LibGuides: ENGL 151 Short Fiction and the Novel: Find: Background (Reference) Sources

About background sources

Background sources, also known as reference sources, include encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, directories, and other online or print "books". You might want to consult one or more of them when you're first starting your research, especially if the topic you are researching is unfamiliar to you. They can be excellent sources of factual information, concepts, theories, definitions, terminology and references to other, more in-depth, sources of information.

Some of the sources listed on this page are links to online resources, while others are books that are located in one or more campus libraries at Okanagan College.

Overviews of Literatures in English

Some Examples:

Oxford Companion to English Literature
Provides coverage of all aspects of English literature ― from writers, their works, and the historical and cultural context in which they wrote, to critics, literary theory, and allusions.
The Cambridge Companion to Canadian Literature, 2nd ed. by Eva-Marie Kröller (Editor)
Call Number: PS 8061 .C3356 2017 (Kelowna; 1st ed. in Penticton + Vernon)
Comprehensive introduction to major writers, genres and topics in Canadian literature with essays on: Aboriginal writing, Francophone writing, Exploration and travel, Nature-writing, Drama, Poetry, Fiction, Short fiction, Writing by women, Life writing, Regionalism and urbanism, Canadian literary criticism and the idea of a national literature.
Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada
Call Number: PS 8015 .E53 2002 Reference (all campuses) + Online
Discusses literature in English and French, and also in such other languages as Yiddish, Spanish, Haida and Cree; authors and their work; related literary and social issues; professional institutions that play a role in the lives of Canadian writers; and the major historical and cultural events that have shaped Canada.
Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature
Covers fiction, prose, poetry, drama, prominent writers, literary magazines, publishers, and more general topics.
Oxford Companion to American Literature
Includes biographical profiles of important American authors (with information regarding their style, subjects, and major works) and influential foreign writers as well as other figures who have been important in American social and cultural history. Also includes full summaries of important American novels, stories, essays, poems (with verse form noted), plays, biographies and autobiographies, tracts, narratives, and histories.
Cambridge Companion to Native American Literature
Call Number: PS 153 .I52 C36 2005 (Kelowna)
Provides an informative and wide-ranging overview of the literature of many genres in English by American Indians from the 1770s to the present day. Includes bio-bibliographies of forty authors, maps, suggestions for further reading, and a timeline which details major works of Native American and mainstream American literature, as well as significant social, cultural and historical events.
Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature
Call Number: PN 471 .W455 2004 Reference (Kelowna and Vernon)
Includes entries on nearly 70 women writers whose works are widely read in English. While most of these women are from England and America, the volume also profiles Chilean, Brazilian, Indian, South African, Australian, French, and German authors. The writers selected are feminist in that their works have challenged traditional gender roles, explored female oppression, or critiqued patriarchal social structures. The encyclopedia also includes entries on some 20 related topics, such as "Domesticity," "Friendship," "Gothic," and "Spirituality."
Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature
With a global perspective that pays attention to significant international trends and the multicultural expansion of the field, it includes brief biographies of every major author and illustrator. Also included are feature essays on all genres of children's literature, individual works, and prominent trends and themes, as well as general essays on the traditions of children's literature in many countries throughout the world.

Overviews of Subjects Related to Literature

The Oxford Companion to the Book
Includes traditional subjects such as bibliography, palaeography, the history of printing, editorial theory and practice, textual criticism, book collecting, and libraries, but it also engages with newer disciplines such as the history of the book and the electronic book. It pays particular attention to how different societies shape books and how books shape societies.
The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales
Provides full coverage of stories and characters, along with the writers who wrote and reworked them and the artists who illustrated them. The Companion also examines related topics such as Disney, film, opera, science fiction, music, even advertising. Special survey articles explore the development of the fairy-tale tradition in individual countries, focusing particularly on the European and North American traditions
The Oxford Companion to World Mythology
Covering all aspects of mythology, this Companion includes essays on the world's major mythological traditions (Greek, Native American, Indian, Japanese, Sumerian, Egyptian), along with retellings of better-known myths, and entries on mythological types, motifs, and figures (such as the Descent to the Underworld, the Hero, Creation, Odysseus, Spider Woman, and Inanna), and related subjects (such as fairly tales and legends).
This online edition was reviewed and selectively updated by the original author in 2011.
Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film
A comprehensive and accessible introduction to film and film studies, covering such aspects as production, national traditions, studios, genres, critical theory and film history.