Books - English Research - Literary Criticism - Research Guides at Santa Barbara City College

Finding Books

Recommended Books

Don't Read Poetry: A Book About How to Read Poetry by Stephanie Burt
Call Number: 808.1 B973d 2019
Publication Date: 2019
Stephanie Burt offers an accessible introduction to the seemingly daunting task of reading, understanding, and appreciating poetry. Burt dispels preconceptions about poetry and explains how poems speak to one another--and how they can speak to our lives.
The Essential Poet's Glossary by Edward Hirsch
Call Number: 808.103 H669e 2017
Publication Date: 2017
compiles poetic terms spanning centuries and continents, including forms, devices, movements, aesthetics, rhetorical terms, and folklore.
The Art of X-Ray Reading by Roy Peter Clark
Call Number: 808.042 C594a 2016
Publication Date: 2016
X-ray reading lets you penetrate beyond the surface of a text to see how meaning is actually being made. Don your X-ray reading glasses on a guided tour through some of the most exquisite and masterful literary works of all time.
How Literature Works by John Sutherland
Call Number: 803 S966h 2011
Publication Date: 2011
His book offers concise definitions and clear examples of the fifty concepts that all book lovers should know. It includes basic descriptive terms (ambiguity, epic), the core vocabulary of literary culture (genre, style), and devices employed by authors (irony, defamiliarization).
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
Call Number: 808 F757h
Publication Date: 2003
Often, there is much more going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface -- a symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twist on a character. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the perfect companion.

Recommended eBooks

Rhyme's Rooms: The Architecture of Poetry by Brad Leithauser
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2022
In chapters on everything from iambic pentameter to how stanzas are put together to "rhyme and the way we really talk," Leithauser takes a deep dive into that how--the very architecture of poetry.
The Literary Theory Handbook by Gregory Castle
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2013
The Literary Theory Handbook introduces students to the history and scope of literary theory, showing them how to perform literary analysis, and providing a greater understanding of the historical contexts for different theories.
Ways of Reading by Martin Montgomery, et al.
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2007
Provides the reader with the tools to analyse and interpret the meanings of literary and non-literary texts. It is divided into six sections covering such topics as basic techniques, poetic usage, and figures of speech.

How to Search for Books

Watch the video below for an introduction to searching for books, articles, and more through the Luria Library's OneSearch.

Bloom's Literary Themes Series

Each book in the new Bloom's "Literary Themes" series gives students valuable insight into the title's subject theme, featuring original essays and excerpts from previously published critical analyses.

Civil Disobedience by Harold Bloom
Call Number: NF 809.933581 B655c 2010
Publication Date: 2010
The role of civil disobedience, the act of defying society for the greater good, has been a theme of many famous and often controversial literary works. This volume explores the role of civil disobedience in "1984", "Fahrenheit 451", and many more works.
Dark Humor by Harold Bloom
Call Number: NF 809.7 B655d 2010
Publication Date: 2010
This 20th-century technique seeks to create humor through the use of satirical wit and grotesque situations. Use of this theme can be found in "Catch-22" and many other literary works.
Enslavement and Emancipation by Harold Bloom
Call Number: NF 809.933552 B655e 2010
Publication Date: 2010
This title brings forward the theme of enslavement and emancipation in the works such as "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", the poetry of Langston Hughes, and many other notable works.
Exploration and Colonization by Harold Bloom
Call Number: NF 809.93358 B655e 2010
Publication Date: 2010
In this new volume, the roles of exploration and colonization are discussed in "Heart of Darkness," "The Iliad", "One Hundred Years of Solitude", "Tar Baby", and other literary works.
Sin and Redemption by Harold Bloom
Call Number: NF 809.93382 B655s 2010
Publication Date: 2010
The allied themes of sin and redemption are at the heart of many classics of religious literature, and even secular writers feel compelled to explore the role of sin and redemption in such works as "Paradise Lost", "The Waste Land", and many more works.
The Sublime by Harold Bloom
Call Number: NF 801 B655s 2010
Publication Date: 2010
The sublime in literature is described as the sense of awe that is evoked in the presence of great power and grandeur in nature or in art. In this engaging new volume, the role of the sublime is discussed in "Song of Myself", "Emma", "Frankenstein" and many other works.
The Taboo by Harold Bloom
Call Number: NF 809.933552 B655t 2010
Publication Date: 2010
From a Polynesian word meaning 'prohibition', a taboo is a social more that should not be broken by society's participants, for doing so can mean punishment. This volume discusses the role of the taboo in "Howl", "Lolita", "Lord of the Flies", and many more works.
The Trickster by Harold Bloom
Call Number: NF 809.93352 B655t 2010
Publication Date: 2010
The trickster, a character that tests the taboos of a society, is rooted in the Native American literary tradition. However, writers all over the world have used this knavish character to great effect in works such as "Hamlet", "The Wife of Bath's Tale" and many other works.

English Research - Literary Criticism: Books

Finding Books

Recommended Books

Recommended eBooks

How to Search for Books

Bloom's Literary Themes Series