• You may want to print this page, or open the links in a new window (right click on the link).
• For biographical information about authors, or for information about places and events addressed in literary works, use CREDO Reference or eLibrary, WVC's online reference collections.
• Keep your author and title searches simple ("Poe" and "Raven"), and double check your spelling. 
• Strange but true: to find critical essays about an author, search that author as a subject, not as the author.
• PLEASE be patient - some of these links are slow!
• Start all searches by following the links in the lefthand column.

CORE SOURCES

1. Click on advanced search.
2. In the first search box, enter either the author's name or a the title of a work.
3. Select the "Analyses and Criticism" check box.
4. Add other options and click "search".

• Click on the letter which corresponds to the first letter of the first word of the title of the work. Example: to find "Moby Dick," click on the letter "M". Note: check under "T" for titles which begin with "The" such as "The Merchant of Venice."

To find any discussion of a work:

1. At Barron's Booknotes. . .
2. Click on "Search within this publication"
3. Enter words from the title and/or the author's name and click "advanced search".

Salem Press Literature Resources

Browse or search articles from 10 reference books from Salem Press.

1. Click on Advanced search
2. In the first search box, enter the term "literary criticism" and change the search type to "subject"
3. In the next search box, enter the author's name - last name first - and change the search type to "person"
4. Click "search" and review the results.
5. To narrow your results to a particular work
1. Click "refine search"
2. Use an additional search box to add keywords from the title of a work, and leave the search type as "citation and abstract"
3. Click "search"
6. To limit your search to full text and peer-reviewed materials:
1. While viewing the results, select the "scholarly journals" tab to limit to peer-reviewed materials
2. While viewing the results, click "show only full text"

1. Click on Advanced search
2. In the first search box, enter the term "critical essay" and change the search type to "document type"
3. In the next search box, enter the author's name - last name first - and change the search type to "person name"
4. Click "search" and review the results.
5. To narrow your results to a particular work
1. In the "Refine Results" box (left side of screen) enter a key word or two from the title of the literary work you're researching (e.g. "Hamlet")
2. Click "go"
6. To limit your search to full text and peer-reviewed materials:
1. Under "Refine Results" (left side of screen)
1. Check the "full text" box
2. Check the "peer reviewed" box

Books in WVC Libraries

The link to the left does the first broad search for you, so the instructions below will help you narrow the results to your author and literary work.

• Follow the link to the left
• Click "edit search"
• In a blank search box, enter the author's name (e.g. "Poe")
• You may either click "search" OR add the title of the work:
• In the next search box enter the title of the work; a few keywords from the title will do
• Click "search"

1. Change the "search in" box to "subject"
2. Enter the word "criticism" and click the plus sign (+) to add a row
3. Change the next "search in" box to "subject"
4. Enter the author's name and click "search ebrary"
5. To narrow your results to a particular work:
1. At the top of the results screen, click the plus sign (+) to add a row
2. Leave the "search in" box as "text and key fields," and enter key words from the title in the search box
3. Click "search ebrary"

Note: once you are in an ebrary book you can search for a particular work.

NetLibrary

A core collection of classic academic and literary works, supplemented by a small collection of current books; these are e-books.

1. In the advanced search, set the search type to "subject" and enter the term "criticism" in the first search box.
2. Set the search type for the second row to "subject" and enter the author's name in the next search box.
3. Click "search"

Humanities E-Books

Classic and highly reviewed academic books on topics across literature, the arts, history and other areas of the humanities.

This collection emphasizes classics of the ancient world, European works through the Renaissance, and early American literature.  The following link presents the titles from this collection most likely to contain literary criticism.  Browse the results, or choose "refine" to add an author or key words from a title.

Humanities E-Book titles which contain "literature" and "criticism" as subjects

CRITICAL ESSAYS FROM GALE PUBLICATIONS

Gale Essays

This collection of documents covers specific works using a "study guide" format.  Includes analysis, criticism and orientation to the work.

Documents may be requested in person at the Omak or Wenatchee WVC libraries. To make your request via e-mail please use the following links:

WVC Students | Omak Students

COMBINED SEARCHES

Current Sources

This search combines the library databases which include current news sources. This search is likely to provide both current literary criticism and book reviews.

To search for criticism by author:

• Enter the term "criticism" and change the search type from "Title" to "Subject"
• In the next search box enter the author's name, in direct order and in quotes, e.g. "William Shakespeare" and set the search type to "keyword". 
• Check the "select all" box
• Click "search"

To search for criticism by title:

• Follow the first three bullets above 
• In the next search box enter the title of the work, in quotes if you know the exact title, or simply enter keywords from the title. Change the search type to keyword.
• Click "search"

Results will be sorted by date by default, most recent first.

How to use this source:

The link to the left does the first broad search for you, so the instructions below will help you narrow the results to your author and literary work.

• Follow the link to the left
• Click "refine search"
• Enter the author's name, in direct order and in quotes, e.g. "William Shakespeare" and set the search type to "keyword"
• You may either click "search" OR add the title of the work:
• In the next search box enter the title of the work, in quotes if you know the exact title, or simply enter keywords from the title. Change the search type to keyword.
• Click "search"

RECOMMENDED WEB RESOURCES

http://www.shmoop.com

Shmoop's critical essays are written by scholars in Ph.D. and Master programs from top universities.  They are easy to read, informative, very well organized and have fresh, up to date perspectives on the works they review. 

Here is a direct link to the collection of poetry study guides; here's a direct link to the literature study guides.