Outline of this guide: Reference Works Works by Dickinson Criticism, Analysis, & Interpretation Web Sites

Related guides: RefWorks: A Guide Research Log Research Planner MLA International Bibliography Search Planner

Course Reserves for this class

• Reference Works
  Bibliographies & Surveys of Research | Biographical Sources | Concordances | Guides, Dictionaries, & Encyclopedias
  • Bibliographies & Surveys of Research
    • American and British Poetry: A Guide to the Criticism. Harriet Semmes Alexander. 2 vols. Athens, OH: Swallow Press, 1985-1996.
      Reference R 016.82 A375a
      Vol. 1: 1925-1978
      Vol. 2: 1979-1990
    • American Literary Scholarship
      Consult the chapter on "Whitman and Dickinson" in each issue for a useful survey of published works about Dickinson and her writings.
      • Print: Library has 1963-1973, 1997
        Little Library Stacks 810.5 A51
      • Online: 1998 to present in Project Muse
    • Annual Bibliography of English Language & Literature (ABELL). Cambridge: Bowes & Bowes, 1924 - .
      Reference R 016.82 M689a
      Indexes journal articles and books published from 1920 to present; also includes citations to book reviews. ABELL is particularly good source of information about books published in the U.K. Many of these works do not appear in the MLAIB.
    • Bibliographic Index
      (1984 to present) A bibliography of bibliographies; indexes bibliographies published in books, pamphlets, and more than 2,800 periodicals. Includes citations to literature reviews and serial bibliographies.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
      • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
    • Emily Dickinson, An Annotated Bibliography: Writings, Scholarship, Criticism, and Analysis, 1950-1968. Ed. Willis Buckingham. Bloomington, IN: Indiana Univ. Press, 1970.
      Reference R 016.81 D553b
    • Emily Dickinson: A Bibliography, 1850-1966. Sheila Clendenning. Kent, OH: Kent State Univ. Press, [1968].
      Reference R 016.81 D553c
    • Emily Dickinson: A Descriptive Bibliography. Joel Myerson. Pittsburgh, PA: Univ. of Pittsburgh Press, 1984.
      Reference R 016.81 D553m
      See also Myerson's "Supplement to Emily Dickinson: A Descriptive Bibliography," Emily Dickinson Journal 4, no. 2 (1995): 87-128 [Little Library Bound Periodicals].
    • Guide to American Poetry Explication. 2 vols. Boston, MA: G.K. Hall, 1989.
      Reference R 016.81 G946
      Vol. 1: Colonial and nineteenth century.
      Vol. 2: Modern and contemporary
    • The Poems of Emily Dickinson: An Annotated Guide to Commentary Published in English, 1978-1989. Joseph Duchac. New York: Macmillan, 1993.
      Reference R 016.81 D553d
    • Poetry Explication: A Checklist of Interpretation since 1925 of British and American Poems Past and Present. Joseph Marshall Kuntz. Rev. ed. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1980.
      Reference R 016.82 K96p3
    • "Select Bibliography." In The Cambridge Companion to Emily Dickinson. Wendy Martin. Cambridge University Press, 2002.
      Little Library Course Reserves 828 D55xma
    • Year's Work in English Studies
      Little Library Stacks 820.4 E58y
      Library has: 1920 to present
      Contains review essays on major authors as well as genres and literary periods.
  • Biographical Sources
    • American National Biography. Ed. John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes. 24 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999-2002.
      Reference R 920.073 A512
    • American Writers. Ed. Leonard Unger. New York: Scribner, 1974- .
      Reference R 810.9 A512
      To locate relevant entries in this set, consult Gale's Literary Index.
    • Dictionary of Literary Biography. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1978- .
      Reference R 928.1 D554
  • Concordances
    • Concordance to the Letters of Emily Dickinson. Cynthia MacKenzie. Boulder, CO: Univ. Press of Colorado, 2000.
      Reference R 828 D55ym
    • A Concordance to the Poems of Emily Dickinson. Ed. S.P. Rosenbaum. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Univ. Press, 1987.
      Reference R 828 D55yr
  • Guides, Dictionaries, & Encyclopedias
    See also Web sites, below.
    • The Continuum Encyclopedia of Modern Criticism and Theory. Ed. Julian Wolfreys. New York: Continuum, 2002.
      Reference R 801.95 C762
    • An Emily Dickinson Encyclopedia. Ed. Jane Donahue Eberwein. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1998.
      Reference R 828 D55yd
    • The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism. Ed. Michael Groden et al. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 2005.
      Reference R 801.95 J65 2005
    • The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Ed. Alex Preminger and T.V.F. Brogan. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 1993.
      Reference R 809.1 P957 1993
    • The Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Ed. J.A. Simpson and E.S.C. Weiner. 2nd ed. 20 vols. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989.
      Reference R 423 O98m
    • A Reference Guide to the Bible in Emily Dickinson's Poetry. Fordyce Bennett. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 1997.
      Reference R 828 D55yb

