Doing Research - ENG 431 - The Brontes - LibGuides at Westminster College

Annotated Bibliography

To-Do List:

Find at least 6 scholarly sources for your annontated bibliography/presentation.
For each source you select, write a one-paragraph annotation that briefly summarizes, evaluates, and suggests relevance: why is the source important to our understanding of the novel?
Your document will likely total 5-6 typed pages.

Remember - your course texts already provide you with a bunch of great resources to start with!

Norton Anthology (Victorian volume) intro
Novel introductions, bibliographies, and appendices
Bedford (Jane Eyre) volume

Contemporary Book Reviews/Literary Criticism

You will likely want to include some contemporary literary criticism and book reviews in your presentation. These sources will help you.

19th Century Literary Criticism
Use the "sort by: Publication Date (Ascending)" drop-down menu to see the oldest criticism and reviews first.
Literature Criticism Online
Use the "sort by: Publication Date (Ascending)" drop-down menu to see the oldest criticism and reviews first.
New York Times Archive
HathiTrust
JSTOR
Use the Advanced Search to limit by date.

Literary Criticism and Reviews

Many of these databases also include biographical information and contemporary reviews! (You will likely notice the duplication.)

JSTOR This link opens in a new window

The Oxford Companion to the Brontës
Provides comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date information on the lives, works, and afterlives of the three Bronte sisters.

In-depth surveys of the Brontes’ lives and works and supplemented by entries on their friends and acquaintances, pets, literary and political heroes; on the places they knew and the places they imagined; on their letters, drawings, and paintings.

Extensive coverage of their juvenilia sheds light on their early imaginative worlds, while entries on the sequels and adaptations in film, theatre, and television convey the myriad ways their works live on.
WISE Search

Biography and Autobiography

WISE Search
Looking for a book BY Charlotte Bronte, type in "au: Bronte, Charlotte"
Looking for a book ABOUT Charlotte Bronte, type in "su: Bronte, Charlotte"
The Oxford Companion to the Brontes
Provides comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date information on the lives, works, and afterlives of the three Bronte sisters.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Pretty self-explanatory.
Literature Criticism Online
Includes many different types of content. Use the "Content Types" limiter in the left-hand column to limit your results to biographical information.

Streaming Media

Academic Streaming Video Online (Alexander Street Press)

Did you know that the library offers streaming video? You can even create clips and embed them into your PowerPoint presentations! And there is definitely stuff on the Brontes!

Online Resources

Here is a list of websites that have background and historical information about the Brontes that may help you to get started. Beware, however! These sources would not likely be considered scholarly. Use with caution.