Research Guides: LITR 160/362 African American Literature: Getting Started

Getting Started

This guide is intended for students who are enrolled in Literature 160 or 362, or for those interested in researching African American Literature.

Reference works are an excellent way of getting background information on your topic. They're usually trustworthy because they've been written and reviewed by subject experts.

Electronic Reference Sources

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Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
Search and display the full-text of reference books.
Subjects: Many subjects, including History, Education, Film, Health, Science, Social Science
Info type: encyclopedia and reference book entries.
List of sources.
Oxford English Dictionary and Historical Thesaurus (OED Online) This link opens in a new window
Subjects: English Language, Word Origins
Info type: reference source, definitions, etymologies, quotations

Specific Reference Titles

The Routledge Introduction to African American Literature by D. Quentin Miller
Call Number: PS153.N5 M5 2016, Third Level
Publication Date: 2016
Considers the key literary, political, historical and intellectual contexts of African American literature from its origins to the present, and also provides students with an analysis of the most up-to-date literary trends and debates in African American literature. Covers topics such as Vernacular, Oral, and Blues Traditions in literature, Slave Narratives, the Harlem Renaissance, and literature of the Civil Rights and Black Power era.
Contemporary African American Literature by L. King (Editor)
Call Number: PS153.N5 C644 2013, Third Level
Publication Date: 2013
Compiles a collection of essays that offer access to the most innovative contemporary black fiction. Explores the work of Toni Morrison, Edward P. Jones, Trey Ellis, Paul Beatty, Mat Johnson, Kyle Baker, Danzy Senna, Nikki Turner, and others. Makes the case that innovation and canon expansion are essential to maintaining the vitality of African American literary studies.
The Cambridge History of African American Literature by M. Graham (Editor)
Call Number: PS153.N5 G685 2011, Third Level
Publication Date: 2011
Presents a comprehensive overview of the literary traditions, oral and print, of African-descended peoples in the United States.
African-American Literature by P. Tilden
Call Number: Reference Collection - 1st Level North PS153.N5 A37 2003
Publication Date: 2003
Presents an overview of African-American literature as well as a comprehensive bibliography with easy access provided by title, subject, and author indexes.