Literary criticism...pls help!

[muhsin]

Hello everybody,

Have been an old member here. Yet, it surprised me a lot to encounter problems when doing some research on that title's subject. Can I get any help from you good people? Any link, book, or other stuff like that that could be of help to my research?

Thanks for what you say. Bye.

[Morten]

Uhm... what?

[Nossa]

^^ Yeah you might wanna be a bit more specific. This is a very vast term you're using.

[lamess]

can you be more specific cuz i didnt understand you

[sprinks]

From my understanding muhsin is looking for something to aid with some research on a topic.... But as to what that topic is.... I'm lost! :confused:

I'm sure we'd all be glad to help as much as we can if we knew what we were helping with! :)

[aeroport]

http://www.amazon.com/Literary-Criticism-101/lm/6KK6TS5CUQL5/ref=cm_lmt_srch_f_1_rsrsrs0

[Nossa]

Well if you need a link then you can check Wikipedia's
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_criticism

[Drkshadow03]

If you want research/literary criticism on a particular work or author you should go to your university library and ask the librarian for help. Find out the library's policies first, if they allow anyone to use their resources or only students, etc.

There I would try some of the databases like Literature Resource Center, MLA International Database, Project Muse, and JSTOR if they are available (or equivalent databases).

Databases are basically online "indexes." Think of an index in the back of a book that lets you find particular sub-topics within the book. Like a book on the Civil War whose index tells you what page you can find about Ulysses S. Grant.

Well, a database work similarly in that it lets you find articles on a particular topic, author, literary work, except it also works sort of like an online search engine (think Google). The difference is that a librarian/index spent time giving those articles specific categories and wading through articles to decide if it was high enough quality to include within the database. For this reason most databases cannot be found "online" in the open web, but are password protected and need to be accessed by an institution like a university.

Some databases are full-text online (like JSTOR and Project Muse), while others do not have full-text and you might have to use print journals (like MLA International). The point of a database is to let you find out if a particular journal article exists. It gives you a citation to an article so you know that it exists. Then you can use the information in the citation to locate the article and obtain a copy either in your library's holdings or through interlibrary loan. The citation you get in most databases will include the author of the article, what journal it appeared in, what issue, what date it was published, what volume, and sometimes an abstract.

You can also use your library's catalog to find books of literary criticism on a particular author or work.

Once you find a few books or articles on your topic, weed through their bibliographies, footnotes, work cited to get more books and articles of interest and on your topic.

If you were looking for something a bit more on literary criticism in general rather than how to find criticism on a specific offer the links above offer some great information to get started.

[muhsin]

LOL guys. I now realize that I really was a bit enigmatic in expressing myself. Uhumm...sorry. I was just hurrying then...and many thanks for your kind responses. :thumbs_up

In my university, we aren't doing Literary criticism as a decipline unless in our second year, i.e the year we are currently. And the lecturer uses one very peculiar method in his teaching and this happened as a result of unexpected vacation we had. He said we should go and read beyond him for he would likely give us a test as soon as we resumed. That makes our flesh creep for the course/subject is quite abstract, diffcult and what have you, which I surely know some of you know.

Hence, I come up here to you for help. Am simply a begginer who know very little concerning the course. So, any bit of help is welcome.

Thanks:thumbs_up

[ENG-PHI]

One great book I can suggest is Deconstruction: Theory and Practice by Christopher Norris.

[SleepyWitch]

Literary Theory - A Very Short Introduction. by Jonathan Culler
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Literary-Theory-Short-Introduction-Introductions/dp/019285383X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206203472&sr=8-1

Literary Theory - A Practical Introduction by Michael Ryan
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Literary-Theory-Introduction-Michael-Ryan/dp/0631172769/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206203565&sr=1-3

[rachel_bookworm]

A great book on literary theory is Peter Barry (2002) Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural theory.

I use it for my degree and it covers everything from feminism, postcolonial, queer, marxist, structuralism, and psychoanalytical theories (and more)

I hope this is what you meant and i haven't just made an arse of myself!?

Either way, hope it helps!

[Nossa]

The book I'm studying from this year is called Critical Theory Since Plato by Hazard Adams. This book has various extracts or in some cases complete critical essays from various ages (the part I'm studying has to do with Neo-Classical and Romantic criticism).
I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for though, but here's its Amazon link anyways:

http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Theory-Since-Plato-Hazard/dp/0155161431

[muhsin]

One great book I can suggest is Deconstruction: Theory and Practice by Christopher Norris.

The problem with books, I later realized, is that; they might not be available here in my country. But many thanks for that. And I'll by the grace of God try looking for it.


Literary Theory - A Very Short Introduction. by Jonathan Culler
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Literary-Theory-Short-Introduction-Introductions/dp/019285383X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206203472&sr=8-1

Literary Theory - A Practical Introduction by Michael Ryan
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Literary-Theory-Introduction-Michael-Ryan/dp/0631172769/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206203565&sr=1-3

Sleepy, these books you have given above are for sale, I think, there, huh? And we have problem with buying any text from amzon site. Don't know why?

I said we, meaning Nigerians.


A great book on literary theory is Peter Barry (2002) Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural theory.

I use it for my degree and it covers everything from feminism, postcolonial, queer, marxist, structuralism, and psychoanalytical theories (and more)

I hope this is what you meant and i haven't just made an arse of myself!?

Either way, hope it helps!
LOL:D :D Why did you feel that? Your words really do help. Thanks.

The book I'm studying from this year is called Critical Theory Since Plato by Hazard Adams. This book has various extracts or in some cases complete critical essays from various ages (the part I'm studying has to do with Neo-Classical and Romantic criticism).
I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for though, but here's its Amazon link anyways:

http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Theory-Since-Plato-Hazard/dp/0155161431

Many thanks to you, Nossa. But as I said above to Sleepywitch, we have problem with buying books from amazon. But I'll try other possible sources...maybe I'll be lucky.

[SleepyWitch]

Sleepy, these books you have given above are for sale, I think, there, huh? And we have problem with buying any text from amzon site. Don't know why?

I said we, meaning Nigerians.

:( but I'm pretty sure your university must have the first one (Jonathan Culler). I hope you'll be able to find it at your univ library.

[chasestalling]

Muhsin, try Vladimir Nabokov's Lectures on Literature (both Russian and European Masterpieces),availble at Amazon.com and published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

[muhsin]

:( but I'm pretty sure your university must have the first one (Jonathan Culler). I hope you'll be able to find it at your univ library.


Muhsin, try Vladimir Nabokov's Lectures on Literature (both Russian and European Masterpieces),availble at Amazon.com and published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Two good guys. Many thanks.

I'll try looking for it, SleepyWitch.

[muhsin]

Can someone help me with some more information on Raland Barth's Death of the Author essay?