Biographical and historical analysis is a staple of any critical analysis. It is vital for most papers that you understand the period in which a text was written and the background of the author.
This kind of research is very specific to your topic, but here are some sources to get you started in the right direction!
Use these two reference databases to find short author biographies with helpful bibliographies for further reading:
Contains plot summaries, author biographies, literary criticism essays, and book reviews. Combines research from major reference works, books, and literary journals. Also includes full-text of classic novels, short stories, and poems.
Contains plot summaries, author biographies, literary criticism essays, and book reviews. Similar to Literary Reference Center but also includes content on plays/drama, children's literature, fantasy, science fiction, religious literature, and contemporary literature.
1. Begin by searching your author's name in the search bar:
2. Then limit Source Type to "Biographies". Hit Apply to refresh your results.
3. You'll see search results like this (short biographical essays on your author):
Not only do these sources provide helpful biographical information, at the end of the entry, they often include an annotated bibliography of other recommended biographies:
*Note! Literary Reference Center is not displaying the titles of these recommended works in the bibliography for some reason. I recommend searching the author's name and publisher to figure out the title of work.
Oxford Reference is another great reference database that searches a wide range of encyclopedias
E-book collection of dictionaries, encyclopedias, and research companions published by Oxford University Press. Organized into subject areas including the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
Here is an example of a short entry from Oxford Reference:
You can also find short biographical entries in print reference books, such as these:
American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies by Again, look at the end of the biographical entries for recommended book-length biographes.
For lengthier book-length biographies, do a SUBJECT search CU Books or OhioLINK. Search your author's name as the subject (rather than the default keyword search):
1. Go to the Advanced Search screen for CU Books.
2. Find the Search Options box on the right side of the screen. Click Subject.
3. Type in your author's name using this format: Last name, First name and hit the Submit button
4. You'll see a list of all subject headings that include the name of the author you searched (for example, "Austen, Jane"). Click the first result to see a list of books/biographies about your chosen author.
5. Have fun exploring all the books we own about your author!
