Portuguese Literature: A Research Guide  Tags: portuguese brazil latin_america  

Most literary works still exist primarily in print form and can be found in the Catalog Quick Search The best stratedy is to search using the author's name.

If a book is not available through the UIUC Library, next search through I-share.

If neither the UIUC library nor any in I-Share Library owns the book you want, then order it through Interlibrary Loan or through World Cat. In Worldcat follow the link to Illiad (Interlibrary Loan) to request a copy.

If a book is not available through I-Share then search through World Cat. In Worldcat follow the link to Illiad (Interlibrary Loan) to request a copy.

Request a book tutorial

Brazil
Academia Brasileira de Letras
Intute: Portuguese Studies
LANIC's Brazilian Literature
Researching Brazil
Website for Machado de Assis

Portugal
Intute: Portuguese Studies
Iberian Studies at WESSWEB

Brazil
Academia Brasileira de Letras
Intute: Portuguese Studies
LANIC's Brazilian Literature
Website for Machado de Assis

Portugal
Intute: Portuguese Studies
Iberian Studies at WESSWEB

Traditionally scholarly materials for literary studies are divided into primary and secondary sources.

Primary sources include the literary work(s) being studied and other contemporaneous materials:
An author's entire literary corpus such as novels, short stories, poems, plays, etc.
Contemporaneous literary works
An author's correspondence, autobiographical writing, or private papers.
Contemporaneous nonliterary works, such as histories, chronicles, newspaper accounts, etc.

→Tip: When looking for works by an author, search by the author's name (last name, first name) using a subject search.

Secondary Sources postdate the literary work(s) being studied and include:
Criticism
Biographies
Literary histories
Later historical accounts

→Tip: When looking for secondary sources, remember that the author is now the subject!

Literary Criticism --Books
Much literary criticism is still published in book form, either by a single author or a group of authors (collection of essays). To find books of literary criticism, search the Catalog Quick Search using the author's name and the subject as the search by option. For an extensive listing of books of criticism, go to WorldCat, a catalog of books in US libraries.

Literary Criticism --articles
A great deal of literary criticism is published in article form, which more and more is available full-text online. Keep in mind that at present, however, only a fraction of literary criticism is available electronically. Most online databases list only citations for critical works. The best for Spanish literature are:

• MLA Bibliography
• Bibliografía de la Literatura Española desde 1980
• Hispanic American Periodicals Index
• Arts and Humanities Citation Index
• Index to Film Periodicals
• Film Literature Index
• More through the Library's Online Research Resource

→Tip: You can search for databases for Latin America, by selecting the subject Latin America in the Library's Online Research Resources.

→Tip: Make sure to access the Library's online databases through the Library Gateway. Off-campus users will must provide a bluestem password.

Full-text online Library databases for literary criticism:

• JSTOR
• Periodicals Archive Online
• Project Muse through the Online Research Resources

→Tip: The articles in the databases above are available and easier to find in MLA.

Literary Criticism: online
Many online sites offer literary criticism. See the side bar for a list.

?Did you know that for older criticism print bibliographies are excellent sources? These works are arranged variously, such as by country, author, genre. To find print bibliographies, visit Modern Languages and Linguistics's Library's reference section in the call number range 016.8 or seach the Catalog Quick Search using the subject heading Portuguese literature--History and criticism--Bibliography and using subject as the search by option.