Selective Bibliography for the Study of Comparative Literature: General Sources

NB: This bibliography is highly selective and does not attempt to include literary sources for individual national literatures. For national literatures consult Guide to Reference Books, Walford's Guide to Reference Material, and Thompson's Key Sources in Comparative, and World Literature (below).

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I. General Reference Guides	VIII. Book Reviews
II. Guides --Comparative Literature	IX. Dissertations
III. Literary Dictionaries & Encyclopedias	X. Comp. Lit. Journals
IV. Volumes Excerpting Criticism	XI. Electronic Journals
V. Literary Indexes & Serial Bibliographies	XII. Databases of Primary Texts
VI. Literary Terminology and Critical & Cultural Theory	XIII. Internet Resources
VII. History of Literary Criticism and Critical Theory	XIV. Library of Congress Classification

Map of Davis Reference

I. General Reference Guides

Guide to Reference Books. 11th ed. Ed. Robert Balay. Chicago: American Library Association, 1996.
A valuable guide to standard reference works in every subject field. Especially useful if you need assistance in beginning research in a field not central to your academic discipline. Arranged by broad subjects (humanities, social sciences, history, pure, and applied sciences) with subdivisions by specific discipline. With an author, title, subject index.
Davis Reference Desk Z1035.1 .S43 1996

Walford, Albert John. Walford's Guide to Reference Material. 7th ed. London: Library Association, 1996-. V. 3 [1998] Generalia, language, and literature, the arts / edited by Anthony Chalcraft, Ray Prytherch, Stephen Willis.
The British counterpart to Guide to Reference Books (above).
Davis Reference Desk Z1035.1 .W33 1996.

Wortman, William A. A Guide to Serial Bibliographies for Modern Literature. New York: Modern Language Association, 1995.
Lists bibliographic sources which appear regularly (like the MLA Bibliography), grouped in five major areas: comprehensive bibliographies and general indexes; English, American, and Commonwealth literatures; non-English literatures; subjects (e.g., critical and literary theory, film); authors (i.e., bibliographies of critical works about specific authors). Especially useful for identifying serial bibliographies appearing in scholarly journals.
Davis Reference PN695 .W678 1995

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II. Guides for the Study of Comparative Literature

Altick, Richard Daniel. The Art of Literary Research. 4th ed. Richard D. Altick and
John J. Fenstermaker. New York: Norton, c1993. A standard guide to the methodology of doing literary research.
Davis Reference PR56 .A68 1993

Baldensperger, Fernand. Bibliography of Comparative Literature. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1950.
A work which attempts to cover the literature on literary influences from the earliest times to the 20th century. Arranged in four books: the first and third cover general works, themes, genres, movements, and international literary relations; the second and fourth deal with specific national literatures and time periods. Updated but not superseded by the Yearbook of Comparative Literature (cf. Literary Indexes). Still useful for identifying earlier criticism.
Davis Reference Z6514 .C7 B3

Bassnett, Susan. Comparative Literature: A Critical Introduction. Oxford, UK; Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1993.
Davis PN865 .B37 1993

Chevrel, Yves. Litterature Comparee: Comparative Literature Today: Methods & Perspectives. Translated from the French by Farida Elizabeth Dahab. T. Jefferson University Press, c1995.
Davis PN865 .C44 1995

Harner, James L. Literary Research Guide: An Annotated Listing of Reference Sources in English Literary Studies. 4th ed. New York: Modern Language Association, 2002.
An exemplary classified and critically annotated bibliography for the study of English-language literatures; Harner also includes brief chapters for "Foreign-Language Literatures" and for "Comparative Literature."
Davis Reference Desk PR83 .H34 2002

Internationale Bibliographie zu Geschichte und Theorie der Komparatistik. Ed. Hugo Dyserinck. Stuttgart: A. Hiersemann, 1985.
Davis Reference Z6514 .C7 I6 1985

