LibGuides: Short Story Criticism: Reference Electronic Resouces

Ebooks in the Library Catalog

Use the Library Catalog to search for electronic books by subject, keyword, author, or title.

refine search results by Availability and select Available Online
further refine the results by Resource Type and select Books

Finding Ebooks in the Catalog

Electronic Books on the Web

There are resources on the Web for free ebooks. Here is one example.

Open Library
Includes references to millions of books and includes the full-text and audio of many out of copyright editions

search for your author
limit the search results in the Subjects category to Criticism and interpretation
further limit the results to Short stories

NOTE: Be sure to click the more link to see additional subjects

Books

Finding Books on Your Topic

You will need to use the Library Catalog to find books. You can search for books by author, title, subject, or keyword.

You can use some of the broad subject headings below to help you find literary criticism books in the library:

Short Stories
Short Stories, American
Short Stories, American -- History and criticism
Short Stories, English
Short Stories, Spanish
Classical literature History and criticism
English literature History and criticism
American literature History and criticism
Literature Modern History and criticism

Refine search results by Availability and select Available Online

HINT: To find books written about an author search by Subject, to find a book written by an author search by Author. Always type the last name first, e.g. Hemingway, Ernest.

Reference Books - Electronic Books - Literary Criticism

Here are some of the library's online resources which can help you get biographical and critical information.

Search these sources either by the name of the author or the name of the work. When available, search the index of the source. Enter the author's name as Faulkner, William.

American History Through Literature 1870-1920
Presents literature not as a historical and cultural field viewed from an array of contemporary perspectives
American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to the Present
Provides coverage on the best-known American women writers spanning from colonial days to the present.
Literary Theory: An Introduction
This classic work covers all of the major movements in literary studies in this century
Literature Collection - Gale Virtual Library
Provides access to the content of literary reference sources in a database format.
Modern American Literature
Provides insight into the careers of nearly 500 20th-century American writers.
Modern American Women Writers
Entries include biographical information, critical analysis, and bibliographies of key primary and secondary works.
Short Stories for Students
Provides critical overviews of short stories from all cultures and time periods. Includes discussions of plot, characters, themes and structure as well as the story's cultural and historical significance
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture
Covers topics and persons in major areas of popular culture, including authors.
Twentieth-Century American-Jewish Fiction Writers
Contains essays about authors whose works deal with or come out of their American-Jewish experience.
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism
Provides literary criticism on the works of twentieth-century writers of all genres, nations, and cultures.

Gale Literature This link opens in a new window
Access biographies, bibliographies, and critical analysis of world authors and their works from every age and literary discipline. Includes sources such as Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Short Story Criticism, Poetry Criticism, and the Dictionary of Literary Biography.
Literature Criticism Online This link opens in a new window
Learn more about authors and their work. In this database you'll find critical essays, interviews, and biographical information.
Salem Literature This link opens in a new window
Access the complete content of the Magill’s Literary Annuals (1977-2010); Masterplots; Critical Insights series, and more. NOTE: To search the contents of an individual title, navigate to the Search page and click on the desired title.

Reference Books - Electronic Books - Other

There are some approaches of literary criticism to be considerd when reading and writing about a story. They may include such things as historical, social-economic, and psychological perspective. The following are some library online resources which can help you get information.

Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Provides access to more than 270 reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
African American Experience This link opens in a new window
ABC-CLIO research tool for African American history and culture.
Salem History This link opens in a new window
Provides access to various reference sets related to history, including full-text primary source documents with expert analysis and commentary from the Milestone Documents in American History; Great Events from History; Milestone Documents of American Leaders series, and more. NOTE: To search the contents of an individual title, navigate to the Search page and click on the desired title.
Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas This link opens in a new window
ABC-CLIO collection of information on popular culture in America, past and present.

General Books - Electronic Books

Below is a general list of selected electronic books that may help you to find more information, character studies, and critical analysis for authors and their works.

The Cambridge Introduction to the American Short Story
Call Number: Electronic Book - click on title for access
ISBN: 9780511331862
Introduction to Literary Context: American Short Fiction
Call Number: Electronic Book - click on title for access
ISBN: 9781619252127