English 111 – Lukomski


drawing of comedy and tragedy masksAbout this guide
This guide provides recommended print and online resources for students to conduct research for Essay #3 (Drama) in English 111 with Wendy Lukomski. Use the tabs to navigate through the pages of the guide.

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Your assignment
A six-page analysis of one of the plays read for the class, including issues of production, using at least two outside sources.

Paper writing assistance


Reference sources are an excellent starting point for your research. They can provide background information, and help you identify keywords to use when searching for books and articles.

Print Reference Sources
Print reference books are available in the Luria Library Reference section, behind the Reference Desk.

    Literature

    • The Oxford Companion to American Literature – R 810.3 H325o
    • Contemporary Literary Criticism – R 809.04 C761
    • Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism – R 809.04 G151t
    • Dictionary of Literary Biography – R 810.9 M996

    Theatre

    • The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre – R 792.03 R896w
    • The Oxford Companion to American Theatre – R 792.0973 B729o 2004

Online Reference Sources
These reference sources are available online and may require you to log in with your Pipeline account information:


Search the library catalog for books you can check out. The catalog also includes ebooks you can access from anywhere with an internet connection.

Search Tips:

  • To find information about your author, including criticism of their works, search for author’s, along with words such as “criticism,” or “interpretation,” or “analysis.” For example: ibsen and interpretation. Or, use a “Detailed Search,” and “Subject Browse” and type the author’s name last name first.
  • To find works by your author, use a “Detailed Search,”, and choose “Author Browse” and type the author’s name last name first.


Search for articles in the library databases. These resources will require your Pipeline account information when you access them off campus.

Try one of these databases for literary criticism and theatrical reviews of your play:

  • Gale Literature Resource Center Includes literary criticism, biographies of authors, and a few theatrical reviews. Use the Advanced Search option to limit your results by type of article. Take less than two minutes to watch a tutorial on how to search in this database.
  • Academic Search Premier Includes literary criticism and theatrical reviews, in addition to articles on other subjects. To find theatrical reviews, choose Advanced search, type the title of the play into the first search box, and choose “PS Reviews & Products” from the menu under “Select a field.” It’s a good idea to type the author’s last name into the second search box, to weed out irrelevant results. Note: If you find an article from TDR: The Drama Review, but can’t get the full text online, you can find the journal in print in the library.
  • JSTOR Includes literary criticism and some literary and theatrical reviews; a great source of older articles, including some from the 19th century. Choose Advanced Search, type the title of the play (in quotation marks for titles with more than one word) in the first search box, type the playwright’s name in the next search box, and limit to “Review” under “Item Type.”
  • Project MUSE Includes literary criticism and theatrical reviews.

Search Tips
Try using one of the terms below in your search, along with the title of the play and the author’s name:

  • analysis
  • criticism
  • interpretation
  • theatrical review
  • theatre review
  • production

For example:
ibsen “a doll’s house” theatrical review

You may also include words related to a particular theme you want to explore, such as:
Wilson “The Piano Lesson” and ghosts

You may find theatrical reviews, from newspaper websites and other sources, through Google. Construct a search something like this: glaspell trifles theatrical review. Be sure to evaluate any websites you find! Is the review from a respected theatre critic, or an amateur blogger? Can you find other reviews of the same production, to get another perspective?

Use the C.A.R.S. system to help you evaluate websites:

  • Credibility: Is an author listed? What are the author’s credentials? Is there evidence of positive peer evaluation?
  • Accuracy:Is the date of the site current? Is the information complete and not too vague? Does the author acknowledge all views?
  • Reasonableness: Is the author fair and objective? Is the author concerned with the truth?
  • Support:Does the author provide support for the information? Are the sources listed?

For reliable websites, see the Luria Library’s Internet Links page.


This Citation Worksheet is a helpful way to keep track of your sources and all the elements you will need for citing them in your paper.

Links to MLA citation format: