Jefferson State Community College Libraries: English 252 Henderson: Research Starters on the Works

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Before You Begin Your Research

We recommend viewing the following tutorials before beginning your research.

Finding Critical Articles
Tutorial on finding scholarly articles using the literature resources.
How to Use 'Search everything'
View a tutorial on using the "Search everything" option of the tabbed search box.

Suggested Databases

Databases for Literary Criticism and Information on the Works

America: History & Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
This bibliographic database provides a robust source of information focusing on the history and life of the United States and Canada. It is an important bibliographic reference tool for students and scholars of U.S. and Canadian history. Citations and links to book and media reviews are added benefits to the America: History and Life database. It provides strong English-language journal coverage, balanced by an international perspective on topics and events. This includes English abstracts for articles published in a variety of languages.
Bloom's Literature This link opens in a new window
Extensive entries on literary topics, themes, movements, genres, and authors; more than 4,300 video clips; more than 2,700 full-text poems; and more than 9,000 discussion questions on a range of literary topics.
Gale Literature This link opens in a new window
Unlock information in primary sources, critical articles, literary and cultural analysis, and biographies. Search across centuries to see the broader continuum of the story you choose.
Literary Reference Center Plus This link opens in a new window
Literary Reference Center Plus includes full-text resources focusing on plays/drama, poetry, religious literature and children's literature.
Short Stories for Students This link opens in a new window
Provides critical overviews of short stories from all cultures and time periods. Includes discussions of plot, characters, themes and structure as well as the story's cultural and historical significance. [Digital access from Volume 1 through the current edition]

Databases for Today's Cultural Events and Media

Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window
Discover pro/con perspectives from authoritative voices: Opposing Viewpoints In Context is the premier online resource covering today’s hottest social issues, from capital punishment to immigration, to marijuana. This cross-curricular research tool supports science, social studies, current events, and language arts classes. Its informed, differing views present each side of an issue and help students develop information literacy, critical thinking skills, and the confidence to draw their own valid conclusions.
Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Points of View Reference Center contains 400 topics, each with an overview (objective background / description), point (argument) and counterpoint (opposing argument). Each topic features a Guide to Critical Analysis which helps the reader evaluate the controversy and enhances students’ ability to read critically, develop their own perspective on the issues, and write or debate an effective argument on the topic.

Lewis Allan (Abel Meeropol): "Strange Fruit"

Lewis Allan [pen name for Abel Meeropol]
Biographical and literary criticism for Lewis Allan.
Information on "Strange Fruit"
From Credo Reference.

Maya Angelou: "Still I Rise"

Research Starter: Maya Angelou
Includes information about Angelou's life, work, and significance.
"Still I Rise"
From Bloom's Literature

Ray Bradbury: "The Pedestrian"

Article:

D'Ammassa, Don. “‘The Pedestrian.’” Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, 2nd ed., Facts On File, 2013. Bloom's Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=4556&itemid=WE54&articleId=38548.

Research Sources:

Research Starter: Ray Bradbury
A link out to a Research Starter on Bradbury

"The Pedestrian" Analysis
D'Ammassa, Don. “‘The Pedestrian.’” Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, 2nd ed., Facts On File, 2013. Bloom's Literature.

Charles W. Chestnutt: "The Goophered Grapevine"

Research Starter: Charles Waddell Chesnutt
Research Starter on Charles Waddell Chesnutt; background and biographical information.
"The Goophered Grapevine" Analysis
From Short Stories for Students

Kate Chopin: "At the Cadian Ball," "The Storm," and "Desiree's Baby"

Research Starter: Kate Chopin
Link out to a Research Starter on Kate Chopin.
"At the Cadian Ball" Analysis
From Bloom's Literature
"The Storm" Analysis
From Short Stories for Students
"Desiree's Baby" Analysis
From Bloom's Literature

T. S. Eliot: "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

Article:

Murphy, Russell Elliot. “‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.’” Critical Companion to T. S. Eliot, Facts On File, 2007. Bloom's Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=4556&itemid=WE54&articleId=19931.

