English: Key Resources

This guide brings together key resources to help you find information relating to the study of English, including English language, literature, creative writing and drama.

Key resources for English will provide access to:

Alternatively, see our multidisciplinary databases for researchers:

Research databases

Key databases: Primary Texts

Black Drama This link opens in a new window
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Search or browse this collection of full-text plays dating from the mid 1800s through to the present day by playwrights from Africa, the Caribbean, North America and other African diaspora countries.
Drama Online This link opens in a new window
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Search or browse for texts, criticism, images and videos of drama, plays, playwrights, stage and theatre.
Early English Books Online This link opens in a new window
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Search or browse more than 100,000 digitized copies of a early English works, including almanacs, bibles, literature, prayer books, proclamations and sermons all dating from between 1475 to 1700.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online (I and II) This link opens in a new window
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Search or browse for more than 150,000 documents including bibles, books, sermons and sheet music all dating from between 1700 to 1799. Includes information on topics including art, history, law, literature and religion in English, Ancient Greek, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Latin, Spanish and Welsh.
Gale Literature This link opens in a new window
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Search across this collection of literature databases for information on authors and their works
Literature Online This link opens in a new window
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Search or browse for literature and author information of English language poetry, prose and drama from the 8th Century to the present day.
Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
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A collection of eBooks on Linguistics, Literature and Philosophy containing essays on the latest research, debate and thinking from subject experts.
Oxford World's Classics This link opens in a new window
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A collection of over 300 eBooks, including novels and other writings, from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

Key databases: Criticism

Cambridge Companions to Literature and Classics This link opens in a new window
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Search or browse this collection of over 300 eBooks on literature topics including authors, their works and literature genres.
Literature Online This link opens in a new window
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Search or browse for literature and author information of English language poetry, prose and drama from the 8th Century to the present day.
MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
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Search for abstracts and citations of journal articles, books, book chapters and theses & dissertations on the literature, languages, linguistics and folklore.
Oxford Handbooks Linguistics This link opens in a new window
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A collection of eBooks on Linguistics containing essays on the latest research, debate and thinking from subject experts.
BBC Shakespeare Archive This link opens in a new window
Search or browse for TV and Radio programmes from the BBC's Shakespeare collections and productions.
Cambridge Journals Online This link opens in a new window
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Cambridge Journals Online includes access to over 300 full-text journals covering a wide range of subjects including acting, stage & theatre, art, education, health, law, literature, management, music and social sciences.

News and online news sources

Nexis This link opens in a new window
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Search or browse Nexis for news, business and companies information including from UK and International local and regional newspapers
Gale OneFile News This link opens in a new window
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Browse or search for articles from UK and international newspapers

C19: The Nineteenth Century Index
Covering multiple content types including newspapers, as well as books, government documents and periodicals from the nineteenth century

Dictionaries

Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
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Search for the meaning, history and pronunciation of past and present English speaking words.