Short Story Reviews and Criticism
I. Short Story Reviews and Criticism (Finding Articles which discuss a Short Story)
It is not always possible to find critical articles that discuss every short story by every author, even in the case of major writers. In those instances where an individual story may not be explicated (analyzed), it is often possible to find articles that discuss the author"s themes and style more generally, and this may be relevant to discussion of the story in question. This guide generally excludes short fiction in the genres of Mystery and Science Fiction.
MLA International Bibliography. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1921-; electronically available, 1926-present (now with some earlier indexing and links to JSTOR articles).
Indexes articles on writers and their short fiction in scholarly journals, books, book chapters, conference proceedings and dissertations. MLA indexes articles on individual short stories and, in cases where an individual story may not be explicated, there may be general discussion of a writer and his/her themes, style, etc. MLA attempts to provide coverage of all literatures excepting Classical Greek and Latin.
Article Databases
Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (ABELL). Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey, 1998-.
ABELL indexes secondary materials for English-language literatures, 1920-present. To search for articles on individual short stories, search for the author as "subject" and the short story as "title keyword" (e.g., "Lawrence, D H" as subject and "Prussian Officer" as title keyword). ABELL now links to some full-text articles.
Article Databases
American Short Fiction Criticism and Scholarship, 1959-1977: A Checklist. Joseph Weixlmann. Chicago: Swallow Press, c1982.
Covers more than 500 American authors, 18th - 20th centuries, citing general studies as well as criticism of individual short stories.
Davis Z1231 .F4 W43
EBSCOHost via NCLive . Ipswich, MA : EBSCO Publishing, [199-]-.
Choose the following 2 databases: Academic Search Premier and MasterFILE Premier. These index both popular magazines and scholarly journals and provide full-text access for many of them. EBSCOHost will not index nearly as many literary journals as either MLA or ABELL (above), but may link to full-text articles.
Search for the writer as Subject (e.g. o"connor, flannery) and short story title as Subject (e.g., good man).
Article Databases
Expanded Academic ASAP. [Farmington Hills, Mich.] : Gale Group, [c1999]-
Expanded Academic indexes a number of popular magazines and scholarly journals and provides full-text access for many of them (approximately 1980 to present). EA will not index nearly as many literary journals as either MLA or ABELL (above), but may link to full-text articles. Use "Advanced Search" and search for the author and title keywords as "subject" to retrieve articles on individual stories (e.g., su carver raymond" and "calling from").
Article Databases
MagillOnLiteraturePlus. [Hackensack, NJ] : Salem Press, 2000-.
MagillOnLiterature links to the full text of essays drawn mainly from Magill"s Masterplots series. To find essays on individual short stories, search the author and/or title indexes.
Article Databases
Short Story Criticism. Detroit, MI : Gale Research Inc., c1988-.
A multi-volume set that provides excerpts from criticism of the works of "major short story writers of all eras and nationalities." Each volume selects 8-10 authors and provides "a historical survey of the critical response to that author"s work." The most recent volume indexes previous volumes.
Davis Reference Row 4, v. 1- present.
Studies in Short Fiction.
A journal rahter than an index, Studies in Short Fiction publishes articles on short story authors and upon individual short stories. SSF is indexed in both MLA & ABELL (above), and is available in print (1963 - present) and electronically (1975 - present).
Davis PN3311 .S8
Twentieth Century Short Story Criticism: Interpretations, 1900-1975, of Short Fiction since 1800. 3rd ed. Compiled by Warren S. Walker. [Hamden, Conn.]: Shoe String Press, 1977.
Provides citations to criticism on individual short stories under author headings. This edition is supplemented by 5 volumes for the years 1976-1988, with a cumulative index to the 3rd edition and its 5 supplements, 1961-1991. This, in turn, is continued by Twentieth Century Short Story Explication: New Series; with Checklists of Books and Journals Used. (Ed. Warren S. Walker, Hamden, CT: Shoe String Press, 1993-.) Vol. I 1989-1990 - present.
Davis Reference Row 4 Z5917 .S5 W33
Z5917 .S5 W332 (suppl.)
Z5917 .S5 W35 (new series)
II. Short Story Indexes (Finding where a Short Story has been published)
A. Short Stories in Anthologies and Collections
It is sometimes possible to locate a specific short story in a collection of stories, if that collection has been cataloged to include the authors and titles of individual stories in the "Notes Field" of a bibliographic record in a library"s catalog. Try searching for author and title keywords (e.g., "hemingway" and "killers") in the UNC-Chapel Hill catalog or in WorldCat, a union catalog of several thousand libraries" electronic holdings.
Chicorel Index to Short Stories in Anthologies and Collections. 4 v. Ed. Marietta Chicorel. New York: Chicorel Library Pub. Corp. 1974.
Indexes approximately 60,000 entries and encompasses "short stories from all nations and throughout literary history in English or in [English] translation." Indexed in one alpahabet by author, story title and anthology/collection title. Volume 4 includes a "list of anthologies analyzed, and a subject guide to the anthology and collection titles arranged by nationality, historical era, and by genre…"
Davis Reference Z5917 .S5 C55, v.1-4. <ادامه مطلب...>
Short Story Index; an Index to 60,000 Stories in 4,320 Collections. Compiled by Dorothy E. Cook and Isabel Monro. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1953.
Indexes by author, title and in many cases, by subject, short stories in English or in English translation published before 1950. Five year supplements for Cook and Monro issued: 1950-54; 1955-58; 1959-63; 1964-68; and 1969-1973. Beginning in 1974, the Short Story Index was issued annually (with quinquennial cumulations) and coverage was expanded to include stories published in selected periodicals.
Davis Reference Z5917 .S5 C6
Z5917 .S5 C62, 1950 - present.
The Afro-American Short Story: A Comprehensive, Annotated Index with Selected Commentaries. Preston M. Yancy. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1986.
Indexes more than 850 short stories by approximately 300 authors for the period 1950-1982. In addition to author & title listings, this provides a chronology and a detailed listing of stories in anthologies and collections.
Davis Reference Z1229 .N39 Y36 1986
The Australian Short Story, 1940-1980: A Bibliography. Stephen Torre. Sydney, NSW: Hale and Iremonger, 1984.
Indexes short stories in anthologies, collections and selected periodicals.
Davis Z4024 .S5 T67 1984
Index to Best American Short Stories and O. Henry Prize Stories.Ray Lewis White. Boston, Mass.: G.K. Hall, c1988.
Provides author and title indexes for Best American Short Stories (1915-86) and Prize Stories: the O. Henry Awards (1919-87). Includes deive essays on the history of both publications and lists O. Henry prizewinners by year.
Davis Reference Z1231 .F4 W52 1988
B. Short Stories published in Periodicals
The American Humanities Index. [serial] Troy, N.Y.: Whitson Pub. Co. v.1 spring/summer 1975-. Quarterly, with annual cumulations.
Indexes short stories (and poems, etc.) published in over 500 periodicals. Author and subject indexing. Individual short stories are alphabetized under the heading "Stories."
Davis Reference Row 18, v.1 1975-present.
Black Literature, 1827-1940 Index on CD-ROM.Alexandria, Va.: Chadwyck-Healey, Inc., [1994-]
This CD-ROM indexes the large microfiche collection, Black Literature, 1827-1940(Davis Microforms Coll., Fiche 1-3162). This ongoing project identifies, and reproduces on microfiche, fiction, poetry, book reviews and literary notices published by African Americans in approximately 900 newspapers and magazines between 1827 and 1940.
Davis Reference Electronic Resource 10-49 (Literature)
Comprehensive Index to English-Language Little Magazines, 1890-1970, Series One. 8 v. Ed. Marion Sader. Millwood, N.Y.: Kraus-Thomson Organization, 1976.
An index of 100 little magazines for the period indicated. Indexing is by personal name, with further designations for "Works By" and "Works About." [No other series published.]
Davis Reference AI3 .S223
EBSCOHost via NCLive . Ipswich, MA : EBSCO Publishing, [199-]-.
Choose the following 2 databases: Academic Search Premier and MasterFILE Premier. These index both popular magazines and scholarly journals and provide full-text access for many of them. EBSCOHost will not index nearly as many literary journals as either MLA or ABELL (above), but may link to full-text articles.
Search for the writer as Author (e.g. carver, raymond) and short story title as Reviews & Products (e.g., vandals), and limit Document Type to "Short Story."
Article Databases
Expanded Academic ASAP. [Farmington Hills, Mich.] : Gale Group, [c1999]-
Expanded Academic indexes a number of popular magazines and scholarly journals and provides full-text access for many of them (approximately1980 to present). Use "Advanced Search" and search for the writer as author and title keywords to retrieve a specific short story or title keyword "short story" to retrieve all stories by a particular author (e.g., au (Carver Raymond) and ti (short story)).
Article Databases
Fiction in American Magazines before 1800: An Annotated Catalogue. Edward W.R. Pitcher. Schenectady, N.Y.: Union College Press…, 1993.
A scholarly bibliography providing a catalog of more than 500 works in 90 American magazines published before 1800. Includes useful chronologies.
Davis Reference Z1231 .F4 P58 1993
Index to American Little Magazines. Troy, N.Y. : Whitston, 1969-1974.
Davis Reference AI3 .I54 [1900-1939]
Index to Commonwealth Little Magazines. Troy, N.Y. [etc.] Whitston Pub. Co. [etc.]
Davis Reference AI3 .I48 [1964/1965-1990/1992]
Index to Little Magazines. Denver : A. Swallow, 1949-c1970.
Davis Reference AI3 .I54 [1940-1966/67]
Index to Periodical Fiction in English, 1965-1969. Douglas Messerli, . Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1977.
Indexes "11,077 entries from 405 magazines published from January 1965 through December 1969." Author, title and translator indexes. Although covering a brief span, this indexes many stories not found in other indexes.
