Sometimes in a literature course, you will be asked to study and write about a literary work that not many scholars have researched or published on, and you may need to think broadly about how to expand your search to find relevant sources to inform your own literary analysis. This is likely to be the case in your study of Madeline Miller's novel Circe.
Consider expanding the search for sources for your essay to include not only scholarly analysis of this specific text, but in-depth book reviews, background information about Greek mythology, discussion of Homer's Odyssey from which the character Circe originates, or discussion of literary adaptation of the Odyssey more broadly. See the advice below for how and where to find these types of sources.
LibrarySearch is MRU's main search tool for finding articles and books.
Searching a journal article database that is specific to literary studies and related fields will often yield more relevant results more quickly than our more generic LibrarySearch tool.
Recommended databases for the study of literature include:
MLA International Bibliography - this is considered a key research tool in literary studies.
Literature Criticism Online - Try searching for Circe, which turns results on various adaptations of the Odyssey.
Project Muse - Limit to Literature, or other related research area, using the left-side panel.
Background sources - also know as reference works include encyclopedias, literary dictionaries and handbooks, all of which provide helpful overviews of literary topics, authors, characters, and themes. Try searching a high-quality reference collection or individual reference book for topics related to Circe, using keywords such as:
When searching within a collection of reference works, or a specific reference book, keep searches simple - generally searches of one or two words work best. Look for results that show substantial word counts, where available (a 1500 word source will be more helpful than a 150 word source). Pay close attention to the titles of the reference works/books in which the results you find are published, and focus on ones that are closely tied to your topic, e.g., related to mythology, classics, or literature.
Oxford Reference: Literature - Results from the Oxford Companion to World Mythology, and the Oxford Companion to Classical Literature may be particularly helpful
CredoReference - Try using the subject drop-down menu in the centre of the results page, and limit search results to the subjects of language and literature and mythology and folklore. Look for results from the Homer Encyclopedia
Literature Resource Centre - This collection includes both reference works and journal articles - try looking for Madeline Miller Circe and also more broadly for Circe, Odyssey, etc.
