Finding books in discoverE
You can find books in Library Search, the library catalog, using basic keyword searches. Depending on the topic you are searching, you may get more focused results using standardized Library of Congress (LC) subject headings. I recommend trying both approaches and seeing what works best for you.
Here is a sample list of subject headings related to the plays and authors assigned in this class. It is not exhaustive, but it gives you some idea of how LC subject headings are typically structured.
- Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (The "uniform title" of Shakespeare's play. This retrieves some stage and film adaptations as well as the original play text.)
- Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Hamlet (This pulls up over 300 books, so I have set up the search link to sort by date-newest.)
- Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Dramatic production (Contains books about staging Shakespeare. Sorted by date-newest.)
- Hamlet (Legendary character)
- Wilson, August (as an author)
- Wilson, August -- Criticism and interpretation
- African American theater -- History
- American drama -- African American authors -- History and criticism
- Hudes, Quiara Alegría (Searches for Hudes both as an author and a subject.)
- Hispanic American Theater
- American drama -- Hispanic American authors
- Stephens, Simon 1971- (As author)
- English drama -- 21st century
- Cowhig, Frances Ya-Chu, 1983- (Searches the name as a general keyword search.)
- Ibsen, Henrik, 1828-1906 (as an author)
- Ibsen, Henrik, 1828-1906 -- Criticism and interpretation
- Theater -- Europe -- History -- 19th century
- Norwegian literature -- History and criticism
Scholarly Journal Articles
Scholarly journal articles are good sources for:
- Focused research on a specific aspect of a play, author, or theme.
- The most recent scholarship on a topic. (Books can take years to research and publish.)
- Research on less well-known figures who do not have many books on them yet.
Journal articles are also typically written for fellow specialists. If you need a more basic - or comprehensive - overview of a topic, try looking for books first.
These three databases are good starting points for drama and theater. For more efficient search results, you can:
- Search all three together using the "Choose Databases" function on the EBSCOHost platform.
- Limit your search results to journal articles using the left navigation filters.
All scholarly databases have their strengths and weaknesses. Always search in more than one place!
- International Bibliography of Theater and Dance with Full TextThe most widely used database for theater research. Note that coverage only goes back to the 1990s, so you won't find journal articles and play reviews published before that.
- MLA International BibliographyThis general humanities database also has good coverage of drama and theater, and coverage goes back as far as the 1960s or 1970s for some journals.
- Academic Search CompleteA general purpose database that may be useful for popular criticism and interviews on recent authors.
Handbooks and Companions
Handbooks and companions offer comprehensive overviews of a field of study, typically in more depth - and with more scholarly rigor - than encyclopedias.
The Cambridge Companion to Ibsen by ISBN: 0511999321Publication Date: 2006-05-28In the history of modern theatre, Ibsen is one of the dominating figures. The sixteen chapters of this 1994 Companion explore his life and work, providing an invaluable reference work for students. In chronological terms they range from an account of Ibsen's earliest pieces, through the years of rich experimentation, to the mature 'Ibsenist' plays that made him famous towards the end of the nineteenth century. Among the thematic topics are discussions of Ibsen's comedy, realism, lyric poetry and feminism. Substantial chapters account for Ibsen's influence on the international stage and his challenge to theatre and film directors and playwrights today. Essential reference materials include a full chronology, list of works and essays on twentieth-century criticism and further reading.
The Cambridge Companion to August Wilson by ISBN: 9780521866064Publication Date: 2007-11-29One of America's most powerful and original dramatists, August Wilson offered an alternative history of the twentieth century, as seen from the perspective of black Americans. He celebrated the lives of those seemingly pushed to the margins of national life, but who were simultaneously protagonists of their own drama and evidence of a vital and compelling community. Decade by decade, he told the story of a people with a distinctive history who forged their own future, aware of their roots in another time and place, but doing something more than just survive. Wilson deliberately addressed black America, but in doing so discovered an international audience. Alongside chapters addressing Wilson's life and career, and the wider context of his plays, this Companion dedicates individual chapters to each play in his ten-play cycle, which are ordered chronologically, demonstrating Wilson's notion of an unfolding history of the twentieth century.
The Cambridge Companion to African American Theatre by ISBN: 9781107017122Publication Date: 2012-10-25This Companion provides a comprehensive overview of African American theatre, from the early nineteenth century to the present day. Along the way, it chronicles the evolution of African American theatre and its engagement with the wider community, including discussions of slave rebellions on the national stage, African Americans on Broadway, the Harlem Renaissance, African American women dramatists, and the 'New Negro' and 'Black Arts' movements. Leading scholars spotlight the producers, directors, playwrights and actors whose efforts helped to fashion a more accurate appearance of black life on stage, and reveal the impact of African American theatre both within the United States and further afield. Chapters also address recent theatre productions in the context of political and cultural change and ask where African American theatre is heading in the twenty-first century.
A Companion to Twentieth-Century American Drama by ISBN: 9781405110884Publication Date: 2004-12-17This Companion provides an original and authoritative surveyof twentieth-century American drama studies, written by some of thebest scholars and critics in the field. Balances consideration of canonical material with discussion ofworks by previously marginalized playwrights Includes studies of leading dramatists, such as TennesseeWilliams, Arthur Miller, Eugene O'Neill and Gertrude Stein Allows readers to make new links between particular plays andplaywrights Examines the movements that framed the century, such as theHarlem Renaissance, lesbian and gay drama, and the soloperformances of the 1980s and 1990s Situates American drama within larger discussions aboutAmerican ideas and culture
