Literature (in English) 

Articles about literature, also called "criticism" or "secondary literature," appear in periodical publications called journals, which are generally published at regular intervals, e.g. monthly, quarterly, or annually.  Articles are good sources for:

• most recent research on a topic
• coverage of very narrow topics, such as one poem
• understanding more about the author
• getting an overview of critical reception of a work

The Libraries subscribe to hundreds of literature journals in digital format. To review e-journal holdings, check MARQCAT subject: English language and literature e-journals.

Check MARQCAT by the journal's title to connect to online issues and tables of contents. Many of the current e-journals will provide tables of contents by e-mail or RSS. See for example: Callaloo, Postmodern Culture, or Shakespeare Quarterly.

To see selected tables of contents for literature journals, use the drop-down choice in this page's tab. Learn more about RSS feeds for journals of interest.

The Libraries subscribe to over 24,000 journals, most in electronic format. There are a variety of ways to find out if the Libraries subscribe to the journals you need.

If you already have the citation to an article:

• Use MARQCAT. Search by Title and enter the title of the journal, NOT the title or author of the article.

If you are looking at citations from within a database:

• Use the FindIt@MU icon in the citation you are interested in. This will open another window and do one of two things

  • Display a list of databases with links. This indicates the FindIt widget may have found a source for electronic copy of the article. Click on the link to determine if a full text option is located.
  • Displays only a link to MARQCAT. Click the MARQCAT link to search the catalog. The journal may be available in print or fulltext through a source not searchable by the FindIt widget.

If you do not find the journal using FindIt@MU or MARQCAT, request the article through Interlibrary Loan.

Literature Online (LION) is the best and most important starting place for critical journals articles about all genres of literature. LION includes the complete contents of MLA International Bibliography and Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (ABELL) from 1926 to present. In addition to the complete indexes, links are provided to the full text of hundreds of journals.

From the LION home screen, click on "Criticism & Reference" in the left column; then select "Criticism" on the next screen; the resulting search screen will allow a combined search of MLAIB and ABELL. 

If a citation doesn't provide a link to full text option, be sure to use the Findit@MU icon to search MARQCAT for journals, books, and chapters not included in LION.

Google Scholar provides a broad search of diverse scholarly literature--papers, theses, books, and articles, presented in a weighted relevancy ranking. Help with Google Scholar and Advanced Search Tips.

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