Printer Friendly VersionThe purpose of this guide is to assist students conducting drama research. While the emphasis of this guide is on the study of drama as literature, it also includes sources on drama as a performing art. The tools listed are basic sources for finding criticism of individual dramatists and plays and general background information of drama topics. Consult a reference librarian for assistance in locating or using these sources.
Table of Contents
Handbooks and Encyclopedias
Biographical Information
Criticism
Indexes to Plays
Synopses
Handbooks and Encyclopedias
Use these sources to find definitions of literary terms, short biographical
essays, identification of characters and places, and general discussions of
drama.
Hartnoll, Phyllis, and Peter Found, eds. Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. New
York: Oxford, 1992
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN2035 .C63 1992]
This is a good place to start for brief information about plays and playwrights.
Moore, Frank. Dictionary of the Performing Arts. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1999.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN1579 .M66 1999]
Defines theatre, dance, and film terms briefly and clearly.
Pavis, Patrice. Dictionary of the Theatre: Terms, Concepts, and Analysis. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 1998.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN2035 .P2913]
Provides lengthy definitions of terms relating to different types of drama and performance.
Hawkins-Dady, Mark, ed. International Dictionary of Theatre. Chicago: St. James Press, 1992.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN2000 .I47 1992]
This 3 volume set covering plays, playwrights, and actors, directors and designers includes brief essays about authors and plays. Useful for finding first date of publication or performance of a play.
Hochman, Stanley, ed. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN1625 .M39 1984]
Gives biographical information about playwrights, summaries of individual works, and definitions of terms.
Hischak, Thomas. The Theatre Goer's Almanac. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN2266 .H53 1997]
Contains summaries of American musicals and plays, brief biographical entries on playwrights and directors, and a brief history of American theatre.
Biographical Information
Biographical information can be found in most of the books listed under
Handbooks and Encyclopedias as well the following sources:
Biography and Genealogy Master Index. Detroit: Gale, 1995-.
[Online Resource]
This database is an excellent place to begin a search for biographical information. Indexes over 500 biographical sources, making it easy to know which sources to consult. Check LEO for local holdings.
Contemporary Authors. Detroit: Gale, 1967-.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN451 .C6 & Online Resource]
International in scope, this tool gives biographical information about contemporary authors and lists their works. In the print version, consult the separate index volume to locate entries on specific writers. Very useful for brief biographical information on playwrights.
Contemporary Dramatists. 6th ed. by Thomas Riggs. Washington, DC: St. James, 1999.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN1861 .V5 1999]
Brief biographical information, author bibliographies, and critical essays on over 300 dramatists who write in English.
Additional biographical sources:
Demastes, William W., ed. American Playwrights, 1880-1945: A Research and Production Sourcebook. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PS351 .A52 1995]
Biographical and critical information on major American dramatists.
Gavin, Christy. American Women Playwrights, 1964-1989: A Research Guide and Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland Publishers, 1993.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PS338 .W6 G38 1993]
Provides access to general discussions and specific criticism of American women dramatists.
Luce, T. James, ed. Ancient Writers: Greece and Rome. New York: Scribner's, 1982.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PA3002 A5 1982]
Provides biographical chapters on writers from 8 BC to 300 AD.
Berney, K.A., ed. Contemporary American Dramatists. Detroit: St. James, 1994.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PS352 .C65 1994]
Biographical essays on current American playwrights. Often includes comments from playwrights on their work.
Berney, K.A., ed. Contemporary British Dramatists. Detroit: St. James, 1994.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR736 .C577 1994]
Brief entries on British and Irish playwrights.
Berney, K.A., ed. Contemporary Women Dramatists. Detroit: St. James, 1994.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR736 .C58 1994]
Contains essays on contemporary English language women playwrights.
Dictionary of Literary Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1978-.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN451 D28 & Online Resource]
This multi-volume work provides chapter length biographical essays. The most recent volume includes a comprehensive index to the set. A well known, reliable source.
Beacham, Walton, ed. Research Guide to Biography and Criticism: World Drama. Washington, DC: Research Publishing, 1986.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN1721 R47 1986]
An excellent source for undergraduates beginning to research a dramatist. Gives brief information about each author and cites important criticisms.
LEO Library Catalog
Books about an author can be found by doing a subject search using the author's name as a subject heading. Conduct a Subject search by typing the author's name in reverse order.
Example: Miller, Arthur
Excerpts of Criticism
The sources listed below are reference books that give brief general criticism of
playwrights. These are useful for general criticism of individual authors.
Magill, Frank, ed. Critical Survey of Drama. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1994.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR623 C75 1994]
An excellent source for biographical and critical material. Covers English language dramatists only. This set includes a volume of scholarly essays providing an overview of various dramatic genres.
Drama Criticism. Detroit: Gale, 1991-.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN1601 .D59]
Provides excerpts of criticism on playwrights, representing a range of nationalities and time periods. A good starting point for understanding a dramatist's critical reception.
St. James Reference Guide to English Literature. Chicago: St. James, 1985.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR106 S7 1985]
Contains a biography, list of published books and plays, critical studies, and a critical essay for each playwright.
