Literary Criticism: Plays
Research Guide

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Books and Multimedia

UCF Library Catalog
http://library.ucf.edu

Use the online catalog to locate books and multimedia on drama in the UCF Libraries. You can search by author, title, keyword, or subject.

• To search for a person, as AUTHOR or SUBJECT, search by last name, first name without punctuation; for example:
  • Eliot T S
  • O'Neill Eugene
  • Shange Ntozake
• SUBJECT searching requires use of Library of Congress subject headings. Here are some example subject headings:
  • Drama--History and criticism
  • Dramatic criticism
  • Dramatists
• If you are unsure of the exact title or unsure of the correct Library of Congress subject heading, try a KEYWORD search using two or three of the most significant words from the title or subject you are trying to find.
• To limit by FORMAT in order to find multimedia and scores, go to the Advanced Search in the Library Catalog and use the Limit Search By option.

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Periodical Articles and Essays

Use the following sources to find periodical articles about a particular literary work, movement, or author. In some instances books or essays in books also may be found in these sources.

Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature

Microfiche PE 71 .M6 (1920-53)
Reference PE 71 .M6 (1964-90, 1992+)

An index of American and English literary studies, including periodical articles, books, and pamphlets, with references to reviews of books listed. Especially useful for locating British scholarship on literatures in English.

Cumulated Dramatic Index, 1909-1949: A Cumulation of the F.W. Faxon Company's Dramatic Index

Reference PN 1620 .A1 C95

Reprints, in a single alphabetical sequence, the annual Dramatic Index subject indexes to English-language books and articles, illustrations, and plays published in about 150 British and American periodicals between 1909 and 1949. Three appendixes: author list of books, title list of plays, author list of plays.

Drama Criticism: A Checklist of Interpretation since 1940 of English and American Plays

Reference PN 1721 .C6

A bibliography of drama criticism selected from periodicals and books. Volume I concentrates on American and British drama from 1940-64; volume II is devoted to classical and continental plays from 1940-68. Listings are by author, then work. There is a separate listing for Shakespeare in volume I.

Dramatic Criticism Index: A Bibliography of Commentaries on Playwrights from Ibsen to the Avant-Garde

Reference PN 1861 .B734

A selective index to commentaries on twentieth-century playwrights and their plays. Contains nearly 12,000 entries on more than 300 playwrights.

Essay and General Literature Index

Online version (1985+)
Index AI 3 .E752 (1900+)

Index to collections of essays in books, with emphasis on the humanities (especially literary criticism). In the print edition, arrangement is by authors, subjects, and some titles in one alphabet, with full titles of books indexed listed in the back of each volume.

European Drama Criticism, 1900-1975

Reference PN 1721 .P3 1977

A selective bibliography of articles and essays in books, in English and foreign languages. Citations are listed under individual plays arranged alphabetically by playwright; citations to essays in books are keyed to a list at the back.

Guide to American Drama Explication

Reference PS 332 .O84 1995

A guide to critical essays published in or translated into English between 1942 and 1994. Entries are organized alphabetically by playwright, then by play, then by critic. Entries for books containing five or more explications are keyed to a list of sources at the end of the book. Primarily useful for locating discussions of plays in single-author monographs.

Guide to British Drama Explication: Beginnings to 1640

Reference PR 625 .D68 D6

A selective index of criticism on British drama up to 1640. Includes critical studies in periodicals and books published between the early 1940s and the early 1990s. Arranged alphabetically by playwright's last name and then by title of play.

Humanities Full Text (1984+)

An electronic database of citations to articles appearing in more than 400 English-language periodicals dealing with the humanities: folklore, history, language, literature, music, philosophy, religion, and classical studies. Preceded by the print index Humanities Index (1974+).

Humanities Index

Index AI 3 .R493 (1974+)

Lists by subject and author articles from approximately 350 English-language journals covering such subjects as folklore, history, language, literature, music, philosophy, religion, and classical studies. Continued by the electronic database Humanities Full Text (1984+).

