Welcome to the Boston Public Library's guide to literary criticism resources available online and in the library. Whether you just need to define a term, get biograpical information on your author, or obtain an overview essay on your topic, the resources on this page are a good place to start.
What is Literary Criticism?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, literary criticism is "The art or practice of judging and commenting on the qualities and character of a literary work; consideration or analysis of a text in relation to language, structure, biography, history, etc., or (in later use, freq. with modifying word) by a particular philosophical, political, or linguistic method; (also) an instance of this, esp. in a written form; a school or method of criticizing literature.
Artemis Literary Sources
Biography in Context
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Literature Criticism Online
Literature Resource Center