English 11: The Greatest American Play?
Professor: William Watterson
Librarian: Joan Campbell
Fall 2008
Listed below are only some of the sources which may be useful to you. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about this or any of your other classes.
Background Information
You can find "background information" in encyclopedias and dictionaries which will help you get an overview of a playwright, his or her work overall, or a particular play. These sources often list books and journal articles for further study. There are many, many encyclopedias and dictionaries dedicated to drama and literature. I've listed some below:
Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama. Main Ref PN 1865 C65 2007.
Dictionary of Literary Biography.
A huge series of books now online. Good for finding authoritative biographical and general critical information on your playwrights and their plays. Also available in print. See especially Twentieth-Century American Dramatists. Main Ref PS 350 T9 1981. 2 vols.
Drama Criticism. Main Ref PN 1601 D 59. Note: Volume One is missing.
The Eugene O'Neill Companion. Main Library PS3529.N5 Z792 1984
Oxford Companion to American Theatre. (e-book) 2004.
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama. Main Ref PN 1625 M3.
The Tennessee Williams Encyclopedia. Main Ref PS3545.I5365 Z459 2004
See also the Quick Facts page for online reference sources to get quick, authoritative definitions and facts.
Library Catalogs for Books
Books are useful for lengthier, more in-depth discussions of your playwrights and their works.
Bowdoin College Library Catalog
Access to Bowdoin Library's holdings of books, videos, government documents, etc.
NExpress
Search --and borrow from--the combined collections of Colby, Bates, Bowdoin, Williams, Northeastern, Middlebury, and Wellesley for both books and articles. Books arrive from Colby and Bates in two days.
Play Reviews
New York Theatre Critics' Reviews. 1940-1990. (Main Periodical, located in the basement.) Reprints of original play reviews from the New York press.
New York Times Archive 1851-2004
An exact replica of the New York Times.
Readers Guide Retrospective 1890-1982
Search for reviews in popular magazines at the time the play debuted.
Indexes/Databases for Finding Journal Articles
Journal articles are usually focused on a particular aspect of your playwright or play.
Academic Search Premier 1990's-present
Use this to find journal and magazine articles in the social sciences, humanities and science. Many full text. This database would be useful for more current discussions of your plays.
JSTOR
Use this to find full text of scholarly journal articles from the 1800's up until about 2003. Especially good for early discussions of your plays.
MLA International Bibliography 1963-present
Use this to find journal articles, books, and chapters in books on literature, drama and theater. Many links to the full text of journal articles. The most comprehensive source for literary criticism of your plays.
