Literary Research and the Victorian and Edwardian Ages, 1830-1910

Strategies and Sources

By (author) Melissa S. Van Vuuren

Paperback - £67.00

Publication date:

19 November 2010

Length of book:

340 pages

Publisher

Scarecrow Press

Dimensions:

232x155mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9780810877269

The diverse literatures of Victorian and Edwardian Britain have provided a wealth of research materials for novice and expert researchers alike. Although the body of scholarship for the Edwardian Age is smaller than that of the Victorian, researchers should have no shortage of resources for learning more about the literatures of either time period. While many of the novels, plays, poetry, and prose from the Victorian and Edwardian Ages are still readily available in print, a vast amount of literature has long since fallen out of print. Recent efforts in digitization—the Victorian Women Writers Project; English Literary Periodicals, 1681-1914; Early British Periodicals, 1681-1921; 19th Century British Library Newspapers; 19th Century U.K. Periodicals; Times Digital Archives; Victorian Popular Culture; and even Google Books—have helped to make many texts more widely accessible.

Literary Research and the Victorian and Edwardian Ages, 1830-1910 discusses traditional and new resources for researching this period of British literature and the ways in which those resources can be used in conjunction with one another. By helping readers navigate the resources and issues particular to these literatures, this book will serve as an essential guide to researching the literatures of the Victorian and Edwardian Ages.
A vital how-to for beginning scholars of Victorian and Edwardian literature, this guide presents 11 chapters, each devoted to navigating specific primary or secondary resources, from tips for constructive online searches to guidance in locating period serials. To facilitate understanding, Van Vuuren (English librarian, James Madison Univ.) incorporates screenshots of specific database portals. She also presents a significant chapter on strategies for researching underrecognized literary figures. An excellent appendix of general reference titles—divided into 12 segments and organized alphabetically by discipline—lists general reference titles for basic inquiries into loosely related fields, like music and social science.