Literatures in English to 1650 (Old English)
A Guide to Library Resources

Spring 2008

Dictionaries | Bibliographies/Databases | Biographical / Critical Sources
Additional Reference Materials | Catalogs |
Interlibrary Loan | Resources on the Internet | Citation

DICTIONARIES

An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary 1v. and suppl. [RR PE279.B7]
Entries provide definitions and examples of use. See "Explanations of References" in the preface for help in abbreviations. Consult both the main volume and the supplement.

Oxford English Dictionary 20v. plus 3 volumes of Additions Series [RR PE1625.087 1989]
Entries outline the history of a given word, from the date of its introduction to the present. Entries illustrate how meaning, pronunciation, and use have evolved over time.

OED Online
Contains the complete text of the 20-volume Second Edition and its 3-volume Additions Series. St. Olaf has a subscription to this resource.

A Guide to the Oxford English Dictionary [RR PE1617 .049 B47 1993]
A great source explaining the various nuances of the OED.

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BIBLIOGRAPHIES/DATABASES

MLA International Bibliography
The online version of MLA, produced by the Modern Language Association. MLA provides access to scholarly research in over 3000 journals and series. Also covers monographs, essays, working papers, proceedings and other formats. Subjects include literature, language, linguistics and folklore.

Academic Search Premier
This database provides access to over 8040 multi-disciplinary publications, many in full-text. Covers 1975 to present.

JSTOR
An index to and full text of select, academic journals.

A Bibliography of Publications on Old English Literature [RR PR173 .G69 1982]
Begin with the Table of Contents => Part Two: Old English Poetry. The list of abbreviations follows the preface.

Guide to British Poetry Explication 4v. [RR PR311 .M34 1991]
Use Volume 1: Old English - Medieval

The New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature 5v. [RR PR57 .N4 1969]
Contains citations to primary sources and secondary criticism. Especially useful as a supplement to the Norton Anthology when searching for an authoritative text. Volume 1 covers 600 - 1660.

Old English Literature: A Select Bibliography [RR PR166 .R65 1970]

Old English Wisdom Poetry [RR PR215 .P7 1998]
From the series Annotated Bibliographies of Old and Middle English Literature.

Old and Middle English Literature - Goldentree Bibliographies [RR PR1505 .M32 1968]
"A guide to scholarship in important areas of English literature and culture before 1525."

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BIOGRAPHICAL / CRITICAL SOURCES

Biography and Genealogy Master Index
An on-line index to biographical encyclopedias and dictionaries .

Dictionary of National Biography
The Oxford DNB contains 56,000 biographies of people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from the 4th century BC to the year 2004.

Dictionary of World Biography [RR CT104 .D54 1998]

Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages 2v. [RR D114 .E53 2000]
See, for example, entry titled Poetry, Medieval. You may also want to look at Dictionary of the Middle Ages 13v. plus index [RR D114 .D5 1982]

British Authors Before 1800: Biographical Dictionary [RR PR105 .K9]

The Critical Temper: A Survey of Modern Criticism on English and American Literature from the Beginnings to the Twentieth Century 5v. [RR PR83 .C75]
Use Volume 1: From Old English to Shakespeare.

THE GALE SERIES:
Dictionary of Literary Biography(DLB) [RR PN451 .D4---]
Covers writers, movements, and periods. Scholarly essays by authorities. Selective bibliographies. See especially: v. 146: Old and Middle English Literature. Also on-line at Dictionary of Literary Biography.

Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism (CMLC) [RR PA1 .C55--]
Excerpts from criticism of the works of world authors from classical antiquity through the 14th century, from the first appraisals to current evaluations.

Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800 (LC) [RR PN86 .L56 --]
Critical discussion of the works of 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th century novelists, poets, playwrights, philosophers, and other creative writers.

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ADDITIONAL REFERENCE MATERIALS

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of The English Language [RR PE1072 .C68 1995]

The Cambridge History of the English Language [RR PE1072 .C36 1992]
See especially v. 1: The Beginnings to 1066; and v. 2: 1066-1476.

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CATALOGS

Bridge catalogs resources available at St. Olaf and Carleton libraries. Use Bridge to search for books (including subject-specific bibliographies and biographies) and periodicals, but not chapters within books or articles within periodicals.

Search Bridge by Title, Author, Keyword or Subject. Some relevant subject headings:

You may request materials housed at Carleton directly from Bridge.

WorldCat is a union catalog for libraries around the world, including most libraries in the United States. You may request materials from WorldCat through Interlibrary Loan, just remember to plan ahead!

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INTERLIBRARY LOAN

Any item not owned by St. Olaf may be ordered through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) provided you allow enough time.

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RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET

Remember to evaluate each site critically for authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and coverage.

	Ask:	Look for:
Authorship	Who wrote the page? Does the author have appropriate education, training, or experience to write with authority (credibility) on this topic?	Linked biographical statements, resumes, or other background about the site author. If no individual author is named, consider the reputation of the organization associated with the site.
Coverage	Is the topic explored in depth? Is there considerable content on the page? Are entire articles or items provided or just excerpts from larger works? Does the site point you to other sites?	Sources documented with footnotes or links. Balance of text and images.
Objectivity	Is the presentation biased (one-sided) or balanced (both pro and con viewpoints provided)? Are claims and arguments supported (with documentation) or unsubstantiated?	References to alternative points of view. Factual documentation od arguments.
Currency	When was the page written or last updated? Is the site well maintained (eg.are links functional or broken)?	Page creation or revision dates. "What's New" page that describes when content was updated. Press releases or other dated materials.
Recognition	Do others recognize the value of this site, either in reviews or by linking to it?	Other sites that link to a site you are evaluating. Reviews of the site.

Based on "Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask." UC Berkeley - Teaching Library Internet Workshops. 7Jan. 2005. 14 Feb. 2005. <http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html>, and "Evaluating Web Sites." The Ohio State Univeristy Libraries. 14 Feb. 2005. <http://gateway.lib.ohio-state.edu/tutor/>.

 

A few good sites to try include The Voice of the Shuttle: Medieval Studies , maintained by the University of California, Santa Barbara, and History of the English Language from the University of Vermont, and Literary Resources on the Net , a searchable "collection of annotated links to sites on the Internet dealing especially with English and American literature"

See also an on-line companion to the Norton Anthology of English Literature.

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CITATION

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers Sixth Edition [RR LB2369 .G53 2003]

Citation Guide from Purdue University by Jennifer Liethen Kunka and Joe Barbato. Provides examples and explanations of in-text citations and works cited in MLA format.

For an online guide to cite your sources, consult Assembling a List of Works Cited in Your Paper.

 

Contact Information:	Page Information:
Kasia Gonnerman Rolvaag Library 301 507-646-3501 gonnermk@stolaf.edu	Created by: Kasia Gonnerman | 02/01/06 Created for: Mary Trull and Karen Marsalek Updated by: Kasia Gonnerman | 09/02/08