed.

Literature Resource Center [Farmington Hills, MI] : Gale Group, c1999-.

"The Literature Resource Center (LRC) is a complete literature reference database designed for the undergraduate student. LRC combines biographical, bibliographical, and contextual information to deliver a complete reference/resource package on authors and their works (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, and journalism). Centering on respected Gale sources, including Contemporary Authors, Dictionary of Literary Biography, and Contemporary Literary Criticism, this data set is augmented with full-text, excerpted, and commissioned critical material illuminating an oeuvre or era... LRC [also] offers the Encyclopedia of Literature,... The Scribner Writer Series, and The Twayne Authors Series: Twayne's US Authors, Twayne's English Authors and Twayne's World Authors, providing literary criticism, history and influence of literary movements, and the development of literary genres for approximately 200 authors.

 

McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama: An International Reference Work in Five Volumes.2nd ed. 5 vols. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984. Uris Ref PN 1625 M14+ 1984; also Olin Ref

"The purpose of the book is to present, in the clearest possible format, factual information and critical evaluations of numerous dramatists' work and stature." (Preface) Most entries contain a biographical sketch, a brief critique of the dramatist's work, a selection of synopses of his/her plays, a bibliography of editions and usually a list of critical and biographical works. Emphasis is on English and Western European playwrights. Includes some general essays on drama of the world as well as many photographs taken during actual productions.

Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th ed. Oxford: OUP, 2000. Also in print: Olin Ref PR19 O94 2000

Brief articles on authors and literary works from all periods of English literature are arranged alphabetically in this comprehensive single volume handbook. Contains extensive cross-references and appendices include essays on "Censorship and the Law of the Press" and "Notes on the History of English Copy Right."

Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature. David Scott Kastan, editor in chief. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, c2006. 5 vols. Olin Ref PR19 O95 2006

"Covers the entire history of British literature from the seventh century to the present, focusing on the writers and the major texts of what are now the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. In five hundred substantial essays written by major scholars, the Encyclopedia of British Literature includes biographies of nearly four hundred individual authors and a hundred topical essays with detailed analyses of particular themes, movements, genres, and institutions whose impact upon the writing or the reading of literature was significant." (publisher) Table of contents

Shakespeare Reference Sources

All Things Shakespeare: an Encyclopedia of Shakespeare’s World. Kirstin Olsen. Published: Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, c2002. 2 v. Uris Ref PR2892 O56x 2002

Dictionary of Shakespeare. Louise McConnell. Teddington, Middlesex : Peter Collin, 2000.

A comprehensive dictionary that covers the plays, poems, characters and background to Shakespeare's works. The dictionary also includes terms used in the theatre and stagecraft, as well as historical references and details on the Elizabethan historical and social period.

A Dictionary of Shakespeare. Stanley Wells, with the assistance of James Shaw. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1998.

"Compiled by one of the best-known authorities on the Bard's works, this dictionary offers up-to-date information on all aspects of Shakespeare in his own time and on his impact and influence on later ages. It includes entries on the plays and the major characters, on Shakespeare's life and his contemporaries, on actors from Edmund Kean to Peter O'Toole, on theatres and directors, plus comments on Shakespeare by later authors such as Jane Austen, Dr Johnson, and Bernard Levin." [publisher]

 

Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Also in print:Olin Ref PR2892 O94 2001 + and Uris Ref PR2892 O94 2001

An "authoritative guide to Shakespeare's plays and poems, and their interpretation around the world over the last four centuries. Special feature entries on every play are included." [Publisher] 3,000 entries.

 

Readers' Encyclopedia of Shakespeare. New York: Thomas Crowell, 1966. Uris Ref PR 2892 C17+; also Olin Ref

Offers all the essential information available on aspects of Shakespeare's life and works including critical analyses. Included is a chronology of events related to the life and works of Shakespeare. A selected bibliography appears at the end of the text.

 

Shakespeare A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Plays, His Poems, His Life and Times, and More. New York: Facts on File, 1990. Uris Ref PR2892 B78

A useful handbook including nearly 3,000 entries on all facets of Shakespeare's life. For each play there is an act-by-act, scene-by-scene synopsis, a commentary, and the theatrical history of the play. There are also entries for individual characters both historical and fictional, major character types, major Shakespeare scholars and performers, and the people who influenced Shakespeare. A suggested reading section and an appendix list entries by broad categories.

 

Shakespeare Companion. New York: Scribner's, 1978. Uris Ref PR 2976 E92 1978

A handbook to the Shakespearean theatre. Divided into four sections: 1) The Man and his Times, 2) Shakespeare in Performance, 3)The Works and 4) Stratford upon Avon and Shakespeare. Section III is particularly useful for its discussions of specific productions of the plays, both on stage and film. Useful features include a glossary of difficult words used in the plays and numerous illustrations and photographs.

 

Shakespeare Name Dictionary. New York : Garland Pub., 1995. Olin Ref + PR 2892 D26 1995; also Olin stacks

Alphabetically arranged dictionary of "every name, proper adjective, official title, literary and musical title, and place name which appears in the text of the complete plays and poems of William Shakespeare." (Intro.)

 

Shakespearean Criticism: Excerpts from the Criticism of William Shakespeare’s Plays and Poetry, from the First Published Appraisals to Current Evaluations. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research Co.94 volumes. Olin STACKS (3rd floor) Oversize PR2965 S53+

Contains text of critical articles on Shakespeare's work from all historical periods. Note that individual articles are often abridged.