How do I search Gale Literature?

Step 1:

Access Gale Literature. (If you're off-campus, you will be prompted to login with your myPVCC username and password). 
 

Step 2:

This database is used for finding literary criticism on specific works of literature, such as novels, short stories, or plays.  In the Advanced Search Screen, enter the name of the work you are researching.  A pop-up menu will appear.  Select the most appropriate option from the list.  There will be multiple variations on the title of your work (for example, "Harry Potter Series (Series)" or "Harry Potter (Series)").  Play around with these options because you will get different results based on your selection.

Step 3:

Enter the name of the author.  Again, select the most appropriate option from the pop-up menu.  Play around with these options because you will get different results based on your selection.

Step 4:

Click Search, and review your results.  Select the content type from the top menu to display the appropriate list of results.  

• Literature Criticism - Articles from scholarly publications where an author has analyzed and commented on a particular work.  (Most assignments will require literature criticism).
• Biographies - Articles that give background information on the author's life.
• Topic & Work Overviews - Summaries of particular works.
• Reviews & News - Articles from trade journals and newspapers that comment on the quality of the work.  These do not analyze or interpret the work.
• Primary Sources & Literary Works - These may include interviews with the author or transcripts of radio programs/podcasts connected to the work.
• Multimedia - These are typically transcripts of radio programs/podcasts connected to the work or other sources that do not fall into the other categories.   
   

Step 5:

Click the title of the article to read it.  Please note that some will look like this example below.  Some of these articles were scanned in from books, so the article you are looking for is highlighted in blue.  Click the page buttons and zoom/fit to window buttons to read the article. 

• Research of literature criticism is often more difficult than research for other subjects.  You likely will not find an article that will say exactly what you want to say in your paper.  You must read through an article to find information you can incorporate into your paper.  You can "search within" the results for specific character names, symbols, places, or themes.  
  
   
• The menu at the top has options to download, email, or print the article.  This is especially helpful if you find several articles you need to save.