English Literature  Tags: english literature engl literary culture criticism american_literature new zealand_literature  

Suggestions for introductory reading

• Cambridge companions to Shakespeare (3 titles)
• An introduction to Shakespeare : the dramatist in his context / Peter Hyland.
• Shakespeare : the basics / Sean McEvoy.

A dictionary of Shakespeare / Stanley Wells
Reference PR 2892 .W456 .D3 1998 and online: A Dictionary of Shakespeare

The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare / Michael Dobson
Reference PR 2982 .O98 2001 and online: The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare

The Shakespeare name dictionary / J. Madison Davis
Reference PR 2892 .D262

Shakeseare's words: a glossary and language companion / David Crystal (2002)
Reference PR 2892 .C957

A Dictionary of sexual language and imagery in Shakespearean and Stuart literature / Gordon Williams
Reference PR 428 .S48 .W723

A dictionary of stage directions in English drama, 1580-1642 / Allen C. Dessem.,
Explanations of stage directions with examples, including many from Shakepeare's plays.

Oxford Reference Online
Offers simultaneous searching of a number of reference books, including :
A Dictionary of Shakespeare, Oxford Companion to Shakespeare, Oxford Companion to English Literature and Oxford Companion to British History.

All Shakespeare dictionaries and encyclopedias in the Library
This list includes both reference-only and borrowable books.

Encyclopedia Britannica's Guide to Shakepeare
Includes plot summaries, theatre and theatre companies, filmography, glossary and much useful background information. Over 50 audio and video recording extracts.

The Oxford Shakespeare
Complete text of the 1914 Oxford edition of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare ed. W. J Craig. Searchable, and includes line numbers.

Complete works of William Shakespeare
Created by Created by Jeremy Hylton at MIT.

Luminariam : Renaissance 'Mr Shakespeare and the Internet' includes a timeline, some First Folio material, and some critical articles.

Shakespeare's Life and Times
Well-organised site from The Internet Shakespeare Editions and the University of Victoria, Canada.

Shakespeare and the Globe: then and now
By Encyclopedia Britannica. Over 500 articles and essays, illustrated with photographs, drawings, maps, and some video recordings.

The Elizabethan Theatre
A lecture by Hilda D. Spear, with slides.

Illustrated Shakespeare electronic facsimile collection
'This online collection of 12 works, originally published in venues as distant as Philadelphia and Leipzig, includes images produced by an array of technologies available in the 19th and early 20th century.'

The Illustrated Shakespeare
A collection of paintings and photographs from various periods illustrating Shakepeare's life and work.

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Site of the Globe Theatre, London: some exhibition images and the current performance programme.

Furness Image Collection
University of Pennsylvania Library
"The Furness Image Collection comprises more than 2,000 prints and photographs. The majority date from the nineteenth century, but the Collection also holds earlier and later images. These images illustrate and interpret Shakespeare's works and also document theatrical performers and performances of Shakespeare and other dramatists".

The Library has a large selection of printed and electronic works available for the study of Shakespeare. This page offers a variety of ways to search and browse. Please ask the English Literature Information Librarian if you would like assistance.

LION (Literature Online) contains the full-text of Shakespeare's play and poetry, and the works of contemporary authors. Search the Criticism section to find journal articles on any topic or work.

The following are links into the Library Catalogue using Subject Keywords.

Most of these can also be typed into the Catalogue as Subject Alphabetical Searches, which may give a more accurate result.

• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Comedies
• shakespeare William, 1564-1616 -- Histories
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Tragedies.
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 --Technique
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Political and social views
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616-- Characters -- Women.
• Women -- England -- History -- 16th century.
• Women -- England -- History -- 17th century.
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Criticism and interpretation -- History -- 20th century.

Shakespeare on stage

• Shakespeare William, 1564-1616 -- Stage history
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Dramatic production.
• Globe Theatre (London)

Shakespeare's language:

• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Language
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Style
• Shakespeare--Concordances
• Concordances - article from Oxford Reference Online

Shakepeare's sources:

• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Knowledge -- Literature

Shakespeare on film

• List of Shakespeare videos/DVDs in the Library