LibGuides: British and UK Studies: Literature & Linguistics

Literature Encyclopedias & Reference

Anglo-Norman Dictionary
Covering Anglo-French language and literature from 1066 to the mid-15th century, this resource (previously named The Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub) consists of the online Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND) -- a substantially revised and greatly expanded edition of the print Anglo-Norman Dictionary (1977-1992) -- supplemented by a browsable and searchable XML textbase of publicly accessible source medieval texts in Anglo-French, a concordance to those texts, an annotated bibliography, and a blog.
The Camelot Project
"A database of Arthurian texts, images, bibliographies, and basic information"; provides scholarly essays as well as links to secondary and primary resources relating to the Arthurian legend, including reproductions and editions of relevant manuscripts as well as artistic works from various periods. A project at the Rossell Hope Robbins Library, University of Rochester, New York.
Discovering Literature: Explore Literature in Context
A substantial British Library educational project covering multiple periods of English-language British literature, medieval through the 20th century, designed to enhance an understanding of "the social, political and cultural context in which key works of literature were written." The section for each period contains digitized materials from the British Library collections (including manuscripts, first print editions, notebooks, letters, reviews, book covers, theatre programs, and photographs), combined with interpretive articles commissioned for this project, documentary videos, and teaching resources. The secondary resources address themes of current scholarship such as explorations of identity, impacts of colonialism and technological changes, and reflections of popular culture.
Exploring Identity (British Library)
“Examine how writers have explored identity – through the prisms of ethnicity, class, gender and sexuality – in the modern world.” A collection of studies in the Themes section of the British Library educational project covering 20th-century and early 21st-century English-language British literature. The works of a number of Asian British, Black British, women, and LGBT literary authors are discussed, accompanied by annotated digitized materials from the British Library collections (author notebooks, recordings of readings, related news articles, photographs, etc.) and brief bibliographies, all designed to provide social, political, and cultural context.
Folger Shakespeare Library
The Folger Shakespeare Library (Washington, DC) holds the world's largest William Shakespeare collection, in addition to significant collections of other rare Renaissance books, manuscripts, and works of art. Its website provides information on the Library's collections and activities; background reference information on Shakespeare and his works; and access to digitized texts and images from its collection.
Internet Shakespeare Editions
Peer-reviewed resources on Shakespeare's works, his life and times, and performances of his plays. Based at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.
Middle English Compendium
Set of three electronic resources: the Middle English Dictionary, a Bibliography of Middle English prose and verse, and a Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. A project at the University of Michigan.
Romantic Circles
"A refereed scholarly Website devoted to the study of Romantic-period literature and culture." Features a text archive, peer-reviewed critical works, research tools, pedagogical materials, images, audio (interviews, readings, and lectures), and reviews, as well as a blog for news, announcements, etc. A collaborative project originating at the University of Maryland, College Park, currently a publication of the University of Colorado, Boulder.
The Victorian Web
"Literature, history, & culture in the age of Victoria." An interdisciplinary collection of critical studies, a number of primary texts, images, and musical sound files. Editor-in-chief: George P. Landow, emeritus professor at Brown University.
Voice of the Shuttle: Literature (in English)
A comprehensive gateway site with links to a range of types of resources on literatures in English: reference works, scholarly studies, biographical resources, text collections, scholarly associations, literary prizes, etc. Voice of the Shuttle (VoS) is a project at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Online Bibliographies & Finding Aids

LES Bibliography: Studies of Interest to Literatures of English Librarians
"A selective bibliography of citations appearing in MLA International Bibliography, LISTA, Google Scholar, and other databases," in four categories: English in higher education; reference, research, and instruction; technical services; and collections.
Archives of Welsh Authors
List of archives held at the National Library of Wales of Welsh-language authors who became famous during the 20th century -- literary authors, archdruids, journalists, and scholars -- with links to the associated finding aid for each collection of papers and an A-Z list of authors who are most prominently represented.
Archives of Welsh Writers in English
List of archives held at the National Library of Wales of prominent Welsh authors writing in English collected since about the mid-20th century, with links to the associated finding aid for each collection of papers and an A-Z list of authors who are most prominently represented.
Black Plays Archive (BPA)
“An online catalogue of the first professional production of every African, Caribbean, and Black British play produced in the U.K.” In addition to the searchable database of works, supplementary resources include audio play extracts, video interviews with practitioners and scholars, and essays. Browsing by playwright, title, period, company, and theatre. A project of the National Theatre, initiated by playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah.
Medieval Libraries of Great Britain
A database of known holdings of medieval libraries in England, Wales, and Scotland, including both existing manuscript holdings in modern libraries and titles identified only in medieval catalogues. It can be searched by author, title, medieval library name, modern institution, and medieval or modern location. A work-in-progress project hosted at the University of Oxford.

