Scholars and students of comparative literature may draw from a wide variety of sources, influences, and cultures as they explore the connections that exist and that can be forged between literatures, writers, and readers.  It is impossible to offer a "complete" or even cursory listing of best sources on the topic; however, the following sources should offer starting points for those in seek of primary texts and secondary sources.  For further assistance contact Benjamin Harris, liaison librarian for the topic of Comparative Literature.

Related Recommended Internet Site Guides

          Modern Languages and Literatures

          Classical Studies

          English

Primary Sources

Literary Resources: Other National Resources
This Rutgers site provides the very best selection of maintained links to primary materials related to non-U.S. authors.  It includes links to texts from authors of the following nationalities:  Australian, New Zealander, Canadian, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Irish, Italian Japanese, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Portuguese,  Russian, Slavic, Scandinavian, Scottish, Spanish, Turkish, and Welsh.

Online Books Page
This site lists more than 20,000 free books on the web, and includes categories for non-U.S. and non-Western texts.  Also note special features and specialty collections, such as The Celebration of Women Writers.

Perseus Digital Library
Extensive digital collection of materials with a wide chronological scope, Perseus includes a large number of classical plays as well as texts from the English Renaissance, examples of oratory, and classical/contemporary rhetoric.  While the site focuses on offering primary sources, some secondary sources on historical texts are included.

Storytellers: Native American Authors Online
This site features an index of Native American authors with links to their work published on the web.  Also includes book reviews, book excerpts, and links to the work of traditional (transcribed, oral) storytellers.

WESS Web:  Western European Studies Section
"This page lists Internet sources for literary texts in the western European languages other than English. Translations are mentioned only when they are included in collections of original language texts, or when they are themselves of interest. Collections are listed more or less in order of size; individual authors are listed alphabetically."

Secondary Sources

Bibliography of Literary Theory, Criticism, and Philology
"This is a bibliography of literary studies, criticism and philology, listing well over 150,000 items (books, book chapters, articles, films, etc.), with a main focus on English-speaking authors and criticism or literary theory written in English, although there are many listings on linguistics, cultural studies, discourse analysis, and other philological subjects."

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture
This peer refereed online journal from Purdue is focused on publishing "scholarship in the widest definition of comparative literature and culture in combining comparative literature with cultural studies as 'comparative cultural studies.' Comparative cultural studies is a contextual approach in the study of culture in all of its products and processes; its theoretical and methodological framework is built on tenets borrowed from the discipline of comparative literature and cultural studies" as well as other interrelated disciplines.

Contemporary Philosophy, Critical Theory, and Postmodern Thought
If you are suddenly faced with a name or a strand of theory that you recognize but cannot place, this resource would be helpful.  Links are consistently checked for stability, and the offering of several resources covering similar information allows web patrons to quickly and easily verify information or locate other sources for verification. 

Jouvert: Journal of Postcolonial Studies
Numbering seven issues and ending publication in 2002, this refereed journal offers good examples of writing by international scholars in the area of comparative literature.  

Postcolonial and Postimperial Literature: An Overview
Sponsored by the National University of Singapore, this site focuses on postcolonial/postimperial writings related to Africa, Australia, India, Singapore, New Zealand, Canada, the Caribbean, and the United Kingdom.  The section on topics connecting postcolonial lit and gender may be particularly worthwhile.

VoS - Voice of the Shuttle
This website designed for researchers in Humanities disciplines aims "to provide a structured and briefly annotated guide to online resources that at once respects the established humanities disciplines in their professional organization and points toward the transformation of those disciplines as they interact with the sciences and social sciences and with new digital media."  VoS is one of the very best portals for information on a number of the topic that help construct the study of comparative literature.

World History Timeline : HyperHistory
This "synchronoptic" timeline of over 3000 years of world history is one of the few online chronologies to juxtapose major Western and Non-Western cultures together.  Using the bottom toolbar, users focus on a specific topic in the timelines.  For example, by clicking on the "Writers" shortcut, the user may see a timeline of writers from different cultures organized by year.  After selecting the name of the writer from the timeline, the user is given a brief biographical sketch and links to further information.

Other Resources

American Comparative Literature Association
Website of the national scholarly organization, also offering information related to current projects in comparative literature studies, calls for papers, publication opportunities, conference announcements, and more.

BCLA: British Comparative Literature Association
Homepage for the BCLA, this site includes information about the association as well as providing links to journals and websites on related topics.

CARINDEX: Index of Literature Published in the Caribbean
From the website: "CARINDEX is an index to the contents of West Indian journals, published in the Caribbean region. It also includes theses, papers presented at conferences, collections of working papers, etc. The database is divided into two sections.  CARSAH covers publications in the social sciences and humanities from 1983 onwards. CARSCI covers publications in science and technology from 1960 onwards."

Comparative Literature Association of the Republic of China
Homepage for CLAROC, site offers information about the association as well as links to Chinese resources in comparative literature.

International Comparative Literature Association/Association Internationale de Litterature Comparee
Homepage of the ICLA, the site has not been maintained since 2002.