Research Guides: Literature: Background Information on a Topic

Information About Authors & Their Works

Gale Literature Criticism This link opens in a new window
Criticism on the works of selected novelists, poets, playwrights, short story writers, and other creative writers now living or who died after December 31, 1959
Gale Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new window
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Selected full text of journals, classical and contemporary author biographies and their works. Includes plot summaries and explications.
Gale Literature: Twayne's Author Series This link opens in a new window
Literary critical interpretation of authors.

Gale Literature: Something About the Author This link opens in a new window
Full text essays cover the life, writings, critical reception, and more for authors and illustrators in all genres of English-language literature for children and young adults

Most of the databases in Articles & Journals provide citations to and selected full text for book reviews. If needed, see also:

Book Review Digest Plus This link opens in a new window
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Selected full text book reviews

Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) This link opens in a new window
Full text encyclopedias, biographical dictionaries, and subject-specific reference books
Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
Defines and illustrates through quotations the use of English language words from the earliest known occurrence to the present day. A landmark historical resource
Britannica This link opens in a new window
Academic edition of Encyclopedia Britannica Online

If you'd like to browse the Reference Area (1st level of the library), see these classifications: