Library Research Guide for Theater 131:
Master of Mayhem: The Classic Trickster Figure in Comedy

http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/theater131sp.html

Title-page woodcut from Robin Good-Fellovv (London, 1639). From the Folger Shakespeare Library Collection.

Developing a Search Strategy Finding Background Information Finding Books Finding Articles Finding Databases Internet Resources Evaluating Sources Citing Sources Research and Reference Help Selected Library Resources in Theater

Search strategy is a library term for the process of finding information in a logical, step-by-step manner. Using a search strategy insures that you will find the information or material you need as quickly and efficiently as possible.
 
 

Research Steps:

1. Choose your topic
2. Find background information
3. Find books on your topic
4. Find periodical articles
5. Find networked resources or relevant Web sites
6. Cite your sources

FINDING BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The materials listed below are a selection of reference resources for finding background information and context for topics you will be covering in this class. Note the call numbers and library locations for these materials and check the reference collections for additional sources of background information. The authors of articles in reference books often provide bibliographies of selected books and articles for further study.

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ENCYCLOPEDIAS, DICTIONARIES & GUIDES

• The Cambridge Guide to Theatre.Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1992. Olin Ref PN2035 C17
  Alphabetic listing of theatre culture and history, attempting to present "a comprehensive view of the history and present practice of theatre in all parts of the world, thus pointing to the dynamic interaction of performance traditions from all cultures in present day theatre."(Preface)

• Clowns & Tricksters : An Encyclopedia Of Tradition And Culture. Kimberly A. Christen. Denver, Colo. : ABC-CLIO, c1998. Uris Ref GR524 C48x 1998
  Entries highlight mythological and fictional beings from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Pacific. Each article describes the Trickster and its antics, while giving a full account of the cultural setting. Includes: -- More than 200 A-to-Z, cross-referenced entries -- Entry list by culture -- General bibliography -- Illustrations.

• The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 2nd ed.
  This concise version of the acclaimed Oxford Companion to the Theatre covers all aspects of theatre worldwide and throughout the ages. It contains entries on a vast range of theatrical styles, dramatists, performers, and directors, as well as information on theatres, festivals, and such technical topics as lighting, sound, and method acting.
• A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. Oxford: Blackwell Reference, 1991. Olin Ref PN44.5 C96 1991

• International Dictionary of Theatre. 3 vol. Chicago: St. James Press, 1992-1996. Uris Ref PN2035 I59 1995
  In three volumes, Vol.1 Plays, Vol.2 Playwrights, and Vol.3 Actors, Directors and Designers. Entries for plays provide a synopsis of the play, date of first publication and prodution, and a selected list of critical material. Entries for playwrights provide a discussion of the playwright's work, a list of works, and a short list of general criticism. Entries for actors, directors and designers provide basic biographical information, a list of their roles, and a short list of other biographical sources.

• An International Dictionary of Theatre Language. Westport: Greenwood, 1985. Olin Ref PN2035 I61
  15,000 terms described spanning theater history from ancient times to the present day. Extensive bibliography and numerous cross references make this a valuable research tool.
• Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism
  A full-text searchable database of articles on individual critics and theorists, critical and theoretical schools and movements, and the critical and theoretical innovations of specific countries and historical periods. It also treats related persons and fields that have been shaped by or have themselves shaped literary theory and criticism. Each entry includes a selective primary and secondary bibliography.

• Literature Resource Center
  "The Literature Resource Center (LRC) is a complete literature reference database designed for the undergraduate student. LRC combines biographical, bibliographical, and contextual information to deliver a complete reference/resource package on authors and their works (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, and journalism). Centering on respected Gale sources, including Contemporary Authors, Dictionary of Literary Biography, and Contemporary Literary Criticism, this data set is augmented with full-text, excerpted, and commissioned critical material illuminating an oeuvre or era. In partnership with Merriam-Webster, Inc., LRC offers the Encyclopedia of Literature including over 10,000 entries for authors, works, literary landmarks, literary and critical terms, mythological and folkloric figures, fictional characters, literary movements, and prizes. Partnering with Macmillan Library Reference, LRC offers The Scribner Writer Series, providing more than 1500 original biocritical essays on authors of all nationalities and time periods. And The Twayne Authors Series: Twayne's US Authors, Twayne's English Authors and Twayne's World Authors,providing literary criticism, history and influence of literary movements, and the development of literary genres for approximately 200 authors.
• McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama: An International Reference Work in Five Volumes. 2nd ed. 5 vols. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984. Uris Ref PN 1625 M14+ 1984; also Olin Ref
  "The purpose of the book is to present, in the clearest possible format, factual information and critical evaluations of numerous dramatists' work and stature." (Preface) Most entries contain a biographical sketch, a brief critique of the dramatist's work, a selection of synopses of his/her plays, a bibliography of editions and usually a list of critical and biographical works. Emphasis is on English and Western European playwrights. Includes some general essays on drama of the world as well as many photographs taken during actual productions.
• Oxford Companion to the Theatre.4th edition. New York: Oxford, l983. Uris Ref PN 2035 H33 1983; also Olin
  This handbook provides information on every aspect of the theatre up to the end of l982. Coverage is international in scope. Some articles deal with contemporary theatre in foreign countries, dramatic criticism, musical comedy, scenery, opera, Shakespearean Festivals, and blacks in the American theatre. All articles are signed. Separate sections in the back include a select list of theatre books, and notes on the illustrations.
• Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance, edited by Dennis Kennedy. 2 vols. Oxford Univ. Press, 2003. Olin Ref PN2035 O92x 2003+
  Provides information about theatre and performance internationally, through history and in the present. The 4300 entries are complemented by over 100 illustrations. Coverage ranges from ancient Greek theatre to 21st century developments in London, Paris, New York, and around the globe. Pays special attention to non-Western styles through articles on theatre and performance throughout Asia and Africa, often written by practitioners or critics from those areas. Dance, opera, performance art, radio, film, and television are covered at length. Also embraces para-theatrical, non-drammatic, and popular performance, including ritual, carnivals, parades, the circus, and public executions. Biographical entries cover the lives and work of major figures from the past and present: actors, playwrights, directors, designers, and critics. Entries on cities and regions place performance in its local social and political context.
• Theatre in Video
  Contains performances of the world’s leading plays and film documentaries on the subject of theater in streaming video. Some plays presented in multiple productions exemplifying various interpretations of the text, and technical and cultural differences among the presentations. Stage work of directors and actors are cross-searchable and available for side-by-side comparison. Interviews with directors, designers, writers, and actors, along with excerpts of live performances, provide illustration of the development of texts and the productions.

