Academic Subject Encyclopedias

Academic Encyclopedia, or Reference, articles are a good source of introductory information and can help you get started on a research project. Use reference to: 

• Learn about general schools of thoughts and literary movements. (Gale eBooks)

• Learn about an author. (Biography in Context-biographies, Gale Literature)

• Get an overview of critical approaches to a written text. (Gale Literature)

• Learn about a historical era or cultural movement that offers important context to a literary work. (US & World History in Context).

• Reference articles may also provide the specialized vocabulary of a field and leads to key sources on a topic.

Sample Search in Gale eBooks

• Type in keywords
• You can limit by collection to Arts & Literature - as in the image below.
• Browse results to find a useful article.

A few sample titles in GVRL: