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. Remember to select "By subject" in the pull-down menu.
Subject headings for English & American literature (broadly and the 20th-21st c), African American literature, Medieval-18th century literature are found in their respective guides on the "Books" page.
Some examples of Library of Congress subject headings on literary topics:
| american literature history and criticism | english literature history and criticism |
| english literature women authors history and criticism | american literature women authors history and criticism |
| feminism and literature | feminist criticism |
| indian literature united states | folk literature indian |
| american literature indian authors history and criticism | indians of north america folklore |
| indians in literature | oral tradition north america |
| romanticism great britain | english literature 19th century history and criticism |
| english poetry 19th century history and criticism | american poetry 19th century history and criticism |
| english prose literature | american prose literature |
| politics and literature [look for subheadings...great britain, united states, england, etc.] |
individual author [e.g. bronte charlotte] |
| transcendentalism in literature | american literature new england history and criticism |
| english drama 19th century history and criticism | american drama 19th century history and criticism |
| literature and society united states history | literature and society england (also, great britain) history |
| travel writing | travelers' writings |
NOTE: Subject headings relating to poetry are found on the Poetry page. Subject headings relating to science fiction and gothic are found on the Sci Fi, Fantasy, Horror, and Gothic 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!