Directories

British Council Writers Directory
A searchable database that "contains profiles of some of the UK and Commonwealth's most important writers. Each profile includes biographies, bibliographies, critical reviews and information about awards." Compiled by the British Council, "the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities."

Scholarly Organizations & Literary Associations

Black Writers’ Guild
An organization that provides representation and support for “professional and emerging British writers of Black African and Black African-Caribbean heritage,” whose “purpose is to create a sustainable, profitable, fair and equal eco-system for Black literary talent in British publishing.” Founded in 2020, its membership includes many prominent and award-winning Black British authors. Works by members are in various literary genres as well as on non-literary subjects.
British Association for Modernist Studies (BAMS)
An interdisciplinary association that “promotes the study of modernism, broadly conceived.” In addition to the journal Modernist Cultures and the online journal-blog The Modernist Review, BAMS sponsors conferences and training events as well as an essay prize.
British Association for Romantic Studies (BARS)
"National organisation for promoting the study of Romanticism and the history and culture of the period from which it emerged." It publishes The BARS Review, an open-access review journal, and organizes various scholarly events.
British Association for Victorian Studies (BAVS)
"A multidisciplinary organisation dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge about the Victorian period ..., including art history, cultural studies, history, literary studies, performance studies and the history of science."
British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (BSECS)
BSECS “promotes the study of all aspects of the global ‘long’ eighteenth century.” It organizes an annual international conference and various smaller meetings. It also issues the Wiley publication Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies.
Llenyddiaeth Cymru = Literature Wales
Organization that funds and organizes literary projects “to inspire communities, develop writers and celebrate the literary culture of Wales. Literature Wales works in Welsh, English and bilingually across Wales.” Goals include support for writers who identify as members of marginalized communities and other under-represented literary voices.
NINES (Networked Infrastructure for Nineteenth-Century Electronic Scholarship)
"A scholarly organization devoted to forging links between the material archive of the nineteenth century and the digital research environment of the twenty-first." Among the site's features are a database of peer-reviewed research projects, essays -- including many on British literature -- discussions, and a blog.
Poetry Society
An arts organization whose overall goal is “to promote a more general recognition and appreciation of poetry.” In addition to publishing The Poetry Review (first issued in 1912), it provides educational programs for writers, teachers, and students; sponsors events and awards; and engages in collaborative projects and public advocacy on behalf of poets and poetry.
Sixteenth Century Society & Conference (SCSC)
"A scholarly society that is interested in the early modern era (ca. 1450-ca. 1660). Our geographical scope is as worldwide as our membership. ... Welcomes scholars from all disciplines who have an interest in early modern studies."

Digital Literary Journals

19: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century
"Peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary study in the long nineteenth century." Based at the Birkbeck College (University of London) Centre for Nineteenth-Century Studies.
ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts 1640-1830 (Online)
Open-access journal that "focuses on gender and women’s issues, and all aspects of women in the arts in the long eighteenth century, especially literature, visual arts, music, performance art, film criticism, and production arts." Issued by the Aphra Behn Society with the support of the University of South Florida Tampa Library.
Asian Booklist
An information resource on new and forthcoming books by South Asian British authors – those with ancestral origins in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, or Sri Lanka – covering both literary and non-literary works. (Self-published and e-book-only titles are excluded.) Bangladeshi British writer Kia Abdullah established this website and associated quarterly newsletter.
The Asian Writer
“The voice of British Asian writing.” Quarterly magazine and online newsletter that showcases South Asian literature, providing information about and for South Asian British authors such as critical essays, interviews, notices about new publications, and course announcements. Founded in 2007 by writer Farhana Shaikh.
The BARS Review
Digital annual review journal of the British Association for Romantic Studies, covering "new monographs, essay collections, editions and other works dealing with the literature, history and culture of the Romantic period, broadly conceived."
Digital Defoe
"Studies in Daniel Defoe & His Contemporaries." An interdisciplinary open-access journal.
Early Modern Literary Studies
"Articles in EMLS examine English literature, literary culture, and language during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries." Published with the support of the Humanities Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University.
English Language and Literature Studies (ELLS)
Open-access journal covering "literature written in the English language, English linguistics, translation studies and related areas." Published by the Canadian Center of Science and Education.
The Modernist Review
"A monthly round-up of publications, conferences and events from across the diverse field of modernist studies." Issued by the British Association for Modernist Studies.
Neo-Victorian Studies
Interdisciplinary born-digital journal "dedicated to contemporary re-imaginings of the nineteenth century in literature, the arts and humanities, ... staging an encounter between the Victorian and neo-Victorian." Hosted by Swansea University.
Nineteenth-Century Gender Studies
Peer-reviewed open-access journal publishing "scholarship on gender studies and nineteenth-century British literature, art, and culture," including articles "that consider gender and sexuality in conjunction with race, class, place, age, ability, and nationality."
Studies in Scottish Literature
Open-access journal covering all periods and genres of Scottish literature, published from the University of South Carolina.

