- Applicable LC Classes:
| Call No. |
Subject Heading |
| PN 1-1009.5 |
Literature: Criticism, Authorship, Literary History |
| PN 1010-1525 |
Poetry |
| PN 3311-4500 |
Prose. Oratory. Diaries, Letters, Essays |
| PN 6010-6790 |
Collections of General Literature |
- Academic Departments, Programs, etc.:
English, Modern and Classical Languages, Theatre, Communication and some Fairhaven courses are served by the general literature collection.
Materials in these ranges might be purchased by selectors for English, MCL or Theatre.
- Collection Levels:
| Call No. |
Subject Heading |
Present |
Desired |
| PN 1-1009.5 |
Literature: Criticism, Authorship, Literary History |
3b |
3c |
| PN 1010-1525 |
Poetry |
2a |
2b |
| PN 3311-4500 |
Prose. Oratory. Diaries, Letters, Essays |
2b |
2b |
| PN 6010-6790 |
Collections of General Literature |
2b |
2b |
- Scope:
Geographic: This collection does not have any geographic limitations since general literature would cover literature representing every country or region in the world.
Language: This collection contains considerable material in languages other than English, including Latin, Greek, Chinese, Romance and Germanic languages, especially the poetry, prose and collections sections.
Chronological Limitations: There are no chronological limitations though most current material would be emphasized.
- Formats collected/Non-Subject Parameters:
Explanatory Notes: The formats include books, journals and microform, possibly film.
- System Coordination and Resource Sharing:
The Library of English Literature and the Library of American Civilization on microfiche support this collection.
- Electronic Databases:
The primary databases are MLA and Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts.
- Notable Features:
- Narrative Statement:
PN 1-1009.5 Literature: Criticism, Authorship, Literary History:
This range is the most important for support of the curriculum in the English and Modern and Classical Languages Departments since it includes literary theory, literary history and the teaching of literature. Since the 1980s, literary theory has been increasingly emphasized in the teaching of English, French, German, Spanish and other literatures. Faculty expect to have a strong library collection on literary theory, on specific types of critical theory such as postmodernism, post-structuralism, feminism, post-colonialism and on notable authors and interpreters of theory such as Derrida, Lacan, Zizek, Jameson, Said, Kristeva, Butler etc. The library collections for this range are fairly strong although many titles were published in the 1970s, more than 800 titles are from the 1980s and another 860 from the 1990s. During the period from 2000-2005, 254 titles were acquired, which would suggest a total of 500 titles acquired during the 2000-2010 decade. This represents a decrease from previous decades and it is recommended that this range be strengthened if budget permits.
PN 1010-1551 General Poetry:
This range mainly includes books about teaching poetry, or general works on genres or forms such as epic, pastoral, the sonnet or works on topics relating to poetry such as symbolism (and poetry) or romanticism (and poetry). This range is small and has never held many titles. It has dwindled from 60 titles with publication dates during the 1990s to an estimated 14 titles published during the 2000-2010 decade. This decrease is not problematic as it reflects the shift in emphasis of teaching and publishing about literature from form and genre approach to a perspective more heavily applying theoretical perspectives.
PN 3311-4500 Prose-Oratory, Diaries, Letters, Essays:
This range includes satire, rhetoric, public speaking, and monologues, for example. Many titles in this range were published in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. There are 138 titles published in the 1990s compared to 211 published in the 1980s. From 2000-2005 only 33 titles were acquired. The decrease in recent materials for this range reflects the changed emphasis in literary studies as well as reduced budget that requires more focused collecting supportive of the curriculum rather than a broadly representative collection.
PN 6010-6790 Collections of General Literature:
This range includes humor, epitaphs, proverbs and comics. The coverage is particularly multicultural with materials in Greek and Latin as well as in European and Asian languages. Most titles were acquired during the 1960s and 1970s. From 2000-2005 only 39 titles were acquired. As mentioned above, the decrease in recent materials for this range reflects the changed emphasis in literary studies, with less emphasis on traditional forms such as proverbs, as well as reduced budge that requires more focused collecting supportive of the curriculum rather than a broadly representative collection.