English 462: James Joyce

Strategies for Joyce Research

Because so much has been written about Joyce's works, and about Ulysses in particular, it can be difficult to know where to begin the research process. Your course bibliography provides an excellent starting point, and many of the titles are either on course reserve or in CONSORT. From there, tracing the bibliographies in these works can point you to related titles and act as a valuable introduction to Joyce scholarship.

You may also wish to consult reference works or other volumes that offer literature reviews of Joyce criticism. A Companion to Joyce Studies (see Reference Works below) includes a lengthy section on Ulysses as well as an essay entitled "The History of Joyce Criticism and Scholarship" that touches on some of the writings about specific chapters of the novel. There are also collections of essays, like Ulysses in Critical Perspective (Michael Patrick Gillespie and A. Nicholas Fargnoli, eds.) that address scholarship on particular topics or from various perspectives (such as narratology, queer theory, and cultural studies).

Reference Works

All of the following are on the second floor of the library in the reference collection.

  • Allusions in Ulysses (Ref PR6019.O9 U49 1968) - concordance to allusions throughout the novel; includes an alphabetical index as well as an annotation for each allusion (keyed to the 1961 and 1934 Random House Ulysses)
  • James Joyce: A Documentary Volume (Ref PR6019.O9 Z633565 2001) - essays and primary sources related to Joyce's life and works; includes reviews and commentary upon the publication of Ulysses, as well as maps, advertisements, and photographs

Finding Criticism (Books and Articles)

To find works related to chapters of Ulysses:

Try keyword searches in CONSORT and the MLA International Bibliography.

 

To find works related to themes and topics in Ulysses:

Begin with keyword searches; remember to try your searches with synonyms and related terms.

When you find relevant books in CONSORT, click on the subject heading links at the bottom of the record to view similar items. You can also select "subject heading" in the "search by" box and try the following:

Following subject heading links will also show you nearby headings that may give you directions for further searches.

 

To find known articles:

If you have a citation to a journal article, search by journal title (not the article title) in CONSORT to determine if Kenyon subscribes in print or online (or if you'll need to request the article from another library). Current journals are on the third floor in the current periodicals section; older journals are in the bound periodicals collection on the first floor. Journals are shelved alphabetically by title.

 

To request books and articles from other libraries:

You can request books from other CONSORT libraries, or from libraries throughout Ohio via OhioLINK, using your name and the barcode from the back of your ID.

To request articles (for example, from James Joyce Quarterly or older issues of Joyce Studies Annual), or to request items from libraries outside Ohio (see WorldCat), fill out an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) form online.

 

Recommended databases:

Modern Languages Association Bibliography (MLA)
Recommended starting point. Index of scholarly work in literature, linguistics, and folklore with citations and linked full-text sources. Includes journal and book articles, dissertations, monographs, and series.

JSTOR
Provides access to the full content of a variety of scholarly journals. Coverage generally begins with volume one of a journal, and ends 2-5 years before the current year. Journals may be browsed or searched.

OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center: Arts and Humanities Journals
Includes the full text of approximately 40 arts and humanities journals.

ABELL-- Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature
ABELL provides citations to monographs, periodical articles, critical editions of literary works, book reviews, collections of essays and doctoral dissertations published anywhere in the world.

Humanities International Complete
A database covering 1700 journals, as well as books and reference sources in the humanities. Provides citation information for articles, essays and reviews, as well as original creative works including poems and fiction.

Academic Search Complete
Contains more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, including 4,400 peer-reviewed journals, in the humanities and social sciences, as well as computer science, engineering, medical sciences, and ethnic studies. In addition, Academic Search Complete offers indexing and abstracts for more than 9,300 journals and a total of 10,900 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc.

 

Presentation Resources

If you're interested in incorporating multimedia elements into your presentations, you can use the AV equipment available for checkout at the Circulation Desk or visit Multimedia Collections to make use of digital editing software.

Bibliography Resources

  • MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (Info Desk LB2369 .G53 2003)

Selected Internet Resources

The sites below include primary sources, literary criticism, and miscellaneous Joycean delights. As always, when using the internet for research, it is important to think critically about the authority and validity of your sources, and to use sites that are appropriately scholarly in nature.