Research Guides: English Language & Literature: Find Primary (Literary) Sources

What Are Primary Sources?

In literature, the most important primary sources are the literary work(s) which is the focus of your research: novels, plays, poetry, etc..

Literature-Specific Primary Source Databases

African American Poetry This link opens in a new window
Poems by African American poets of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Language: English
Keywords: Literature Online Eighteenth Nineteenth Century
Black Short Fiction and Folklore This link opens in a new window
Stories and folklore from Africa and the African Diaspora.
Includes complete runs of selected literary magazines such as Kyk-Over-Al and The Beacon.
Language: English
Caribbean Literature This link opens in a new window
Poems, drama, novels, stories and related material produced in the region during the 19th and 20th centuries. Features works in English, Spanish, French, and Dutch as well as various Creole languages.
Translations of major works, dictionaries, and reference materials are included.
Language: English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Creole languages
Latino Literature: Poetry, Drama, and Fiction This link opens in a new window
Novels, short stories, poetry and plays by Chicanx and Latinx authors working in the US. The majority of the works are in English. 19th century to present.
Most resources in this database are works of literature, most in English with some in Spanish. Search filters available for author ethnicity, nationality, gender, and time period.
Language: English, Spanish
New Oxford Shakespeare This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Good for exploring different editions of Shakespeare's plays and poems, for research, performance, or study.
Content type: Literary works, primary sources, books
Includes: Modern Critical Edition (modern spellings), Critical Reference Edition (original spellings), and Authorship Companion (essays of authorship and chronology). You can search across all three editions simultaneously.
Language: English
Past Masters Full Text Humanities: Women Writers This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Access the works, correspondence, and diaries of a selection of major (pre-1900) British authors.
Content type: Books, correspondence, diaries
Coverage dates: Pre-1900
Language: English
Papers of Amiri Baraka, Poet Laureate of the Black Power Movement This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Explore materials by and about Amiri Baraka, a prominent African American writer and activist, gathered together by Dr. Komozi Woodard in the course of his research.
Content type: Primary sources, poetry, organizational records, plays, speeches, correspondence, oral histories
Coverage dates: 1913-1998
The materials cover Baraka's involvement in the politics in Newark, N.J. and in Black Power movement organizations such as the Congress of African People, the National Black Conference movement, the Black Women's United Front, as well as Baraka's increasing involvement in Marxism.
Language: English
Keywords: Archives Unbound

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