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BIBLIOGRAPHIES

• Carpenter, Charles A. Modern Drama Scholarship and Criticism, 1966-1980: an International Bibliography. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1986. Olin Ref Z5781 C29 "A classified, selective list of publications on world drama since Ibsen. the volume is intended mainly for students of modern dramatic literature. Play and playwright, rather than performance and performer, hold center stage." (Preface)

  ________________. Modern Drama Scholarship and Criticism, 1981-1990: an International Bibliography. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, . Olin Ref Z5781 C291 1997
  Updates and continues the previous volume, with additions and corrections to it. Emphasizes contemporary theory and performance theory more than its predecessor.

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Also see: Selected Library Resources in Theater

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Finding Databases

Find It! Databases provides access to resources that primarily direct you to catalogs, periodical indexes (e.g., Biosis, Historical Abstracts, Nexis/Lexis, or Proquest) and electronic reference sources such as almanacs, encyclopedias and directories. All of the resources available via Find Databases may also be accessed through the CU Library Catalog.

Searching for Databases

Type a keyword, keywords, or a phrase in the search box. Your search will then generate a list of resources (databases) that match your request. When searching on this page, use general rather than specific words (e.g., "philosophy" instead of "plato") in order to identify and connect to online reference resources and periodical indexes.

Browsing for Databases

Below the Search boxes you will find a menu of subject categories. Click on a subject category to browse lists of resources available in that subject area. You can browse our most frequently used resources by clicking on Greatest Hits, as well as browse the Alphabetical List of database titles by clicking on a letter below the search box.

Once you have identified the networked resource you are interested in, you can display a description by clicking on the [more info] link, or connect to it directly by clicking on the name of the resource.

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FINDING BOOKS

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Help Using the Cornell Library Catalog

Search Commands, Subject Searching, Keyword Searching, and other functions of the online catalog are explained on these pages. Some typical subject searches are:

THEATER HISTORY
TRICKSTERS
COMEDY

You can also find books on a particular subject by browsing the library stacks in the area in which the Library of Congress Classification number for that subject is shelved. Most books on theater are classed from PN 2000 through PN 3299

Connect to the Cornell Library Catalog

The Cornell Library Catalog currently includes all items from all Cornell libraries cataloged since 1973, some pre-1973 items, and items on order or in process. Included in the Cornell Library Catalog are books, periodicals and government documents, as well as some other materials located in the libraries at Cornell. The catalog provides the call number, the name of the library, and the circulation status for most materials.

Understanding Library of Congress Call Numbers

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FINDING PERIODICAL ARTICLES/ARTICLES IN BOOKS

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Articles

Periodical articles are an excellent source for detailed analysis or up-to-date information on a topic. These articles are from materials that are published "periodically" or in daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual or even irregular intervals. They are found in newspapers, magazines, journals, yearbooks, and other sources.

 Periodicals are available in several formats: bound paper volumes (like books), microfiche or microfilm, and increasingly as electronic text.

Indexes and Abstracts

Periodical Indexes and Abstracts are Reference resources that identify and locate articles in periodical publications. They are often subject-oriented and list author, title, name of periodical, volume, pages and date of publication in entries called bibliographic citations. For information about bibliographic format and how to cite resources that you use in your research, go to Citing Sources.

 Abstracts are specialized indexes that also include summaries of the content of the articles with their citations.

