Literary Criticism & African American Literature
Book Reviews
If you want to find book reviews, there are two very useful sources that are good starting points:
- Book Review Digest. New York: Wilson, 1905-.
- Reference Center Z1219.B6
- Book Review Index. Detroit: Gale, 1965-.
- Reference Center Z1035.A1B62
In addition, USCInfo can be used to find book reviews published since about 1983. These will be the most useful databases for African American literature:
- Expanded Academic Index. 1987-
- Magazine Index. 1983-
- National Newspaper Index. 1981-
Literary Criticism
For literary criticism the number of sources useful for African American literature is quite limited.
The primary sources of critical studies are:
- MLA International Bibliography on CD-ROM.
- Reference Center
- This extremely valuable source began its coverage in this format in 1981.
- Earlier coverage, back to 1922, is provided in printed volumes.
In addition, the following sources may be helpful:
- Contemporary Literary Criticism. Detroit: Gale, 1973-.
- Leavey; Reference Center PN771.C59
- Essay and General Literature Index. New York: Wilson, 1900-.
- Reference Center AI3.E752
- Includes many essays of a critical nature.
- Davis, Thadious, and Trudier Harris. Afro-American Writers After 1955: Dramatists and Prose Writers [Vol. 38 of Dictionary of Literary Biography]. Detroit: Gale, 1985.
- Reference Center PS221.D5 v.38
- Draper, James. Black Literature Criticism: Excerpts from Criticism of the Most Significant Works of Black Authors Over the Past 200 Years. 3 vols. Detroit: Gale,1992.
- Leavey; Reference Center PS153.N5B556
- Twentieth Century Literary Criticism. Detroit: Gale, 1978-.
- Leavey; Reference Center PN771.G27
- Werner, Craig. Black American Women Novelists. Pasadena: Salem, 1989.
- Reference Center Z1229.N39W47