CCAC: Library: Course Information Pages

Green, ENG102, English Composition 2

Sources for the study of Oedipus Tyrannus: the Oracle at Delphi, prophecy and seers. Note: You may find the title given as Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King.
Reference Books Databases Books	Magazines & Journals Web Sites Research by Subject

Allegheny Campus Reference Books

Reference books are shelved in the Reference Area of the Allegheny Campus Library. This is list is just an example of the types of works available, and is not complete. Check the shelves around the titles listed for additional resources. If you need help finding the right reference book, ask a librarian for help.

Ancient Writers: Greece and Rome

REF PA 3002 .A5 1982

The chapter on Sophocles is in Volume I.

Cambridge Illustrated History of Ancient Greece

REF DF 77 .C32 1998

Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean

REF DE 59 .C55 1988

Look in the index under "Delphic Oracle" and "oracles, Greek."

Crowell's Handbook of Classical Drama

REF PA 3024 .H35

Look under Oedipus the King.

Dictionary of Classical Mythology (Bell)

REF BL 715 .B44 1982

Entries are arranged by attributes of gods and goddesses. Look under "prophecy."

Dictionary of Classical Mythology (Gimal)

REF BL 715 .G713 1986

Look under "Oedipus" and "Tiresias."

Dictionary of the History of Ideas

REF CB 5 .D545

Essays on the history of ideas about nature, literature, philosophy, etc. Look in the index under "oracles, prophecy" and "prophecy."

Encyclopedia of Religion

REF BL 31 .E46 1987

Look in volume 12 under "Prophecy, An Overview."

Harper's Dictionary of Classical Literature and Antiquities

REF DE 5 .P36 1962

Look under "Delphi," "oracula" and "Tiresias."

The New Century Classical Handbook

REF DE 5 .N4

Look under "Delphi," "oracle," Oedipus Rex and "Tiresias."
Oxford Classical Dictionary

REF DE 5 .O9 1970

Look under "Delphic Oracle," "oracles" and "divination."

The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature

REF PA 31 .H69 1989

Look under "oracles" and Oedipus Tyrannus.
Databases: Britannica Online; Literature Resource Center; Oxford English Dictionary; Biographies Plus Illustrated
Books Many books for the Oedipus assignment have been placed on reserve in the library's Reserve Room, L309. Check there first for text-length sources on Sophocles and Oedipus. Use Alleycat, the CCAC library online book catalog, to locate additional material. Ask for assistance at the Reference Desk. Search for Books
Magazines and Journals

Academic Search Elite

Try these searches:

Find: | oedipus | in | All Fields |

and | sophocles | in | All Fields |

Find: | delphi | in | All Fields |

and | greece | in | All Fields |

Find: | tiresias | in | All Fields |

and | sophocles | in | All Fields |

Find: | oracles | in | All Fields |

and | ancient | in | All Fields |

Find: | seers | in | All Fields |

Limit: Below the text boxes under Limit Your Results check Full Text to limit results to articles available on the computer, and Peer Reviewed to limit the results to journal articles.

Expand: On the right side of the screen under Expand Your Search check Search within full text articles. This expands the search for your terms into the full text of the articles. Try the search first with this box unchecked.

MLA International Bibliography

(MLA does not include full text articles. Ask for assistance at the Reference Desk to locate the articles.) Use the drop down menu next to the text boxes to change the search type as indicated in these suggested searches:

Search for: | oedipus | | Descriptor |

and: | sophocles | | Keyword |

Search for: | tiresias | | Descriptor |

and: | sophocles | | Keyword |

Search for: | oracles | | Keyword |

Search for: | divination | | Descriptor |

Literature Resource Center

Select Literature Resource Center-LRC on the first screen. Under Other Searches on the next screen select "Advanced." Use the drop down menus next to the text boxes to change the search types as shown below for the suggested searches:

| sophocles | | Author-name contains | | AND |

| oedipus | | Title-all words |

| sophocles | | Author-name contains | | AND |

| delphi | | Keyword |

| sophocles | | Author-name contains | | AND |

| oracles | | Keyword |

| sophocles | | Author-name contains | | AND |

| prophecy | | Keyword |

The search results default to a list of biographical articles on Sophocles from Gale's online reference books. Click the "Literary Criticism" tab. The next screen lists critical articles from reference books online. To see a list of journal articles click the "Articles" tab on this screen.

Limit: To narrow the search to critical essays, select critical essays on the Document Type menu below the search text boxes. To narrow the search to full-text journal articles, select Full-text Journals on the Database. Use only one of these options.

Web Sites
Use search engines to locate additional web resources.

The Classics Pages: Created as a labor of love by Andrew Wilson, this site contains a wealth of information on the classical period. Use terms such as “oracle,” “Oedipus,” “Delphi,” etc. to locate information. This is not a scholarly site, but contains some good interpretations of plays and mythological characters.
Diotima: Though the site focuses on women and gender in the ancient world there is an abundance of good material relevant to Oedipus Rex. Click "Search" and enter terms such as "Oedipus," "oracles," "prophecy," etc.
Greek Mythology Link: Based on original sources this site provides definitions, maps, images of art and archeological sites, and topical articles on the stories and characters found in Greek mythology. Liberal use of hyperlinks within the articles facilitates linking among characters and topics. Includes a search engine for the site.
Greek Oracles: This page, part of a class project for a Greek Civilization course at Portland State University, provides a good overview of Greek oracles.
Perseus: "An evolving digital library of resources for the study of the ancient world and beyond" (site introduction). Use the search function to locate material on Oedipus Rex and related topics. Results consist of quotes from ancient and modern texts.

Research by Subject: Arts & Humanities