Literatures in English

Literary criticism can be published as journal articles or full-length book.  In general, it is the peer-reviewed work of  scholars who discuss a particular text or texts, including fiction, poetry, plays, films, and other works.  A work of literary criticism differs from a book review in that it is typically a more in-depth critique of a work, and it's most often intended for an academic audience.

Search terms for finding literary criticism may include the title of the work (for example, Bluest Eye), author's name (Morrison), themes (race, identity), or theoretical approach (feminist).

Best Starting Points are in the feature box, above right. 

Finding Books with Literary Criticism

Try a "subject begins with" search for the author's name (last, first) in the online catalog.  For these book-length studies, the author's name will be the main subject heading, and the subheading is "criticism and interpretation."  (An author search for an author's name will bring up books by the author, not about her.)  Books written on specific works will have their own subheading.  For example, if you search for "Morrison Toni" as a "subject begins with," among the results will be the following:

Morrison, Toni.  Beloved. (LC) (13 titles)
Morrison, Toni -- Criticism and interpretation. (LC) (50+ titles)

You might also check to see if a bibliography has been published on the author you're researching.  To search the catalog for these, try the author's name and "bibliography" as a keyword search.  Example:  "faulkner bibliography" (without the quotes).