Resources for Eng 102 Literary Analysis

When accessing library databases from off-campus, you will be prompted to log-in via MyCommnet.

Navigating this guide:

Biographical Information Better Googling Citing Your Sources Literary Criticism Suggested Websites Where to get help

Biographical Information – learning more about Lin-Manual Miranda

If you want to learn more about Lin-Manuel Miranda or other artists and about how their life experiences or artistic legacy may have influenced Hamilton: An American Musical, QVCC’s biographical databases are a great place to start. Enter L in-Manuel Miranda (or a different artist’s name) into the search box:

• Biography in Context includes biographical entries from encyclopedias and also offers academic articles, magazine and newspaper features and some video content. This is a Gale database – log in using Google or Microsoft.

• Biography Reference Bank also provides biographical articles from many sources, including magazines, trade publications, interviews and encyclopedias. This is an Ebsco database—log in by creating a free research account.

Literary Criticism & Reviews

Read what professional critics, theatre, music, and hip-hop reviewers and scholars have written about Lin-Manuel Miranda, about Hamilton, or about broader themes relating to your own analysis of the play, its characters, genres, styles, or the impact of this play on Broadway and on the theatre more generally.

• Literature Resource Center offers a wide range of writings and perspectives on the lives and works of varied artists. This is a Gale database—log in using Google or Microsoft. Sample searches include:

o Lin-Manuel Miranda o Hamilton and Broadway

• Gale Power Search: Search all of the Gale databases at once. Results will include articles from academic journals, magazines, newspapers, and video. Log in using Google or Microsoft. Sample searches include:

o Lin-Manuel Miranda o Hip-hop and Broadway

o Hamilton and Broadway o Hip-hop and theatre

• Ebsco One Search: Search all of the Ebsco databases at once. Similar to Gale Power Search

but may include articles from a different range of sources, including trade publications and primary source documents. Log in using your Ebsco research account.

• ProQuest searches one or all of these newspapers simultaneously: Hartford Courant, the

New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Christian Science Monitor.

Savvy Internet Research Using the CRAAP Method and Better Googling

• Anyone can post anything to the Internet. Use the CRAAP Method to determine which websites are credible for your research.

• Use Google’s advanced search techniques to weed out some of the less credible sites. For example:

QVCC Librarians Library@qvcc.edu

860.932.4007

Lin-Manuel Miranda podcast site:.org

o The above search limits Google’s results to podcasts available on “organization” websites. Substitute other domain extensions as needed (for example, limit to college or university sites [ Lin-Manuel Miranda site:.edu ].

o Use Google’s filters to limit results to “news” or to “videos.”

o By opening the “search tools,” the results can also be limited by date.

o Use file extensions to limit results to publications (file:.pdf), slides (file:.pptx, etc.

Sampling of Hamilton-related Web Sources

• Streaming Video - sample search

o PBS Documentary: Hamilton’s America: A Documentary Film (available through 11/18/16) o CBS News: Hamilton: The Backstage Tour o CBS News: Lin-Manuel Miranda Interview with Charlie Rose o Tony Awards Performances: Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)

• Podcasts – sample search

o Oskar Eustis & Lin-Manuel Miranda interview with the New Yorker Radio Hour

• Lyrics o Find lyrics and user commentary at Genius.Com

• Articles – sample searches

o Eastwood, Joel, and Erik Hinton. “How does ‘Hamilton,’ the Non-Stop, Hip-Hop Broadway Sensation Tap Rap’s Master Rhymes to Blur Musical Lines?” Wall Street Journal Graphics. Dow Jones & Company. 6 June 2016. Web. 31 Oct. 2016. http://graphics.wsj.com/hamilton/

o Evans, Suzy. “The Cabinet behind Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ‘Hamilton.’ ” American Theatre. Theatre Communications Group. 6 Aug. 2015. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.

o ---. “How ‘Hamilton’ found its Groove.” American Theatre. Theatre Communications Group, 27 July 2015. Web. 1 Nov. 2016. http://www.americantheatre.org/2015/07/27/how-hamilton-found-its-groove/

o Mead, Rebecca. “All about the Hamiltons: A New Musical Brings the Founding Fathers Back to Life—with a Lot of Hip-Hop.” The New Yorker. Conde Nast. 9 Feb. 2015. Web. 1 Nov. 2016. (A long new Yorker article touches on the musical genres used to express characters: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/09/hamiltons )

o Paulson, Michael. “’Hamilton’ heads to Broadway in a Hip-Hop Retelling.” New York Times. The New York Times Company. 12 July 2015. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.

o Zimmer, Ben. “ ‘Hamilton’ through the Lens of Language.” Slate. The Slate Group. 10 May 2016. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.

o Wickman, Forrest. “All the Hip-Hop References in Hamilton: A Track-by-Track Guide.” Slate. The Slate Group. 24 Sept. 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2016.

Lin-Manuel Miranda streaming

Lin-Manuel Miranda podcast

Hip-hop and broadway

Composers on Lin-Manuel Miranda

Rappers on Lin-Manuel Miranda

Miranda Hamilton development of character

Citing Your Sources

For information from library databases, use the citation tools provided to copy and paste the suggested citation in MLA format. Check the citation and correct the formatting as necessary.

For articles, video, podcasts, etc. found on web, gather the components needed for the MLA citation:

• Author, reporter, or creator of the article, podcast, or video, if identified • Name of the person being interviewed, if applicable • Title of the source • Name of the website • Publisher or sponsor of the website • Date the information was published, posted, or last updated • URL or DOI

To see a summary of MLA guidelines and citation examples, view the library guide. Below are examples of citations for streaming video and online interviews:

Streaming video

“Hamilton’s America: A Documentary Film.” Great Performances. PBS. WNET, New York, 21 Oct. 2016.

Streaming. PBS. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.

Interview

Eustis, Oskar. “The Marxist Who Brought ‘Hamilton’ to the People.” Interview by David Remick. The

New Yorker Radio Hour. WNYC Studios, New York, 3 June 2016. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.

TIP: Use an online citation generator (we recommend KnightCite) or use the citation management software in Microsoft Word or Office 365 to format citations according to MLA style. Check the generated citations for proper formatting.

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