"Criticism asks what literature is, what it does, and what it is worth."

Encyclopedia Britannica

Why use literary criticism?Literary criticism is the interpretation of

literature. Good criticism can help develop a better

understanding of a work and a point of view about a work.

Critics may have differing opinions about a work. It is valuable to look at a variety of perspectives.

When looking for criticism, check for: Credentials of the writer Quality of the sources--journals, books, websites Opinions supported by evidence, relating to:

Characterization Voice Style Theme Setting InterpretationTechnical qualities (artistry, style, use of language) Complex ideas and problems Relationship of work to the time, or social, historical, or

political trends

On the Internet vs. At the LibrarySome good online sources for literary criticism

do exist, but many require access to a subscription database.

The best place to start is in a library.The Bowie Library or the Austin Public Library

will have some good resources for literary criticism.

The University of Texas and Texas State Libraries will also have good literary criticism resources.

When looking for criticism, AVOID:Plot summaries, SparkNotes, Pink Monkey, etc.

Casual posts on discussion groups

The works of other students Author biographies

Finding Literary Criticism at BowieBooks that may help--

Poetry for StudentsCritical Survey of PoetryFacts on File Companion to American Poetry

(also available as an E-Book)Masterplots II: Poetry SeriesModern Critical Views SeriesNotable PoetsPoetry Criticism

Online SourcesInternet Public Library http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/

The Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/poetrycrit/web.html

Google Scholar http://scholar.google.com/

The Bowie Website offers access to subscription

databases that may help…

Remember your best resource could be a librarian!

Information from--http://www.sdst.org/shs/library/whatislit.html

accessed 11/24/2009

http://www.suite101.com/external_link.cfm?elink=http://www.ipl.org/ref/RR/static/hum60.20.00.html accessed 12/2/2009