Literature Resource Center

Provides biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses of more than 120,000 authors from every age and literary discipline. Contains the Scribner Writer's Series which includes 15-20 page signed essays on more than 1,600 authors and literary genres drawn from 13 acclaimed Scribner print series; and the Twayne World, US, and English Authors series, each of which contains the full text of 200 frequently used Twayne Literary Masters books on individual world, US, or English authors, for a total of 600 full-text titles.

MLA International Bibliography

Online version (1963+)
Index PB 6 M6222 (1970+)
General Collection PB 6 M6 (1921-69, bound with PMLA)

Both a print index and an electronic database referred to variously as the MLA or MLAIB; sometimes called the PMLA Bibliography, but it should not be confused with the journal PMLA. In the print version Part 1 is arranged first geographically (e.g., American literature), then chronologically by century (e.g., 1900-1999) with authors listed alphabetically; Part 2, commencing in 1981, is a subject index to Part 1.

Shakespeare Index: An Annotated Bibliography of Critical Articles on the Plays, 1959-1983

Reference PR 2894 .S338

A thorough guide to English-language articles, with character, scene, and subject indexes.

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Plot Summaries and Critical Excerpts

The following sources provide a plot summary, or contain excerpts of critical essays that were previously published.

Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism: Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of World Authors from Classical Antiquity through the Fourteenth Century, from First Appraisals to Current Evaluations

Reference PN 610 .C53

Contains excerpts from criticism through the ages on the works of philosophers, poets and playwrights, political leaders, scientists, mathematicians and writers from other genres. Entries feature a biography, textual history, a bibliography of the writer's works, critical excerpts, and suggested sources for further reading. Each volume includes cumulative author name, topic, nationality, and title indexes.

Contemporary Literary Criticism (CLC): Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of Today's Novelists, Poets, Playwrights, Short Story Writers, Scriptwriters, & Other Creative Writers

Reference PN 771 .C59

Each print volume in this long-standing series profiles approximately six to eight novelists, poets, playwrights and other creative and nonfiction writers by providing full-text or excerpted criticism taken from books, magazines, literary reviews, newspapers and scholarly journals. The approximately 200 essays per volume are prefaced by a full citation and annotation and most entries include an author portrait. Each volume includes cumulative author name, topic, and nationality indexes, as well as a volume-specific title index. A cumulative title index to the entire series is available separately. Available online in the Literature Resource Center database.

Drama Criticism

Reference PN 1601 .D59

An ongoing, multi-volume set that presents critical views on the most widely studied writers of drama. Each volume includes overviews of four to eight playwrights and an historical survey of the critical response to their work. Each volume includes a cumulative author and nationality index as well as a volume-specific title index. The most recent volume indexes previous volumes in the series. Available online in the Literature Resource Center database.

Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800 : Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth- Century Novelists, Poets, Playwrights, Philosophers, and Other Creative Writers, from the First Published Critical Appraisals to Current Evaluations

Reference PN 86 .L53

Covers the careers and works of writers of the late Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Restoration eras. Entries offer interpretations of historical periods, literary trends and topics, and the achievements of noteworthy individuals. Each volume includes cumulative author name, topic, nationality, and title indexes; a cumulative title index to the entire series is published separately.

MagillOnLiterature

A full-text database that includes brief plot summaries of the most studied works in the history of literature. This database includes articles from the following print sources: Masterplots, Masterplots II: Drama Series, Cyclopedia of World Authors, Cyclopedia of Literary Characters, Magill's Literary Annual 1990-2001, Magill's Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, and Magill Book Reviews.

Masterplots II: Drama Series

Reference PN 6112.5 .M37 1990

Briefly examines the theme, style, and technique of approximately 300 playwrights. The essays in this set are available online in the MagillOnLiterature database.

Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism (NCLC): Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of Nineteenth-Century Novelists, Poets, Playwrights, Short-Story Writers, & Other Creative Writers

Reference PN 761 .N5

Presents substantial excerpts of criticism on poets, novelists, short story writers, dramatists and philosophers who died between 1800 and 1899. Each volume presents overviews of four to eight authors with chronologically arranged criticism representing the entire range of response to each author. Entries typically include an author portrait, an introduction to the author, a primary bibliography, annotated criticism and an annotated list of further reading sources. Every fourth volume is a "Topics" volume covering major literary movements, trends and other topics related to nineteenth-century literature. Volumes include author, nationality, topic and title indexes; a cumulative title index to the entire series is published separately. Available online in the Literature Resource Center database.

Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism (TCLC): Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of Novelists, Poets, Playwrights, Short Story Writers, & Other Creative Writers Who Died Between 1900 & 1999

Reference PN 94 .T83

Presents substantial excerpts of criticism on major literary figures and nonfiction writers, including novelists, poets, playwrights and literary theorists, who died between 1900 to 1999. Each volume presents overviews of four to eight authors with chronologically arranged criticism representing the entire range of response to each author. A typical excerpt is prefaced by an annotation that explains the critic's reputation and critical philosophy and providing a synopsis of the excerpt. Every fourth volume is a "Topics" volume covering major literary movements, trends and other topics. Volumes include author, nationality, topic and title indexes; a cumulative title index to the entire series is published separately. Available online in the Literature Resource Center database.

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Biographical and Bio-Critical Information

There are many sources of biographical and bio-critical information for playwrights; the titles listed below are but a sampling of the basic sources usually consulted. In addition, the sources listed under the headings "Plot Summaries and Critical Excerpts" and "Handbooks and Dictionaries" may provide biographical information about a writer. The following sources are also beneficial in gaining a good overview of a playwright's basic themes, techniques, and motifs.

American Playwrights, 1880-1945: A Research and Production Sourcebook

Reference PS 351 .A52 1995

American Playwrights since 1945: A Guide to Scholarship, Criticism, and Performance

Reference PS 350 .A54 1989

Each volume includes biographical data, summaries of the critical reception of all works, assessments of the playwrights' careers, primary and secondary bibliographies, and the housings of unpublished archival material.

American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies

Reference PS 129 .A55

Provides information about the lives, careers, and works of major American writers. Each essay in the multi-volume set is approximately 20 pages. The heart of each essay is a critical evaluation and analysis of the writer's major works, followed by a selective bibliography both of the author's works and books and articles about the works. Each of the essays in the print edition is available online in the Literature Resource Center database.

Ancient Writers: Greece and Rome

Reference PA 3002 .A5

A two-volume survey of western literature in the classical period contains 47 chronologically arranged bio-critical essays.

Biography Resource Center

Contains biographical information on over one million individuals from all time periods, geographical locations, and fields of endeavor. The "Biographical Facts Search" allows searching for people based on one or more personal facts, such as occupation.

British Playwrights, 1880-1956: A Research and Production Sourcebook

Reference PR 736 .B7 1996

British Playwrights, 1956-1995: A Research and Production Sourcebook

Reference PR 736 .B75 1996

Each volume includes biographical data, summaries of the critical reception of all works, assessments of the playwrights' careers, primary and secondary bibliographies, and the housings of unpublished archival material. See also the related title, Irish Playwrights, 1880-1995: A Research and Production Sourcebook (Reference PR 8789 .I67 1997).

British Writers

Reference PR 85 .B688

Provides information about the lives, careers, and works of major British writers from the fourteenth century to the present day in chronological order by birth date. The essays are evaluative surveys of authors' writings, with a selected bibliography of the authors' works and criticism about the works. Each of the essays in the print edition is available online in the Literature Resource Center database.

Contemporary Authors: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Nonfiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, Television

Reference PN 771 .C662

A multi-volume series that contains biographical information on approximately 112,000 modern novelists, poets, playwrights, nonfiction writers, journalists and scriptwriters. Sketches typically include personal information, addresses, career history, writings, work in progress, biographical/critical sources and authors' comments and/or informative essays about their lives and work. Each of the sketches in the print edition is available online in the Biography Resource Center database.

