How to Find Literary Criticisms
There are a number of print and electronic resources you can consult to find literary criticisms and author biographies. [Printable version]
Books
- In the MxCC Library online catalog (in Find Books), search for the author’s name and the word "criticism" as a keyword.
- You can also consult print reference books through the online catalog (in Find Books). First choose "[Set Search Limits] – Location: Reference (drop down menu) – Set Limits." Search "literary criticism" as a keyword on the main search screen.
Articles
- You can try searching within the following library databases (under 'General' in Find Articles): Academic Search Premier and General OneFile. Search for the author’s name (in "TX All Text") and/or title of work (in "TI Title") . Example: "Ellison and Invisible Man." Be sure to check the "full text" box to retrieve online articles.
- MagillOnLiterature Plus (under 'Literature' in Find Articles) is composed of approximately 35,000 critical analyses of individual works of literature, 6,500 biographical records, more than 1,000 images, and a glossary of 1,310 literary terms. The easiest way to search is to enter the author’s name in one field and the title of the work in another. Limit “Full Text”. (see example below) This search will provide a description of the characters within the work. Choose a theme by limiting by subject (left hand column on results page) or opening up a result and looking at the subject terms.
Note: You can also limit results on the search screen by literary genre, type, name of characters, and more.
Biographies
To supplement your findings of literary criticisms, you may want to search for additional sources for biographical information.
- See Library Tip Sheet – How to Find Biographical Information
- Use the Credo Reference Database ( (under 'Reference' in Find Articles)
- Enter author’s name – choose biography and literature. Ex:
