Subject guides: Literary Studies: Databases

Databases overview

When to use databases

Journal articles are housed inside journals, which in turn, are kept in online databases. Search (the Library Catalogue) links directly to all three, so you can use Search to directly search for articles. However, because we subscribe to hundreds of databases, not all journal articles are accessible through Search (the Library Catalogue), and sometimes we must go directly to the databases to access a bigger range of journal articles. This is why we recommend that you start by using Search, but as your search gets more sophisticated, you move across into specific databases, such as those listed in the tabs below.

Key databases in Literary Studies

JSTOR
JSTOR is a comprehensive library of scholarly literature in the humanities.
MLA international bibliography (EBSCOhost)
Produced by the Modern Language Association (MLA), this is the definitive index for the study of language, literature, linguistics, rhetoric and composition, folklore, and film.
Project M USE
Full-text journals and books in the humanities, especially literary criticism and theory.

Further databases for Literary Studies

Best for finding journal articles, author criticism, and literary theory.

JSTOR – Archive of scholarly journals, including key titles in literary criticism and theory.
Project MUSE – Full-text books and journals in literature, cultural studies, and the humanities.
MLA International Bibliography (EBSCOhost) – Definitive index of scholarly writing in language, literature, and linguistics.
Literature Resource Center – Author biographies, criticism, and full-text literary journals.
Gale Literary Sources – Cross-searchable access to Gale’s literary criticism databases.
Oxford Scholarship Online – Academic eBooks in literature and humanities disciplines.

Find scholarship on Rare Books and Historical Literatures

Oxford Bibliographies: Victorian Literature – Curated bibliographies on key Victorian authors and topics.
Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals, 1824–1900 – Index to important 19th-century British literary periodicals.
Early English Books Online (EEBO) – Full-text digital editions of books from 1473–1700.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) – Books published in the UK during the 1700s.
British Literary Manuscripts Online – Facsimiles of manuscripts from major British writers.
Editions and Adaptations of Shakespeare – Scholarly editions and adaptations of Shakespeare’s works.
Cambridge Edition of the Works of Ben Jonson Online – Authoritative editions of Jonson’s plays and poems.
Literary Manuscripts: Brotherton & Berg Collections – Original 17th–19th century manuscript collections.
Perdita Manuscripts, 1545–1775 – Manuscripts written by and for women in early modern Britain.
Romantic Era Redefined – Manuscripts and early print editions of Romantic literature.
Electronic Enlightenment – Letters and lives of Enlightenment-era authors and intellectuals.
Twentieth Century Advice Literature – Social norms and values captured through period advice books.
Dead Sea Scrolls Electronic Library – Biblical and non-biblical scrolls for contextual or literary studies.
- Dead Sea scrolls electronic library. Biblical texts
- Dead Sea scrolls electronic library. Non-biblical texts
Nineteenth century collections online
Loeb Classical Library – Greek and Latin texts with English translations.
Medieval Travel Writing – First-hand accounts of medieval journeys and encounters.
Literature, Culture and Society in Depression-Era America – Archives from the Federal Writers’ Project.
Travel Writing, Spectacle and World History – Narratives of exploration, travel, and empire.
Russian Avant-Garde, 1904–1946 – Rare visual and literary works from the Russian modernist movement.

Great for getting background on authors or accessing focused literary commentary.

Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete Online – Authoritative biographical essays on writers worldwide.
Twayne’s Authors Series – Concise critical introductions to key literary figures.
Scribner Writers Series – Analytical essays on major authors from various global traditions.
Something About the Author Online – Biographies of authors and illustrators of children’s and YA literature.
Literary Encyclopedia – Peer-reviewed entries on authors, texts, and critical contexts.
Contemporary Literary Criticism – Critical excerpts on modern and contemporary authors.
Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800 – Historical criticism of early modern and Renaissance authors.
Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism – Critiques and essays on authors from the 1800s.
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism – In-depth analysis of 20th-century authors and movements.
Short Story Index Retrospective: 1915–1983 – Index of published short fiction in English.

Ideal for exploring the cultural and performative dimensions of literature.

Drama Online – Scripts, criticism, and performance resources for drama and theatre studies.
Digital Theatre Plus – Recorded performances and interviews from major UK theatre productions.
L.A. Theatre Works – Audio recordings of major stage productions.
Shakespeare in Performance – Prompt books showing historical stage directions and interpretations.
AusStage – Database of live performance events in Australia.
AustralianPlays.org – Collection of full-text Australian plays.
AustLit – The premier database for Australian literature, authors, and criticism.
Times Literary Supplement (TLS) Historical Archive – Reviews and essays on literary and cultural topics since 1902.
Southern Literary Messenger – Antebellum American literary magazine.
Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Burney Collection Newspapers – British newspaper archive with rich literary content.
Nineteenth Century UK Periodicals – Key 19th-century British magazines and journals.
Eighteenth Century Journals – Rare British periodicals from the 1700s.
Literature & Culture Collection – Australian periodicals across arts and literature.
Readers’ Guide Retrospective – Index to 20th-century popular magazines with literary content.
Book Review Digest Retrospective – Historical book reviews from English-language periodicals.
New York Times: Books – Book reviews and literary features from the New York Times.
19th Century British Pamphlets – Digitised tracts and essays related to literature, society, and politics.
Amateur Newspapers from the American Antiquarian Society – 19th-century youth publications with literary value.