Olin Reference Collection
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Subject encyclopedias are great for:
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The Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English DictionaryThe 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.
Literature Reference Resources
- Gale LiteratureA literature database combining biographical, bibliographical, and contextual
information on authors and their works (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, and journalism). Includes both textual and visual material from the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Contemporary Authors, and Contemporary Literary Criticism.
A Glossary of Literary Terms by Call Number: Olin Reference PN41 A184 2015ISBN: 9781285465067Publication Date: 11th ed., 2015"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)
Encyclopedia of Literary and Cultural TheoryCall Number: Print copy: Olin Reference PN 81 E435 2011Publication Date: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011Arranged in three volumes covering Literary Theory from 1900 to 1966, Literary Theory from 1966 to the present, and Cultural Theory, this encyclopedia provides accessible entries on the important concepts, theorists and trends in post-1900 literary and cultural theory.
Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and CriticismCall Number: Print copy: Olin Reference PN81 J554 2005+Publication Date: 2004Contains signed, in-depth overviews of the major schools of literary theory Useful for understanding literary concepts, e.g., Postcolonial Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, Race and Ethnicity, etc.
Oxford bibliographies. American literature.Publication Date: Oxford University Press, 2012 -Offers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on American literature and the American literary tradition over the past 500 years. Includes perspectives on postmodern theory, debates about the canon, slave narratives, comic books, and other topics while inviting trans-disciplinary collaboration with fields as varied as history, cultural studies, politics, and women’s studies. Bibliographies are browseable by subject area and keyword searchable.Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature
Call Number: Print copy: Olin Reference PS21 E537 2004 +Publication Date: Oxford UP, 20044 vols. Contains essays on US poets, playwrights, essayists, and novelists. Figures such as Whitman, Melville, and Morrison are discussed in detail and examined in the context of his or her times, with an assessment of the writer's current reputation, a bibliography of major works, and a list of major critical and biographical works about the writer.
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Multiethnic American LiteratureCall Number: Olin Library Reference PS 153 .M56 G74 2005 +Publication Date: 20055 vols. Included are more than 1100 alphabetically arranged entries by more than 300 scholars. While most of the entries are biographical, others cover genres, ethnic stereotypes, seminal works, significant places, major historical events, key pieces of legislation, and other topics.
References Sources for Race, Ethnicity, and Sexuality
Use authoritative dictionaries and reference sources.
Wikipedia might be a handy tool in some cases, but it's not what your professors would call a reliable or authoritative reference source. The library resources listed below provide access to scholarly information on a range of subjects. Use the Library Subject Guides to find many more.
Cambridge Companion to Literature and DisabilityCall Number: Print copy: Olin stacks PN56.5.H35 C36 2018Publication Date: Cambridge, 2017Covers the representation of disability in literatures in English across major time periods, critical approaches, and a wide range of impairments, such as cognitive difference, neurobehavioral conditions, and mental and chronic illnesses.
Cambridge Companion to Native American LiteratureCall Number: Olin Library PS153.I52 C36 2005"...provides an informative and wide-ranging overview of the literature in English by American Indians from the 1770s to the present day. It includes bio-bibliographies of forty authors, maps, suggestions for further reading, and a timeline which details major works of Native American and mainstream American literature, as well as significant social, cultural and historical events." (publisher)
Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History: the Black Experience in the AmericasCall Number: Print copy: Olin Library Reference E185 .E54 2006Publication Date: 2006 (2nd ed.)6 vols. Culture broadly defined provides information on persons, events, and trends. Concludes with a collection of around 35 primary documents, section of "Statistics and Lists," and an overall index.
Encyclopedia of gender and societyCall Number: Print copy: Olin Reference HQ1115 E54 2009+Publication Date: Sage, 20092 volumes; Focuses on significant gender scholarship within commonly recognized areas of social research.
Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and SocietyPublication Date: 2008Covers important topics, events, and persons relevant to race and ethicity in society. Also addresses other issues of inequality that intersect with race and ethnicity, including ability status, age, class, gender, and sexual orientation.
International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral SciencesCall Number: Print copy: Olin Library Reference H41 I58x 2001Publication Date: 200126 Vols. Covers theory and methodology in core disciplines and emphasizes the cross-disciplinary interconnectedness among fields within the social sciences. More than 4,000 signed entries including overviews, reviews of future directions, biographies and bibliographies. Online version provides ongoing regular updates and additional new articles. Vol. 26 in print format is a classified list of entries by field and extensive subject index connecting related topics.
Lgbt, encyclopedia of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history in AmericaCall Number: Print copy: Olin Reference HQ76.3.U5 E53x 2004
How to Read Citations
Learning how to interpret citations you find in scholarly books and articles is a critical research skill and essential to efficiently finding the material you need for your assignments. Watch this video to learn how.