Background info - such as that found in these books and eBooks - provides the basic information about a work, author or literary topic. Background info can give a foundation for reading literary criticism.
Profiles of notable American and international literary works, and the historical events that influenced them. These books are online only.
These reference resources focus on major fiction, poetry and nonfiction from countries and regions around the world. Literary works are discussed in the context of the social climate during which they were created.
Different from background information, literary criticism can be defined as analysis and interpretation of literary works by scholars giving their points of view. These online databases are especially helpful for finding literary criticism articles.