ENG 102 - Short Story Research Guide

4. Find Literature Criticism

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

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.

"Story of an Hour" and Chopin

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 100, you may want to narrow your search a bit by using keywords from your topic.

Narrowed Search: "Story of an Hour" and Chopin and feminism  [Remember to search many times with different keywords!]

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 3 databases are the best place to start when looking for literary criticism. 

After searching the first 3 databases above, if you'd like additional resources to search for information about your short story, try these resources.

All Literature Databases

Historical Sources

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

Search for Books & eBooks

Use the search box below to search the SCC Library Catalog for physical books (in one of our library locations) and eBooks. You can also open the Library Catalog or use the Advanced Search for more search options.