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• Works by Dickinson, Her Contemporaries, Ammons, & others
  • At Davidson
    The Library has most of the published works of Dickinson, her contemporary, A.R. Ammons, and others; all of the titles in our collection are listed in the Library Catalog.
    Search the Library Catalog:
    • Author search for works by Emily Dickinson
      [browse list]
    • Author keyword search for works by Emily Dickinson
      [includes edited collections that may contain a work by Dickinson]
    • Author search for works by A.R. Ammons
      [browse list]
    • Author keyword search for works by A.R. Ammons
      [includes edited collections that may contain a work by Ammons]
  • Elsewhere
    • WorldCat
      Lists books, videos, recordings, and other materials held by libraries around the world. Search WorldCat to identify additional books on your topic and then order the books on interlibrary loan.
      Note: rare and archival materials cannot be ordered on interlibrary loan.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: insert a "w" between the words in a phrase (for example, "cold w war")
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
    • Consult print bibliographies, which may list materials not found in WorldCat.

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• Criticism, Analysis, & Interpretation
  • Books
    See also the bibliographies listed above.
    • Library Catalog
      Lists the books, videos, and other materials in the Library.
      To find works about Dickinson, her contemporaries, A.R. Ammons, Alice Fulton, or others, do a subject search for their names:
      • Subject search for works about Dickinson and her writings
      • Subject search for works about Ammons and his writings
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use a dollar sign $
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
    • WorldCat
      Indexes books, periodicals, and other materials held by libraries around the world. Search WorldCat to identify additional books on your topic and then order the books on interlibrary loan.
      Note: It can be helpful to identify relevant Library of Congress Subject Headings in the Library Catalog first; you can then do a subject search in WorldCat to find additional items with these subject headings.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: insert a "w" between the words in a phrase (for example, "cold w war")
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?