Digital Collections and Texts

Broadside Ballads Online
"Digital collection of English printed ballad-sheets from between the 16th and 20th centuries, linked to other resources for the study of the English ballad tradition." Maintained at the University of Oxford's Bodleian Libraries.
Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
A collection of searchable Middle English texts, representing a wide range of genres, subjects, dates, and places. Part of the Middle English Compendium, a project at the University of Michigan.
Corpus of Modern Scottish Writing (CMSW)
A component of the Scottish Corpora Project, CMSW is an electronic corpus of written and printed texts from the period 1700-1945, taken from sources including novels, newspapers, magazine articles, legal documents, and correspondence. Multiple partner institutions house the original documents; the project is maintained at the University of Glasgow.
Digital Renaissance Editions
Electronic scholarly editions of early English drama and texts of related interest, from the late medieval period through the mid-17th century. Presents facsimiles, direct transcriptions, and modern-spelling editions plus supplementary critical and historical materials and a multimedia database of performances. Based at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA)
An open-access digital archive of primary and secondary sources, consisting of "the digital collection of richly encoded full-texts and a research project, which focuses on the computationally-assisted analysis of these texts," by providing tools for close reading and forms for contributing notes and comments. Builds on the digital texts created by the Text Creation Partnership from Gale’s Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO).
Electronic Beowulf
A critical edition edited by Kevin S. Kiernan, a prominent scholar of this key Anglo-Saxon epic poem. (Site sponsored by The British Library and The University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences.)
Emory Women Writers Resource Project (EWWRP)
Digital text collection of British and American works by women, 17th century through the early 20th century, including sections by period, genre literature, and World War I poetry. The sections "Abolition, Freedom, and Rights" and "Women's Advocacy" also include some literary works.
English Broadside Ballad Archive (EBBA)
Digital collection of English broadsides containing ballads, with a focus on the 17th century, providing facsimiles, transcriptions, and (when extant tunes are identifiable) song recordings, together with supplementary materials such as a bibliography and glossary. The original source documents are in the collections of multiple institutions; the EBBA project is housed at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
The English Renaissance in Context (ERIC)
Combines a database of scanned major texts of English Renaissance literature, in their original versions, with "a set of tutorials on some of Shakespeare's plays and on the making and selling of books during the Early Modern period." A project of the Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text & Image and the Furness Shakespeare Library, University of Pennsylvania Libraries.
The First World War Poetry Digital Archive
Digital repository of works of "major poets of the period, including Wilfred Owen, Isaac Rosenberg, Robert Graves, Vera Brittain, and Edward Thomas. This is supplemented by a comprehensive range of multimedia artefacts from the Imperial War Museum, a separate archive of over 6,500 items contributed by the general public, and a set of specially developed educational resources." Formats include manuscript images, text transcriptions, and audio and videorecordings. Project based at the Univrsity of Oxford.
The Folger Shakespeare
The full texts of Shakespeare’s plays, sonnets, and poems, provided by the Folger Shakespeare Library. This site includes downloadable files of the texts, background information on Shakespeare and his works, and selected audio recordings of Folger Theatre performances.
Gothic Archive
A collection of digitized or transcribed British Gothic chapbooks (from the late 18th century and 19th century) held in private and research libraries in the US, Canada, and Europe, together with summaries and other supplemental materials. A project at Marquette University.
Helsinki Corpus of Older Scots (HCOS)
An electronic corpus of Scottish texts from the period 1450-1700, including official records, prose texts (religious and secular), text samples, and private correspondence. The corpus is maintained at the University of Helsinki.
The Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies: English, Middle
A collection of digital texts in Middle English, including numerous literary works as well as documentary sources. Some links are provided for resources containing modern critical studies and other aids to research. The digitized texts of The Labyrinth were prepared at various institutions; the site is sponsored by Georgetown University.
The Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies: English, Old
A collection of digital texts in Old English -- Anglo-Saxon -- including numerous literary works as well as documentary sources. Some links are provided for resources containing modern critical studies and other aids to research. The digitized texts of The Labyrinth were prepared at various institutions; the site is sponsored by Georgetown University.
Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature
A collection of online texts, supplemented by biographies, essays, articles, bibliographies, and links to other secondary resources, covering medieval through 18th-century literature. Compiled by Anniina Jokinen, with contributions from a number of scholars.
Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech (SCOTS)
A component of the Scottish Corpora Project, SCOTS is an electronic corpus of written and spoken texts from 1945 to the present day, in multiple modern languages of Scotland, predominantly varieties of Scots and Scottish English. An advanced search can be filtered to include only written or only audio resources. The project is maintained at the University of Glasgow.
The Shelley-Godwin Archive
A project to provide digitized manuscripts of works by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, William Godwin, and Mary Wollstonecraft, from original documents held in multiple institutions. A partnership project between the New York Public Library and the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities, in cooperation with the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
TEAMS Middle English Texts Series (METS)
Critical editions of medieval English texts, with translations in modern English; texts are usually accompanied by historical-critical introductions. (Includes some works in Latin, Anglo-Norman, and Middle French by authors with some connection to medieval England.) Available free for individual use only, A publication of the University of Rochester’s Rossell Hope Robbins Library (site of the editorial staff) and the Teaching Association for Medieval Studies (TEAMS), with Medieval Institute Publications, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Welsh Prose, 1300-1425
A searchable corpus of the transcribed texts of 54 medieval Welsh manuscripts, containing 140 texts. The arrangement under “Texts” is by literary genre (including Mabinogion versions and medieval romances) or broad subject (such as history, law, and medical). A project of Cardiff University.