Contemporary Dramatists

Reference PR 737 .C57

A dictionary of about 300 English-language playwrights. Each entry features a brief biographical sketch, a list of the writer's works, and a critical essay. Some articles include personal comments by the writer.

Critical Survey of Drama: English Language Series

Reference PR 623 .C75 1994

Critical essays on 220 playwrights, with biographical information, a comprehensive overview of the playwright's works, analysis of major works, and a bibliography.

Critical Survey of Drama: Foreign Language Series

Reference PN 1625 .C74 1986

Profiles of 197 playwrights writing in languages other than English, with biographical information, a comprehensive overview of the playwright's works, analysis of major works and a bibliography. Volume 6 contains essays on such topics as pre-classical drama, Renaissance drama, and African drama.

Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB)

Reference PS 21 .D5

Includes the full text of biographical essays which provide an extended study of an author's life and work. Each essay includes primary and secondary bibliographies for further study. Each of the essays in the print volumes is available online in the Literature Resource Center database.

European Writers

Reference PN 501 .E9 1983

Provides information about the lives, careers, and works of major European writers from the medieval times to the present day in chronological order by birth date. Use index volume to locate author/specific work. Essays from the print edition is available online in the Literature Resource Center database.

McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama: An International Reference Work in Five Volumes

Reference PN 1625 .M3 1984

Lengthy entries on major dramatists include biographical information, critical commentary, synopses of selected plays, a list of plays, and selected bibliography.

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Handbooks and Dictionaries

The handbooks and dictionaries listed below provide assistance in defining and using appropriate literary terms and concepts and in identifying intellectual trends and movements.

Analytical Sourcebook of Concepts in Dramatic Theory

Reference PN 1631 .B84

Under 73 "categories" of dramatic theory (e.g., action, catharsis, unity, plot, tragedy) brief excerpts from the writings of some 33 theorists of drama from Aristotle to Brecht are arranged in chronological order. Hundreds of additional concepts are traceable through a terms and topics index. Brief biographies, bibliographies, and index to quotations for all authors cited.

Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia

Reference PN 41 .B4 1996

A comprehensive work containing brief articles on literary schools and movements, critical terms and expressions, as well as literary allusions, plot summaries, and brief biographies of authors.

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable

http://www.bartleby.com/81/

Reference PN 43 .B65 1999

Gives the derivation, source, or origin of allusions, colloquial and proverbial phrases, biographical references, fictitious characters and titles, and words that have a tale to tell.

The Cambridge Guide to Theatre

PN 2035 .C27 1995

An international dictionary of theatre, classical to contemporary, that emphasizes performance, popular entertainment, and traditions outside Europe and North America. Entries cover traditions, theories, playwrights, performers, movements, folk drama, types of performance, and acting companies.

A Dictionary of Modern Critical Terms

Reference PN 41 .D4794 1987

Distinguished from traditional dictionaries of literary terms in its attempt to deal with the application and usage of critical terms rather than simply provide literal lexical meanings.

A Handbook to Literature

Reference PN 41 .H36 1992

A standard source of comparatively brief explanations of the words and phrases which are peculiar to the study of English and American literature. The emphasis is on critical terms and critical schools and movements. Contains an outline of English and American literary history. Index of proper names.

An International Dictionary of Theatre Language

Reference PN 2035 .I5 1985

Contains some 10,000 English-language and 5,000 foreign-language terms, historical and current, covering drama and theatre worldwide. Definitions are very brief but do cite works in the accompanying bibliography that offer fuller definitions or discussions.

The Oxford Companion to American Literature

Reference PS 21 .H3 1995

Contains more than 5,000 entries on authors and other persons, literary works, terms, characters, movements, awards, organizations, historical and cultural events, and a long list of other topics related to American literature.

