For quick facts and background information, such as:
...try searching general literary reference resources like:
Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of American Literature
Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World Literature
Encyclopedia of Literature and Criticism
Philosophy of Literature
Literature
Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Literature
Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
A Handbook to Literature
The Oxford Companion to American Literature
The Oxford Companion to English Literature
The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature
Cyclopedia of Literary Characters
The Oxford Dictionary of Allusions
The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs