ENGL631 Links

World Literature Resources

Library of Congress

• A World of Books: Annotated Surveys of Noteworthy Books From Around the Globe "...is a series of annual pamphlets first started in 1998. Each year the Library's foreign area specialists identify some of the most important and interesting books published abroad that an American public may have overlooked. The results provide a fascinating insight about other peoples and cultures." This page also offers a Country Index, which allows you to easily locate the annual selections by geographic area.
• Gateways to the World: Access to the International Collections Through the Reading Rooms - you'll find links to each of the Area Studies Reading Rooms, organized by geographical area (Africa and the Middle East; Asia; Europe; Iberia, Latin America, and the Caribbean; English-speaking Nations). After the paragraph description to each Reading Room, you'll find a link to Other Internet Resources, an excellent collection of resources both on and off the Library of Congress website.

World Literature for Middle and Secondary Schools at the Internet School Library Media Center (ISLMC), a content-rich site created by Professor Emeritus Inez Ramsey, Library Science Program, James Madison University

Contemporary Postcolonial & Postimperial Literature in English - part of the large array of resources of the University Scholars Programme at the University of Singapore, this site offers huge amounts of information

Things Fall Apart
*thanks to Sonia Basko for alerting me to some of these sites

• African Authors: Chinua Achebe - Cora Agatucci at Central Oregon Community College has a rich website that offers information an Achebe, the novel, Nigeria, and Igbo culture. Be sure to read her piece on African Storytelling: Oral Traditions, where you can find a translation by Emmanuel Obiechina of Ikemefuna's song; the Works Cited section offers great resources.
• African Literature - part of ISMLC's "World Literature for Middle and Secondary Schools," the African Literature section offers a number of resources on Achebe and Things Fall Apart
• Chinua Achebe: An Overview - a rich resource at the University Scholars Programme, University of Singapore website
• Things Fall Apart - example of resource for high school class (created by Bill Evenski, Wheeler High School, Stonington CT)
• Things Fall Apart - example of student website (University of St. Francis). This is a link-rich site.
• Study Guides & Cyber Cliff Notes
  • Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart Study Guide by Paul Brians (Washington State University) - begins with Keats' poem, then offers a general overview. Brians attends to each chapter with a mix of summaries and discussion questions.
  • Book Summary -- Things Fall Apart - CampusNut.com writer Christina Svendsen (Harvard graduate and current creative writer teacher at University of Virginia) offers a thorough summary and chapter-by-chapter discussion. Points to Ponder provides some helpful discussion questions.
  • MonkeyNotes - Things Fall Apart - Although the author of this source remains nameless, PinkMonkey.com states that "MonkeyNotes are written and/or edited by highly qualified college Literature professors all around the country, commissioned by PinkMonkey.com." MonkeyNotes on Things Fall Apart offers a Message Board (53 postings so far), Key Literary Elements, Chapter Summaries with Notes (the notes usually offer some commentary on the summary), Overall Analysis, and Study Questions.

first published: 15 may 2002
last revised: 30 may 2002
webspinner: s.d.shattuck