Interrelations of Literature. Ed. Jean-Pierre Barricelli & Joseph Gibaldi. New York: Modern Language Association, 1982.
Davis, UL PN45.8 .I56 1982

Sensus Communis: Contemporary Trends in Comparative Literature: Panorama de la Situation Actuelle en Litterature Comparee: Festschrift fur Henry Remak. Ed. Janos Riesz, Peter Boerner & Bernhard Scholz. Tubingen: G. Narr, c1986.
Davis PN865 .S467 1986

Thompson, George. Key Sources in Comparative and World Literature: An Annotated Guide to Reference Materials. New York: F. Ungar Pub. Co., c1982.
Intended for use by graduate students, arranged by national literature. Includes many specialized bibliographies of themes, genres, and movements. With descriptive and evaluative annotations and citations to reviews of the works included.
Davis Reference Z6511 .T47 1982

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III. Selected Literary Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
This is a highly selective sampling of encyclopedic literary resources. Browse the P Classification (Language and Literature) in the Reference Department to get a sense of the full range of resources available. Consult the Library of Congress Classification Outline for a more detailed breakdown of the Language and Literature classification

Dictionary of Literary Biography. Detroit: Gale Research, 1978-.
An ongoing series of almost 300 vols. that provides biographical essays for authors. Essays also include primary and secondary bibliographies and typically indicate locations for deceased authors' papers. Generally arranged by nationality and genre and period, e.g., American Poets Since World War II, Sixth Series (v. 193). Although this series began for American and then for English authors, it has now expanded to include an increasing number of European and international writers. Each volume has a cumulative author index, so the highest volume number in the series (most recent) has the most complete index.
The text of the DLB (with a few illustrations)is now available elcetronically via Literature Resource Center. Search for authors individually or Author by Type (for ethnicity, nationality, etc.).
Davis Reference Row 3 PS21 .D5185 1978

An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers. Ed. Katharina M. Wilson. New York: Garland Pub., 1991.
Davis Reference PN481 .E5 1991

Encyclopedia of Life Writing. 2 vols. Ed. Margaretta Jolly. London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001.
Davis Reference PR756 .B56 E53

Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English. Ed Eugene Benson and L.W. Conolly. London; New York: Routledge, 1994.
Davis Reference PR9080 .A52 E53 1994
Available electronically via Literature Online (LION). Select Criticism & Reference, then Reference.
Article Databases & More

Encyclopedia of the Essay. Ed. Tracy Chevalier. London; Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997.
Davis Reference PN6141 .E53 1997

Encyclopedia of the Novel. Ed. Paul Schellinger. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, c1998.
Davis Reference PN41 .E53 1998
Available electronically via Literature Online (LION). Select Criticism & Reference, then Reference.
Article Databases & More

Encyclopedia of World Literature in the 20th Century. 4 v. [Steven R. Serafin, general editor.] Farmington Hills, MI: St. James Press, c1999.
Critical biographical articles predominate in this work, but it includes topical articles on movements and national literatures (but not literary genres) as well.
Davis Reference PN771 .E5 1999

European Writers. New York: Scribner's, 1983-.
This series of literary encyclopedias provides biographical essays written for a general audience with select bibliographies which include a list of works, translations, background studies, and critical evaluations of the author's work.
Davis Reference Row 3 PN501 .E9 1983

Kindlers neues Literatur Lexikon. Ed. Walter Jens. Munich: Kindler, c1988-1996. 21 v.
Arranged by the title of the literary work usually in the language of the original. Articles include a brief history of the work, a precis, bibliography of editions, and translations, critical works, and adaptations.
Davis Reference PN44 .K54 1988

Literature and its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Novels and the Historical Events that Influenced Them.
5 v. Ed. Joyce Moss and George Wilson. Detroit: Gale, c1997.
v. 1. Ancient Times to the American and French Revolutions, (Pre-history-1790s)
v. 2. Civil Wars to Frontier Societies (1800-1880s)
v. 3. Growth of Empires to the Great Depression (1890-1930s
v. 4. World War II to the Affluent Fifties (1940-1950s)
v. 5. Civil Rights Movements to Future Times (1960-2000)
Davis Reference PN50 .L574 1997

