Literature

Are you taking a class that includes studying literature? If you are, you might need to find the following types of things.

Click on the tabs at the left side of this page for more information on how and where to find them!

• Works of literature, also known as fiction, such as novels, plays, stories, poetry and graphic novels.
  • Works of literature are PRIMARY SOURCES.
  • Even if they are based on facts, they are works of the imagination.
• Author biographies and other background information, such as information about the time or place a work of literature was written, can be a good way to get started. Always check with your professor if you aren't sure whether a source meets requirements.
• Literary criticism explains, explores, examines, and otherwise discusses works of literature. If you're talking about literature, "critical articles" or "scholarly articles" are literary criticism.
  • Most literary criticism (including yours!) consists of scholarly books or articles which refer to original works of literature, to other literary criticism, and sometimes to other sources - historical, philosophical, political, economic, musical, mathematical, you name it! They are SECONDARY SOURCES.
  • Book reviews don't count as literary criticism, though they can be good sources if they're very well-researched and thorough.
  • Literary theory is related to literary criticism but is more theoretical and less focused on examining specific works of literature and their authors.
• Writing handbooks can help with all aspects of writing, from comma splices to thesis statements to organizing your research. They also include information on citing in different citation styles such as MLA, APA and Chicago / Turabian. Think of them as translators between your brain and the brain of your professor!