Reference Sources
A good starting point for all research, references sources provide an overview of research topics and historical context, identify key events and people, and often include a short bibliography of important books and articles for further reading.The Library has specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks and bibliographies for literature which can provide an overview of your research topic and key authors.
Selected Reference Books
The Oxford Companion to English Literature by The leading reference resource for English literature. It provides unrivalled 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 Guide to Literature in English by This illustrated and fully updated Third Edition is the most authoritative survey of world literature in English available. The Guide covers everything from Old English to contemporary writing from all over the English-speaking world.
Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada by In over 2000 entries, the Encyclopedia 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.
Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English by This Encyclopedia documents the history and development of post-colonial literatures in English and includes original research relating to the literatures of some 50 countries and territories. In more than 1,600 entries written by more than 600 internationally recognized scholars, it explores the effect of the colonial and post-colonial experience on literatures in English worldwide.
A Dictionary of Literary Symbols by Nearly 200 entries explaining and illustrating literary symbols such as swan, rose, moon, and gold along with hundreds of cross-references and quotations. The Dictionary concentrates on English literature, but its entries range widely from the Bible and classical authors to the twentieth century, taking in American and European literatures.
Selected Online Reference Sources
- Oxford Bibliographies OnlineCombines the best features of an annotated bibliography and a high-level encyclopedia with a selective list of bibliographic citations, supported by direct recommendations about which sources to consult by academic experts in the field.
- Oxford Reference OnlineOver 300 key Oxford University Press dictionaries and other reference works. Includes the following titles: Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance, Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre, The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature, The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature, The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature, The Oxford Companion to English Literature, etc.
- Oxford Handbooks OnlineThe Handbooks contain specially-commissioned essays and references to further reading. UBC Library has access to over 200 handbooks published online between September 2009 and 2019 from a range of subjects including Literature; History; Law; Linguistics; Music; Philosophy; Political Science; Psychology, Religion; Business & Management; Economics & Finance.
- Gale Literary SourcesIndexes over 1 million full-text articles from scholarly journals and literary magazines, critical essays, topic overviews, biographies and more.
- Oxford English Dictionary (OED)As a historical dictionary, the OED is very different from those of current English, in which the focus is on present-day meanings. Youll still find these in the OED, but youll also find the history of individual words, and of the languagetraced through 3 million quotations, from classic literature and specialist periodicals to films scripts and cookery books.
The Historical Thesaurus of the OED is now fully incorporated into OED Online. The Historical Thesaurus of the OED arranges the dictionary by meaning. Trace the changing language of the material world, the mind, and society, from the Anglo-Saxon period to the modern day - Cambridge Histories OnlineThe forty-four titles covering Literary Studies includes: The Cambridge History of American Literature (8 volumes),The Cambridge History of Literary Criticism (9 volumes), The Cambridge History of Canadian Literature, Cambridge History of English Poetry, etc.
- World Shakespeare BibliographyProvides annotated entries for important books, articles, book reviews, dissertations, theatrical productions, reviews of productions, audiovisual materials, electronic media, & other materials related to Shakespeare.
- Theatre in VideoContains more than 250 definitive performances of the world's leading plays, together with more than 100 film documentaries, online in streaming video - more than 500 hours in all. This first release contains over 50 titles, representing hundreds of leading playwrights, actors and directors.
- Drama OnlineAn award-winning digital resource designed for literature and drama courses. Includes video and text collections from Shakespeare's Globe on Screen, Playwrights Canada Press, Royal Shakespeare Company Live, Critical Studies & Performance Practice, Nick Hern Books Modern Plays, and the National Theatre Collection.