I keep a list of helpful literature links saved to my computer (mostly American, as that is my specialty).
I share a few of these links with you here, collected for their A-Z comprehensiveness (listed in alphabetical order, of course) . . . and I hope you will suggest your own favorite literature links in the comment section below. Your toolbox will be busting at the seams if you add all the terms and concepts available on these sites! Enjoy!
ANGLISTIK Guide: http://www.anglistikguide.de/
This site contains resources for Anglo-American language and literature.
A Celebration of Women Writers: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women
The title says it all. Visiting the site gives you the full picture of the extensive global resources collected.
Crossroads: Electronic Texts for the Study of American Literature: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/hypertex.html
The next best thing to reading a good book is reading a good hypertext. This A-Zlist includes many American classics as well as authors we should read more often.
eserver.org: http://eserver.org/
Eserver.org is all about “accessible writing,” from the Academy to Zines. You can even access podcasts that present free lectures on a variety of topics. Plus, it’s a wiki. What more could you want?
A Guide to the Study of Literature: http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/guide.html
This guide covers many of the same basics we cover in LitMeth. You can find lots of helpful information, for example, on literary genres (including poetry).
The Labyrinth: http://labyrinth.georgetown.edu
This site contains resources for Medieval Studies.
Modern American Poetry: http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/
This A-Zresource can help you unlock modern poetry. The reviews, critical excerpts, and bibliographic resources and links provide the tools for further research.
Outline of American Literature: http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/oal/oaltoc.htm
Yes, the United States government has an official outline of American literature, and it is quite good.
PAL: Perspectives in American Literature: http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/TABLE.HTML
Organized into “chapters,” this site offers extensive bibliographic resources in addition to information about historical time periods and helpful material on MLA style, the elements of poetry and fiction, and a host of other topics. For example: curious about the origin of the “American Dream”? Look no further than the PAL.
Project CROW: http://www.millikin.edu/aci/crow/
CROW stands for “course resources on the web” for American literature. One of my favorite links on this site is the first, “Basics.” Forgot the basic elements of fiction? Want a template for analyzing a poem? Check out, for example, “Terms for Poetic Analysis,” http://www.millikin.edu/aci/Crow/basics/poetry1.html. You are only a few short clicks of the mouse away from the material you seek.
Rhyme and Meter in English Poetry: http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/meter.html
This UPenn site covers the basics. So, if you are stressed out trying to figure out what is stressed and unstressed in poetry, this site should help get you on track.
Understanding and Explicating Poetry: http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/markport/best/study/poetry.htm
“Explicating” is another word for close reading. Here is a site that breaks down the process you need and gives the “cheaters” ways to scan. (Okay, this method is not really cheating–in part because it is labor intensive–but it can help build your confidence and an ear for how to scan. When in doubt, I use this technique to check my “ear” for the line and what is stressed and unstressed.)
Voice of the Shuttle: http://vos.ucsb.edu/
An A-Zresource for the humanities. What do you need to find out? VOS is the place to start.