Literature & Language Databases

Unless otherwise noted, these resources are available at all Chicago Public Library locations and from home, school, or work with a Chicago Public Library card.

Columbia Granger's World of Poetry »
This index to poetry in anthologies and collected works allows users to find poems by author, title, first line, last line, or subject. The database also includes full-text poems, poet biographies, commentaries on individual poems, a glossary, and more. Use this resource to track down the full text of an individual poem, to find poems on a specific subject, or to explore a particular poem or poet in greater depth.

Contemporary Authors »
Contemporary Authors offers information about the lives and works of modern authors. In general, information is available only for writers who were active after 1960, though biographies of some earlier influential authors are also included.

"...for Students" Literary Criticism Collection » teen pick
Find information to better help you understand the plays, novels, poetry, and short stories most read by students. For each covered work, you'll find an author biography, plot summary, list of characters, and a discussion of work's themes, style, and historical context in addition to an overview of critical approaches to the work and selected critical essays.

Literary Reference Center » teen pick
Literary Reference Center helps users deepen their understanding of literature through a wide variety of information on authors, their works, and literary topics. Use this resource to find author biographies, plot summaries, character information, critical essays, book reviews, and overviews of literary topics. Search by keyword or, if unsure of the spelling of an author's name or title, browse lists of authors and works.

MLA International Bibliography »
The MLA International Bibliography indexes scholarly books and articles on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics and helps users find relevant materials in the Harold Washington Library Center's outstanding collection of books and journals.
Available at the Harold Washington Library Center.

Oxford English Dictionary »
The Oxford English Dictionary is an authoritative source for definitions of English words and phrases as they have been used over time and throughout the world. Descriptive rather than prescriptive, it aims to present the English language as it is actually used rather than how it ought to be used. Entries include pronunciations (using the International Phonetic Alphabet), etymologies, definitions, and quotations from actual sources.

ProQuest Magazines & Journals »
ProQuest Magazines and Journals (ProQuest Research Library) helps one find magazine and journal articles on a wide range of topics. It covers over 2,600 magazines and journals; the complete text of the articles is available for about 60 percent of these. Included are popular magazines, magazines for professionals of all types, and scholarly journals. The database includes both magazines written for children and those for adults. Use this database to find scholarly articles on a classic novel or a review of the latest thriller.