 Periodical Indexes and Abstracts also come in several formats: traditional and historical bound paper volumes, stand alone CD-ROM computer workstations, and more recently as networked databases available via the Library Gateway, or through links in the Library Catalog. For more information about finding electronic reference sources through the Cornell University Library, go to Finding Databases.

Full-text Articles

An ever growing number of periodical indexes offer access to the full-text of articles electronically. Use the Library Catalog to find full-text resources.

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PERIODICAL & BOOK ARTICLE INDEXES

• Humanities International Index
  A comprehensive database covering journals, books and other important reference sources in the humanities and provides cover-to-cover indexing and abstracting for over 1,700 journals and contains more than 1.5 million records. Humanities International Index includes deep backfiles for some of the most important journals in the area of humanities. The database includes all data from American Humanities Index plus bibliographic records from a multitude of international journals, books and reference works. This database provides citations and abstracts for articles, essays and reviews, as well as original creative works including poems, fiction, photographs, paintings and illustrations.

• International Index to the Performing Arts: IIPA Full Text.
  IIPA Full Text covers a broad spectrum of the arts and entertainment industry--including dance, film, television, drama, theater, stagecraft, musical theater, broadcast arts, circus performance, comedy, storytelling, opera, pantomime, puppetry, magic and more. Each full text in the file contains an abstract.

• JSTOR: the Scholarly Journal Archive.
  JSTOR is a fully-searchable database containing the back issues of several hundred scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, mathematics, music, ecology and botany, business, and other fields. Searches can be limited to journals in specific subject disciplines, e.g., Classical Studies, Language & Literature, etc.

• MLA International Bibliography.
  An international database providing references to scholarly articles from over 4000 journals dealing with languages, literature, folklore and linguistics. It is useful for finding literary criticism of a particular author or work, as well as articles on literary theory, women's studies, popular culture, and performing arts.

• Proquest Research Library
  Indexes and abstracts over 1600 general interest magazines and scholarly journals including all the magazines in Reader's Guide and most of the scholarly journals from Social Sciences Index, Humanities Index, General Science Index. It also includes citations and abstracts to selected television and radio programs. The Library subscribes to most of the periodicals indexed. Holdings can be found easily since the titles are linked to the online catalog.

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FINDING INTERNET RESOURCES

Use search engines or Internet subject guides to find resources or sites on the World Wide Web on your topic. Search Engines are software that allow you to search the contents of web pages and Subject Guides are web pages that use menus and lists to sort and classify web sites.

 Question Authority! The Internet is a very democratic tool, in that anyone can write or say virtually anything they wish to on it. As you would do with books and journal articles, look to see who is responsible for producing the web page or site that you are accessing. Does the individual or institution have a particular bias or concern or agenda in presenting their information. How objective is the information? How accurate or truthful? How authoritative?

• Evaluating Web Sites
• Search the Internet
• Internet Subject Guides
• Library Web Servers World-Wide
• Library Catalogs World-Wide

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SELECTED INTERNET RESOURCES

• Internet Reference Resources By Subject
• CU Library Literature Page
• Film: A Selected Bibliography of Reference Sources

• Reference Sources in Multicultural Literature

• Selected Library Resources in Theater

• Voice of the Shuttle
• Yahoo

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EVALUATING SOURCES

Evaluating the sources you find is a crucial step in the process of library research. The questions you ask about books, periodical articles, or multimedia sources are similar whether you're looking at a citation to the item or have the item in hand. How to Critically Analyze Information Sources lists some of the critical questions you should ask when you consider the appropriateness of a particular book, article, media resource, or Web site for your research. Distinguishing Scholarly from Non-Scholarly Periodicals: A Checklist of Criteria shows how to evaluate periodicals by looking at their format, intended audience, and appearance. Evaluating Web Resources lists ways to analyze the Web sites you find. Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Sites offers a table of suggestions. For additional suggestions specific to Web sites, see Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools.

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CITING SOURCES

• MLA Style (MLA's web site)
• How to Cite Information From the Internet and the World Wide Web (APA's web site)
• APA and MLA Style sheets for print sources (U. of Illinois web site)
• How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography

• Managing Information using Bibliographic/Citation Software

  RefWorks is a web-based program that allows you to easily collect, manage, and organize bibliographic references by interfacing with databases. RefWorks also interfaces directly with Word, making it easy to import references and incorporate them into your writing, properly formatted according to the style of your choice. For more information and to sign up for an account: http://www.refworks.cornell.edu

  EndNote allows you to build your own database of bibliographic references from a variety of resources, including library catalogs and periodical indexes. EndNote interfaces with several standard word processing programs and provides direct connections to resources, making it easy to import references and incorporate them in your writing. EndNote (or RefWorks) is highly recommended for researchers. EndNote workshops are regularly held on campus.

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RESEARCH AND REFERENCE HELP

• Library Gateway Help

• CU Library Catalog Help

• 

• Reference Desk Directory

• Reference Desk Schedules in Olin and Uris Libraries
  • Olin Library Reference phone number: 255-4144

  • Uris Library Reference phone number: 255-2339

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