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Research Guides

Poetry: Critical Analysis of Poetry

Resources for locating poetry published in periodicals, anthologies, and online, as well as tools for finding critical reviews of poetry.

Critical Analysis & Reviews of Poetry

Finding critical interpretations of poetry by major poets can be relatively easy. However, finding criticism on a particular poem or poetry from a less-established author can be more difficult. If you can't find information on a particular poem, try looking for more general discussions on the poet's works--use of particular themes or styles, for example. For new authors, sometimes reviews of a recently published collection of poetry are the only sources of information available.

  • MLA International Bibliography - [UW restricted]
    MLA focuses on literature, language, linguistics, and folklore. It includes scholarly research in over 3,000 journals relevant monographs, working papers, proceedings, bibliographies, and other formats, from 1925 - present. MLA does NOT include reviews.
  • Academic Search Complete - [UW restricted]
    Covers approximately 10,000 scholarly and general interest periodicals in all subject areas--humanities, social sciences, and science and technology, 1980-present. You can find both critical essays on poets/poetry, as well as reviews of poetry book collections here.
  • Literature Resource Center - [UW restricted]
    LRC covers more than 120,000 novelists, poets, essayists, journalists, playwrights, and other writers, with in-depth coverage of 2,500 of the most-studied authors. Includes full-text articles from literary journals, critical essays, plot summaries, author portraits and an encyclopedia of literary terms.
  • Alternative Press Index, AI3 .A48 (Suzzallo Reference)
  • Selected newspapers, magazines, and journals of the alternative and independent press from 1969 - present.
  • Humanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective (1907 - 1984) - [UW restricted]
    Humanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective is a bibliographic database that cites articles from English-language periodicals. Periodical coverage includes some of the best-known scholarly journals and numerous lesser-known but important specialized magazines.
  • Readers' Guide Retrospective (1890 - 1982) - [UW restricted]
    Readers' Guide Retrospective is a database containing comprehensive indexing of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States.
  • Annual Bibliography of English Language & Literature (ABELL) 1920 - present, Z 2011 .M69.
    ABELL "aims to list annually all scholarly articles, books and reviews concerning English language and literature and related topics published anywhere in the world, and in any language. (Education and pedagogical subjects, and the medical application of linguistics, are excluded.)."
  • Poetry Explication: A Checklist of Interpretation Since 1925, PR 502 .K8 1980.
  • British Humanities Index (1962-), AI3 .B7.
  • Guide to American Poetry Explication (2 vols.), Z 1231 .P7 G85 1989.
  • Guide to British Poetry Explication (4 vols.), Z 2014 .P7 M34 1991.
  • Poetry Criticism, PN 1010 .P62
    Each entry includes an author portrait, list of principal works, an "introductory essay about the author that examines the critical discussions" on his/her works, and "chronologically arranged critical excerpts that provide perspective on changes in critical evaluation over the years."

Dorothy Parker