English

Librarians at Schaffner Library on the Chicago campus have compiled the following list of English and writing resources that can be obtained from the Schaffner Library print collection or accessed remotely through one of the computers at Schaffner Library (or from your home). These resources are designed to answer basic questions in English as well as serve as a jumping off point for further research. The journals listed here contain some of the most current research in the field.

Materials from the Main Library in Evanston can also be obtained for your use. You can either come to Schaffner and fill out a Book Request Form or an Article Request Form, or you can use the online forms from Schaffner’s Web site at http://www.library.northwestern.edu/schaffner/book.html (for book requests) and http://www.library.northwestern.edu/schaffner/article.html (for article requests).

GENERAL DATABASES

Academic Search Premier
This multidisciplinary database provides citations and abstracts from nearly 2,900 scholarly journals, as well as full text access to over 1,200 journals. Users can search in a number of ways including, author, title, subject, geographic terms, company entity, journal name, and ISBN. The advanced search feature lets you narrow your search down to type of publication, document type, or by date. Another special feature of this database is its ability to search for images.

Expanded Academic ASAP
Covering current affairs, humanities, the social sciences, and the sciences, this database has citations, abstracts, and some full text from over 1,000 periodicals, including some popular magazines such as People, Time, and Newsweek. Searching can be done by subject and subject subdivisions, as well as by keyword and journal title.

Humanities Abstracts
Humanities Abstracts contains citations from more than 450 periodicals in topics such as archaeology, art, classics, film, folklore, journalism, linguistics, music, the performing arts, philosophy, religion, world history, and world literature. The database can be searched by keyword, author, title, and a variety of other fields.

JSTOR
JSTOR offers historical access to back runs of core scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, most going back to a journal’s first issue. Users can search by keyword, limiting their search to journals in a particular field, by author or by journal. JSTOR users can also limit their search to articles, reviews, opinion pieces, or other materials.

PCI Full Text
PCI provides complete historical coverage of selected journals in the humanities and the social sciences from 1770-1995. Many of the journals PCI provides access to are no longer published. In addition to English, this database also provides access to articles in a number of Western European languages. Users can search by keyword, article title, author, journal title, language, and journal subject.

Project Muse
Project Muse offers full text articles to a number of Johns Hopkins University Press journals in the humanities and social sciences. Users can search by title, author, and journal name.

Web of Science
Despite its name, Web of Science is a database of citations to arts & humanities, social sciences, and sciences articles. Users can search by topic, author, journal title, or cited reference. The database also provides access to the Social Sciences Citation Index, the Arts & Humanities Citation Index, and the Sciences Citation Index. These indexes allow users to search for references within articles.

Wilson Select Full Text Plus
This database has citations, abstracts, and full text articles from a number of scholarly and non-scholarly periodicals in the humanities, social sciences, general sciences, and business. Users can search by keyword, subject, author, and title. They can also limit searches to articles, reviews, and literature. Wilson Select Full Text Plus also provides access to non-English language publications. Finally, users can limit their search to items that are provided full text or items that are held in the Northwestern University Library collection.

ENGLISH DATABASES

Early English Books Online
This database provides full page images of more than 96,000 books published between 1475-1700 and listed in Pollard & Redgrave’s Short-Title Catalog, Wing'’ Short-Title Catalog, and Thomason Tracts. In addition to being able to search by subject, title, or author, users can also search within illustrations and limit their search by language, collection, or date.

Essay and General Literature Index
This index contains citations of works contained within a collection of essays. More than 300 volumes are indexed each year as well as 20 annuals and serial publications. The index includes criticism of literature, drama, and film

Index to English Literary Periodicals, 1681-1914
Citations are provided from 17 periodicals indexed in this database. Users can search by subject or author or limit their search to a particular periodical.

Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism
This resource is a full-text searchable database of articles on individual critics and theorists, critical and theoretical schools and movements, and the critical and theoretical innovations of specific countries and historical periods. It also treats related persons and fields that have been shaped by or have themselves shaped literary theory and criticism. Each entry includes a selective primary and secondary bibliography.

Literature Resource Center
This database contains biographies and bibliographies to over 115,000 authors. For 2000 of the most studied authors, the database provides in-depth coverage.

MLA International Bibliography
Providing access to over 4,000 journals, MLA International provides bibliographic citations to articles in literature, language, linguistics, and folklore. In addition, the database also provides citations to monographs, working papers, and bibliographies. Users can search by title, author, and subject and limit their search by language, publication type, and publication year.

BOOKS

The following are a selection of general print resources available at Schaffner Library. However, Schaffner can obtain books from the Main Library in Evanston. Patrons need to fill out the “Book Request Form” available in the Schaffner Library or on the Schaffner Library Web site.

Companion to Early Modern Women’s Writing
Call Number: 820.99287 C737
Circulating Collection
This volume examines relevant social and cultural contexts of early modern women’s writing. Ten text are covered representing the major genres in which women wrote.

Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory
Call Number: 803 C964d 1998
Reference Collection
This single volume work gives brief definitions of literary terms and literary ideas.

Literary Research Guide: An Annotated Listing of Reference Sources in English Literary Studies
Call Number: 016.8209 H289l 2002
Reference Collection
With new entries added from its 1997 publication, this literary guide provides information about resources to aid in research. Recent additions include Web sites created by learned societies and academic institutions. The guide also contains an index that allows users to search by author, title, or subject.

Literature of the Romantic Period: A Bibliographical Guide
Call Number: 016.8209 l775
Reference Collection
This title is a selection of criticism written about the Romantic period. Also included are chapters on selected writers of the time.

Oxford Chronology of English Literature
Call Number: 016.82 O983
Reference Collection
Covering the period from 1475 to 2000 this two-volume reference work includes citations to more than 30,000 works written in English. The entries include information about date of publication, when and where dramatic works were performed, and if an item was illustrated and if so by whom. Some popular works have been included as well.

The Oxford Companion to 20th Century Literature in English
Call Number: 820.3 O98
Reference Collection
This reference work covers fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays. Included are essays on literary movements, works, authors, and periodicals.

Oxford Companion to 20th Century Poetry in English
Call Number: 821.9109 O98
Reference Collection
This title is made up of short biographical sketches of around 1,500 poets focusing primarily on British and American poets, but with some coverage of poets from Canada, Africa, Asia, New Zealand, and the Caribbean.

Problems in Literary Research: A Guide to Selection
Call Number: 808.02 K26p 1997
Reference Collection
Problems in Literary Research highlights a number of different types of titles covering the study of literature. Each entry highlights the title’s contents, arrangement, and research problems that can be addressed using that title.

SERIALS

The following serials are merely a selection of journals available online. The Main Library has print copies of numerous other English journals. Copies of articles can be obtained using the “Article Request Form” in the Schaffner Library or available on the Schaffner Web site.

European Journal of English Studies
This journal, published three times a year, examines a particular topic as it relates to literature. It also includes books reviews and announcements.

Victorian Literature and Culture
Combining the scholarship of established researchers with that of younger professionals, this journal is made up primarily of review essays that always include a bibliography for further research. Also included are a works-in-progress section and a section for the publication of previously unknown or unavailable works.