ENGL 1108.103: Writing About Film  Tags: film american_literature linguistics_language_literature  

Quick Reference

Credo Reference  A searchable collection containing 100 reference sources including subject dictionaries, encyclopedias, biographical sources and quotations. Contains over 150,000 entries of facts, words, concepts, and people.  Search tip: For more precise results, use the Advanced Search and limit your search term by topic.

Oxford English Dictionary. The OED presents 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, sense-history, pronunciation, and etymology. It embraces not only the standard language of literature and conversation, but also the main technical vocabulary, and a large measure of dialectical usage and slang. This edition contains the complete A to Z sequence of the Second Edition, its three-volume Additions Series, and also draft material from the revision programme, which represents the latest progress towards the Third Edition. Second edition available in print at Olin and Uris Reference PE1625 M98 1989

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Subject Encyclopedias, Guides, etc.

Critical Dictionary of Film and Television Theory, edited by Roberta E. Pearson and Philip Simpson. London; New York: Routledge, 2001. (Olin Ref PN1993.45 C75x 2001 +)
"Explains the major theoretical approaches and definitions now deployed in the study of screen media. Entries range from longer overview essays which summarise the central paradigms of film and television theory, to shorter definitions of key concepts and introductions to major influential figures." (jacket copy) Includes cross-references, bibliographies, and index.

The International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers.4th ed., 4 vols. Chicago: St. James, 2000. (Online; also Olin Ref PN 1993.45 I61 2000 and Uris Ref )
Vol. I of this four-volume set lists and describes approximately 650 international and historical films. Descriptions include production information, a cast list, a plot summary, an essay of the film's place in film history, and a lengthy bibliography. Vols. II-IV focus on Directors/Filmmakers, Actors and Actresses, and Writers and Production Assistants.

Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism Edited by Michael Groden and Martin Kreiswirth, and Imre Szeman. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, c1997 -. 
A resource for scholars and students of literary theory and discourse.

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Biographical Information & Critical Analysis

Literature Resource Center (LRC).  A complete literature database combining biographical, bibliographical, and contextual information on authors and their works (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, and journalism).

Lion Literature Online. Includes critical and biographical references on English and American authors. Search tip: To find biographical entries as well as critical analysis, choose author from the left-hand tool bar. Enter the author's last name, first name, e.g.Kincaid, Jamaica.

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