Linguistics Resources: General

European Minority Languages
A broad portal site with links to resources on numerous European languages, primarily those currently considered minority languages within Europe, including Celtic languages of Great Britain and Ireland. This resource is compiled at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, a college on the Isle of Skye, Scotland (a partner in the University of the Highlands and Islands).
Omniglot: the online encyclopedia of writing systems and languages
A resource maintained by British linguist Simon Ager, with contributions from others. Among the many languages covered are multiple languages of Britain and Ireland, extinct as well as current. The page for each language includes a definition and information such as number of current speakers and distribution (when applicable), historical background, pronunciation guide including audio recordings, alphabet when applicable, sample texts, and links to further resources.

English Language

British Accents and Dialects
A British Library project that "celebrates and explores regional and social variation and aspects of continuity and change in the varieties of English spoken in the UK. The content focuses above all on features of spoken English that can be illustrated and supported by actual examples taken from the Library’s extensive collection of sound recordings of authentic speech," originally recorded 1952-2011 in many locations in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The site consists of audio files with accompanying metadata, articles by linguists, and supplementary teaching resources.
British National Corpus (BNC)
"A 100 million word collection of samples of written and spoken language from a wide range of sources, designed to represent a wide cross-section of British English from the later part of the 20th century, both spoken and written."
Maintained by the Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics, University of Oxford, the corpus can be searched via different interfaces listed on this site, and the complete collection is available for download.
European Minority Languages: English
Includes links to information about the history of English (including Old and Middle English), English place names, and dialects of British English. Compiled at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, a college on the Isle of Skye, Scotland (a partner in the University of the Highlands and Islands).
Middle English Dictionary
Searchable database of a Middle English lexicon, with examples of usage, for the period 1100-1500. Part of the Middle English Compendium, a project at the University of Michigan.
Omniglot: English
Omniglot: Old English / Anglo-Saxon (Ænglisc)

Cornish Language

The Celtic language formerly spoken in Cornwall, in southwestern England, Cornish is extinct as a first language but is being revived to some extent as a second language.

