Course Guides: English

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• Printable Guides & Handouts
• Suggested Databases
• Selected E-Books
• Locations of English Resources in the Library
• Selected Books in the Library
• Selected Journals, Magazines, & Newspapers
• Online Resources
• Research Guides: includes citation help
• Faculty Favorites: a list of resources recommended by faculty members.

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PRINTABLE GUIDES & HANDOUTS:

• Course Guide Handout-English (PDF)
• Generating Ideas & Topics for Writing (PDF)
• How to Analyze a Short Story or Novel (PDF)
• How to Read and Explicate a Poem (PDF)
• How to Write a Summary (PDF)
• Integrating Sources into Your Research Paper (PDF)
• Writing an Annotated Bibliography (PDF)
• Writing a Thesis Statement (PDF)
• Writing Paragraphs (PDF)
• 8 Tips for Effective Sentences (PDF)
• 12 Common Problems - An Editing Checklist (PDF)

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SUGGESTED DATABASES:

• Academic Search Complete - Provides full-text articles from more than 5,500 multi-disciplinary, scholarly journals and publications.
• Biography Resource Center - Provides biographies, magazine articles, images, and website links for more than 900,000 people; searchable by name, occupation, etc.
• CQ Researcher - Provides in-depth, non-biased articles on topics and issues in the news. Includes a bibliography of sources.
• LexisNexis - Provides full-text articles and abstracts from newspapers, magazines, and reference sources, including legal and law resources.
• LearningExpress Library - Provides a comprehensive, interactive online learning platform of practice tests and tutorial course sites. Uses a unique login; see RPCC Library Services under RPCC Support in Moodle, or stop by the Library for more information.
• Literary Reference Center - Provides full-text reference information on authors and literature from over 1,000 books, major encyclopedias, and hundreds of literary journals.
• Literature Resource Center - Provides current biographical information, overviews, and full-text literary criticism and reviews of more than 130,000 writers.
• Oxford English Dictionary Online - The OED is a guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words in the English language.
• Oxford Reference Online - Provides full-text access to many subject dictionaries and encyclopedias, maps, timelines, and more. Uses a unique login; see RPCC Library Services under RPCC Support in Moodle, or stop by the Library for more information.
• Salem Literature - Includes the full-text reference sets Critical Surveys of Long Fiction and Magill's Literary Annuals. Uses a unique login; see RPCC Library Services under RPCC Support in Moodle, or stop by the Library for more information.
• Scribner Writers Series - Provides fifteen to twenty page full-text essays and critical reviews on over 1,600 authors and literary genres.
• Twayne Author Series - Provides full-text information and biographies on World, U.S., and English authors originally published in the Twayne Literary Masters book series.

Please note that when accessing the databases from off-campus, you will be prompted to login.

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SELECTED E-BOOKS:

eBook Collection from EBSCOhost is our largest provider of ebooks (electronic copies of printed books PDF format), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. eBook Collection has an easy-to-use search interface. You will be prompted to login with your 12-digit Library User ID to access these e-books from off-campus. Please see our Tutorials on eBook Collection from EBSCOhost for more information.

Grammar, Composition, & Writing

• 265 Troubleshooting Strategies for Writing Nonfiction, 2005, by Barbara Fine Clouse.
• 501 Grammar and Writing Questions, 1999.
• The Debatabase Book: A Must-have Guide for Successful Debate, 3rd Edition, 2007, by Robert Trapp. The 1st and 2nd editions are also available as e-books. Presents pro and con arguments on issues; can also be useful in topic selection!
• English Grammar for the Utterly Confused, 2003, by Laurie Rozakis.
• English Vocabulary Elements, 2nd Edition, 2007, by Keith M. Denning.
• The Teacher's Grammar Book, 2nd Edition, 2005, by James D. Williams.
• When Bad Grammar Happens to Good People: How to Avoid Common Errors in English, 2004, by Ann Batko.

Literature, Literary Analysis, & Criticism

• Encyclopedia of Literature and Criticism, 1990, by Martin Coyle.
• Literary Theory: The Basics, 2001, by Johannes Willem Bertens.
• A New Handbook of Literary Terms, 2007, by David Mikics.
• The Routledge Dictionary of Literary Terms, 2006, by Peter Childs & Roger Fowler, eds.
• Regarding Film: Criticism and Comment, 2001, by Stanley Kauffmann.
• Studying Contemporary American Film: A Guide to Movie Analysis, 2002, by Thomas Elsaesser.

