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Use the sources listed below to find criticism of dramatic works. For help with using the sources described in this guide and for further assistance with your research, consult a Reference Librarian at the Information Desk. (For help with finding criticism of plays by William Shakespeare, see the guide titled “Shakespearean Criticism.”)

• If you need a QUICK FIX on a play, use the following sources which include critical articles on hundreds of dramatic works.

Critical Survey of Drama.
Includes essays on 538 dramatists and their works.
REFERENCE 1ST FLOOR PN1625 .C68 2003

Masterplots II. Drama Series.
Includes critical evaluations of 346 plays, mostly
works by twentieth century playwrights.
REFERENCE 1ST FLOOR PN6112.5 .M37 2003

Masterplots: 1,801 Plot Stories and Critical Evaluations of the World’s Finest Literature.
REFERENCE 1ST FLOOR PN44 .M33 1996

Masterplots II. African American Literature Series.
REFERENCE 1ST FLOOR PS153 .N5 M2645 1994

Masterplots II. Women’s Literature Series.
REFERENCE 1ST FLO0R PN471 .M37 1995

• If you are doing SERIOUS RESEARCH for a paper on a play, use the following sources:

Connelly Library Catalog.
To locate criticism of a play in books that are in the library’s circulating collection, type the dramatist’s name in the library’s catalog as a subject. Your search results will display the dramatist’s name followed by various subdivisions, such as BIBLIOGRAPHY, CRITICISM AND INTERPRETATION, and ENCYCLOPEDIAS. Collections of criticism of a particular play will appear under the title of the play as a subdivision (e.g., ALBEE, EDWARD, 19280 . WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF).

Literary Index.
This online source indexes various critical series, such as Drama Criticism. To locate criticism of a play, type the title of the play in the Title Search form that is provided. Your search results will list the series that contain entries on the play. Check the library’s catalog under the series title to obtain its location and call number.

MLA International Bibliography.
Produced by the Modern Language Association of America, this database provides indexing of critical articles in periodicals and books from 1926 to the present.