Research Sources:

Research Starter: T. S. Eliot
A link out to a Research Starter on Eliot
"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" Analysis
From Bloom's Literature

Charlotte Perkins Gilman: "The Yellow Wallpaper"

Research Starter: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Link out to the Research Starter for Gilman
"The Yellow Wallpaper" Analysis
From Short Stories for Students
Streaming Video: The Yellow Wallpaper
Touted as one of the first major feminist writers, Charlotte Perkins Gilman spent her life fighting to liberate women from the yoke of domesticity. This is a stunning BBC dramatization of Gilman’s autobiographical account of a woman driven to madness by the repressive mores of Victorian culture. Stephen Dillon as the husband, John, and Julia Watson as the despondent heroine give stellar performances in this production directed by the BBC’s John Clive. (76 minutes)

Joel Chandler Harris: "The Wonderful Tar Baby" and "How Mr. Rabbit Was Too Smart for Mr. Fox"

Research Starter: Joel Chandler Harris
Research Starter on Joel Chandler Harris; background and biographical information.
Slavery's Bestiary: Joel Chandler Harris's Uncle Remus Tales
The critical reception of Joel Chandler Harris's Uncle Remus Tales has often interpreted these animal fables as allegories of American slavery. The author of this article instead asks what it might mean to take seriously the numerous historical, political and philosophical questions posed by the animal ''form'' that these characters assume.

Langston Hughes: "I, Too," "Let America Be America Again," and "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain"

Research Starter: Langston Hughes
Link out to a Research Starter on Langston Hughes.
"I, Too" Overview
From Poetry for Students
"Let America Be America Again" Overview
From Poetry for Students
"Mother to Son" Analysis
From Poetry for Students
"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" Analysis
From Bloom's Literature

Zora Neale Hurston: "The Gilded Six-Bits" and "How It Feels to Be Colored Me"

Article:

Hardy, Sarah Madsen. "Critical Essay on 'The Gilded Six-Bits'." Short Stories for Students, edited by Jennifer Smith, vol. 11, Gale, 2001. Gale Literature Resource Center, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1420035692/LitRC?u=avl_jeff&sid=LitRC&xid=ffa0ffa6.

Research Sources:

Research Starter: Zora Neale Hurston
Background and biographical information on Zora Neale Hurston.

"The Gilded Six-Bits" Synopsis
Jones, Sharon L. “‘The Gilded Six-Bits.’” Critical Companion to Zora Neale Hurston, Facts On File, 2008. Bloom's Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=4556&itemid=WE54&articleId=23519.

"How It Feels to Be Colored Me" Analysis
From Bloom's Literature

Ursula K. Le Guin: "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"

Research Starter: Ursula K. Le Guin
Link out to a Research Starter on Le Guin
"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" Analysis
From Short Stories for Students

Claude McKay: "America" & "The Lynching"

Research Starter: Claude McKay
Background and biographical information on Claude McKay.

Explanation of "America"
"Explanation of: 'America' by Claude McKay." LitFinder Contemporary Collection, Gale, 2000. Gale Literature: LitFinder, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/LTF0000000665CE/GLS?u=avl_jeff&sid=GLS&xid=4b5aec3e.

"The Lynching" Analysis
From Bloom's Literature.

Joyce Carol Oates: "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?"

Research Starter: Joyce Carol Oates
Link out to a Research Starter on Oates
"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" Analysis
From Short Stories for Students

Flannery O'Connor: "Good Country People" and "Revelation"

Research Starter: Flannery O'Connor
Link out to a Research Starter on Flannery O'Connor.
"Good Country People" Analysis
From Short Stories for Students.

Marge Piercy: "Barbie Doll" and "What Are Big Girls Made of"

Research Starter: Marge Piercy
A link out to a Research Starter for Piercy
"Barbie Doll" Overview
From Poetry for Students

"What Are Big Girls Made of?"
From Encyclopedia of American Poetry, this article discusses Piercy and many of her works, including "What Are Big Girls Made of?"

Carl Sandburg: "Chicago"

Research Starter: Carl Sandburg
A link out to a Research Starter on Sandburg
"Chicago" Overview
From Poetry for Students

Kurt Vonnegut: "Harrison Bergeron" and "2BR02B"

Article:

Werlock, Abby H. P. “‘Harrison Bergeron.’” Encyclopedia of the American Short Story, 2-Volume Set, 3rd ed., Facts On File, 2013. Bloom's Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=4556&itemid=WE54&articleId=9276.

Research Sources:

Research Starter: Kurt Vonnegut
A link out to a Research Starter on Vonnegut
"Harrison Bergeron" Analysis
From Short Stories for Students
"The Short Fiction and the Canon"
This essay "considers the merits of Vonnegut's short fiction as well as its importance to his overall body of work and to his development as a writer."

Reed, Peter J. "The Short Fiction and the Canon." Short Story Criticism, edited by Jelena Krstovic, vol. 155, Gale, 2011. Gale Literature Resource Center.

Alice Walker: "Everyday Use"

Research Starter: Alice Walker
A link out to a Research Starter on Walker
"Everyday Use" Analysis
From Short Stories for Students

Richard Wright: "The Man Who Was Almost a Man"

Research Starter: Richard Wright
Link out to a Research Starter on Wright.
Research Starter: The Man Who Was Almost A Man
Link out to a Research Starter on "The Man Who Was Almost a Man".