Ask The Puma Research Guides: A&P

A & P

The short story “A & P” by John Updike was first published in 1961.  It is the story or Sammy, a nineteen-year old check out clerk at the supermarket who quits his job in an overwhelming rush of romantic love.  “A & P” is primarily an initiation story of a young man moving from innocence to experience as he makes a hasty decision and then faces the realities and consequences of his actions.

Call Numbers for Browsing the Shelves

• PS3571 .P4
• PZ1 .H82

 Circulating Books – A Selected List

• Bloom, Harold (ed.). John Updike. 1987.  Call Number: PS3571 .P4 Z73 1987
• Bloom, Harold (ed.). John Updike: Comprehensive Research and Study Guide. 2001. Call Number: PS3571 .P4 Z73 2001
• Howard, Daniel F. (ed.). The Modern Tradition: An Anthology of Short Stories. 1976. Call Number: PN6014.M63 1968 (available at West Campus)
• Uphaus, Suzanne Henning. John Updike. 1980. Call Number: PS3571 .P4 Z93
• Broer, Lawrence R. Rabbit Tales: Poetry and Politics in John Updike's Rabbit Novels. 1998. Call number: PS3571.P4 Z85 1998
• Schiff, James A. John Updike Revised: Twayne's United States Authors Series. 1998. Call number: PS3571.P4 Z873 1998

 LINCCWeb online catalog – Search Terms

• Updike, John
• Updike, John – Criticism and Interpretation
• Short Stories, American

 Reference Materials

• Critical Survey of Short Fiction – Call Number: REF PN3321 .C7 2001

                      o Vol. 6, pg. 2377-2378 o   Vol. 7, pg. 2828

• De Bellis, Jack.  The John Updike Encyclopedia.  2000. Call Number: REF PS3571 .P4 Z459 2000

                      o   Pg. 332-33

•  Masterplots II: Short Story Series (Revised Edition)  – Call Number: REF PN3326 .M27 2004

                     o   Vol. 1, pg. 1-3

• Short Stories for Students – Call Number: REF PN3330 .S386 

                     o   Vol. 3, pg. 1-21

• Short Story Criticism –  Call Number: REF PN3321 .S5 

                     o   Vol. 13, pg. 372, 398-99 

                     o   Vol. 27, pg. 320-30

                     o   Vol. 103, pg. 295-98, 312-14, 316-17, 332, 348, 361-62, 369, 371, 378

 Research Databases

To access Valencia’s research databases, open your Atlas account, select ‘Search the Library’, then select ‘Databases A-Z’.

• Academic Search Complete (search under “short stories and Updike”)
• Literature Criticism (Gale)

 This Research Guide is designed to help users find information on a particular topic within the Valencia College East Campus Library.  This is by no means a comprehensive list of resources and other resources may be available on this topic.  Please check LINCCWeb, Valencia East’s online catalog, to verify the availability of circulating books within the library.  Feel free to ask a librarian for help if you need further assistance.