Literary criticism is the analysis, evaluation, and interpretation of literary works. The intent is to gain a deeper understanding of a given work. Being critical of a work in this context does not mean tearing it down and speaking badly about it or the author. Instead it means that we are thinking critically. We are taking time to apply thought, ask questions, and create a judgement about a work based on evidence.
Reading literary criticisms may provide additional context for why or how something was written. That sort of context can be really important to understanding an author and their work because how we interact with and create work is always impacted by the world around us and how we understand it.
It is important to note that reading literary criticism is not a replacement for reading the work itself.
Southworth Library has access to both digital and physical resources to find literary criticism. Follow the guidelines below to learn how to locate these resources.
There are many books of literary criticism on our shelves on the second floor. With ROOsearch, you can locate those books by using the name of the author you are researching, works the author has written, and key words like "criticism" or "analysis".
Example search: criticism AND Morrison AND "Song of Solomon"
On the results page, look to the left side of your screen for the filters. Click "Held by Library" under "Availability." This will filter out all the results that are not physically available in the library.
When you find a title that you would like to use, you will need the call number to find it on the shelf. You can see the availability of the book along with its call number under the title, author, and publication date of your result. You can see this information in the red box in the screenshot below.
Call numbers are arranged in alphabetical and numerical order. There are signs at the end of each shelf upstairs indicating the range of call numbers housed there. If you need help with this process, please ask at the circulation desk in the lobby.
We have two databases focused on literary works and literary criticism. They are Literature Resource Center and LitFinder. Searching directly in these databases will lead you to the most relevant sources quickly. The focused nature of these databases also means that they have much more specific options that are tailored towards locating literary criticism and related resources.
When you first load the Literature Resource Center database, you are brought to the Advanced Search page. You can see that there are three search bars. Each can search a specific field, and the explanations of these fields are to the right. If you choose a different field to search, the description appears for that field. See the first screenshot below.
Scroll down the Advanced Search page to find another helpful group of options: Content Type. If you select "Literature Criticism", then your search will only retrieve results that are classified as literature criticism. See the second screenshot below.
Screenshot 1: The search bars and fields.
Screenshot 2: The available content types.
While reading literary criticism essays, we can glean some historical information from the essays themselves. We can also search for that information ourselves, and it will enrich our understanding of a work and its author.
As with searching for literary criticism, some databases are more helpful than others. Southworth Library also has a wide variety of books about different historical subjects. Let's review how to search for both types of resources.
There are two highly relevant databases that we can use for historical research into Maus and Spiegelman. They are JSTOR and Humanities Source. Knowing which databases we will use, we can move on to the next steps.
The following video demonstrates a search conducted in Humanities Source. You will notice that the initial search is unsuccessful, as is the second, necessitating changes made to our search terms. That is a normal part of the process and one of the reasons that brainstorming synonyms and related terms is a necessary step.
The second video, shown below, demonstrates searching in JSTOR. Remember, adapting your search terms is normal and necessary to retrieve results that best fit your needs.