American Culture
 Novels into Film

The following are potential resources that will assist you in your exploration the events and films of the various decades that helped shaped American culture. 

Use the Research Process Checklist to help you stay focused throughout the research process.
 

 Print Sources

  Our American Century Series: Time of Transition (973.924 TIM) & 100 Years of Hollywood (OS 791.43 100)
Organized by decades, Our American Century offers a look at the people, events and films that had an impact on American culture in the past century. 

 

Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies (791.43 PAS)
It has been said that most of what we know about history we learn from the movies, and so much of what we think we know is probably wrong. Featuring a keynote dialogue between noted director John Sayles and historian Eric Foner, this book will tantalize history and film buffs alike with its thought-provoking inquiry into the relationship between filmmaking and the historical record.

 

  20th Century Pop Culture (973.9 ESP)
A series organized by decade, 20th Century Pop Culture examines the trends, people and events that shaped popular American culture year by year.
The Encyclopedia of Novels into Film (REF 791.43 TIB)
list over 300 American and foreign books and their film adaptations, along with photographs and illustrations. In addition to its comprehensiveness, the strength of this reference lies in the articulate and knowledgeable analyses by contributors.

 Ebooks& Online Databases 

It's always a good idea to begin your initial research with a trusted publication, i.e.: an article from an online database.  To learn more about the benefits of using articles accessed via a database, read Sirs vs. Google and Other Web Surfing.

 Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations and Footwear through the Ages, 2004
Facts and information about the cultural, religious and social implications of human decoration and adornment throughout history, with a particular emphasis on the decades of the 20th century.

St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, 2000
Essays on American popular culture ranging from fast food and fitness fads to political events and literary genres. Major topics include: television, movies, theater, art, books, magazines, radio, music, sports, fashion, health, politics, trends, community life and advertising.
   

LitFinder for Schools
LitFinder for Schools includes full-text poetry, short stories, essays, plays, and speeches, including 126,500 poems, 5,000 short stories, 2,800 essays, 1,800 speeches, and 1,000 plays. Also includes biographies, work summaries, photographs, and a glossary.

Contemporary Literary Criticism
Contemporary Literary Criticism--Select is an extensive collection of critical essays on contemporary authors. Each CLC--Select entry contains a biographical/critical introduction, listing of principal works and sources for further study.
Student Resource Center Gold - Offers more than 1,100 full-text periodicals and newspapers, primary sources, creative works, and multimedia, including hours of video and audio clips and podcasts
The Twayne Authors Series -
Comprises 600 full-text titles from the Twayne Literary Masters series, 200 each from Twayne World, US, and English Authors.

 

 Internet Directories

Decades

 The 20th Century - Decade by Decade: www.wtps.org/wths/imc/Pathfinders/twentieth_century.htm

American Cultural History (arranged by decade): http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decades.html

Cinema History (films arranged by decade): http://www.tc.umn.edu/~ryahnke/film/cinema.htm

Web Generation: http://www.wgeneration.com/
 

Films

 100 Years, 100 Movies: 100 Greatest American Movies Ranked by Decade: http://www.filmsite.org/afi100decades.html

American Film Institutes 100 Years, 100 Movies - Cheers: Most Inspiring Movies of All Time: http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/cheers.aspx

American Film Institutes 100 Years, 100 Movies - Heroes & Villains: http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/cheers.aspx

At a Glance Film Reviews - Films by Decade: http://rinkworks.com/movies/

Film History by Decade: http://www.filmsite.org/filmh.html

Web Generation: http://www.wgeneration.com/
 

Novels

 American Cultural History (arranged by decade see Books & Literature): http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decades.html

From Bestseller to Blockbuster: www.forbes.com/2006/12/08/successful-film-adaptations-tech-media_cz_sc_books06_1208moviebook.html

 


If you don't find what you're looking for in any of the sites above, try your 
own keyword search using the following tips...

Internet Search Tips

  1. Type the URL (web site address) of a search directory/engine in the address box: ex: www.yahoo.com, or www.google.com, etc.
     
  2. (Be sure to type the address exactly the way you see it, including any uppercase letters and punctuation).
     
  3. Type in keyword(s). (If your keyword has two parts such as: "American culture", be sure to put quotes around it so that the search engine only finds the Internet sites about American culture as opposed to all of the sites containing the word American  plus all of the sites containing the word culture.
     

  4. If you would like to search for something specific about American culture, try a combined keyword search by adding a comma followed by a space and your other search term. For instance; if I wanted to find out about the films and novels that influenced American culture, I would enter the following:
     

    "American culture", films, movies, influence
     

  5. Hit Enter on your keyboard, or click on Search, then scan the description of the "hits" (entries) and click on the links that sound best.
     
  6. Be sure to evaluate each Internet site for the following:
    • Authority: Can you tell if the author is credible (believable)?
    • Objectivity: Is the information objective (honest and free of bias)?
    • Currency: Is the information recent and up-to-date?
    • Design: Is the site designed in a clear and user friendly way?
    • Navigation: Is the site easy to navigate through, and are all links current and usable?
                                                        Use the Evaluation of Information Found on the Internet article as a guide.

     

  7. Remember: if you choose to use any information (text or graphics) found on an Internet source, 
     you must include it in your bibliography.       Use the Works Cited Guide to access MLA format.
     

Created by Liza Zandonella, Library Media Specialist.