Locating Books Containing Criticism
LEO Library Catalog
The following subject headings can be useful for finding literary criticism:
(Author's Name) - Criticism and Interpretation
(Author's Name) - Style
Drama - 20th Century - History and Criticism
Classical Drama
Greek Drama - History and Criticism
Tragedy - History and Criticism
Passion - Plays
Melodrama
English Drama - Restoration, 1660-1700 - History and Criticism
American Drama - 20th Century - History and Criticism
Be aware that most book records don't list the title of each play discussed in the book record. However, once you have located the call number area where criticism on your author is located, you can find more detailed information by going to that area of the library and browsing the tables of contents and indexes of the books.
Bibliographies of Criticism
The following bibliographies will lead you to literary criticism in books, articles, and essays. these bibliographies are particularly useful if you need criticism of a
specific author or play.
Eddleman, Floyd, comp. American Drama Criticism: Interpretations, 1890-1977. 2nd ed. Hamden, CT: 1979.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PS350 .P3]
Lists interpretations found in books and periodicals. Very comprehensive in its coverage of American plays.
Arata, Esther, and Nicholas Rotoli. Black American Playwrights, 1800 to the Present: A Bibliography. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1976.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PS153 N5 A7]
Cites critical studies of black playwrights.
Drama Criticism: A Checklist of Interpretations Since 1940 of English and American Plays by Arthur Coleman and Gary Tyler. Denver: Swallow, 1966.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN1655 C65]
A checklist of criticism on drama appearing in periodicals and books. Arranged alphabetically by dramatist and then individual works.
Breed, Paul, and Florence Sniderman, eds. Dramatic Criticism Index: A Bibliography of Commentaries on Playwrights from Ibsen to the Avant-Garde. Detroit: Gale, 1972.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN1829 B74]
Covers around 300 American and foreign playwrights from the 20th century and a few from the 19th century. Indexes books and periodicals.
Palmer, Helen, comp. European Drama Criticism 1900-1975. 2nd ed. Hamden, CT: Shoe String Press, 1977.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN1721 P2 1977]
Covers English and other European dramatists. A comprehensive list of criticism from books and periodicals.
Gwinup, Thomas, and Fidelia Dickinson. Greek and Roman Authors: A Checklist of Criticism Criticism. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1973.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PA3001 G85 1982]
Cites recent criticism of Greek and Roman authors and their individual works. This tool is invaluable because criticism of classical authors is difficult to find elsewhere.
Otero, Rosalie. Guide to American Drama Explication. New York: G.K. Hall, 1995.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PS332 .O84 1995]
Provides references to criticism published between 1942 and 1994 on specific American plays.
Salem, James M. A Guide to Critical Reviews. New York: Scarecrow, 1984.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN2266 S24 1984]
Volume I indexes reviews of plays performed on New York stages from 1909-1982. Volume II indexes reviews of musicals from the same time period.
Adelman, Irving, and Rita Dworkin. Modern Drama: A Checklist of Critical Literature on 20th Century Plays. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1967.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN1851 A24]
The reviews listed in this work are scholarly. Books and articles are included. International in scope.
Carpenter, Charles. Modern Drama Scholarship and Criticism 1966-1980: An International Bibliography. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1986.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN1851 C27]
Supplemented by Modern Drama Scholarship and Criticism 1981-1990. The best source of criticism for foreign drama. Also covers American drama very well. The bibliography is supplemented in the journal Modern Drama. Includes books and journal articles.
Indexes to Criticism and Reviews
These sources provide access to information in periodical articles; some also include books and dissertations. Indexes usually provide listings by author and subject. Use these sources to update information found in background sources and books.
Use these sources to find a play in a collection or a periodical.
English Verse Drama. Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey, 1995.
[Online Resource]
English Verse Drama contains more than 2,200 works by around 500 named and over 300 anonymous works, from the Shrewsbury Fragments of the late thirteenth century through the unparalleled output of the Elizabethan and Jacobean period to the end of the nineteenth century. Contains the full text of the indexed plays.
Play Index. New York: Wilson, 1949-.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN1620 P53]
Helpful in locating a particular play in a collection. Gives brief information about each play.
Connor, Billie M., and Helene Mochedlover, eds. Ottemiller's Index to Plays in Collections. 7th ed. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1988.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN1655 O8 1988]
Useful for locating a play in an anthology or collection.
Keller, Dean H., ed. Index to Plays in Periodicals. Rev. ed. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1979.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN1721 K43 1979]
Indexes plays appearing in 267 periodicals. Useful for finding contemporary plays that do not appear in collections.
Synopses
Synopses of plays can be found in the books listed under Handbooks and Encyclopedias as well as in the following sources.
Shipley, Joseph Twadell. The Crown Guide to the World's Greatest Plays. New York: Crown, 1984.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN6112.5 .S45 1984]
For each play a brief synopsis, important aspects of the play's history and opinions of critics and reviewers are given.
Sprinchorn, Evert, ed. 20th Century Plays in Synopsis. New York: Thomas Crowell, 1965.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN6112.5 S68]
Gives act-by-act summaries of plays from 1860-1960.
Kolar, Carol K., comp. Plot Summary Index. 2nd ed. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1981.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PN44 K64 1981]
An index to the Masterplots series as well as several other compilations of summaries.
Maintained and updated by Melissa S. Van Vuuren, April 26, 2007
Compiled by Lynn Cameron and Rebecca Feind
Questions? Contact the library reference desk.
