LibGuides: A Guide to English: Start

Ask Us!

Spring 2021 reference (research) help:

Chat with a librarian (M-Th 10:30-4:30; Friday 10:30-2:30)
E-mail: folke@gustavus.edu (please include your name and the best way to contact you)
Use this online request form to schedule an appointment for a one-on-one consultation with a librarian.

Chat with Us! (Fall Semester through Spring Semester only)

Chat reference service is available Monday - Thursday 10:30 - 4:30 & Fridays 10:30 - 2:30. We look forward to connecting with you! Contact us with any question about research or library services.

These times don't work for you? Prefer to connect via email or Google Meets? Visit our Reference Services page for more options to contact a librarian.

News from Poets & Writers

Notable Website

Folger Digital Texts
Digital Shakespeare texts from the Folger Library in Washington, DC, the foremost library for Shakespeare research in the country.
Paris Review Interviews
An online compilation of over 300 interviews with writers originally published in the Paris Review.
Poetry Archive
Particularly notable for its recordings of poets reading their works; text is also provided. Poems are browseable by theme and by form, as well as searchable by author or title.
Poetry Foundation
A rich resource for poets and poetry lovers from the foundation that publishes the magazine Poets.

Research in English

English embraces both reading and writing literature. Reading critically involves analyzing texts in the context of history, literary theory, genres, or social issues and can involve looking into historical, cultural, or thematic connections. English majors also write creatively and may need inspiration or factual information for their work or may want to know more about the publishing business. This guide to resources presents a small sampling of the tools available for the interpretation or creation of literature..Please don't hesitate to ask a librarian for assistance if you aren't finding what you need.

photo courtesy of MorBCN

Best Bets!

The most in-depth database for literature and language comes from the Modern Language Association.

MLA International Bibliography
The major research resource for information on English literature, foreign languages and linguistics. Includes references to scholarly articles, books, book chapters, book reviews, and dissertations; coverage dates back to the 1920's.

Browsing Journals in the Field

We subscribe to a number of journals in print, most of them reviews publishing essays, poetry, and short fiction. With the exception of Poetry, the most current issue of which is shelved in the Browsing area of the main floor, these are shelved alphabetically by title on the lower level. They can be checked out for a week.

English Journals in Print

American Poetry Review
Antioch Review
English Journal
Gettysburg Review
Great River Review
Hudson Review
Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and the Environment - ISLE
Kenyon Review
Massachusetts Review
Michigan Quarterly Review
New England Review
Paris Review
Poetry (current issue on main floor)
Poets & Writers
Sewanee Review
Southern Review
Southwest Review
Western Humanities Review
Willa Cather Newsletter and Review
Yellow Medicine Review

Librarian

Reference Librarians

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Contact:

507-933-7567

Digital Collections for Literarture Scholars

Early English Books Online
Contains digital facsimile images of nearly 100,000 books in English printed between 1473 and 1700 - virtually every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America, plus works in English printed elsewhere. Texts range from the first book printed in English by William Caxton through the age of Spenser and Shakespeare and the English Civil War. Included are works by Malory, Bacon, More, Erasmus, Boyle, Newton, Galileo; musical exercises by Henry Purcell; novels by Aphra Behn; prayer books, pamphlets, and proclamations; almanacs, calendars, and many other primary sources.
Collected Letters of W. B. Yeats
The electronic edition of The Collected Letters of W. B. Yeats contains the three volumes of The Collected Letters which have appeared in print. In addition, it includes all of the letters from the remaining eleven (unpublished) volumes; final editing and annotation of these volumes is still in progress.