These call number ranges hold a variety of books on American and English literature, and the study of literature. For a more detailed breakdown of the Library of Congress (LC) "P" classification, go to the LC Classification Outline for Language and Literature.
| PN 1-6790 : Literature-general (including Drama); Criticism | PR : British literature | PS : American [U.S. & Canada] literature |
| Z 2010-2014 : English literature - bibliography | Z 1225 : American literature - bibliography |
Books that may be checked out of the Library are on the 3rd floor (Call #s PA-PS and Z 1225-2014). Reference Books (main/1st floor): ROWS 9-11 (PA-PS) : Languages and Literatures / ROW 13-14 ( Z 1225-2014) : Literature (English and American) bibliography
Browse the Stacks: Find a useful book in the stacks? Browse in that area to discover other books that might be useful.
The Library Catalog locates books, journals (not articles), microfilm, dvds, cds, and U.S. documents (1976->) owned by the UVM Libraries. There are two versions of the catalog:
CATQuest version and the Classic Library Catalog. Each version has its advantages and disadvantages.
Because the CATQuest search box is front and center on the Library homepage, find instructions for using the CATQuest version below. If something confuses you, use the Classic Library Catalog. To find this link on the Library homepage, click the "Research" link at the top of the page and find the link in the "FIND" column.
Use Library of Congress Subject Headings* in the Library Catalog to locate books on your topic. Click image below (live link!) to be brought to the Browse search function in CATQuest.
Some examples of Library of Congress subject headings on literary topics medieval-18th century:
| individual author [e.g. chaucer geoffrey] | |
| american literature colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 history and criticism | american literature revolutionary period, 1775-1783 history and criticism |
| american drama 18th century history and criticism | american poetry colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 history and criticism |
| english literature middle english 1100-1500 history and criticism | english literature early modern, 1500-1700 history and criticism |
| english literature 18th century history and criticism | english poetry 18th century history and criticism |
| english drama to 1500 history and criticism | mysteries and miracle-plays english |
| english drama early modern and elizabethan 1500-1600 history and criticism | drama medieval history and criticism |
| english drama 17th century history and criticism | english drama 18th century history and criticism |
| literature medieval history and criticism | literature and society england (also, great britain) history literature and society united states history |
| women and literature england history | women and literature united states history |
NOTE: Subject headings relating to poetry are found on the Poetry page.
Find Literary Criticism for a Writer's Works
In CATQuest Advanced Search limit entire search to "Library Catalog." Select "Books" from the list in the Resource Type category. Type the name of the writer in the top box. In the middle box type criticism interpretation. Limit search terms to Subject field.
Enrich your research by searching for books beyond the UVM Libraries.
In addition to the databases above, consider:
Book Reviews: Article databases frequently index book reviews. If you find a review (or citation for a review) for a book that looks useful or interesting, check the library catalog to see if the library owns it. If the library doesn't own the book, borrow it through Interlibrary Loan.
Bibliographies: Scholarly journal articles, scholarly encyclopedia essays, and academic-oriented books will provide bibliographies or lists for further reading. If you find a book that looks useful or interesting, check the library catalog to see if the library owns it. If the library doesn't own the book, borrow it through Interlibrary Loan. These are indeed the "low hanging fruit" during the research process!