English 102 (Writing About Literature) Research Guide: Jenna Bohn - Short Story Essay
Use this guide to find articles about authors and their works! We also have tips for citing sources in MLA style.
Welcome
The assignment:
- Select 2 short stories we read for this module and analyze the presence of a common theme.
- You need 2 outside sources total: one literary criticism article for each short story
Quick links:
- For in-text citations and works cited list: MLA guides
- For questions: chat with us or e-mail us at ref_desk@carrollcc.edu
Using Short Stories for Students
Short Stories for Students overviews are really helpful for this assignment! They include:
- A brief summary of the story
- Section highlighting themes in the story
- Historical and cultural context of the story
- Literary criticism (usually 2-3 articles), located in the 2nd half of the overview
Here's how to find and cite one of the literary criticism articles in Short Stories for Students:
- Look up your story
- Scroll past the Critical Overview section, and find the first article, listed under a critic's name
- Grab the automatically generated citation
- ADD CRITIC'S NAME AS THE AUTHOR:
Hicks, Jennifer. "The Story of an Hour." Short Stories for Students, edited by Kathleen Wilson, vol. 2, Gale, 1997, pp. 263-277. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2694900026/GVRL?u=cccl_main&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=3edab07a. - Remember to remove the access date ("Accessed 2 Jan. 2023), since MLA does not need that part
- Have any questions? Ask a librarian, we're here to help!
Sherman Alexie
"What You Pawn I Will Redeem"
Keyword ideas:
- Native American culture
- Native Americans in popular culture
- Colonialism
- Homelessness
- Stereotypes
- Redemption
- Short Stories for Students Overview (Alexie)Suggested citation: "What You Pawn I will Redeem." Short Stories for Students, edited by Kristin B. Mallegg, vol. 44, Gale, 2017, pp. 214-235. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3647800023/GVRL?u=cccl_main&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=3661a2a5.
- Literary Themes for Students (Alexie)Suggested citation: "What You Pawn I Will Redeem." Literary Themes for Students: Race and Prejudice, edited by Anne Marie Hacht, vol. 2, Gale, 2006, pp. 515-525. Literary Themes for Students. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2661800053/GVRL?u=cccl_main&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=073dcb87.
"What You Pawn I Will Redeem," from Blasphemy by Call Number: e-book; click title for accessDirect link to the e-book version of "What You Pawn I Will Redeem."
Kate Chopin
"The Story of an Hour"
Keyword ideas:
- Freedom
- Repression
- Marriage
- Gender roles
- Man-woman relationships in 19th century
- Short Stories for Students (Chopin)Suggested citation: "The Story of an Hour." Short Stories for Students, edited by Kathleen Wilson, vol. 2, Gale, 1997, pp. 263-277. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2694900026/GVRL?u=cccl_main&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=3edab07a.
- Gender (Literary Themes for Students)Discusses "Yellow Wallpaper" and "Story of an Hour"
Suggested citation: "Gender." Literary Themes for Students: Race and Prejudice, edited by Anne Marie Hacht, vol. 2, Gale, 2006, pp. 551-555. Literary Themes for Students. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2661800059/GVRL?u=cccl_main&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=cdce84d7.
Databases
Start here
- Short Stories for StudentsSearch this to find overviews, criticism, and analysis of famous and popular short stories.
Literature articles
- Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new windowAuthor biographies and literary criticism.
- MagillOnLiterature Plus This link opens in a new window
- Salem Literature This link opens in a new windowCritical insights & surveys on authors, films, themes, & works
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowMultidisciplinary database including journals and popular periodicals.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
"The Yellow Wallpaper"
Keyword ideas:
- Gender roles
- Sexism or repression
- Man-woman relationships in the 19th century
- Mental illness in women
- Confinement and escape
- Short Stories for Students (Gilman)Suggested citation: "The Yellow Wallpaper." Short Stories for Students, edited by Kathleen Wilson, vol. 1, Gale, 1997, pp. 277-293. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2694800028/GVRL?u=cccl_main&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=5b3dae89.
- Gender (Literary Themes for Students)Discusses "Yellow Wallpaper" and "Story of an Hour"
Suggested citation: "Gender." Literary Themes for Students: Race and Prejudice, edited by Anne Marie Hacht, vol. 2, Gale, 2006, pp. 551-555. Literary Themes for Students. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2661800059/GVRL?u=cccl_main&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=cdce84d7. - Rest CureSuggested citation: Linker, Beth. "Rest Cure." Encyclopedia of American Disability History, edited by Susan Burch, Facts on File, 2009, p. 780. Facts on File Library of American History. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX1698300614/GVRL?u=cccl_main&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=7f4cf625.
Toni Cade Bambara
"The Lesson"
Keyword ideas:
- Income inequality
- Racial inequality
- Childhood
- War on Poverty / Great Society
- Black Arts Movement
- Short Stories for Students (Bambara)Suggested citation: "The Lesson." Short Stories for Students, edited by Jennifer Smith, vol. 12, Gale, 2001, pp. 171-187. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2695900021/GVRL?u=cccl_main&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=7f57a9e7.
- "Toni Cade Bambara's use of African-American Vernacular English in 'The Lesson'"Suggested citation: Heller, Janet Ruth. "Toni Cade Bambara's Use of African American Vernacular English in 'The Lesson.'." Short Story Criticism, edited by Jelena Krstovic, vol. 107, Gale, 2008. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1420080491/LitRC?u=cccl_mainlitrc&sid=bookmark-LitRC&xid=3c4e060a. Originally published in Style, vol. 37, no. 3, Fall 2003, pp. 279-293.
- Bambara, Toni Cade 1939–1995Author biography that talks about her works in a historical context.
Suggested citation: "Bambara, Toni Cade 1939–1995." Black Literature Criticism: Classic and Emerging Authors since 1950, edited by Jelena O. Krstovic, 2nd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2008, pp. 161-172. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3079400019/GVRL?u=cccl_main&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=4f604dc1.