Key databases
- JSTOR Lives of Literature CollectionThis collection gathers full text academic journals devoted to the deep study of writers and texts associated with core literary movements.
- Cambridge Companions to Literature and ClassicsComprehensive and accessible essays and ebooks on major authors, periods and genres, written by experts and designed for student readers.
- Drama OnlineIncludes playtexts, books, scholarly content as well as filmed live performances, film adaptations, and audio plays. Great browse, explore, and search options.
- AustLit - Australian Literature GatewayA large authoritative database about Australian literature and storytelling, with biographical and bibliographical information, full text, exhibitions and rich online content.
- Literary Reference Center PlusFull text database of author biographies, plot summaries and essays from leading publishers.
American literature
Journals
- Western American Literature
A peer-reviewed journal in the literary and cultural study of the North American West, presenting new theoretical approaches to canonical figures as well as studies of emerging authors and filmmakers. - African American Review
This quarterly journal publishes essays on African American literature, theatre, film, the visual arts, and culture generally; interviews; poetry; fiction; and book reviews. - American Literature
Contains articles covering the works of several American authors—from colonial to contemporary—as well as book reviews.
eBooks
The Cambridge Companion to American Literature and the Body by Publication Date: 2022This Companion examines connections between American literature and bodies from the eighteenth century through the present. It details the genres, critical fields, and interpretive practices that best facilitate the analysis of bodies in the full span of American literary imaginings.
The Poetics of Sovereingty in American Literature, 1885-1910 by Publication Date: 2013Weaving historiography with close readings of Mark Twain, the Western, and other hallmarks of Progressive Era literature, Hebard's study offers a new cultural context for understanding the legal history of race relations in the United States.
Australian literature
Journals
- Antipodes: American Association of Australasian Literary Studies
A peer-reviewed journal produced by the American Association of Australian Literary Studies. - Southerly
Southerly publishes a wide range of poetry and fiction, critical essays and commentaries from writers and scholars all over Australia and New Zealand. - Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature (JASAL)
JASAL is a peer-reviewed journal, published online by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature.
eBooks
Contemporary Australian Literature: A world not yet dated by Publication Date: 2015With rancour, concern and idealism, modern Australian literature conveys a tragic sense of the past yet an abiding vision of the way forward. Birns paints a vivid picture of a rich Australian literary voice – one not lost to the churning of global markets, but in fact given new life by it.
The Routledge Companion to Australian Literature by Publication Date: 2020Australian literature has experienced a revival of interest and this companion emerges as a part of that reinvigoration. It considers works of Australian literature on their own terms, as well as positioning them in historical, ethical and interactive context in the public and private spheres.
Video
- The Edge of the World
This film includes interviews with Tim Winton about his work, his influences, and what drives him.
Romantic and Victorian literature
Journals
- Romanticism
Romanticism offers a forum for the best critical and scholarly work in Romantic studies today. The journal focuses on the literary period of 1750-1850, publishing research on critical, historical, textual and bibliographical aspects, representing a full range of current methological and theoretical debates. - Victorian Studies
Victorian Studies regularly includes interdisciplinary articles on comparative literature, social and political history, and the histories of education, philosophy, fine arts, economics, law, and science, as well as review essays and an extensive book review section.
eBooks
Global Frankenstein by Publication Date: 2018Consisting of sixteen original essays by experts in the field, including leading and lesser-known international scholars, Global Frankenstein considers the tremendous adaptability and rich afterlives of Mary Shelley’s iconic novel, Frankenstein.
Romantic Climates Literature and Science in an Age of Catastrophe by Publication Date: 2019Seeks to uncover how today’s ideas about climate and catastrophe have been formed by the thinking of Romantic poets, novelists and scientists.
Video
- The Romantics - Video
Historian Peter Ackroyd explores the modern imagination, through the poets and novelists who pioneered an alternative way of living. (Blake, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Byron and Shelley).
Shakespearean and Renaissance literature
Journals
- Shakepeare Studies
Published once a year, this peer-reviewed volume features the work of performance scholars, literary critics and cultural historians from across the world. - Renaissance Quarterly
Renaissance Quarterly is a leading American journal of Renaissance studies, encouraging connections between different scholarly approaches to bring together material spanning the period from 1300 to 1650.
eBooks
The Shakespeare User by Publication Date: 2017This innovative collection explores uses of Shakespeare in a wide variety of 21st century contexts, including business manuals, non-literary scholarship, database aggregation, social media, gaming, and creative criticism.
Volition's Face: Personification and the Will in Renaissance Literature by Publication Date: 2017Andrew Escobedo argues that premodern writers, including Spenser, Marlowe, and Milton, understood personification as a literary expression of will, an essentially energetic figure that depicted passion or concept transforming into action.
Video
- Approaching Shakespeare: The Scene Begins
Episode 1 of 24 from How to Read and Understand Shakespeare Course. - Shakespeare's Sonnets
Part of a series of films featuring performances of all 154 sonnets by a stellar cast of actors, including Sir Patrick Stewart and David Tennant.
Websites
- Radio National: The Book ShowThis radio program brings you in-depth conversations with some of the best writiers in Australia
- Australian Literature at the National Library of AustraliaA guide to finding Australian literature resources
- SETIS - Sydney Electronic Text and Image ServiceFeatures digital editions of Australian literary and historical texts
- Folger Shakespeare LibraryPrint and online resources to support teachers, students and lifelong learners' interest in Shakespeare.
- MIT's Global Shakepeare Video and Performance ArchiveOnline access to Shakespeare performances from many parts of the world, and essays by experts in the field.
- The Poetry FoundationA source which aims to present the best poetry, in English or in translation, of the modern and contemporary era, and to include representative selections of the major poetic works of all eras.
- Discovering Literature: Romantics and Victorians at the British LibraryDiscover 1,400 collection items, 171 articles, 25 films, 36 teachers’ notes and more
- The American Literature AssociationA coalition of Societies devoted to the study of American authors.
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Last reviewed: 28 October 2022