European Minority Languages: Kernewek (Cornish)
A portal site with links to multiple types of resources, compiled at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, a college on the Isle of Skye, Scotland (a partner in the University of the Highlands and Islands).
Gerlyver Kernewek: Cornish Dictionary
Online Cornish-English dictionary compiled by Akademi Kernewek, which "is recognised by Cornwall Council as the definitive body responsible for corpus planning for the Cornish language." The entries are based on modern-day Cornish in its Standard Written Form (SWF); they can be searched by either Cornish or English words or terms. This project is in the process of adding information to entries about earlier forms of the language; some entries include audio clips to demonstrate pronunciation, and more audio files are planned.
Omniglot: Cornish (Kernewek)

Manx Language

The Celtic language of the Isle of Man, Manx is spoken today as a minority second language.

European Minority Languages: Gaelg (Manx)
A portal site with links to multiple types of resources, compiled at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, a college on the Isle of Skye, Scotland (a partner in the University of the Highlands and Islands).
Omniglot: Manx

Scottish Gaelic Language

Scottish Gaelic, or Gàidhlig, is a Celtic language, closely related to Irish Gaelic, that continues to be spoken in Scotland, primarily in the western Highlands and the Hebrides.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig (BnG)
The Scottish Government body responsible for the development of the Gaelic language and culture, established by the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005. It undertakes various projects and other initiatives with the goal that Gaelic be “seen and heard on a daily basis across Scotland, such that it is widely recognised as an integral part of Scottish life and a national cultural and economic asset.”
DASG: Digital Archive of Scottish Gaelic
Online repository of digitized Scottish Gaelic texts, audio recordings, and lexical resources held at the University of Glasgow, including an archive based on fieldwork conducted in both Scotland and Nova Scotia between the 1960s and 1980s. (The repository project's full Gaelic name: Dachaigh airson Stòras na Gàidhlig.) One of the purposes of this ongoing project is to contribute to the interuniversity project Faclair na Gàidhlig, which is working on a digital historical dictionary of Scottish Gaelic.
European Minority Languages: Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic)
A portal site with links to multiple types of resources, compiled at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, a college on the Isle of Skye, Scotland (a partner in the University of the Highlands and Islands).
Am Faclair Beag
An online English-Scottish Gaelic dictionary based on and incorporating the Gaelic-English dictionary by Edward Dwelly first published 1902-1911, Faclair Gàidhlig, updated with additional entries and definitions; searchable by either English or Gaelic. Some entries include audio files illustrating pronunciation. Project led by Celtic linguist Michael Bauer and software engineer William Robertson.
Omniglot: Scottish Gaelic

Scots Language

Scots, also known as Lallans or Doric, is a Germanic language closely related to English and considered by some scholars to be essentially a Scottish dialect of English. It is primarily spoken in the Scottish Lowlands, Caithness (northeastern Scotland), Orkney, and Shetland.

Ulster Scots, in Northern Ireland, is a closely related variant.

Dictionaries of the Scots Language (DSL)
(Title in Scots: Dictionars o the Scots Leid.) Combines the content of two previously published works: A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (covering 12th century-1700) and The Scottish National Dictionary (for modern Scots, 1700 onwards); searches can be limited to one source or can cover both. The site also provides supplementary information on the Scots language, including its history and usage. Hosted at the University of Glasgow and supported by the Scottish Government.
European Minority Languages: Scots (Lallans, Doric)
A portal site with links to multiple types of resources, compiled at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, a college on the Isle of Skye, Scotland (a partner in the University of the Highlands and Islands).
Omniglot: Modern Shetlandic Scots (Shaetlan)
Omniglot: Scots (Scots Leid / Lallans)

Welsh Language

Welsh, or Cymraeg, a Celtic language related to Breton, is designated as an official language in Wales. All official publications and signage in Wales are bilingual in Welsh and English. Although spoken only by a minority of the population, it continues to be the preferred language of many in northern and western Wales.

Comisiynydd y Gymraeg -- Welsh Language Commissioner
The Welsh Language Commissioner is the agency of the Welsh government charged with setting and enforcing Welsh-language standards, together with promoting and facilitating the use of Welsh. This site includes general information for organizations, policy statements, publications, and research data.
European Minority Languages: Cymraeg (Welsh)
A portal site with links to multiple types of resources, compiled at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, a college on the Isle of Skye, Scotland (a partner in the University of the Highlands and Islands).
Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru: A Dictionary of the Welsh Language
"The standard historical Welsh dictionary"; a historical-etymological dictionary based on texts dating from the early medieval period to this century. Entry terms and definitions are in Welsh; English-language equivalents are also given. Based on a print dictionary first published 1950-2002 by the University of Wales with an updated and expanded edition in progress, the online version, GPC Online, supports searches by both Welsh and English words and phrases.
Omniglot: Welsh (Cymraeg)