Davis Reference Z2014 .F5 M475
Periodicals Index Online
Periodical Index Online provides keyword indexing to the contents of over 4700 periodicals in the humanities and social sciences, from their first issues to 1995. Every article is indexed. The scope is international, and includes separate records for approximately 15 million journal articles across 37 subject areas and 44 languages and dialects.
Search for short story writer as Author (e.g., o"connor, flannery) and short story title keywords in Title field, along with the word "story" (e.g. life you save and story).
Article Databases
Poole"s Index to Periodical Literature Via Nineteenth Century Masterfile <ادامه مطلب...>
Limit to Poole"s Index to Periodical Literature (1802-1906) and search exact words, all words for author/title and the word "story" (e.g., twain story)
Article Databases
Reader"s Guide Retrospective. H.W. Wilson Company, c1997-2001. An index to approximately 500 popular periodical titles. This electronic index will soon be fully retrospective and cover the period 1890-1982. Use "Search Plus" to search by author or title and limit "Article type" to short story.
Article Databases
Davis Reference Row 19 1890 - present (print)
The Standard Index of Short Stories, 1900-1914. Francis James Hannigan. Boston: Small, Maynard and Company [c1918].
An index of "short stories published in American magazines, but not reprinted in book form." Indexes some stories not found in the Reader"s Guide to Periodicals (cf. below).
Davis Reference Z5917 .S5 H2
III. Online Short Stories
There are many web sites for online collections of literary fiction, many of which include short stories and novels. Below is a small selection from what is available. Also, a Google search may turn up online versions of a short story (e.g., Faulkner and Barn Burning). However, as with all free web sites, it may be difficult to determine the accuracy and authenticity of the material.
Bartleby.com (short fiction)
Early American Fiction. Via Chadwyck-Healey.
"Early American Fiction is a collection of 440 full texts of first editions of American novels and short stories written before 1850 by authors of significance during their lifetimes."
Article Databases
The English Server Fiction Collection: Short Fiction (University of Washington)
Internet Public Library: Books
Within "Books" search keyword "stories" to limit to short stories.
Electronic Text Collections in Western European Literature (Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia, Western European Studies Section, ACRL)
Literary collections generally, not limited to short fiction.
IV. Biographical Resources for Short Story Writers
Contemporary Authors [serial]. Detroit : Gale Research Company. 1962-present
. CA is an ongoing bio-bibliographical series covering a broad range of authorship. Now available electronically via Literature Resource Center
Davis Reference Row 3 Z1010 .C67
Dictionary of Literary Biography. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research, 1978-present.
The DLB is an excellent ongoing bio-critical series for authors. Each volume is published with a cumulative author index for the series; therefore, the highest-numbered volume will index the entire set. The text of the DLB (with a few illustrations) is now vailable electronically via Literature Resource Center. It is possible to search for authors individually, or for Authors by Type (e.g., by nationality, ethnicity, genre, etc.)
Davis Reference Row 3 PS21 .D5185 1978-
Literature Online(LION). Alexandria, Va.: Chadwyck-Healey, 1996-.
LION now provides links to many author biographies, and these are no longer limited solely to English-language authors. Search/Browse "Find Authors" and select Biography (where available).
Article Databases
Literature Resource Center.
Offers a wealth of critical and biographical information about more than 120,000 authors from the Classical period to the present. It provides several hundred thousand full text journal articles and other critical essays, thousands of plot summaries and links to authoritative Web sites, over 100,000 author biographies, several thousand author portraits, and the Merriam-Webster"s Encyclopedia of Literature.
Search for authors individually or Authors by Type (nationality, ethnicty, genre, etc.).
Article Databases
MagillOnLiteraturePlus. [Hackensack, N.J.] : Salem Press, c2001-.
Drawn primarily from Magill"s Critical Survey series, this database provides overview articles on notable world authors.
Article Databases
V. Reference Sources for Short Story Writers
The Columbia Companion to the Twentieth-Century American Short Story. Ed. Blanche H. Gelfant. New York: Columbia University Press, c2000.
Provides thematic essays as well as essays on more than 100 individual American short story writers. The Columbia Companion is now available electronically via Literature Online (LION)) reference sources. From LION, select "Search Criticism and Reference" and then select "Reference." Select the Columbia Companion from the scroll down menu of reference sources.
Davis Reference PS374 .S5 C57 2000
A Reader"s Companion to the Short Story in English. Ed. Erin Fallon… Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2001.
Includes bio-critical articles on approximately 50 English-language short story writers from around the world, most active since 1960.
Davis PS374 .S5 R43 2001
Reference Guide to Short Firction. 2nd ed. Ed. Thomas Riggs. Detroit: St. James Press, c1999.
Provides bio-critical essays and bibliographies for 376 short story writers from around the world (from Boccaccio to the present). The second section of the book has 403 essays on individual short stories.
Davis Reference PN3373 .R36 1998
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Please contact Tommy Nixon, Humanities Reference Librarian
tommy_nixon@unc.edu
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