LibGuides: English Literature: Dissertations, Videos, & Reviews

Theses & Dissertations

Dissertations, theses, or honors papers by MC students:

are located behind the Circulation Desk at Speed Library. A few dissertations and honors papers are listed in the MICAL catalog, as well.

Dissertations or theses by non-MC students:

browse the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses A& I database. This resource provides some abstracts, citations, and previews, but it does not provide the full-text. Use the library's Interlibrary Loan Book Form to request the full-text of a dissertation or thesis.

Book Reviews

If you are looking for a review of a specific book, you will need the year it was first published. This can be found on the title page or the item record in MICAL.

JSTOR
This multidisciplinary online database can be used to find reviews of books published from the 1800s through the early 2000s. Choose the 'Advanced Search' option to search by book title. Narrow your search by choosing the 'Review' box in the 'Narrow By' section.
Book Review Digest, 1905-2011
Print Location: Index shelves on Speed Library top floor near periodical shelves
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Since 1905, this source has provided citations to and excerpts of reviews from a selective list of periodicals. To be included, non-fiction works must have received two reviews, and fiction must have received four reviews in the periodicals covered. Entries are arranged alphabetically by author, though there is a Subject and Title Index. Information includes bibliographic data, a synopsis of the book, and citations to the reviews with excerpts from 3 or 4 reviews. Each citation includes the reviewer's name and the number of words, e.g. (160w).
Book Review Index, 1965-2013
Print Location: Index shelves on Speed Library top floor near periodical shelves
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A rather exhaustive index, now covering reviews in more than 470 periodicals, this source provides only the citation to the review. Entries are arranged alphabetically by author, but a Title Index is included. Because the index contains such a large number of review citations, it is by far the most complete source of book reviews since 1965.
The New York Review of Books With a worldwide circulation of over 135,000, The New York Review of Books has established itself, in Esquire‘s words, as “the premier literary-intellectual magazine in the English language.” The New York Review began during the New York publishing strike of 1963, when its founding editors, Robert Silvers and Barbara Epstein, and their friends, decided to create a new kind of magazine—one in which the most interesting and qualified minds of our time would discuss current books and issues in depth. Just as importantly, it was determined that the Review should be an independent publication; it began life as an independent editorial voice and it remains independent today.

Author Interviews

BBC Archive of Interviews with Modern Writers
Throughout its history, the BBC has aimed to help audiences delve into the imagination of writers. This collection of interviews with some of the 20th Century's most read authors reveals something of those imaginations and the personalities which lie behind some of the greatest modern novels.
The Paris Review Writers at Work Interview Series
Listed on The Paris Review's website are interviews with notable authors from 1953 to present. Their Writers at Work interview series offers authors a rare opportunity to discuss their life and art at length; they have responded with some of the most revealing self-portraits in literature.

Videos

Through the Video Databases, you have access to hundreds of hours of video, including recordings of Shakespeare plays televised by the BBC and other relevant news, interviews, documentaries, and films in the Alexander Street Press video collection and the Films on Demand video collection.