Literature https://librarywp.whatcom.edu/guides Fri, 28 Aug 2026 16:50:44 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://librarywp.whatcom.edu/guides/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/cropped-librarylogo-32x32.png Literature https://librarywp.whatcom.edu/guides 32 32 Literature research at WCC https://librarywp.whatcom.edu/guides/literature-resources-at-wcc/ Wed, 16 Aug 2023 19:17:01 +0000 https://librarywp.whatcom.edu/guides/?p=15642

Stories have power. Reading and understanding literature is the study—at once communal and intensely personal—of  the human condition. We see through the eyes of people who transcend space, time, and country to create a world that resonates somehow with our own. Effectively, reading (and writing) becomes the gateway to a deeper level of thought.

In the library of the Learning Commons, go to the P section for in-depth books about literature. The section is divided further:

  • PM: Native American literature
  • PN: Poetry, drama, theater
  • PQ: Spanish Literature
  • PR: British literature
  • PS: American literature
  • PZ: Children’s literature
Literature section of WCC Library

For more current research, browse WCC’s literature journals:

Or stop by and try one of our magazines

Magazine Covers

Choosing a Literature Research Topic

The best topics are ones that emerge as you read the piece of literature. Here are some ways to approach your choice of topic:

  • Explore gender roles.
  • Compare genres.
  • Compare/contrast characters, events, or between two novels.
  • Analyze specific recurring metaphor, allusion, or symbolism.
  • A particular political or philosophical framework
  • Historical background: study the social, political or economical context in which a work was written. How does context influence the work?
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