LibGuides: TC 302: Visionary Women / Beck: Overviews (encyclopedias, OED)

Places to start

Background Information can save you time by giving you an overview of your topic. Learn about concepts, vocabulary, and events related to your texts. Background information can help you brainstorm keywords that will bring you better search results in subject-specific databases. You can also find scholarly alternatives to Wikipedia articles in these resources.

Here are some good places to start:

Literary Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Includes plot summaries, literary criticism, author biographies, book reviews, poems, short stories, classic texts, author interviews, and more.
Provides users with a broad spectrum of information on thousands of authors and their works across literary disciplines and timeframes. Includes plot summaries, literary criticism, author biographies, book reviews, poems, short stories, classic texts, author interviews, and more.
Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism This link opens in a new window
Excellent scholarly synopses of key literary theories, criticism, theorists/critics, and philosophers, from Plato and Aristotle to the present.
Updated irregularly. Includes 241 alphabetically arranged entries on individual critics and theorists, critical and theoretical schools and movements, and the critical and theoretical innovations of specific countries and historical periods. It also treats figures who did not explicitly deal with, but who still deeply affected, literature, literary theory, or literary criticism, as well as figures and kinds of inquiry from other fields that have been shaped by or have themselves shaped literary theory and criticism. Each entry includes a selective primary and secondary bibliography, and there are extensive cross references both within and at the conclusion of each entry. Chronological range extends from Plato and Aristotle to the present, with wide geographical and cultural coverage.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
OK starting point encyclopedia for general inquiries.
Updated regularly. A database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources. Fully searchable across all files. A list of sources included in our subscription is available.
For more information on ebooks see the Ebook Guide

Other options:

Find more online encyclopedias purchased by the UT Libraries.
Catalog search for your topic and encyclopedia, biography, or bibliography. Ex: "jane austen" AND (encyclopedia OR biography OR dictionary).

Glossaries of Literary Terms

Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics This link opens in a new window
4th edition (2012). Unlimited users.
Provides the most comprehensive and authoritative reference for students, scholars, and poets on all aspects of its subject including history, movements, genres, prosody, rhetorical devices, and critical terms. This edition reflects recent changes in literary and cultural studies, providing up-to-date coverage and giving greater attention to the international aspects of poetry.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms
Unlimited users

OED

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new window
The Oxford English dictionary is the definitive record of the English language. It provides in-depth etymologies and usage of words over time. It is the premier dictionary for English literature students.
Updated quarterly. Covers words from across the English-speaking world and offers etymological analysis, listings of variant spellings, and phonetic pronunciation. Corresponds to the print Oxford English Dictionary published in 1989 and the three Additions volumes published 1993-1997.