ENG 102 - Short Story Research Guide-Wow Essays (Jordan and Ramsey)

4. Find Literature Criticism

Once you've narrowed your topic and thought about keywords, try searching the databases below for literary criticism.

Remember there will not be secondary library criticism available on “Submission,” "The After-Life," "Beneath Dark Water," or “How to Hang a Circus Elephant.” 

Basic Search: a good first search is just the name of the short story in quotation marks, followed by the word 'and' and the author's last name.

"The River" and O'connor

This general search will show you everything we have on a certain short story (sometimes there is more than others). If there are only 5 articles, you can browse through them. If there are more than 200, you may want to narrow your search a bit by using keywords from your topic.

Narrowed Search: "The River" and O'connor and religion [Remember to search many times with different keywords!]

This is where you can look for literary themes and concepts not just on individual stories.

Basic search: lynching and mob

If there are only 5 articles, you can browse through them. If there are more than 200, you may want to narrow your search a bit by using keywords from your topic.

Narrowed Search: Basic search: lynching and mob and small towns

Remember, though, not to count on keywords too much. If your keywords aren't working, ask a librarian for help!

Search Help: If you are having trouble finding sources, follow some of the tips here.

Literary Databases / Articles

These first 4 databases are the best place to start when looking for literary criticism. 

Historical Sources

If you are looking for sources focused on the historical context of your literary work, try the below databases:

You would want to search terms:in quotation marks "elephant hanging" and erwin or "elephant hanging" and tennessee (location of the hanging) or "Murderous Mary" and elephant  or killing and circus elephant and tennessee