4. Find Sources

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

Basic Search: a good first search is Beowulf followed by the word 'and' and the subtopic. Examples below:

"Beowulf and treasure" - also "Beowulf and gold," "Beowulf and man-price," "Beowulf and gift, "Beowulf and wealth"

"Beowulf and (alienation or community)" - also "Beowulf and (community or comitatus)"

"Beowulf and Christianity," - also "Beowulf and (Christ* or pagan*)," "Beowulf and religion," "Beowulf and monsters"

" Beowulf and hero" - also, "Beowulf and ideal hero," "Beowulf and heroic code"

"Beowulf and Vikings"

Literary Criticism Sources

Gale Literature
Gale Literature allows you to search all of Gale’s literary databases and literature eBook titles in one database.
Bloom's Literature
Writings of Harold Bloom as well as other critics. Features author biographies, overviews, synopses, analyses and literary criticism of thousands of works from novels to poetry to plays, video segments, in-depth full-text entries on literary topics and themes and a literary timeline. Proxy Bypass
EBSCO Literature Databases
Search 2 EBSCO literary databases at once: Literary Reference Source and Academic Search Premier. Proxy Bypass

Historical Sources

Gale in Context: World History
Full-text articles from leading scholarly publications, primary sources, images, maps and charts.
EBSCO History Databases
Search 3 databases at once! History Reference Center, Military & Gov't Collection, European Views of the Americas: 1493-1750. Covers U.S. and World History. Proxy Bypass

Video Sources

Swank
Instructor-selected streaming videos you can watch any time on any device. Instructors – create a free account to request access to specific titles for class use; choose from popular feature films, documentaries, TV shows, and foreign films.
Films on Demand
Educational videos available via streaming to anywhere (off-campus must log in).
Topics cover general academic areas, as well as health science, industrial, and
business/technology related topics. Proxy Bypass
Bloom's Literature - Videos
Videos in our Bloom's database of dramatic productions of literary works, as well as documentaries, interviews, commentary from Harold Bloom, and other educational literature-related videos.
Kanopy
Watch over 30,000 Documentaries, Classic and Indie Films. Stream films anytime, anywhere on your preferred devices.

Find Books

Epics for Students
Call Number: E-book & Giles Ref. PN56 .E65 E67 2011
ISBN: 9781414476216
Publication Date: 2010-11-02
Epics for Students is a great place to start! Learn more about the story's characters, themes, style, setting, symbols and more! This source also contains several literary criticism essays.
The Hero's Journey by Harold Bloom (Introduction by); Blake Hobby (Contribution by)
Call Number: E-book & Giles Stacks PN56.5 .H45 H47 2009
ISBN: 0791098036
Publication Date: 2009-01-01
Contains the chapter "Beowulf" by W.P. Ker, in Epic and Romance: Essays on Medieval Literature (1908).
The Hero's Quest by Bernard Schweizer (Editor); Robert Alan Segal; Salem Press Editors
Call Number: DTC Stacks PN56.5.H45 H53 2013
ISBN: 9781429837378
Publication Date: 2012-09-01
This book contains a chapter called "The Hero's Quest in Beowulf."
Also Available Online
A Critical Companion To 'Beowulf' by Andy Orchard
Call Number: E book
ISBN: 128054547X
Publication Date: 2003-01-01
Vikings at War by Kim Hjardar (Contribution by); Vegard Vike (Contribution by)
Call Number: E book
ISBN: 1612004547
Publication Date: 2016-11-22
Beowulf by Barry Tharaud; Rockwell Kent
Call Number: E book
ISBN: 0585131104
Publication Date: 1996-01-01
Heroic Identity in the World of Beowulf
Call Number: E book
ISBN: 1282400487
Publication Date: 2009-01-01
A Companion to Beowulf by Ruth Johnston Staver
Call Number: E book
ISBN: 1282406248
Publication Date: 2005-01-01
Beowulf by George Clark (Editor)
Call Number: E-book
ISBN: 9780805769968
Publication Date: 1990-05-01

Find More Books

Use the search box below to search for books at the SCC Library.

Find More E-Books

For ebooks, use the databases below.

eBook Collection (EBSCO)
A collection of over 260,000 eBooks including a variety of subjects including history, business, social science, political science, literature, science, medical, technical subjects, etc.. Proxy Bypass
EBook Central
A collection of over 250,000 eBooks including a variety of subjects including social science, history, literature, business/management, religion, science, medicine, fine arts, education, etc.