  • Articles
    See also the bibliographies listed above.
    • Core Resources
      • Annual Bibliography of English Language & Literature (ABELL). Cambridge: Bowes & Bowes, 1924 - .
        Reference R 016.82 M689a
        Indexes journal articles and books published from 1920 to present; also includes citations to book reviews. ABELL is particularly good source of information about books published in the U.K. Many of these works do not appear in the MLAIB.
      • MLA International Bibliography
        (1926 to present). Indexes journal articles, books, and doctoral dissertations in the fields of English, American, European, Asian, African, and Latin American linguistics, modern languages and literatures, film studies, and folklore.
        For more information, see the MLAIB Search Planner.
        Search Syntax:
        • Truncation: use an asterisk *
        • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
        • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
      See also:
      • Emily Dickinson's Reception in the 1890s: A Documentary History. Ed. Willis Buckingham. Pittsburgh, PA: Univ. of Pittsburgh Press, 1989.
        Reference R 016.811 D548b
      • Gale Literary Criticism Titles
        • Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1981- .
          Reference R 809.03 N714
          To locate relevant entries in this set, consult Gale's Literary Index.
        • Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1978- .
          Reference R 809.04 T971
          To locate relevant entries in this set, consult Gale's Literary Index.
        • Contemporary Literary Criticism. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1973- .
          Reference R 809.04 C761
          To locate relevant entries in this set, consult Gale's Literary Index.
          Some entries from this set are available online as part of the Gale Literary Databases, but the online version is incomplete. You may still need to consult the print set.
      • The Literary Index to American Magazines, 1850-1900. Comp. Daniel Wells. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1996.
        Reference R 051 W453Li 1850-1900
      • Moulton's
        Helpful for tracking contemporary reception and historical views.
        • Moulton's Library of Literary Criticism of English and American Authors through the Beginning of the Twentieth Century. Rev. Martin Tucker. New York: Ungar, 1966.
          Reference R 820.9 M92L1
        • New Moulton's Library of Literary Criticism. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1985-1990.
          Reference R 809 C5162
        • The Major Author's Edition of the New Moulton's Library of Literary Criticism. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1985- .
          Reference R 809 C5163
    • Other Resources
      • 19th-Century Masterfile
        Indexes articles in 479 British and American periodicals published in the nineteenth century.
        Note: The print version of Poole's Index to Periodical Literature (1802-1906), which is part of 19th-Century Masterfile, is available in the Reference Index Area at call number R 050 P82.
      • Academic Search Premier
        (1975 to present) Indexes popular and scholarly articles in a broad range of subject areas; also includes citations to book reviews and citations to articles in several national newspapers.
        Search Syntax:
        • Truncation: use an asterisk *
        • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
        • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
      • Contemporary Women's Issues
        (1992 to present) Indexes popular articles, scholarly articles, books, newsletters, and reports on all aspects of women's studies, including gender, sociology, education, political science, and health.
        Search Syntax:
        • Truncation: automatic
        • Phrase searching: automatic.
      • Essay & General Literature Index
        (1985 to present) Indexes chapters and essays in edited collections.
        Search Syntax:
        • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
        • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
        • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
      • Humanities Abstracts
        (1907 to present). Indexes articles in over 500 English-language journals in the fields of archaeology, art, classics, communication, film, folklore, history, languages and literatures, music, philosophy, religion, and theatre. Also includes citations for book, theatre, and film reviews as well as interviews, obituaries, and some original creative works. Includes the full text of selected articles from 1995 to the present.
        Search Syntax:
        • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
        • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
        • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
      • JSTOR
        Includes pdf copies of scholarly articles from a core collection of journals; also includes book reviews. Note:JSTOR does not contain articles from the most recent 3-5 years.
        Search Syntax:
        • Truncation: use a plus sign +
        • Phrase searching: automatic
      • OmniFile Full Text Mega
        (1982 to present) Indexes articles from over 3,000 scholarly and popular periodicals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences; also includes the full text of selected articles from over 1,650 of these periodicals.
        Search Syntax:
        • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
        • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
        • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
      • Periodicals Index Online
        (c. 1665-1995) Indexes journal and magazine articles as well as book reviews in a broad array of humanities, social sciences, and science subjects.
        Search Syntax:
        • Truncation: use an asterisk *
        • Phrase searching: automatic
      • Project Muse
        Contains full-text articles from journals published by university and scholarly presses, including the Emily Dickinson Journal (1998 to present).
        Search Syntax:
        • Truncation: use an asterisk *
        • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
      • Women Studies Abstracts
        Reference Index Area R 050 W872
        (1972 to present) Indexes popular articles, scholarly articles, and books on all aspects of women's studies, including history, education, gender, literature, religion, and art.

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• Web Sites
  • Dickinson Electronic Archives, from the Dickinson Editing Collective, Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities (IATH), University of Virginia
    Some of the material on this site is restricted access. See the instructions on accessing it. [Note: to view the instructions, log in with davidson\username and your network password]
    Contains some of Dickinson's writings, including her correspondence, as well as the writings of her family, responses to Dickinson's writing, and some critical resources.
  • Emily Dickinson Lexicon, from Cynthia Hallen at Brigham Young University
    A dictionary of over 9,000 words used by Dickinson in her poems, with information about etymologies and the relationship between Dickinson's words and entries in Noah Webster's 1844 American Dictionary of the English Language; the words are drawn from the Johnson and Franklin editions. Also contains essays and spreadsheets of terms and definitions.
    Be sure to register -- which is free -- to get access to citations and poem numbers from the Johnson and Franklin editions.