~Short Stories & Novels

• How Novels Work, 2006, by John Mullan.
• Novelists and Novels, Bloom's Literary Criticism Series, 2005, by Harold Bloom.
• The Postmodern Short Story: Forms and Issues, 2003, by Farhat Iftekharrudin.
• Short Story Writers and Short Stories, Bloom's Literary Criticism Series, 2005, by Harold Bloom.

~Drama & Poetry

• Dramatists and Dramas, Bloom's Literary Criticism Series, 2005, by Harold Bloom.
• Notable Playwrights, Magill's Choice series, 2005, by Carl E. Rollyson. An extensive biographical dictionary of playwrights from around the world.
• Poets and Poems, Bloom's Literary Criticism Series, 2005, by Harold Bloom.
• Power, Plain English, and the Rise of Modern Poetry, 2006, by David Rosen. Includes criticism and interpretation of works by Eliot, Yeats, Auden, & Wordsworth.

~World Literature

• Classical Commentary: Histories, Practices, Theory, 2002, by Roy Gibson.
• The Classical Plot and the Invention of Western Narrative, 2000, by N. J. Lowe.
• The Epic, Bloom's Literary Criticism Series, 2005, by Harold Bloom.
• Medieval Narrative: An Introduction, 2004, by William A. Davenport.

~English Literature

• Facts on File Companion to the British Short Story, 2007, by Andrew Maunder.
• Novel Beginnings: Experiments in Eighteenth-Century Fiction, 2006, by Patricia Spacks.
• The Popular Culture of Shakespeare, Spenser, and Jonson, 2006, by Mary Ellen Lamb.
• Ways of Reading: Advanced Reading Skills for Students of English Literature, 2007, by Martin Montgomery.

~American Literature

• The Chronology of American Literature: America's Literary Achievements from the Colonial Era to Modern Times, 2004, by Daniel Burt.
• A Companion to the Regional Literatures of America, 2006, by Charles Crow.
• Early American Nature Writers: A Biographical Encyclopedia, 2008, by Daniel Patterson.
• Facts on File Companion to the American Novel, 2006, by Abby Werlock.

A search in our catalog for specific authors, genres, etc., can locate the works as well as literary criticism and analyses that we may have in our collection.

Visit our eBook Collections for links to eBook Collection from EBSCOhost and other e-book collections. Please note that books that are still protected by copyright may not be available online in full-text from the free sources.

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LOCATIONS OF ENGLISH RESOURCES IN THE LIBRARY:

English-related topics can be found in resources located in these Library of Congress call number ranges:

• P - PZ - Language and Literature.
• P201 to P299 - Comparative grammar.
• P301 to P301.5 - Style. Composition. Rhetoric.
• PA3050 to PA4505 - Greek literature.
• PA6000 to PA6971 - Roman literature.
• PA8001 to PA8595 - Medieval and modern Latin literature.
• PN1 to PN6790 - Literatue (General).
• PN80 to PN99 - Criticism.
• PN441 to PN1009.5 - Literary history.
• PN1600 to PN3307 - Drama.
• PN1720 to PN1861 - History.
• PN3311 to PN3503 - Prose. Prose fiction.
• PN3451 to PN3503 - History.
• PN6010 to PN6790 - Collections of general literature.
• PR1 to PR9680 - English literature.
• PS1 to PS3576 - American literature.

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SELECTED BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY:

Grammar, Composition, & Writing

• The Everything Creative Writing Book, 2002.
  Call number: PE 1408 .W5806 2002
• Grammar Essentials, 2nd Edition, 2000.
  Call number: PE 1112 .O43 2000
• Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, 1994.
  Call number: PE 1460 .M45 1994 REF, located on the Dictionary Stand.
• The Oxford English Grammar, 1996.
  Call number: PE 1106 .G74 1996 REF, located on the Dictionary Stand.
• Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writers, 8th Edition, 2007.
  Call number: PE 1408 .T696 2007
• When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It: The Parts of Speech for Better and/or Worse, 2007.
  Call number: PE 1199 .H33 2007

Literature, Literary Analysis & Criticism

• A Contemporary Guide to Literary Terms: with Strategies for Writing Essays about Literature, 1997.
  Call number: PN 44.5 .B332 1997
• Encyclopedia of Contemporary Literary Theory: Approaches, Scholars, Terms, 1993.
  Call number: PN 81 .E43 1993 REF
• A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature, 4th Edition, 1999.
  Call number: PN 81 .G8 1998
• A Short Guide to Writing about Literature, 2000.
  Call number: PE 1479 .C7 B3 2000, INFO.

