GENERAL PURPOSE

The English Language and Literature collection supports the curriculum of the largest academic department in the college, the instructional needs of the faculty, the research of advanced undergraduates, and the general interests of a lively literary community. The Department offers courses in all periods of English and American literature, and in modem Anglophone literature of Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, Ireland, and South Asia. Within American and Canadian literature, there is significant faculty and student interest in African-American, Native American, and First Nations literatures. A tradition of strength in Renaissance literary study, and the Department's connection with The Kenyon Review and the development of the New Criticism, have resulted in a particular emphasis on major Renaissance authors (especially Shakespeare and Milton); on Southern Agrarian writers and other authors who were students or faculty members at Kenyon College; and on contemporary fiction and especially poetry. Courses in Film Studies and the English Department's contribution to the Women's and Gender Studies interdisciplinary program also affect the collection.

GENERAL SUBJECT BOUNDARIES

There is a strong collection of editions of works by canonical authors and important contemporary authors writing in English. Works by minor authors are included insofar as they support curricular offerings. Basic scholarly resources--the correspondence of authors, biographies, and major bibliographies--are collected. The extensive selection of important works of literary criticism and literary history includes some works on comparative literature. Translations of works of literary theory by authors writing in languages other than English (especially French, German, and Italian) are selectively collected. Older annotated editions of major authors and representative older critical works are preserved to support the study of literary reputations and the history of literary criticism. Children's literature, both primary works and most secondary sources, is excluded. Research on composition is excluded from the language collection. The collection development statements of the following departments and interdisciplinary programs are relevant to the English collection: African Diaspora Studies, American Studies, Asian Studies, IPHS, Modern Languages and Literatures, andWomen's and Gender Studies.

TYPES OF MATERIALS COLLECTED

The collection consists of monographs, serials, bibliographic indexes, and films. The serial collection is especially strong in small literary magazines. Given the geographical isolation of the college, a strong serial collection is desirable. The multimedia collection includes films and videos, especially documentaries, and filmed versions of Shakespeare plays and other classic literary works. There is also an extensive film collection of works by major directors, and works in support of courses in Asian, Canadian, and Irish literature and culture, "noir" fiction and film, Vietnam in literature and film, and the Gothic novel.

FORMAT OF MATERIALS COLLECTED

In addition to printed materials, the library collects microfilm versions of some serials. Among the microform holdings is "The Gerritsen Collection of Women's History 1543-1945," which includes some literary works by British and American women writers, as well as valuable resources for cultural study. Films are primarily collected on DVD and VHS. Online access is available to major bibliographies for the study of English and American literature, including the MLA International Bibliography. Access to selected serials is available through JSTOR and the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center. The numerous full-text online databases include the American Poetry Database, Eighteenth-Century Fiction, English Poetry Database, English Prose Drama, and English Verse Drama.

LANGUAGES

Works in languages other than English are collected only in rare instances.

GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS

While in the past the collection has focused on Great Britain and the United States, recent efforts have been made to expand holdings of literature in English from Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, and India.

CHRONOLOGICAL GUIDELINES

Without ignoring Old English literature, the collection focuses on literature in English from 1350 to the present.

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND MANUSCRIPTS

The archives of The Kenyon Review are an especially valuable research collection. The Charles Riker collection of the works of William Butler Yeats includes numerous first editions. There are significant holdings of the works of Hannah More, including early editions and several broadsides of the Cheap Repository Tracts.

OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE

Library users have access to the circulating materials in the collections of CONSORT and OhioLINK.

CREATION DATE AND REVISION HISTORY

Created August 1999 [James Carson, with the assistance of Carmen King]

Revised April 2005 [Mary Stettner]

Revised March 2007 [Melanie Maksin]

LC CLASS

PE, PN, PR, PS