Emily Dickinson
&  Walt Whitman


The following resources will help you research Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman.

 Print Sources

Bloom's Major Poets - Emily Dickinson (811.4 EMI)
 These guides provide critical analysis of poets through history, offering examples of the poets work, a variety of viewpoints by different critics on the important aspects of each work.  Also included:
  • Editor's note and introduction by Harold Bloom
  • Author's biography
  • Thematic and structural analysis
  • Extracts of major critical essays
  • Extensive bibliography
  • Index of themes and ideas

   

Critical Companion to Emily Dickinson (811.4 CRI)
Contains extensive analyses and close readings of more than 150 of her best-known poems, including "Because I could not stop for Death," "I felt a funeral, in my Brain," and "I like to see it lap the miles." This encyclopedic guide also discusses the many societal, intellectual, spiritual, and literary influences revealed in Dickinson's poems. Coverage includes: A comprehensive biography of Dickinson, Accessible entries on her most beloved, studied, and anthologized poems, Entries on people important to Dickinson, including friends, relatives, correspondents, and editors, Entries on topics important to the understanding of Dickinson's work, including analyses of her peculiar use of dashes and capital letters, A foreword by noted poet and Dickinson scholar Gregory Orr, A chronology of Dickinson's life and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources.
 

Bloom's Major Poets - Walt Whitman (811.3 WAL)
 These guides provide critical analysis of poets through history, offering examples of the poets work, a variety of viewpoints by different critics on the important aspects of each work.  Also included:

  • Editor's note and introduction by Harold Bloom

  • Author's biography

  • Thematic and structural analysis

  • Extracts of major critical essays

  • Extensive bibliography

  • Index of themes and ideas

   
Critical Companion to Walt Whitman (811.3 CRI)
Offers a detailed discussion of Whitman's life; entries on all his published poems, works of fiction, and major essays; detailed analysis of all his most famous and important poems; biographical information on important figures in his life, including family and friends, influences, critics, and more; entries on important places, publications, historical events and figures, and other topics." Additional features include a chronology, bibliographies of primary and secondary sources, a list of publications Whitman wrote for, a glossary of terms unique to his poetry, a genealogy, and more.

 Online Databases

  Scriber's Writers Series
Scribner Writer's Series includes 15-20 page signed essays on more than 1,600 authors and literary genres drawn from the acclaimed Scribner print series.

Student Resource Center - Gold
This comprehensive resource covers a wide range of subject areas in a variety of formats: Reference, Journals, Creative Works, Primary Sources, News and more.

 

The Twayne Authors Series
Comprises 600 full-text titles from the Twayne Literary Masters series, 200 each from Twayne World, US, and English Authors.

 
  Websites

Biography

 Biography Online - Emily Dickinson: http://www.biographyonline.net/poets/emily_dickinson.html

Poet Seers - Emily Dickinson: http://www.poetseers.org/early_american_poets/emily_dickinson/

Poet Seers - The Life of Walt Whitman: www.poetseers.org/early_american_poets/walt_whitman/whitman_biography

Poets.org - Emily Dickinson: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/155

Poets.org - Walt Whitman: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/126
 
Poetry Dickinson Electronic Archives: http://www.emilydickinson.org/

eMule Poetry Archives - Emily Dickinson: http://www.emule.com/poetry/?page=overview&author=38

eMule Poetry Archives - Walt Whitman: http://www.emule.com/poetry/?page=overview&author=60

Poetseers: Emily Dickinson's poetry: www.poetseers.org/early_american_poets/emily_dickinson/emily_dickinsons_poetry/

Poetseers: Walt Whitman's Poetry: www.poetseers.org/early_american_poets/walt_whitman/whitmans_poetry

Modern American Poetry - Emily Dickinson: http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/dickinson/dickinson.htm

Modern American Poetry - Walt Whitman: http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/s_z/whitman/whitman.htm

The Walt Whitman Archive: http://www.whitmanarchive.org/
 
Criticism American Transcendentalism Web - Dickinson: http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/roots/legacy/dickinson/index.html

American Transcendentalism Web - Whitman: http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/roots/legacy/whitman/index.html

IPL Online Literary Criticism Collection - Emily Dickinson: http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/bin/litcrit.out.pl?au=dic-61

IPL Online Literary Criticism Collection - Walt Whitman: http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/bin/litcrit.out.pl?au=whi-60

Literary History.com - Emily Dickinson: http://www.literaryhistory.com/19thC/DICKINSON_E.HTM

Literary History.com - Walt Whitman: http://www.literaryhistory.com/19thC/Whitman.htm


If you do not find what you're looking for in the above resources, try the search tips listed below.

  Internet Search Tips

  1. Type the URL (web site address) of a search directory/engine in the address box: ex: www.yahoo.com,  www.google.com or http://scholar.google.com/.
     
  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: "Emily Dickinson", be sure to put quotes around it so that the search engine only finds the Internet sites on old English as opposed to all of the sites containing the word Emily plus all of the sites containing the word Dickinson.
     

  4. If you would like to search for something specific about Emily Dickinson, 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 information on the life of Emily Dickinson, and criticism of her work, I would enter the following:

    "Emily Dickinson", criticism, biography

    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.
     

  5. 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?

     

  6. Remember: if you choose to use any information (text or graphics) found on an Internet source, 
    you must include it in your bibliography.

Remember:  YOU MUST CITE EVERY RESOURCE YOU USED to gather information on your 
Works Cited (Bibliography) page.  Use the Works Cited Guide to access MLA format.
 

Created by Liza Zandonella, Library Media Specialist.

 

Back To Research Unit Archive