Literary criticism is the interpretation, analysis and evaluation of an author and their literary works that is usually presented as a critical essay. Literary criticism may focus on a specific literary work or it may analyze and interpret a specific portion of an author's writings or the author's writings as a whole. Finding literary criticism can be a daunting task. When searching in the library's catalog or databases, focus on the author, title of the work(s), literary genre and literary themes associated with your subject.