LIT 322: British Literature, 1815-1914: The Writing of a Superpower

When you are researching a time period to understand the issues or literature of the time, primary sources may be in print or digital format and may include

• published materials from the time period such as books, newspaper and magazine articles
• diaries or correspondence
• photographs
• illustrations
• manuscripts
• pamphlets, broadsides, or other ephemera 

• Use British spelling (but also try American English spellings). For instance, COLOR becomes COLOUR in British English. For a reminder of basic spelling differences, see the Oxford Dictionaries' British and American Spelling page.
• The form, use, and meaning of words change over time.  For instance, try searching ETHNICITY and then try ETHNIC.  See the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) to see how words have been used in different eras.
• For searches that return too many hits, remember all the ways you can narrow your search by using options in the right-hand margin on your results page:
  • by date (choose fewer decades)
  • by document type (article, or advertisement, or fiction, or...)
  • and by publication title or publication subject
• Use the Modify Search button to go back and add or change terms in your original search
• For more search help, see the Proquest Search Tips link in the database or go to Ask the Library