Skip to content

Dickinson & Wright (Principles of Literary Criticism)

This page was created for students in E341, Principles of Literary Criticism, but others doing research on authors Emily Dickinson and Richard Wright (also known as Richard Nathaniel Wright) should also find it of use and interest.

Finding Literary Criticism (in Books, Reference Books, and Articles) | Book Reviews | Web Sites: Dickinson & Wright

Sophisticated searching--see Advanced Searching Tips for information on how to do/use the following:

  • Using Preferred Terms in Indexes
  • Boolean Operators (Venn Diagrams)
  • Fields
  • Truncation and Proximity Operators

Finding Literary Criticism

Literary criticism, a close reading, interpretation, evaluation, and discussion of a piece of literature, usually a novel, play, poem, or essay, can be found in books and articles. Book reviews, generally speaking, are not considered literary criticism, but can be a useful way to gauge the initial reception of a work.

Books, see: Finding Literary Criticism in Books

  • Dickinson, Emily, 1830-1886 -- Criticism And Interpretation.
  • Wright, Richard, 1908-1960 -- Criticism And Interpretation.

Additional book materials can be identified in Prospector, the Colorado Union Catalog. After doing a search in CSU's library catalog SAGE (as described in "Finding Literary Criticism in Books"), click on the "Repeat Search in Prospector" button to see if there are additional titles on your subject. For example, in October 2005, there were 37 items owned by CSU with "Dickinson, Emily, 1830-1886" as their subject; Prospector libraries (which include CSU numbers) own 128 items. There are 4 items owned by CSU with the subject "Wright, Richard, 1908-1960 -- Biography"; Prospector has 8. Books can be requested directly from Prospector (create a PIN in SAGE first--CSU affiliates only). This resource is a great way to expand the number of books easily available on a topic!

Reference Books with Literary Criticism

These titles are very useful for researchers. The Contemporary Literary Criticism (CLC) series includes excerpts from book reviews and criticism on an author's works, listed chronologically. This can be an easy way to track the way a novel, short story, or poem has been considered over time.

  • Contemporary Literary Criticism. 1973- vol. 1- PN 771 .C617 REF
      Considers authors of works from 1960 to the present. Complements Twentieth Century Literary Criticism.

  • Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism. 1982- PN761 .N5
      Nineteenth and 20th century criticism of nineteenth century authors.

  • Twentieth Century Literary Criticism; Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of Novelists, Poets, Playwrights, Short Story Writers, and Other Creative Writers who lived between 1900-1960. 1978- PN771 .G27 REF
       Complements Contemporary Literary Criticism

The following reference source is extremely useful:

  • Dictionary of Literary Biography. 1978- PS221 .D5 REF
      A multi-volume work that provides career biographies tracing the development of authors=canons and the evolution of their reputations. Groups authors by genre, literary period and nationality. An excellent resource for criticism that includes biographical information (and bibliographies). Look in the index of the newest (highest number) volume for individual authors or works. Each volume (there are over 270) has a theme, individually searchable in SAGE by title or word. For example: British poets, 1880-1914; Modern Latin-American fiction writers; American travel writers, etc. Read through the notes in the SAGE record for ideas or just to see the vast scope of this valuable resource.

There are entries on Emily Dickinson in:

  • American Women Writers PS 147 .A42 2000 v. 1 REF
  • American Writers PS 129 .A55 v. 1 REF (pp 451-73)
  • Dictionary of Literary Biography Vols. 1 American Renaissance in New England and 243 same title, Fourth Series. PS 221 .D5 REF
  • Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism Vols. 21 and 77. PN761 .N5 REF
  • Poetry Criticism PS 305 .P63 v. 1 REF

There are entries on Richard Wright in:

