Searching for an author or a work
Searching for an author or a work
Embedded Files
Link to Bonnycastle Library Catalogue
Getting Started: Choosing your primary texts
Getting Started: Choosing your primary texts
There are a number of ways to approach choosing your texts:
Choose a text then look for a companion text based on author or on the theme(s) you identity in the first text
Choose a theme/technique - research texts that use that theme/technique
Choose an author - research common themes used - choose texts
Table of Contents for Research Guide
Table of Contents for Research Guide
1. Search the Library Catalogue: Authors or Specific Works
1. Search the Library Catalogue: Authors or Specific Works
Use a subject search if you want to find resources about an author or a specific work. To broaden your search, complete a keyword search but remember to put quotation marks around the search phrase.
"death of a salesman"
"Arthur Miller" (keyword) or Arthur Miller (subject - no quotation marks)
Pay attention to the icons under the title
Destiny tips:
Use the Advanced search
Use the name of your book or the name of your author when searching Destiny. Searching your terms by subject will ensure you find books about the author or book.
In keyword searching: Use quotation marks around phrases
Putting quotation marks around a search term phrase will ensure the words are searched together. Keyword searching will search the words separately.
Authors are listed with the last name first. So, "Arthur Miller" will not retrieve results for Miller, Arthur
2. Bloom's Literature (Infobase)
2. Bloom's Literature (Infobase)
Originally edited and curated by Yale University professor Harold Bloom, this database includes thousands of critical essays, author biographies and character analyses, along with the full text of hundreds of reference books, and full-length videos of classic plays and films.
Bloom's Literature tips:
Click icon to access.
The Most Studied Authors and the Most Studied Works indexes will help ensure you choose texts that will have substantive materials to research.
You may also want to browse the Author Index or Work Index.
3. EBSCO databases
3. EBSCO databases
EBSCO is a great source for the literary criticism. Although you may research across EBSCO databases, consider searching the Literary Reference Center Plus separately to take advantage of research helps.
EBSCO Literary Reference Center hints:
Click icon to access.
The Most Studied Authors and the Most Studied Works indexes will help ensure you choose texts that will have substantive materials to research.
The Advanced Search is particularly powerful.
Browse the Featured Collections for writers of different nationalities.
Literary Reference Center - Advanced Search
EBSCO: Literary Reference Center Plus hints:
The Advanced Search will allow you to select a field to search - Subject, Literary Genres, and Movements are all good options.
The Advanced Search also allows you to Apply related words, limit to full text, choose the author's cultural or national identity and much more.
Browse Authors
Browse Works
If you want to search all of EBSCO's databases at one time, choose the EBSCOhost Research Database platform. Remember to choose the databases you want to search.
4. Gale databases
4. Gale databases
Although you can complete a person or works search, for preliminary searching, you may want to complete a basic keyword search. The Advanced Search will provide additional search options to limit and to expand your search
Once you have executed a search, use the menu on the right. At this point, look at the Topic and Work Overviews and the Name of Works.
You can also search with the results.
5. NoveList Plus
5. NoveList Plus
Novelist Plus is a reader's advisory database. It provides recommendations for texts based on read-alikes, themes, and authors.
Using NoveList, you can search by Themes, Genre, and Author Read-alikes.
University of Manitoba - Library Catalogue
University of Manitoba - Library Catalogue
St. John's-Ravenscourt has a partnership with the University of Manitoba Libraries which allows community members to borrow resources.
**Items must be borrowed through the Bonnycastle Library. Please contact Mrs. Bergen for more details.
Remember to cite your sources.
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