UTEP Library Research Guides: Introduction to Theatre (THEA 1313): Criticism

What is Literary Criticism?

Literary Criticism is the analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of literary works. Literary Criticism usually takes the form of a long essay that is originally published in a scholarly journal.

Literature Criticism

Shakespeare for Students by Anne Marie Hacht
Call Number: E-Book
ISBN: 141441255X
Publication Date: 2007-08-06
Each entry includes an introduction; a plot synopsis; a character list; a discussion of the work's principal themes; information about the style and literary devices used; a conversation about the work's historical context; and a critical overview.
Shakespearean Criticism by Michelle Lee
Call Number: Online Database
ISBN: 0787631450
This detailed series provides comprehensive coverage of critical interpretations of the plays of Shakespeare. Each volume includes a cumulative character index, a topic index and a topic index arranged by play title.
Shakespeare's Philosophy by Colin McGinn
Call Number: Main Stacks PR3001 .M38 2006
ISBN: 0060856157
Publication Date: 2006-11-28
General themes -- A Midsummer Night's Dream -- Hamlet -- Othello -- MacBeth -- King Lear -- The Tempest -- Shakespeare and gender -- Shakespeare and psychology -- Shakespeare and ethics -- Shakespeare and tragedy -- Shakespeare's genius.
Bloom's How to Write about Shakespeare's Tragedies by Paul Gleed
Call Number: PR2983 .G57 2011
ISBN: 1604137045
Publication Date: 2010-11-01
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Tragedies.
English drama (Comedy) -- History and criticism.
Criticism -- Authorship.
Tragedy -- History and criticism.

Theme-Based Research

Dreams and Visions by Nancy Van Deusen
Call Number: E-Book
ISBN: 9004179712
Publication Date: 2009-12-01
Dream and vision in Shakespeare's plays / David Bevington -
Dreams, visions, and delusions : madness in Shakespeare / J. Harold Ellens
Intimacy and Sexuality in the Age of Shakespeare by James M. Bromley
Call Number: E-Book
ISBN: 1107015189
Publication Date: 2011-12-22
English literature -- Early modern, 1500-1700 -- History and criticism.
Sex in literature.
Intimacy (Psychology) in literature.
Metaphor and Shakespearean Drama by Maria Franziska Fahey
Call Number: PR3072 .F34 2011
ISBN: 0230251870
Publication Date: 2011-10-15
"Ears of flesh and blood": Dead metaphors and ghostly figures in Hamlet
Women and Revenge in Shakespeare by Marguerite Tassi
Call Number: PR2991 .T37 2011
ISBN: 1575911310
Publication Date: 2011-03-01
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Characters -- Women.
Revenge in literature.
Women in literature.

"...what a rogue and peasant slave am I!"

Provides full text online access to each of the 12 literature criticism book series published by Gale, including Shakespearean Literature Criticism (SLC).

Search Tip: Use at least two or three search terms. By using more search terms to narrow your search, you can locate documents that better fit your information needs. For example, don't simply search Hamlet; this search is too broad with too many results. If you are searching for a particular theme in Hamlet, such as murder, revenge, marriage, madness or another, then include that term in your search. In the following search, the asterisk (*) is used to include not only murder, but murderers, murderous, murdering, etc.

Search Tip: If you have too many results, you can use the proximity operator N (next to). The N operator locates documents containing the words you specify within the number of words you specify, but the words can be in any order. For example, Hamlet N15 revenge finds documents that contain the word Hamlet and words containing revenge within 15 words of each other, regardless of their order.

Other Recommended Databases for Literary Analysis

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Provides complete full-text access to an archive of back issues of selected scholarly journals from the following subscribed collections: Arts & Sciences (I - XI), Life Sciences, and Ireland. Subject coverage includes: African and African American Studies, anthropology, archaeology, architecture, art and art history, Asian Studies, biology, botany, British Studies, business, classical studies, economics, education, film studies, finance, folklore, geography, health sciences, history, Ireland, Jewish Studies, language and literature, Latin American Studies, law, linguistics, mathematics, Middle East Studies, music, paleontology, performing arts, philosophy, political science, psychology, public administration, religion, science, Slavic Studies, sociology, Women's Studies, statistics and zoology. Other types of publications indexed include monographs, pamphlets, images, and manuscripts.
https://www.jstor.org/action/showAdvancedSearch
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Provides access to full-text scholarly journals in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Subject coverage includes African Studies, Asian Studies, economics, education, film, theater, performing arts, history, Judaic Studies, language, literature, Latin American Studies, music, philosophy, political science, religion, and Women's Studies.
https://muse.jhu.edu/
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive bibliographic index for multidisciplinary literature. Formats indexed include books, newspapers, and magazines, as well as scholarly and peer-reviewed journals. Subject coverage includes social sciences, arts and humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language and linguistics, health sciences, multicultural studies, and many more. Most citations include abstracts and full text or link to full text content from other providers, based on institutional subscriptions. This database is made possible by TexShare.
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=ehost&defaultdb=a9h

Searching Thematic Topics

Search Tip: Remember to use synonyms for your keyword(s) if you are having difficulty locating information. For example, if tracing the theme of madness in Hamlet, consider similar terms.