~Short Stories & Novels

• Encyclopedia of the Novel, 1998.
  Call number: PN 41 .E487 1998 REF, in 2 volumes.
• Masterplots II. Short Story Series, Rev. Edition, 2004.
  Call number: PN 3326 .M27 2004 REF, in 8 volumes.
• Novels for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context and Criticism on Commonly Studied Novels, 2001.
  Call number: PN 3365 .N68 REF, in 13 volumes.
• Short Story Writers, Rev. Edition.
  Call number: PN 3373 .S398 2008 REF, in 3 volumes.

~Drama & Poetry

• Masterplots II: Drama Series, Rev. Edition, 2004.
  Call number: PN 6112.5 .M37 2004 REF, in 4 volumes.
• Masterplots II: Poetry Series, Rev. Edition, 2002.
  Call number: PN 1110.5 .M37 2002, in 8 volumes.
• McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama, 1984.
  Call number: PN1625 .M3 1984 REF, in 5 volumes.
• Notable Poets, 1998.
  Call number: PN 1021 .N68 1998 REF, in 3 volumes. Also available as an eBook (eBook Collection on EBSCOhost).

~World Literature

• The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics, 2000.
  Call number: PN 44 .C34 2000
• Classical Myths and Legends in the Middle Ages and Renaissance 1998.
  Call number: PN 669 .B78 1998
• Cyclopedia of World Authors, Rev. 3rd Edition, 1997.
  Call number: PN 451 .M36 1997 REF, in 5 volumes.
• Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature, 2000.
  Call number: PN 669 .E53 2000
• Encyclopedia of World Literature in the 20th Century, Rev. 3rd Edition, 1999.
  Call number: PN 771 .E5 1999 REF, in 4 volumes.

~English Literature

• Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series, 1987.
  Call number: PR 881 .M39 1987 REF, in 4 volumes.
• The Oxford Companion to English Literature, 6th Edition, 2000.
  Call number: PR 19 .O94 2000
• Shakespeare A to Z, 1990.
  Call number: PR 2892 .B69 1990

~American Literature

• The Cambridge History of American Literature, 1999.
  Call number: PS 92 .C34 1999
• The Cambridge Handbook of American Literature, 1986.
  Call number: PS 21 .C36 1986
• The Oxford Companion to American Literature, 1995.
  Call number: PS 21 .H3 1995

A search in our catalog for specific authors, genres, etc., can locate the works as well as literary criticism and analyses that we may have in our collection.

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SELECTED JOURNALS, MAGAZINES, & NEWSPAPERS:

Print periodicals are located in C-119 (LRC)

• Adbusters
• American Literature
• College Composition and Communication
• Critical Inquiry
• Journal of Modern Literature

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ONLINE RESOURCES:

Grammar, Composition, & Writing

• Guide to Grammar & Writing
• The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL),

Literature, Literary Analysis, & Criticism

Since there is often overlap in the sites recommended below, they are simply listed in alphabetical order rather than by subject area/genre.

• The Cambridge History of English and American Literature, "contains over 303 chapters and 11,000 pages, with essay topics ranging from poetry, fiction, drama and essays to history, theology and political writing."
• Great Books Online, from Bartleby.com, offers access to classics in literature, primary resources, reference resources and more.
• The Internet Classics Archive, an award-winning site that offers English translations of over 400 works of classical literature, from MIT.
• ipl2 (Internet Public Library) Special Collections - Literary Criticism offers links to selected "critical and biographical websites about authors and their works," and more.
• Literary Visions, a series of videos on literary analysis from Annenberg Media, videos produced by Intelecom and Maryland Public Television.
• Literature Study Guides, from SparkNotes, this free resource can be sorted alphabetically, by author or by title, and includes study guides on literature from the classics to contemporary writers. Other relevant study guides include Biography, Drama, Film, Poetry and Shakespeare.
• The Modern World, offers resources on 20th century authors, including bios, reviews, etc.
• PBS: Arts & Entertainment - Literature & Writing for documentaries, and more on authors, books, etc.
• Poets.org from the Academy of American Poets, offers numerous resources on classic and contemporary poetry, poems searchable by title or poet, audio and video resources, interviews, bios, essays, and more. Not limited to American poets.
• The Short-Story: Specimens Illustrating Its Development, "with a selection of 23 short stories from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the twentieth century."

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