MagillOnLiterature Plus
Article Databases & More

McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama: An International Reference Work in 5 Volumes. Stanley Hochman, editor in chief. New York: McGraw-Hill, c1984. 2nd ed.
Davis Reference PN1625 .M3 1984

The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Ed. Alex Preminger & T.V. F. Brogan. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 1993.
This edition represents a thorough revision of this standard, authoritative work. It provides surveys of 106 national poetries, descriptions of poetic forms & genres, detailed explanations of the devices of prosody & rhetoric, and accounts of the major movements & issues in criticism & literary theory.
Davis Reference Desk PN1021 .N39 1993
Available electronically via Literature Online (LION). Select Criticism & Reference, then Reference.
Article Databases & More

Reference Guide to World Literature. Ed. Sara Pendergast & Tom Pendergast. Detroit: St. James Press, c2003. 3rd edition. (v. 1. Authors -- v. 2. Works, index.)
Davis Reference PN524 .R44 2003

Twentieth Century Literary Movements Dictionary: A Compendium to More than 500 Literary, Critical, and Theatrical Movements, Schools, and Groups from More than 80 nations ….
Ed. Helene Henderson and Jay P. Pederson. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, c2000.
Davis Reference PN597 .T94 2000

The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theater. Ed. Don Rubin. London; New York: Routledge, 1994-.
v. 1. Europe -- v. 2. The Americas -- v. 3. Africa -- v. 4. The Arab World -- v. 5. Asia /Oceania -- v. 6. Bibliography/Cumulative Index.
Davis Reference PN1861 .W67 1994

World Literature and Its Times. Ed. Joyce Moss. Detroit: Gale Group , 1999-.
A projected 12-volume series providing "profiles of notable literary works and the historical events that influenced them."

v. 1. Latin American Literature and Its Times. Davis Reference PQ7081 .M625 1999
v. 2. African Literature and Its Times. Davis Reference PL8010 .M65 2000
v. 3. British and Irish Literature and Its Times: Celtic Migrations to the Reform Bill (Beginnings - 1830s). Davis Reference PR25 .M67 2001
v. 4. British and Irish Literature and Its Times: The Victorian Era to the Present (1837- ). Davis Reference PR25 .M671 2001
v. 5. Spanish and Portuguese Literatures and Their Times: (The Iberian Peninsula). Davis Reference PQ6041 .M67 2002

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IV. Volumes Excerpting Criticism
Each author section includes a biographical sketch and excerpts of criticism arranged chronologically. Useful for tracing critical reception. Individual authors may appear in multiple volumes. The volumes in any of these Gale series carry a cumulative index, so the most recent volume (highest numbered) will index the entire series.
Many of these critical excerpts are available electronically via Literature Resources Center.

Contemporary Literary Criticism. [serial] v. 1-, 1973- . Detroit: Gale Research Co.
An ongoing series that publishes excerpts of criticism for authors living after 1959.
Davis Reference Row 4 PN771 .C59

Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800. [serial] v.1-, 1984-. Detroit: Gale Research Co.
Publishes excerpts of criticism for authors writing between 1400-1800.
Davis Reference Row 5 PN86 .L5

Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism. [serial] v.1 -, 1981- . Detroit: Gale Research Co.
Another ongoing series by Gale, these volumes reproduce excerpts of criticism for 19th century authors. Criticism ranges from contemporary reviews, etc. to recent critical articles & reviews. Each volume has a cumulative index.
Davis Reference Row 5 PN761 .N5

Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. [serial] v.1-, 1978- . Detroit: Gale Research Co.
Provides excerpts of criticism for authors who died between 1900-1959. Another ongoing project from Gale.
Davis Reference Row 5 PN771 .T8

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V. Selected Literary Indexes & Serial Bibliographies
For additional electronic indexes and databases for literature and other disciplines, try the Research by Subject link from within Article Databases on the Library Homepage.

Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature. (ABELL) [serial] Ed. for the Modern Humanities Research Assoc. by A.C. Paues, 1920- .
The British counterpart to MLA (below) for English-language literatures. Unlike MLA, ABELL does cite reviews of scholarly books. For the years 1923-1960 ABELL included a section for Comparative Literature. ABELL does link to some full-text articles.
Article Databases & More

Modern Language Association. MLA International Bibliography New York, 1921-.
MLA is a bibliography of scholarly works on the languages and literatures of the world (excluding Latin & Greek literature, which is covered by L'Annee Philologigue). Before 1956 coverage was of American periodicals only. Now provides access to the contents of several thousand periodicals, books, book chapters, conference proceedings, and dissertations. Since 1981 subject indexes provide access to themes, theories, motifs, methodological approaches, movements, etc.
Article Databases & More, 1926-Present (with some earlier indexing and linking to JSTOR articles.

WorldCat.
WorldCat is not an index but rather a union catalog of several thousand libraries' electronic holdings & is comprised of more than 50 million bibliographic records. As such, it is an indispensable resource for grad students & faculty. You can search for specific books or authors or journal titles that UNC-Chapel Hill may not hold, or you can search by subject (Library of Congress Subject Headings).
Article Databases & More

Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory. Oxford: Pub. for The English Association by Blackwell Publishers, c1994-. Vol. 1- evaluates literary studies; first published in 1991-. Companion volume to: The Year's Work in English Studies.
Davis Reference PN80 .Y43, 1991-

Year's Work in English Studies. London: Pub. for the English Association by John Murray, 1919/20-.
Annual,.
A selective, narrative bibliography evaluating studies in English and American and, more recently, other English language literatures.
Davis Reference PE58 .E6, 1919/20-

Year's Work in Modern Language Studies. London: The Modern Humanities Research Association, 1929/30-.
Annual.
A work in which international scholars summarize and criticize the world's studies in the major literatures, excluding English and American, but including Romance, Celtic, Germanic, and Slavonic. Each national literature is divided chronologically by genre, individual author, and linguistics. See the Year's Work in English Studies for English and American literature.
Davis Reference PB1 .Y45, 1929/30-

Yearbook of Comparative and General Literature. Bloomington: Indiana University, 1952-.
Annual. (1952-1970) contained an "Annual Bibliography" designed to supplement Baldensperger (Cf. Guides -- Comparative Literature). Since 1970 this section has been replaced by highly specialized bibliographies or essay reviews on specific subjects. Vol. 1-19 also published as Bibliography of Comparative Literature, 1950-1970, cumulative indexes.
Davis PN851 .Y4 (latest vol. in Reference)

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VI. Literary Terminology and Critical & Cultural Theory

The A-Z Guide to Modern Literary and Cultural Theorists. Ed Sturat Sim. London; New York: Prentice Hall/Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1995.
Davis PN74 .A2 1995

Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 6th ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Javnovich, 1993
Davis Reference Desk PN41 .A184 1993

Andermahr, Sonya. A Glossary of Feminist Theory. London; New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997.
Davis Reference HQ1190 .A53 1997

Baldick, Chris. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Oxford: Clarendon Press; New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1990.
Davis Reference PN41 .C67 1990

The Columbia Dictionary of Modern Literary and Cultural Criticism. Ed. Joseph Childers & Tary Hentzi. New York: Columbia Univ. Press, c1995.
Davis Reference BH39 .C62 1995
Available electronically via Literature Online (LION). Select Criticism & Reference, then Reference.
Article Databases & More

Cuddon, J.A. A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. 4th ed. (revised C.E. Preston) Oxford; Malden, MA: Blackwell, 1998.
Davis Reference Desk, PN41 .C83 1998

A Dictionary of Cultural and Critical Theory. Ed. Michael Payne. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Reference 1996.
Davis Reference HM101 .D527 1996

Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Minneapolis, MN: Univ. of Minnesota Press, 1996.
Davis PN94 .E2 1996

Encyclopedia of Contemporary Literary Theory: Approaches, Scholars, Terms. Ed. Irena R. Makaryk. Toronto: Univ. of Toronto Press, c1993.
Davis, Davis Reference PN81 .E43 1993

Encyclopedia of Feminist Literary Theory. Ed. Elizabeth Kowaleski-Wallace. New York: Garland, 1997.
Davis Reference PN98 .W64 E53 1997

Encyclopedia of Literary Critics and Criticism. 2 v. Ed. Chris Murray. London; Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1999.
Davis Reference PN86 .E63 1999

Harmon, William. A Handbook to Literature. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ:Prentice Hall, c2003.
Davis Reference Desk PN41 .H355 2003

Harris, Wendell V. Dictionary of Concepts in Literary Criticism and Theory. New York: Greenwood Press, 1992.
Davis Reference PN41 .H36 1992

Hawthorn, Jeremy. A Glossary of Contemporary Literary Theory. 4th ed. London: Arnold, 2000.
Davis Reference PN44.5 .H37 2000

Humm, Maggie. The Dictionary of Feminist Theory. 2nd ed. Columbus: Ohio State Univ. Press, c1995.
Davis Reference HQ1115 .H86 1995

The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism. Ed. Michael Groden and Martin Kreiswirth. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1994.
Davis Reference PN81 .J536 1994

Literary Theory .
The criteria for the inclusion of works in Literary Theory seek to reflect the diverse material and interests encompassed by the history of literary theory and criticism. In addition to works written in English, the database includes works which were originally written in other languages but which have had a significant bearing on English and American traditions of theory and criticism, or which have influenced contemporary theoretical debate in the English-speaking world. All works in the database appear in English.
Article Databases & More

Orr, Leonard. A Dictionary of Critical Theory. New York: Greenwood Press, 1991.
Davis Reference PN98 .S6 O77 1991

Orr, Leonard. Research in Critical Theory Since 1965: A Classified Bibliography. New York, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, c1989.
Davis Reference Z6514 .C97 O77 1989

Recent Work in Critical Theory, 1989-1995: An Annotated Bibliography. Compiled by William Baker and Kenneth Womack. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996.
Davis & Davis Reference PN81 .R357 1996

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VII. History of Literary Criticism and Critical Theory

The Cambridge History of Literary Criticism. Ed. George A. Kennedy. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1989- . v. 1. Classical Criticism; v.3 The Renaissance; v.4. The Eighteenth Century; v.5 Romanticism; v.7 Modernism and the New Criticism; v.8. From Formalism to Post-structuralism; v. 9 Twentieth-Century Historical, Philosophical, and Psychological Perspectives.[ongoing project]
Davis & Davis Reference PN86 .C27 1989

Wellek, Rene. A History of Modern Criticism: 1750-1950. 8 vols. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 1955-c1992.
Davis PN86 .W4

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VIII. Book Reviews

Finding Book Reviews is a selective guide to identifying book reviews. See other Research Guides for assistance in finding play reviews, poetry explication, etc.

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IX. Dissertations

Dissertations & Theses.
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, or Dissertations Abstracts, indexes U. S. dissertations from 1861 to as recently as last semester. The full text of dissertations done at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1997 on are available for free downloading in PDF format.
Citations for dissertations from 1980 on include 350-word abstracts, while masters' theses from 1988 forward have 150 word abstracts. For both dissertations and theses, from 1997 on, the citations also provide 24 page previews in PDF format.
The database covers work done at more than a thousand institutions, primarily in the United States but also in Canada and Great Britain, and at other European universities for recent years.

For UNC-Chapel Hill dissertations only, search Current Research@University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Article Databases & More

Reynolds, Michael M. Guide to Theses and Dissertations: An International Bibliography of Bibliographies. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1985.
A classified bibliography of dissertations with divisions for various nationalities and subject disciplines, further subdivided.
Davis Reference Z5053 .A1 R49 1985

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XI. Comparative Literature Journals

Arcadia: Zeitschrift fur Vergleichende Literaturwissenschaft. Berlin; New York: de Gruyter, 1966-.
Davis PN851 .A7 1966-.

