General Titles
- Encyclopedia of literature and criticismCovers English language literature and literary criticism in general as well as periods such as medieval, renaissance, and romantic, but also deals with how literature has been discussed in the past and how it is being discussed now.
- Encyclopedia of the NovelPart of the Literature Online database, the Encyclopedia covers classic novels and great novel writers, types of novels, technical and formal aspects of novels, as well as criticism, theory, and influences.
- Reference Guide to Holocaust Literature"Provides biographical and critical essays on 223 writers connected to or concerned with the Holocaust, as well as separate essays on 307 of their works."
- Reference Guide to Short Fiction"Contains biographical and critical essays on 376 of the most important writers of short fiction writing in English worldwide, and 403 separate essays on selected works. Also includes some authors of note who did not write in English, but whose works have been widely translated and are often studied, such as Anton Chekhov and Jean-Paul Sartre. Most authors covered were born after 1750, but a few important figures from earlier periods are included as well." Electronic version of the 2nd edition of the print resource.
- Reference Guide to World Literature"Contains biographical and critical essays on authors from throughout the world, as well as essays covering specific work or works of an author, with criticism and analysis of those works." Electronic version of the 2 volume 3rd edition of the print resource.
National Literatures and General Resources
- American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to the PresentContains "biographical and critical essays on 1,328 American women writers covering all genres and all periods of American history."
- Encyclopedia of American literatureSimilar to the Oxford Companions but featuring somewhat longer articles on authors, genres, and movements.
The Oxford Companions are a browser's delight as well as a valuable aid in research. There are articles on authors, literary works and movements, characters, genres, forms, etc. It's worth having one on your desk. Earlier editions provide insight into literary and critical fashion and canon formation. Note too that there are Companions for other major national literatures (including Canadian, Irish, Scots, Australian, Spanish, French, and German, two from a feminist perspective--The Feminist Companion to Literature in English and The Oxford Companion to Women's Writing in the United States, The Oxford Companion to African American Literature, The Oxford Companion to American Theatre, and The Companion to African Literatures.
- Benet's reader's encyclopediaSimilar in format to the Oxford Companions, but covering a broader range of literatures. See also Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature
- Brewer's dictionary of phrase & fable17th edition. Some overlap in coverage with the different Companions, but especially helpful for tracking down phrases and sayings. See also Brewer's Dictionary of Twentieth Century Phrase and Fable.
Periods
Numerous other titles in this series can be found by searching for the series title Cambridge Companions to Literature.
- Encyclopedia of American poetry. : The nineteenth centuryPart of the Literature Online database, the Encyclopedia provides biographical and critical information on almost 150 American poets, as well as topical essays on "Nineteenth-Century Versions of American Indian Poetry," "Popular Poetry," "Songs and Ballads," and "Spirituals."
- Encyclopedia of literary modernismEssays on people, countries, and movements.
- Encyclopedia of the Middle AgesSee also the older but more comprehensive 12 volume Dictionary of the Middle Ages
- Harlem Renaissance : a Gale critical companionTwo volumes on authors and one on topics.