Literature And Popular Fiction

The following databases include articles, books, ebooks and more related to literature and popular fiction. For a comprehensive list of QNL databases, please visit QNL Online Resources. 

Arts & Humanities Database
This database includes peer-reviewed articles relevant to the fields of applied arts and cultural studies. Its subject strengths include art, design, photography, archaeology, architecture, interior design, modern languages, and literary and cultural studies. 

Gale Literary Sources
This online database indexes citations and full-text materials from several Gale literature databases. Advanced search options include interactive search term clustering and term frequency graphs.

AraBase (Dar Almandumah)
Dar Almandumah offers a wide range of Arabic resources, including AraBase, a rich resource of mostly periodicals and yearbooks published in Arabic worldwide since 1934, as well as specialized academic journals in language and literature.

Books and Authors
This online database enhances the experience of reading through information about a book’s themes and origins, with information on how the author's life and time contributed to the work.

Books in Print Global Edition
Books in Print contains records for millions of in-print, out-of-print and forthcoming books. It also includes ebook, audiobook and video titles. Reviews from well-known resources are included when available. The global edition contains records of titles from the US, Canada, Europe and Australia.

Below is a list of recommended printed books. For more books, search the QNL Catalog.

Al Mahmoud, A., & Nowaira, A. (2012). The Corsair. Doha: Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation.
Call Number: PJ7910 .L63 2012
Set in Qatar, this historical novel is based on one of the Gulf region’s most notorious pirates and examines 19^th century regional and international politics. A tale of high stakes politics and piracy, The Corsair demonstrates the Arabian Peninsula’s dynamic history.

Austen, J., & Shapard, D. (2012). The Annotated Pride and Prejudice (Rev. and expanded ed.). New York: Anchor Books.
Call Number: PR4034 .P7 2012
This classic 19^th century romance is a must-read for all English literature lovers. If the names Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy ring a bell, it is because this novel has become a work of popular fiction, providing readers with intrigue, romance, drama and humor.

Ellis, D. (2012). The Truth About William Shakespeare: Fact, Fiction and Modern Biographies. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Call Number: PR2894 .E45 2012
Easily one of the most recognizable names in literature, William Shakespeare’s literary authority is unquestioned to this day. This book attempts to separate the man from the myth and truth from fiction in order to shed light on one of literature’s most beloved icons.

Miller, A. (1976). Death of a Salesman: Certain Private Conversations in Two Acts and a Requiem. Harmondsworth, Eng.: Penguin.
Call Number: PS3525.I5156 D4 1976
This Pulitzer Prize-winning drama explores the failure of the American dream, the destruction of the family unit, and the pressures and promises of capitalism. It centers on Willy Loman, a struggling salesman who is increasingly incapable of distinguishing between illusion and reality.

Twain, M. (1993). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1993 Modern Library ed.). New York: Modern Library.
Call Number: PS1305 .A1 1993
An American literary icon, Huckleberry Finn represents a spirited and rebellious portrayal of boyhood. The novel employs satire, placing a young boy's coming of age story in extreme, humorous and telling situations that increasingly project American society’s shortcomings, fears and absurdities. The strong sense of exuberance and adventure that underpin Finn’s wild escapades render the novel a perennially youthful example of classic American literature.

This is a list of recommended audiobooks related to literature and popular fiction. For more audiobooks, search the QNL Catalog.

Chopin, K. (2011). The Awakening (Unabridged ed.). Recorded Books.
This provocative example of early feminism focuses on a Louisiana woman and her non-traditional interpretation of gender, identity and femininity in the late 19^th century. An influential feminist novel, The Awakening is considered one of the earliest contributions to the literature of the American South.

De Cervantes, M. (1998). Don Quixote (1998 Modern Library ed.). New York: Modern Library.
This lauded Spanish novel centers on a delusional hidalgo’s quest to reestablish outdated notions of chivalry, masculinity and knighthood to his fraught reality. The unnamed hidalgo, who eventually transforms into Don Quixote and a knight in his own mind, employs a squire to document his outlandish and imaginative adventures for posterity. This influential intertextual work has greatly enriched the literary community, providing inspiration for countless novelists, including Mark Twain and Victor Hugo, among others.

Dostoevsky, F. (2011). Crime and Punishment (Unabridged ed.). Recorded Books Classics Library.
This poignant Russian novel dwells on questions of morality, justice and, as its title aptly signals, crime and punishment. The novel centers on a former student in St. Petersburg who grapples with the legitimacy, logistics and justifications of murder. Does every human being have intrinsic value? Is murder ever justifiable? Is morality merely a subjective concept that can be ignored? These unnerving questions are assessed in this haunting novel that has prophesized many of modern society’s fears and anxieties.

Melville, H. (1981). Moby-Dick; or, The Whale (Bantam Classic ed.). Toronto: Bantam Books
This ambitious American classic is encyclopedic in its literary approach, combining various themes and techniques that are indicative of its large-scale exploration of class, morality, religion, race and philosophy. Filled with intricate representations of whale hunting and the vastness and vacancies of sea life, the book is a contemplation of the deeply human desire to discover a sense of purpose and truth amid chaos and uncertainty.
 

Below is a list of suggested e-journals with articles related to literature.

Journal of Modern Literature
One of the most authoritative journals on modern literature, the journal’s emphasis has expanded in recent years to include contemporary writing and all literature penned in the 20^th century.

International Journal of English and Literature
A peer-reviewed, open-access journal with a broad focus, covering all aspects of English and literature, such as American literature, comparative literature, cultural studies, English literary history and literary criticism.

Inquire: Journal of Comparative Literature
A peer-reviewed, open-access journal, offered by University of Alberta graduate students, covering various topics and voices in comparative literature.

Tin House
This renowned US quarterly covers the works of emerging and prominent authors, publishing criticism, fiction, essays and poetry.

Crazyhorse
A highly acclaimed, biannual literary journal that has featured the works of established authors, including John Updike and Raymond Carver, among others.

Ministry of Culture and Sports
The ministry organizes numerous events that promote literature and art in Qatar and the region.

Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press)
Learn what books are available from this publisher based at Qatar Foundation.

Qatar University Department of English Literature and Linguistics (DELL)
Qatar University offers an undergraduate program in English Literature and Linguistics and minors in English and translation.

The Doha Players
This long-running theater group, a collaborative effort between local musicians, actors, producers, directors, costume designers and other artists, has been performing in Qatar since 1954.

Katara Prize for Arabic Novel
The Katara Cultural Village launched the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel in 2014. The Arabic literary prize holds the distinction of being one of the richest literary prizes in the world.

Modern Language Association (MLA)
The MLA is a US-based, global professional organization for academics, professors, scholars and graduate students of language and literature.

International Comparative Literature Association (ICLA)
The ICLA is a community of comparative literature scholars from around the world.

American Literature Association (ALA)
The ALA is a US association for scholars of American literature.

• The New Yorker
• From the Catbird Seat: Poetry & Literature at the Library of Congress
• The Paris Review

Meisami, J. (2010). The Routledge Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature. London: Routledge.
Call Number: PJ7510 .R68 2010

Richetti, J. (2005). The Cambridge History of English Literature, 1660-1780. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 
Call Number: PR442 .C26 2005

Wynn-Davies, M. (1997). Dictionary of English Literature (Rev. ed.). London: Bloomsbury.

The Readers

The Bookrageous Podcast.

The New Yorker Fiction Podcast

“If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Keep reading books, but remember that a book is only a book, and you should learn to think for yourself.”
― Maxim Gorky

“A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.”
― Italo Calvino