Resources for Students

How can Literature Online support your study?

Literature Online contains over 350,000 fully-searchable works of poetry, prose and drama, from Old English to the present day, alongside criticism and reference resources for thousands of authors of all nationalities. For help in using and getting the most out of Literature Online, try:

Search Tips – information on the best ways to find resources on your set set authors or texts
Getting Started with Literature Online – a walk-through guide to using the site
How to Cite Texts from Literature Online

What's in Literature Online?

In addition to the primary texts collections and full-text journals, highlights of the site include:

Poets on Screen
Poets on Screen is a groundbreaking multimedia collection, specially commissioned for Literature Online. It is produced in collaboration with some of the foremost poets living and working in the English-speaking world today and provides a unique opportunity to hear major authors interpreting their own works and those of their contemporaries and predecessors.
Author biographies
Literature Online contains hundreds of author biographies, prepared by academic experts, for major authors from the medieval period to the present day. These reflect the latest critical thinking and are cross-linked, helping you to discover more about writers' backgrounds, contemporaries and literary contexts. To find biographies, enter the author's name in Quick Search and look under the 'Reference' heading.
Shakespeare Audio Plays
The Arkangel production of audio plays brings together all of Shakespeare’s plays in fully dramatised recordings featuring many noted Royal Shakespeare Company actors. Each of the 38 plays is available in full and unabridged form based on a modern authoritative edition and can be played on any mp3 compatible media player. Audio plays can be accessed at scene level and have been linked with the multiple editions of Full Text already available in Literature Online. With links from the Full Text of the plays to the audio versions it is possible to seamlessly listen to and read all of Shakespeare’s dramatic works.
KnowledgeNotes
KnowledgeNotes™ student guides offer in-depth analyses of more than 200 classic and contemporary literary works from Aeschylus to Toni Morrison. They have been written, edited and reviewed by a team of academic specialists. They include character lists, chapter-by-chapter summaries and suggestions for further critical reading and research. To find student guides, enter the author name or work title in Quick Search and look under the 'Reference' heading, or
Web resources
Literature Online provides searchable access to other web sites relevant to English and American literature. These are chosen to enhance and complement the full-text databases. Many include background information or biographical details on authors.
My Archive
My Archive allows you to create your own personalised area of Literature Online, in which you can store searches and records and sign up to our mailing list and email alerts for authors who particularly interest you. Unlike Search History or Marked List, the information you add to My Archive stays in this area until you decide to delete it. It does not disappear once your session ends.

Email updates

Literature Online is a dynamic service with new journals, new biographies and other works added continually. Every author page now features a link to 'Receive alerts for this author', which allows you to sign up to receive emails whenever new primary or secondary content is added for that author.

As well as author alerts, all subscribers can opt to join our mailing list and receive regular email updates on enhancements and additions to Literature Online.

Obtain further information

Your librarian should be able to provide further information, including user guides and training materials, on Literature Online. You can also access the help screen if you need assistance with searching at any time, or contact our editorial and technical teams via the Webmaster Form with any queries about content or functionality.