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre

Reference PN 2220 .B6 1992

Entries on actors, actresses, producers, directors, playwrights, theatre companies, etc., as well as on individual plays or musicals. Emphasis is on Broadway and the New York stage.

The Oxford Companion to English Literature

Reference PR 19 .D73 1998

Entries on authors born before 1940, works, characters, movements, critical theories, periods, groups, historical figures, terminology, literary allusions, and places related to English literature.

The Oxford Companion to the Theatre

Reference PN 2035 .O9 1983

Entries on actors, actresses, producers, directors, designers, dramatists, groups, movements, and theatrical techniques and technology.

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Play Text Indexes

The following sources are useful for locating the texts of plays published in anthologies, collections, or periodicals.

The Drama Scholars' Index to Plays and Filmscripts: A Guide to Plays and Filmscripts in Selected Anthologies, Series, and Periodicals

Reference PN 1657 .S2

A selective author and title index to plays, and scripts or radio, television, and film productions in a variety of languages. Coverage extends from eighteenth-century collections through the early 1980s.

Index to Full-Length Plays, 1872 to 1956

Reference PN 1655 .T5
Index to Full-Length Plays, 1944 to 1964
Reference PN 1655 .T52

The 1872 to 1956 volumes have a title index giving author, translator, number of acts, and other production specifics, followed by author and subject indexes referring to the title index. The 1944 to 1964 volume combines author, title, and subject indexes in one alphabetical list.

An Index to One-Act Plays

Reference PN 1655 .L6

Title, author, and subject indexes to English-language one-act plays in collections and also to separately-published scripts. Five supplements have been published, indexing collections published between 1900 and 1964. The third supplement includes radio plays; the fourth and fifth, radio and television plays.

Index to Plays, 1800-1926

Reference PN 1620 .A1 P554 1971

Indexes 7,800 plays by over 2,200 authors that have been published in collections. Includes only plays written or translated into English. Title and subject index.

Index to Plays in Periodicals

Index to Plays in Periodicals, 1977-1987

Reference PN 1721 .K43

Both are an author list with title index. Helpful in locating many plays not separately published or anthologized. Many of the entries in the 1977-1987 volume come from pre-1977 issues of periodicals.

INTER-PLAY

http://www.lib.pdx.edu/systems/interplay/

An online index to plays in collections, maintained by Portland State University. Searchable by author, play title, and source (collection) title.

Ottemiller's Index to Plays in Collections: An Author and Title Index to Plays Appearing in Collections Published between 1900 and 1985

Reference PN 1631 .O8 1988

An author index to over 6,500 plays in various languages, including translations, in 1,350 collections published primarily in the United States and Britain. Plays are keyed by symbol to the list of anthologies.

Play Index

Reference PN 1620 .A1 P53 (1949/52+)

A selective author, title, and subject index to English-language plays and translations -- classical through contemporary -- published separately or in collections. Entries usually include a brief plot summary and production specifications, and are keyed to a list of collections in the back of each volume.

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Internet Sources

The following selected Internet "meta-sites" provide useful information in the field of literary studies.

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Style Manuals

The style manuals listed below offer assistance with the mechanics of paper presentation, such as preparing bibliographies, footnoting, underlining, and using quotation marks.

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed.

Reference Desk LB 2369 .G53 2003

A standard guide to research, writing, and the mechanics of paper presentation in literary studies, including some examples for citing electronic publications (Internet sites, electronic journals, online books, etc.). See also the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (Reference PN 147 .G444 1998).

MLA Style

http://www.mla.org

Contents include a link to "Documenting Sources on the World Wide Web." Several examples are provided.

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Ask a Librarian

If you have questions or need additional assistance, Ask a Librarian, call the Reference Department at (407) 823-2562, or e-mail the Department at askalibrarian@mail.ucf.edu. The library liaison for English, Foreign Languages and Literatures, and Theatre is Cheryl A. Mahan, University Librarian, cmahan@mail.ucf.edu.

Last Updated: 19 July 2010

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