  • Contemporary Literary Criticism Vols.1, 3, 4, 9, 14, 21, 48, and 74. PN 771 .C617 REF
  • Contemporary Literary Criticism Select (online version) 6 documents.
  • Dictionary of Literary Biography Vols. 76: Afro-American Writers, 1940-1955 and 102: American Short-Story Writers, 1910-1945. PS221 .D5 REF
  • Contemporary Authors Online has biographical information and a bibliography.
  • Notable Black American Men E 185.86 .N68 1999 REF
  • African American Encyclopedia E 185 .A253 2000 vol. 10 REF
  • African American Writers PS 153 .N5A344 20001 v. 2 REF
  • Black Literature Criticism PS 153 .N5B556 1992 v. 3 REF

Articles, see: Locating Literary Criticism in Journal Articles

Also useful for articles on Dickinson and Wright are (check SAGE to see if CSU owns the journal(s)):

  • ArticleFirst 1990- via "Research Databases" page.
  • Biography Index (online version). Look up: Dickinson, Emily, 1830-1886 or Wright, Richard, 1908-1960
  • Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. AI 3 .R48 Reference South
  • America: History & Life 1964- via "Research Databases" page.
  • JSTOR (varies) via "Research Databases" page. Select Language & Literature journals for Dickinson and Wright, and African American Studies journals for Wright. All articles full text in the database.

These indexes are listed on the "Locating Literary Criticism in Journal Articles" Web page, linked to above.

Note: CSU owns the 1992-1993 and 1995-2001 issues of The Emily Dickinson Journal PS 1541 .Z5E54 Moveable Shelves and 1998 onwards online through Project MUSE (can access through the SAGE record or from Project MUSE).

Book Reviews

See Book Reviews for how to find book reviews.

Web Sites

These sites are freely available on the Web. Be sure to evaluate what you use.

Emily Dickinson

There are numerous Web sites with information about Emily Dickinson. The sites below should link to most of the reasonably reputable materials out there. Unfortunately, there are sites out there with shady practices (as in sell essays and will even customize them), so teachers beware. Researchers should always evaluate what they find.

Chapter 4: Early Nineteenth Century: Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). PAL: Perspectives in American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide. © Paul P. Reuben.

Extensive bibliography of sources related to primary works, biography, critical, articles (available at local library; check SAGE for CSU holdings), Johnson edition poems, etc. Outside links.

The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, with an Introduction by Her Niece, Martha Dickinson Bianchi. Bartleby.com

597 poems. From 1924 collection. Site includes index of first lines.

Dickinson Electronic Archives. Martha Nell Smith. University of Virginia. Copyright 2000.

Writings by the Dickinson family has digital versions of manuscripts (poems, etc.) by Dickinson and her family. Critical resources section provides recommended criticism.

Dickinson Listserv. Kristi Wilson, editor. The University of Texas at Arlington.

Address for joining the listserv and archives. Links to materials, but no annotations (some listed here on this page).

Emily Dickinson Museum: The Homestead & the Evergreens. Trustees of Amherst College.

Information, including visiting information (March through mid-December), about the Dickinson homestead in Amherst, Massachusetts. Links to other sites.

Emily Dickinson. The Academy of Poets.

Brief biography, a few poems, bibliography, links to other exhibits on the Web.

Emily Dickinson. Women's Studies Database. Reading Room. University of Maryland.

Approximately 80 of Dickinson's poems online. Read the "read me" statement about the questionable authenticity of the poem's arrangements. Dickinson's editors tinkered extensively with her poems before they were published.

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). Compiled and Prepared by Karen Ford. Modern American Poetry. Copyright Department of English University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Links to multiple topics: Dickinson's Life; On 258 ("There's a certain Slant of light"); On 280 ("I felt a Funeral, in my Brain"); On 303 ("The Soul selects her own Society"); On 341 ("After great pain, a formal feeling comes--"); On 465 ("I heard a Fly buzz--when I died--"); On 508 ("I'm ceded--I've stopped being Theirs); On 520 ("I started Early--Took my Dog--"); An Essay by Russell Reising on "I started Early--Took my Dog--"; On 601 ("A still--Volcano--Life--"); On 613 ("They shut me up in Prose--"); On 657 ("I dwell in
Possibility--"); On 712 ("Because I could not stop for Death"); On 754 ("My Life had Stood--a Loaded Gun--"); On 1072 ("Title
divine--is mine!"); On 1129 ("Tell all the Truth but tell it slant--"); On 1705 ("Volcanoes be in Sicily"); About Dickinson's
"Fascicles"; About Dickinson's Use of the Dash;"Why Dickinson Didn't Title"--by John Mulvihill; and External Links.

