Literary Criticism of Drama

This guide addresses the need for literary criticism for beginning literary critics. It provides resources for finding plays, monologues, plot summaries of plays, reviews and criticism.

Starting Points

Play Index

Play Index enables users to search some 44,000 plays published individually or in collections from 1949 to the present. The database covers a wide range of plays written or translated into English, including one-act plays, pageants, radio and television plays, and classic drama.

Literary Index

Gale's Literary Index is a master index to the major literature products published by Gale.

Masterplots II: Drama Series

For finding plot summaries of plays.

Articles & eResources

MLA International Bibliography

For reviews and literary criticism.

Literature Resource Center

Rich in biographical, bibliographical, and critical content, Gale's Literature Resource Center is the premier Internet resource for information on literary figures from all time periods writing in such genres as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, journalism, and more.

Academic Search Complete

For finding reviews.

Books & Library Materials

Use indexes to find individual plays. Sometimes plays are published individually; many times they appear in periodicals or anthologies. Also listed below is a sample of literary criticism print resources. To find more, please check the Randall Library catalog or ask a librarian for help.