Art of Literary Research

by Richard D. Altick, John J. Fenstermaker

Since The Art of Literary Research was first published in 1963, it has been the established guide to the purposes, methods, and pleasures of research in English and American literature. It is the essential companion for courses in bibliography and research techniques and for programs in independent study, advanced composition, and undergraduate honors. For interested readers who have other vocational plans, its authors-experienced researchers themselves-provide an intimate view of the way professional scholars go about their specialized and challenging tasks. This extensively revised Fourth Edition takes full account of recent developments that have virtually revolutionized certain important areas of the discipline. The computer, as newly written pages demonstrate, not only has eliminated much of the drudgery formerly associated with the gathering, storage, and retrieval of raw data but has made possible many analytical and lexical operations that had been beyond human capacity, yet without diminishing the amount of sheer brain work still required to produce a genuine contribution to knowledge. The book also suggests that "traditional" literary studies, freshly evaluated, are compatible with the current emphasis on critical theory, not inimical to it. The ongoing revision of the literary canon under the impact of women's studies, African-American studies, and other movements, as well as the intensified scholarly and critical interest in present-day writers, is reflected in the book's hundreds of illustrative examples, extensive lists of several related books and articles, and hands-on exercises. The exercises range from the simple, short answer type that offer practice in the use of secondary materials such as can be found in any college library, to projects that may occupy a number of weeks of research in primary sources and are geared to the extensive holdings of large university libraries. The basic rationale and structure of the book, having proved themselves in previous editions, remain unchanged. The first half outlines the principles underlying the critical examination of evidence and describes in detail the chief branches of literary inquiry. Further chapters offer practical advice on bibliographical procedure and note-taking, particularly as these are made more efficient by electronic aids, and on the writing of scholarly papers (in one of the best discussions of the craft of expository prose t be found in any textbook); guide the student through the great American and British libraries whose stocks of books and manuscripts are indispensable to original literary research; and reviews the rewards, obligations, and ethics of the profession.

Genres: Nonfiction, Research Methods, Literary Criticism, American, Reference

353 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Richard Daniel Altick was Regent’s Professor of English, Emeritus, at The Ohio State University and the author of numerous important works in the field of literary studies.

Reviews

[Lisa Ann]

An interesting window into literary research just before the digital revolution. It continues to offer solid research principles. It also offers the productive problem of thinking through how a contemporary literary scholar might build a research problem from the ground up and conduct thorough research with the tools at her disposal today.

[Pat]

I have two editions of this book, and both are filled with interesting stories and useful info on doing literary research. Yes, we have digital databases, but Altick emphasizes that research doesn't consist of just "lookin' stuff up" on the computer. Research involves focus and creativity and an ability to extract information from unlikely sources and use it to find more information. Altick shows researchers doing just that.

No book can keep up with the new research tools available. This book is probably more useful for graduate students than undergrads and certainly needs to be augmented by instruction by a reference librarian.

But it's fun to watch earlier researchers focus on some fascinating research questions, and I value Altick's enthusiasm.

[Shanae]

Those this book is quite antiquated, I think the information it provides about doing in-depth research to acquire the most accurate information when taking on the challenge of assessing any text is essential to all English majors and academic writers. I learned quite a bit from Altick and am anxious to put it to good use later this year when I begin writing heavily researched essays.

[Mary Cornelius]

If only it was the art of historical research . . .

[Josephine]

Shines an interesting light into a seemingly dry subject matter. The sleuthing needed to understand the history of a piece of writing, the potential errors presented in its transmission through time, and the manifold obstacles between the literary historian and the unvarnished truth are all fascinating stuff. Makes me wonder what the state of the field is now.

[Scott Smith]

This was written a few years back, before the internet. The views are and methods are pertinent for someone seeking to do research into a particular subject in literature but he makes the big mistake of assuming that the "art" of research is even worth it. He assumes his readers already accept that there is some noble mission in chaining yourself to a desk in the library to look into "eradicating error" in literature and never bothers to explain why someone would even want to. Anyway, it's all outdated now that the internet changed research forever.

[Tyler]

I will admit to just skimming it, but I was given a week to read it, and I gave it a fair chance. I know we shouldn't rely too much on technology, but this book (published in the 1960s) basically contained instructions on how to write a research paper if the internet died. It also repeated itself constantly (for basically the first 150 pages) while just giving tons of examples. The last section was kind of relevant, but I don't quite see how I would've made it to the upper-level college writing course that assigned me this book if I didn't already know most of it.

[Cameron]

This is the kind of book Lionel Trilling would have had buried with him. Stuffy? Absolutely. But even more useful, and the bits about literary Indiana Jones-esque finds of buried manuscripts in British attics are especially good.

[Laura]

I was surprised at how easy this book was to read! It was actually entertaining and really made me think. Go figure.

[Joe Nelis]

Definitely some useful information and interesting anecdotes here, but it's such a boring read. This was a struggle.

[Jeremy]

Read this in my Literary Research class at Bob Jones University with Dr. Bruce Rose.

[Elizabeth Lund]

Skimmed thoroughly. About biographical research, not literary criticism.

[Robin]

Very informed and full of self-conscious irony. An excellent read if you're truly desperate to know about literary research and don't mind looking up arcane wordage.

[Mills College Library]

807.2 A4681 1993