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). D. Campbell. English 311 American Literature II. Gonzaga University.

Many links to sites with information about Dickinson and sites with her poems.

Emily Dickinson International Society. Diana Wagner, Salisbury (MD) University.

Journal, events, transactions of meetings.

Emily Dickinson: Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources. @Web English Teacher.

Annotated links to materials, some from the site. Others link out (at least one listed on this page here). Aimed at K-12, but ideas are still of interest to more advanced researchers.

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson. Neurotic Poets.

Biographical information. Relatively brief.

Magazine/Journal Articles about Emily Dickinson. Erin.

Assembler's qualifications are unknown (and one can only hope that permission was granted for these full-text articles!), but if genuine versions, a nice collection of articles. Scholarly articles have bibliographies.

The Poetry of Emily Dickinson read by Laura Lee Parrotti In RealAudio. Wired for Books.

Audio versions of Dickinson's poems. Requires RealPlayer. Arranged by topic, so how scheme fits with her numbered poems is unclear. Clear reading.

Richard Wright

There are some useful materials about Wright on the Web. Again, always evaluate what you find.

Chapter 7: Early Twentieth Century - Richard Wright (1908-1960). PAL: Perspectives in American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide. © Paul P. Reuben.

List of primary works and select bibliography of sources.

Richard Wright. The Mississippi Writer's Page.

Signed article about Wright, list publications by type, bibliography of criticism, and Web links.

Richard Wright (1908-1960). Compiled and Prepared by Bill Mullen. Modern American Poetry. Copyright Department of English University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"Richard Wright's Life and Career," by Ann Rayson; A Wright Chronology; On Wright's Poetry; On "We of the Streets"; A PBS Photo Archive of Richard Wright; Primary and Secondary Bibliographies; About the Great Depression; and Online Poems.

Richard Wright Bibliography.

List of works by Wright: fiction, non-fiction, essays, and poetry. Includes list of biography and criticism.

Richard Wright: Black Boy Independent Television Services.

Background informtion about Wright and the program that was awarded the 1994 Southeast Regional Emmy. California Newsreel reviews the film.

A Wright Native Son: Richard Wright. Snally Gaster.

No information on creator of the site (math student/faculty at University of Buffalo?), but has reference lists for materials presented. Biography, poetry, novels, essays, nonfiction, and links.

Richard N. Wright (1908-1960) Bio-Chronology. ChickenBones: A Journal for Literary and Artistic African-American Themes.

 

This page is a chronology of Wright's life. At the foot of the page there are links to biographical information as well as critical commentary on his writing.

 

Richard Wright. Spartacus.

Biographical information with links to further information and/or examples of terms.

RICHARD WRIGHT - BLACK BOY: A Teacher's Guide for Secondary and Post Secondary Educators. Jerry M. Ward . Californial Newsreel.

Guide to movie/newsreel about Richard Wright, but asks questions useful for someone reading his books. Introduction, overview, questions and activities and subject areas. The bibliography is extensive and includes biographical and critical works about Wright as well as general background resources.

Richard Nathaniel Wright. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

FBI report on the author. In two parts. Requires PDF viewing capabilities. Some of the text is hard to read. "This notable writer was investigated by the FBI for being a member of the Communist Party between 1932 and 1942. He departed the party in 1942 because of ideological disputes."

English Language and Literature ||| Biographical Research

How to do Library Research

Content: Naomi Lederer