Sourcebooks or readers on a time period often include selected representative texts and provide a view of the contemporary debate. Search the Tomlinson Library catalog or other library catalogs on your topic, including the word sources in your search. For example: modernism and sources
Historical Criticism considers a work of literature as a statement, a text engaged in debate with contemporary cultural mores and other texts. This historical context provides "a larger field of meaning in which a text can and should be situated in order to be understood fully." * How do you identify representative texts within a cultural debate or discourse? Some approaches:
*"Historical Criticism" From An Introduction to Criticism: Literature/Film/Culture by Michael Ryan
Subjects: Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Business,
Education, Literature Open Access Resource HathiTrust is a partnership of academic & research institutions, offering a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world. Titles out of copyright and in public domain are viewable.
Subjects: US History, Political Science
19th Century U.S. Newspapers provides access to primary source newspaper content from the 19th century, featuring full-text content and images from numerous newspapers from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S. The collection encompasses the entire 19th century, with an emphasis on such topics as the American Civil War, African-American culture and history, Western migration and Antebellum-era life, among other subjects.
Subject: U.S. History The American Revolution digital collection contains nearly 500 significant documents of the time-official correspondence, personal letters, political speeches, memoirs, histories, biographies, and contemporary reference works--enabling students, faculty and patrons to study one of the key events in American history. Sources in U.S. History Online is a series of archival digital collections intended for public library patrons as well as high school, community college, and university students.
Subject: U.S. History The Civil War digital collection contains nearly 500 significant documents of the time--personal narratives, monographs, regimental histories, collected essays, sermons, songs, legal tracts, and political speeches--enabling students, faculty and patrons to study one of the key events in American history. Sources in U.S. History Online is a series of archival digital collections intended for public library patrons as well as high school, community college, and university students.
Subject: U.S. History The Slavery in America digital collection contains more than 600 significant documents of the time--personal narratives, pamphlets, addresses, monographs, sermons, and political speeches--enabling students, faculty and patrons to study the institution of slavery from the 17th century through the end of the 19th century. Sources in U.S. History Online is a series of archival digital collections intended for public library patrons as well as high school and community college students.
Subjects: Social & Behavioral Sciences, History The (London) Times has offered readers in-depth, award-winning and objective coverage of world events since its creation 1785 and is the oldest daily newspaper in continuous publication. The Times Digital Archive is an online, full-text facsimile of more than 200 years of The Times, a valuable resource for 19th – 20th Century history detailing every complete page of every issue from 1785 onward.
Selected sourcebooks with texts from particular time periods & places are compiled below:
To find primary source materials for placing a particular work in historical context, search the library catalog on the title of interest and the word sources. For example: King Lear and sources