Canadian Review of Comparative Literature/Revue Canadienne de Litterature Comparee. Toronto: Pub. by the Univ. of Toronto Press for the Canadian Comparative Literature Assoc., 1974-.
Davis PN851 .C35, 1974-.

Comparative Criticism. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1979-.
Davis PN863 .C58

Comparative Literature. Eugene, OR: Univ. of Oregon, 1949-.
Davis PN851 .C595, 1949-.

Comparative Literature Studies. Urbana: Univ. of Illinois Press, 1963-.
Davis E-Journals, 1999- PN851 .C63, 1963-.

Revue de Litterature Comparee. Paris: Edouard Champion, 1921-.
Davis PN851 .R4, 1921-.

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XI. Identifying Electronic Journals
Caveat: at this time only a fraction of the available journal literature of all time exists electronically. Always search the catalog in addition to E-Journal Finder(below) to determine if we have a journal in print format. Typically, only more recent issues exist electronically.

E-Journal Finder
Search individually by journal title or by subject, e.g., Comparative Literature or, more broadly, Literature. Caveat: not all electronic journals have been classified by subject. Always double check by doing an individual title search in E-Journal Finder.

JSTOR
JSTOR is a major retrospective digitization project for electronic journals in the humanities & social sciences. The most recent 2-5 years are not available via JSTOR but may be through another database. Search E-Journal Finder (above) to identify all electronic holdings.
Article Databases & More

Project Muse
Another major project providing full text for more than 200 scholarly journals.
Article Databases & More

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XII. Databases of Primary Texts
Search Article Databases & More by subject, e.g. Literature, to identify other indexes and full-text databases.

ARTFL Project (American and French Research on the Treasury of the French Language).
A diverse corpus of French, Italian, English texts. Search "Collections" for the full scope of the project.
Article Databases & More

Early English Books Online (EEBO).
Early English Books Online [EEBO] includes the total surviving published record of the English-speaking world for 227 years in digital format. It reproduces images of over 125,000 books, pamphlets and broadsides published in England and her colonies in any language between 1475 and 1700, and in English worldwide for this period.
Article Databases & More

Literature Online (LION).
LION is a major resource for English-language primary literary texts. It comprises more than 350,000 poems, plays, pieces of prose fiction and novels. It is searchable collectively as a single database or through individual collections, e.g., African-American Poetry (1750-1900). To identify individual & related collections in LION, scroll to the bottom of the LION homepage & select "Individual Literature Collections." These collections are available individually via the Article Databases & More homepage.
Article Databases & More

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XIII. Internet Resources for Comparative Literature

ECLAT (The "Essential" Comparative Literature and Theory Site) U.Penn
Provides links to other comp. lit. sites.

Electronic Text Center (University of Virginia)
Select "Collections" for access to electronic primary texts.

Electronic Text Collections in Western European Literature (WESS)

Literary Resources on the Net (Jack Lynch)
An excellent portal, primarily for English & American literature, but see "Other National Literatures" as well.

Voice of the Shuttle
See Literature in English, Literatures other than English, Literary Theory, etc.

E-Reference Links
See E-Reference Links for a variety of web links.

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XIV. Library of Congress Classification Outline

Library of Congress Classification Outline
This call number classification holds true for any library in the world using the Library of Congress classification system. For example, English language dictionaries will always be in the PEs, Romance language dictionaries in the PCs, English literature in the PRs, American literature the PSs, Romance language literatures in the PQs and General Literature the PNs (e.g., literary theory). Becoming familiar with these general areas will greatly assist your literary research. Refer to the classification outline for other subject areas.

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For more Humanities Assistance,
Please contact Tommy Nixon, Humanities Librarian
tommy_nixon@unc.edu
(919) 962-1151

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