Waggoner Library: Literature Resources: Historical & Cultural Context

Cultural context

Includes ideas, beliefs, and values shared by individuals in a group of people. The group can be based on age, social standing, or ethnicity. Culture is learned. It includes language, values, norms, and customs relating to the specific group of people.

Historical Context

The setting of the work you are reading or studying. The time period, place and events for the place where the story is set.

Academic Search Ultimate
Literature (Gale)

In addition, students conducting all levels of literature research can apply one or more of the Gale suite of literature research databases listed below to find the information needed. Read through the descriptions and click the database name to begin your search. If you have questions or need help, please contact us!
1. Literature Resource Center (Gale) – Context and Author Background
Purpose: Gather biographical and contextual information about the author and historical background.
Use: Learn about the author’s life, influences, and the literary/historical context of their work.
Example: The student reads about Langston Hughes’s background and the Harlem Renaissance to understand the poem’s cultural context.
2. Literature Criticism (Gale) –
Critical Analysis

Purpose: Access in-depth, scholarly literary criticism and interpretation.
Use: Analyze how scholars have interpreted the work, themes, or style over time.
Example: The student finds multiple scholarly perspectives on Langston Hughes's themes of identity and race, using them to support their own analysis.
3. LitFinder (Gale) – Discover Primary Texts
Purpose: Begin by locating original works such as poems, short stories, plays, and speeches.
Use: Students find and read primary sources to select a work or author for analysis.
Example: A student chooses the full text copy of a Langston Hughes poem from LitFinder to analyze.
JSTOR

History Databases
A listing of databases containing history-related content. Can be used to research a time period or look for primary sources about an era or event.

Literature Resource Center (Gale)

The LRC provides a broader range of resources, including biographical information, overviews, and multimedia content, alongside criticism. Find up-to-date biographical information, overviews, full-text literary criticism and reviews on more than 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world.