Get started in Gale Literature with:

• Topic & Work Overviews -  Written for students and a great place to find an introduction to:

  • the author and their historical context
  • key themes and literary elements (ex. symbols or voice, etc.)
  • an overview of what critics say about that work/author's work
  • three brief pieces of original criticism
  • Look for topic and work overviews from the for Students series, so Poetry for Students, Drama for Students, etc.) 

• Author Interviews - What does the author say about their own work and the ideas that drive them? Very useful!

• News & Reviews - Written for the general public. The best are insightful and accessible.

• Biographies - A good biography essay talks about the author's life, their influences, critical reception, and more

  • Note: Some of the articles under Literary Criticism are also written for a general audience.

To search for sources in Gale Literature, type in: 

• a theme or issue at Keyword
• a title at Name of Work
• and/or an author at Work By or About.
  • Tip 1: the database will offer suggestions as you enter your search term. Use them.
  • Tip 2: type author's name: surname (last name), first name. That's for this database only

Think critically about what you want to learn and how to find interesting and relevant articles.

• For ex: Try different search terms. If "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan only returns a handful of articles, try searching for articles on The Joy Luck Club, the larger work it was published in.
• For ex: Try a larger theme, such as "Chinese American authors" or "Chinese American" AND immigrants.

Sort your results by info type to find background info and criticism written for a general audience:

You can use Literary Criticism in Reference books and online library databases to get started on your project. 

Use reference to: 

• Learn about general schools of thought

• Learn about an author, genre, or era

• Get an overview of critical approaches to a written text (Gale Literature - Topic & Work Overviews)

GVRL is an interdisciplinary database, so it's helpful to limit your search to Literature at Subject:

Series of Interest in GVRL:

Find book reviews, news & interviews in Holman Library periodicals databases.

Tips:

• In Academic Search Complete, enter the title "in quotes." Under Document Type, select Book Review.
• In ProQuest, enter the title "in quotes." Under Document Type, select Review.
• Do not just search for reviews! Authors and their works are discussed in the media beyond book reviews. 

Find interviews, news, and reviews in radio & podcasts:

Find news, reviews, and interviews in international media: