Resources for Your Writing Assignment
The resources listed below have been compiled to guide your research in finding primary texts, background information, and scholarly criticism related to post-Medieval Arthuriana.
Library Catalog
HOLLIS
HOLLIS is the library's main search interface. It includes the Harvard library catalog as well as a huge (and more heterogeneous) collection of citations for a variety of materials, including articles and book chapters. HOLLIS does not search the full-text of books and articles, though you find occasional exceptions. Check here for materials mentioned in other sources, or start here to to find books, DVDs, articles, and more on your topic.
Finding Post-Medieval Arthurian Texts
- Knight, Stephen. "Arthurian Literature." In Oxford Bibliographies Online (British and Irish Literature)A prominent Arthurian scholar lists and contextualizes a wide range of literature derivative of the Arthurian legend, including plenty of post-Medieval material. Use this as a jumping off point, following up with a HOLLIS search for texts of interest.
- Lawhead, Steve. The Pendragon Cycle (Series, 1987-1997)A reinterpretation of the legend of King Arthur in a Celtic setting combined with elements of Atlantis. This series, including the books Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon, and Grail, is rooted in original Celtic source material. It has received critical acclaim for its creative retelling of the Arthur legend. Some of the books are available through BorrowDirect.
- Lupack, A. (1988). Arthur, the greatest king: An anthology of modern Arthurian poems (Garland reference library of the humanities; v. 830)Provides a wide selection of both well-known and obscure authors. In the "Get It" section of this book's HOLLLIS record, you may click "Scan & Deliver" to have a specific poem (see contents listed in HOLLIS record) scanned and emailed to you. Or, if you're on campus, it's possible to request the whole book for pickup from Lamont Library.
- Lupack, A. (1992). Modern Arthurian literature: An anthology of English and American Arthuriana from the Renaissance to the present (Garland reference library of the humanities; v. 1420)An extensive volume, mostly using full texts from a wide selection of literary material up to the recent period, including some elusive poems. In the "Get It" section of this book's HOLLLIS record, you may click "Scan & Deliver" to have a specific work (see contents listed in HOLLIS record) scanned and emailed to you. Or, if you're on campus, it's possible to request the whole book for pickup from Lamont Library.
- Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson, Baron. Idylls of the King, and Other Arthurian Poems. Champaign, Ill: Project Gutenberg.Tennyson’s Arthurian cycle of twelve blank-verse narrative poems inspired by Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur and the Mabinogion was planned and understood by contemporaries as a modern reinterpretation of a national epic. This edition is available online.
- Artstor Collections on JSTORArtstor is an image collection with content from museums, photo archives, scholars, and artists, including Harvard collections.
- Bridgeman Art LibraryBridgeman Art Library offers keyword searching and display of its collection of over 350,000 art images from more than 8,000 major international museums, galleries, auction houses, and other collections.
- Google Art ProjectGoogle has partnered with hundreds of museums, cultural institutions, and archives to host the world’s cultural treasures online. Some paintings are viewable in ‘gigapixel’ format, allowing you to zoom in at brushstroke level to examine incredible detail. However, images are not available to download.
- Harvard Digital CollectionsHarvard University Library Digital Collections showcases selected digital image collections created from unique Harvard Library holdings across a broad range of disciplines and cultural history worldwide.
- HOLLIS ImagesHOLLIS Images is the Harvard Library's dedicated image catalog. It includes content from archives, museums, libraries, and other collections throughout Harvard University. To date, only a portion of Harvard’s visual resources are described herein.
- Albéniz, Isaac. Merlin [Opera] Performed by C. Álvarez, P. Domingo, Henschel, A.M. Martínez, Madrid Symphony, J. de Eusebio.To listen, check the box next to any item(s) on the list, then click the play button at the top of the screen. The libretto is also available.
- Chausson, Ernest. Le roi Arthus, Op. 23, Act III: Ah! trahie! abandonnee! Performed by Nathalie Manfrino (Soprano)To listen, check the box next to item #15 on the list, then click the play button at the top of the screen. The libretto is also available.
- MET Opera on DemandHundreds of productions from the Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD, telecasts from the 1970s-2000s, and radio broadcasts dating back to 1936.
- Music and Performing Arts OnlineA family of audio and video collections, including: Classical Music Library; Classical Performance in Video, Jazz Music Library; Opera in Video; Dance in Video; American Music; Smithsonian Global Sound; Contemporary World Music; Popular Music Library; Theatre in Video
- Naxos Music LibraryClassical, world, jazz, and folk recordings, with biographical information, opera synopses and libretti, glossaries and pronunciation guides.
- Online Resources for Music ScholarsLinks to a variety of audio and video collections.
- Digital Theatre PlusIncludes full performances, rehearsal rooms, dressing room, backstage, documentaries and interviews from British theatre.
- Lupack, A. (1991). Arthurian drama: An anthology (Garland reference library of the humanities; v. 1276)This anthology reproduces six plays based on stories of King Arthur from a variety of periods. Originally published in 1991, it offers a comprehensive discussion of Arthurian Drama in introduction and also provides an appendix listing printed scripts in English that address Arthurian legend. In the "Get It" section of this book's HOLLIS record, you may click "Scan & Deliver" to have a specific play scanned and emailed to you (you may ask for a scan of the table of contents first, or look inside the book via Amazon). If you're on campus, you may request the full book for pickup from Lamont Library.
- Streaming Video @ HarvardA research guide listing streaming resources at Harvard, arranged alphabetically by title and subject. Helps you locate and view a huge number of feature films and other videos, courtesy of Harvard Library.
- Camelot ProjectThe Camelot Project offers Arthurian texts, images, bibliographies, and basic information. This major site is run from the Robbins Library at the University of Rochester, New York, with texts, images, bibliographies, and other information.
Researching Background, Reception, and Context
- Bibliography of Irish Linguistics and Literature (BILL)A specialist reference tool for scholars and students of Irish language and literature. Contains citations to over 6000 articles from more than 400 different periodical titles, and to over 800 monographs and miscellanies. Useful for an Irish Studies perspective on Arthuriana.
- Celtic Studies Association of North America (CSANA) BibliographyUse your brower's "find in page" function to search for a keyword related to your topic.
- Oxford BibliographiesAnnotated bibliographies to the major scholarship on specific authors, literary themes, genres and movements. If there isn't a bibliography on your exact topic, search around for related topics and ideas.
- Biography and Genealogy Master IndexIndexes thousands of English-language biographical dictionaries and other compendia. Includes Biography Index, which indexes biographical periodical articles as well as collective biography. Indexes Contemporary Authors and Dictionary of Literary Biography.
- Encyclopedia of Folk HeroesA wide-ranging and detailed investigation of folk heroes, both fictional and historical, from the earliest times to the present, taken from societies throughout the world as they exist in folktales, folksongs, customs, speech, and other folklore genres. A general index combined with indexes by heroic type and by country/culture make research easy. Note: While the Harvard Libraries are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this title is temporarily available for Check Out via HathiTrust. Step-by-step instructions.
- Oxford Dictionary of National BiographyThe Oxford Dictionary of National Biography is a collection of 50,000 specially written biographies of men and women who have shaped all aspects of the British past, from the earliest times to the end of the year 2000, from the ancient (explorer Pytheas of the 4th Century BC) to the modern (Princess Diana).
- World Biographical Information SystemIncludes full text of thousands of biographical dictionaries accessible by name of biographee. Largely online full text, partly microfiche or print. What to do if a biographical article is not available online and further information.
- Archibald, Elizabeth, & Putter, Ad. (2009). The Cambridge Companion to the Arthurian Legend (Cambridge Companions to Literature). Cambridge University Press.This Companion outlines the evolution of the legend from the earliest documentary sources to Spamalot, and analyses how some of the major motifs of the legend have been passed down in both medieval and modern texts. With a map of Arthur's Britain, a chronology of key texts and a guide to further reading, this volume itself will contribute to the continuing fascination with the King and his many legends.
- Fulton, H. (2009). A Companion to Arthurian LiteratureThis Companion offers a chronological sweep of the canon of Arthurian literature - from its earliest beginnings to the contemporary manifestations of Arthur found in film and electronic media. Part of the popular series, Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture, this expansive volume enables a fundamental understanding of Arthurian literature and explores why it is still integral to contemporary culture.
- MacKillop, J. (1998). Dictionary of Celtic mythology. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.Offers an exhaustive survey of one of the world's most fertile and exciting mythological traditions. It covers the persons, themes, concepts, places, and creatures of Celtic mythology, in all its ancient and modern traditions. Libraries are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this title is temporarily available for Check Out via HathiTrust. Step-by-step instructions.
- Marianne E. Kalinke, Sandra Ness Ihle, Geoffrey Ashe, Norris J. Lacy, & Raymond H. Thompson. (2013). The New Arthurian Encyclopedia. Taylor and Francis.Contains short but authoritative entries about all things Arthuriana.
- Oxford Art OnlineOxford Art Online is the access point for Grove Art Online, the Benezit Dictionary of Artists, and other Oxford art reference resources. Grove Art Online provides access to the scholarly and authoritative Dictionary of Art, which is exceedingly useful for contextualizing works of art according to time periods, cultures, styles, media, artistic genres, and artists.
- 19th Century U.S. NewspapersOffers full text of about 500 newspapers.
- America: History and LifeCovers North America (U.S. and Canada) from early history to the present.
- America’s Historical Newspapers (1690-1993)Offers full text of over a thousand U.S. newspapers. Includes all papers listed in the standard History and bibliography of American newspapers, 1690-1820, by Clarence S. Brigham. Although a very rich resource, many important newspapers, especially for the later years, are not included. Now includes several post-1922 papers.
- Factiva (1980s - present)offers full text (pictures omitted) of over 6,000 newspapers, magazines, wire services and trade journals. To limit to a particular newspaper enter, e.g., sn=wall street journal and "search term". Includes the Boston Globe (1987- ), among many other newspapers.
- Historical AbstractsThe go-to resource for world history from 1450 forward. Excludes North America.
- Historical NewspapersSearch this combined index to The Official Index to The Times, Palmer's Index to the Times, and The Historical Index to The New York Times to become aware of articles from the 19th and 20th centuries available in these important British and American newspapers.
- Proquest Historical Newspapers: The Guardian (1821-2003) and The Observer (1791-2003)Includes searchable full text of these two UK newspapers.
- Proquest News & NewspapersSearch across all newspapers aggregated by ProQuest, or select a custom group of titles to search across, rather than searching just one title. Includes Proquest Historical Newspapers.
Engaging with Criticism
- Arms, G., & Kuntz, J. (1950). Poetry explication: A checklist of interpretation since 1925 of British and American poems, past and present. New York: Swallow Press and Morrow.Note: A key to periodical title abbreviations in the citations appears at the front of the volume; references to book titles are found in a bibliography at the end of the volume.
- Bibliography of Irish Linguistics and Literature (BILL)A specialist reference tool for scholars and students of Irish language and literature. Contains citations to over 6000 articles from more than 400 different periodical titles, and to over 800 monographs and miscellanies. Useful for an Irish Studies perspective on Arthuriana.
- Gale Literature CriticismIncludes analysis from book excerpts, periodicals, and more.
- Literature Online: CriticismSearches the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (ABELL), one of the most important bibliographic sources for English studies.
- Mancoff, D. (1990). The Arthurian revival in Victorian art (Garland reference library of the humanities ; v. 1034). New York: Garland.Organized into eight chapters and accompanied by 101 black and white and eight color plates, this perceptive book raises many important issues. Libraries are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this title is temporarily available for Check Out via HathiTrust. Step-by-step instructions.
- Matthews, Samantha. (2011). Alfred Tennyson. Oxford Bibliographies Online (Victorian Literature).Among other works, this bibliographic article highlights publications examining Tennyson's Idylls of the King.
- MLA International BibliographyAn essential index to scholarly studies of literatures around the world and from all time periods. The MLA also covers work in related fields such as folklore and mythology, linguistics, theory, film, and popular culture.
- ARTbibliographies ModernProvides full abstracts of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, PhD dissertations, and exhibition reviews on modern and contemporary art. Use Find It @ Harvard links to locate full text.
- Art Full TextIncludes full-text articles, abstracts, and indexed images from art and architecture periodicals and a range of other materials. Has a large amount of full text material easily available. For other items, use Find It @ Harvard.
- Art Index Retrospective ( 1929-1984 )a periodical literature database that cumulates citations from the printed version of the Wilson Art Index, volumes 1-32 (1929-1984). The database cites articles from periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins internationally in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Dutch publications. In addition to articles, Art Index Retrospective also indexes reproductions of works of art that appear in the periodicals covered.
- Bentley, David M. R. “‘Allegoriz[ing] on One’s Own Hook’: Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Illustrations in Moxon’s Tennyson.” Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies 27 (Spring 2018): 23–41.In the "Get It" section of this journal's HOLLLIS record, you may click "Scan & Deliver" to have this particular article from it scanned and emailed to you.
- Bibliography of the History of Art: BHAIndexes and abstracts art-related books, conference proceedings and dissertations, exhibition and dealer's catalogs, and journal articles from more than 2,500 periodicals. Coverage extends to European and American art from late antiquity to the present. This index provides the most comprehensive coverage of American and international scholarly journals in the disciplines of art and architectural history. It also contains an important earlier periodical index, the Répertoire international de la littérature de l'art (RILA). Current coverage is 1975-2007. The BHA is continued by the International Bibliography of Art.
- International Bibliography of the History of Art (IBA)The successor to the Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) and includes the most recent indexing created by the Getty Research Institute for the BHA during 2008-2011. ProQuest will continue to add approximately 25,000 new entries each year and will index at least 500 journals. Coverage of monographs, essay collections, conference proceedings, and exhibition catalogues will also be included. The BHA, now available directly from the Getty Research Institute, provides the most comprehensive coverage of American and international scholarly journals in the disciplines of art and architectural history from 1975-2007.
- Poulson, C. (1986). Costume Designs by Burne-Jones for Irving's Production of 'King Arthur'. Burlington Magazine, 128(994), 18-25.This article is available online.
- Poulson, C. (1999). The quest for the Grail: Arthurian legend in British art, 1840-1920Examines the grail legend in Victorian Arthurian revival art through sociopolitical, historical, feminist, and postcolonial lenses. Note: While the Harvard Libraries are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this title is temporarily available for Check Out via HathiTrust. Step-by-step instructions.
- Branscombe, P. (1991). W.A. Mozart, Die Zauberflöte [The Magic Flute] (Cambridge opera handbooks). Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press.The author postulates a connection of the German language libretto for Mozart's Die Zauberflöte to a 12th-century Arthurian romance, Yvain. In the "Get It" section of this book's HOLLLIS record, you may click "Scan & Deliver" to have a specific chapter (see contents listed in HOLLIS record) scanned and emailed to you. Or, if you're on campus, it's possible to request the whole book for pickup from Lamont Library.
- Clark, Walter A. "Isaac Albéniz". In Oxford Bibliographies Online (Music).Among other works, this bibliographic article highlights publications examining Albéniz's (b. 29 May 1860–d. 18 May 1909) principal operatic project, King Arthur, an operatic triptych consisting of Merlin, Launcelot, and Guenevere.
- RILM Abstracts of Music LiteratureAn international bibliography of music articles, collections, and books. Indexes scholarly articles, reviews, conference papers, essays, book chapters, dissertations and more. Strong in ethnomusicological journals and topics.
- Music Periodicals DatabaseAn index of articles and reviews from over 400 scholarly and popular music periodicals (1874-present), plus full text for around 140 journals. Limit document type to "Research and Analysis" to retrieve only scholarly articles. (Formerly known as International Index to Music Periodicals, IIMP)
- RIPM: Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals (Full Text)Collection of primary source material for the study of music and musical life from approximately 1800 to 1950.
- European and North American Music Periodicals (Full Text)Part of the RIPM Preservation Series, a supplement to the RIPM Retrospective Index. Titles include one hundred journals dealing with musical life in world capitals and several monumental journals including Musical America.
- Aronstein, S. (2005). Hollywood Knights: Arthurian Cinema and the Politics of NostalgiaHollywood Knights examines Hollywood Arthuriana as political nostalgia offered to American viewers during times of cultural crisis: the red scare of the 1950s, the breakdown of traditional authority in the 1960s and 1970s, the turn to the right in the 1980s and the redemption of masculine and national authority in the 1990s. Its analysis of these films explores their proposal of an ideal past - an Americanized Camelot and a democratized chivalry - as the solution to the problems of a troubled present, a solution that will ensure prosperity in the homeland and a globally beneficial American authority abroad. Available online.
- Entertainment Industry Magazine ArchiveCore U.S. and U.K. trade magazines covering film, television, theater, and music. From 1880-2000.
- Film & Television Literature IndexThe most comprehensive database for criticism on motion pictures and television, with coverage back to 1914 (although most coverage is 1980 to date).
- Film Literature IndexCoverage only from 1976-2001 but contains some material not found in Film & Television Literature Index.
- Harty, K. (2002). Cinema Arthuriana: Twenty essaysIn the "Get It" section of this book's HOLLLIS record, you may click "Scan & Deliver" to have a specific essay (see contents listed in HOLLIS record) scanned and emailed to you. Or, if you're on campus, it's possible to request the whole book for pickup from Lamont Library.
- Performing Arts Periodicals DatabaseAn index of articles and reviews from over 300 performing arts journals (1864-present), covering theatre, film, dance, opera, and stagecraft, plus full text from over 100 journals. Limit document type to "Research and Analysis" to retrieve only scholarly articles. (Formerly known as International Index to Performing Arts, IIPA)
- Academic Search PremierA multi-disciplinary database that includes citations and abstracts from over 4,700 scholarly publications (journals, magazines and newspapers). Full text is available for more than 3,600 of the publications and is searchable.
- JSTORProvides page images of back issues of the core scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and basic sciences from the earliest issues to within a few years of current publication. Users may browse by journal title or discipline, or may search the full-text or citations/abstracts. New issues of existing titles and new titles are added approximately on a weekly basis. Nota bene: In the "Advanced Search," you may limit your search to scholarship in particular disciplines.
- Project MuseFull-text versions of peer-reviewed journals from many of the world's leading university presses and scholarly societies, as well as thousands of ebooks, with emphasis on humanities and social sciences.