Literary criticism is the scholarly evaluation or analysis of literature.
It includes the critical discussion of novels, poetry, plays, and short stories. Criticism can be in the format of a monograph or book, journal article, or essay in a collection. Criticism is published in books and periodicals. Because there is a large student demand for critical writings, many prominent critical works are reprinted in collections especially for students. Finding literary criticism involves searching the Library's online catalog, indexes of English Language and Literature journals such as MLA International Bibliography, and browsing the Library's stacks in the call number range of the author which you are researching.