Understanding Concepts and Terminology
The Book of Literary Terms: the Genres of Fiction, Drama, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, and Scholarship. by Publication Date: 2020 (2nd Edition)
A Genealogy of Literary Multiculturalism by Publication Date: 2011
How Literature Works : 50 Key Concepts by Publication Date: 2011
Key concepts in contemporary popular fiction by Publication Date: 2017
Key concepts in literary theory by Publication Date: 2015
The Racial Self
One of the most central topics in African-American literary criticism and theory is the idea of how Black people see themselves as individuals and members of society specifically as a Black person. Coined by Henry Louis Gates in his anthology, Figures in Black: Words, Signs, and the "Racial" Self (1989), he defines "the racial self" as various forms of expression of racial consciousness. This is a sociological term closely associated with the works of W.E.B. DuBois, meaning one's knowledge of how their racial category impacts their lived experiences. Gates proposes the analytical framework: "This is the challenge of the critic of Afro-American literature: not to shy away from literary theory, but rather to translate it into the black idiom, renaming principles of criticism where appropriate, but especially naming indigenous black principles of criticism and applying these to explicate our own texts" (23).
African-American Literary Criticism and Theory - Books
Finding Resources on Literary Analysis, Criticism, and Theory
To browse the full listing of databases available at Cressman Library, visit the A-Z Databases page on the library website. To explore those recommended for African American Literature, go to the Journals & Databases page of this guide.
Literature Criticism is the first option uses can select under SHOWING RESULTS FOR. These sources will usually be articles from literary Magazines, book chapters, or entries from anthologies. Document Type from the Filter Your Results also provides the option to select Critical Essay or Article.
JSTOR contains many academic literary journals and books of literary criticism. A simple search of the author or title should be sufficient to generate many relevant results. You can also search for "literary criticism" in the abstract field. An abstract is the summary of an article. Searching for keywords in an abstract is a reliable method for limiting to the content that you want.
The best way to search MLA Directory of Periodicals is by using the Scope field. SC Scope is the field which defines the content focus of a magazine or journal. (What are the key topics or types or research that they publish?) These sources will not exclusively be limited to literary criticism, and these types of publications usually include book reviews and author interviews. To be included in this classification, literature criticism might be included in the periodical's purpose, many of their article abstracts, or their reputation in publishing.
For best results with MLA International Bibliography, choose a search field based on how broad or narrow your analysis will be. SU Subject is the field which determines how the text is classified. (Where would it be found on the library shelves?) "Literary criticism" would be the best search term to use in this field. TQ Literary Technique refers to the elements of style and literary devices. (ex: metaphor, epistolary fiction) CP Scholarly Theory or Discipline are literary theories, concepts, or other categories that can define a book (ex: Afrocentrism, Postcolonial Studies).
All of the titles listed on the Databases and Journals page of this LibGuide are good sources of literary criticism. To find more sources, check out the Journals and Literary Magazines page on the Literature LibGuide. Also, visit the Popular and Scholarly page of the Researching LibGuide for advice on determining whether a literary magazine is a popular source an academic journal.
Cressman Library has a wide range of digital and physical books. For best results, used the advanced search options to narrow your results. Some search terms to try are: literary criticism; literary theory; literary analysis; (author)-criticism; (topic) in literature; topic - time period - history and criticism; critical companion. Use these word and phrases in the Keyword, Title, or Subject fields for best results. Also, check out the Search Words page on our Researching LibGuide for tips and tricks.
Searching online is also a great way to learn about literature. However, it is important to evaluate your sources well, especially those that are not scholarly. Check out our Evaluating Online Sources LibGuide for more help. Especially when reading ethnic and minority literatures, it is important to consider that some may find discussions of race and other topics to be objectionable. Consult our Books: Banned and Challenged and Teaching Problematic Literature LibGuides to assist you in evaluating bias.
Topics in Literary Criticism and Theory
Topics in Literary Criticism and Theory - Books
