Research Guides: Literary Periods: Medieval

Background & Reference Information

Oxford Bibliographies: Medieval Studies This link opens in a new window
Overviews & annotated bibliographies on European & Mediterranean civilization from the 4th-15th centuries
International Medieval Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Middle Ages, covering Europe, the Middle East, & North Africa in the period 400-1500
International Directory of Medievalists This link opens in a new window
Directory of scholars working on the Middle Ages
Dictionary of Old English: A to I Online This link opens in a new window
Defines English vocabulary from 600-1150 CE

Dictionary of the Middle Ages
Call Number: Fondren Library, Centennial Reading Room, Reference, D114 .D5
This encyclopedic treatment explores every aspect of medieval life in Christian Europe, the Scandinavian north, the Byzantine and Slavic east, the Muslim south, and the far-ranging world of Judaism from A.D. 500 to 1500.
Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature
Call Number: Fondren Library, Centennial Reading Room, Reference, PN669 .E53 2000
Ccomprehensive guide to literature written between 500 and 1500.
Oxford Handbook of Medieval Literature in English
Call Number: Fondren Library, Red, PR255 .O95 2010
Brings together the insights of new fields and approaches with those of more familiar texts and methods of study, to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of medieval literature today.

Primary Sources

Medieval Family Life This link opens in a new window
Correspondence & business records from medieval families in Britain, 1400-1500
Medieval Travel Writing This link opens in a new window
Manuscripts from 1200-1500, focus on journeys to the Holy Land, India & China

Primary Sources: before 1600

Early English Books Online This link opens in a new window
History of English thought from the first book printed in English, 1475-1700, full-text

Recommended Databases

ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials PLUS This link opens in a new window
ATLA is the premier database to search for any topic relating to religion.
Cambridge Companions Complete Collection This link opens in a new window
Includes the full-text of books, such as the Cambridge Companions to:
Medieval English Literature 1100-1500, Medieval English Culture, and more.
Dictionary of Old English Web Corpus This link opens in a new window
Texts in Old English
Early English Books Online This link opens in a new window
History of English thought from the first book printed in English, 1475-1700, full-text
International Medieval Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Middle Ages, covering Europe, the Middle East, & North Africa in the period 400-1500
Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance This link opens in a new window
A bibliography of articles and reviews drawn from over 400 medieval and renaissance journal titles.
Index of Medieval Art This link opens in a new window
A thematic and iconographic index of early Christian and medieval art objects begun at Princeton University in 1917.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Full-text journals include: Medieval & Renaissance Drama in England and Medieval Prosopography
Library Catalog - Advanced This link opens in a new window
A subset of Library Search that finds only materials owned by SMU Libraries, such as books, journals, movies, etc.
MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
The Modern Language Association's citation database. Some full-text is available.
Parker Library on the Web This link opens in a new window
Supports the use and study of the manuscripts in the historic Parker Library at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.Contains key Anglo-Norman and Middle English texts.
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Full-text journals include: Arthuriana and The Chaucer Review
ProQuest One Literature This link opens in a new window
Literary criticism, authors' biographies, reference resources with citations

Sample Library of Congress (LC) Subject Headings

Shows all the records in the library catalog with this subject heading.

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Chaucer

Chaucer Bibliography Online
Searchable database of material from the Annotated Chaucer bibliography, published annually in Studies in the age of Chaucer.

All Things Chaucer: An Encyclopedia of Chaucer's World
Includes numerous alphabetically arranged entries on items mentioned in all of his works and references the items to his writings.
British and Irish Literature and Its Times: Celtic migrations to the Reform Bill
Learn about Chaucer's world in historical, political, and cultural context.
Cambridge Companion to Chaucer
The full-text of the Cambridge Companion to Chaucer.
Critical Companion to Chaucer: a literary reference to his life and work
Arranged in four sections: Biography: Works A-Z; Related People, Places, and Topic; and Appendices,this provides a good introduction to Chaucerian topics. A map of the Canterbury pilgrimage is included.

Featured Holdings

Early English Text Society (Series). by Early English Text Society.
Publication Date: 1864
Reprints of hundreds of early English texts. Includes the "original series," the "extra series," and the "second series"