LibGuides: Classification of Material in the Library: Classification of Literature

Classification of Literature (Novels, Essays, Poetry, etc.)

Literature is more complicated. The classification for Language & Literature is "P". After generalities, all literature is divided up by:

Language of original work - This means that all Harry Potter books (versions, translations, etc.) will be shelved in the area for English literature
Sub-divided by geographical location - This means that French literature from Quebec is separated from French literature from France.
Subdivided by time period of author - This means that the Tang Dynasty authors are shelved together
Subdivided - by author's name - This means all of novels, poems, essays, etc. by a single person will be shelved together
Subdivided by the name of the work - This means all the different editions or printings of a work will be shelved together
Subdivided by whether this is a translation or criticism of that work - This means that all the Chinese translations of Harry Potter should be together, and separate from the French, German, Japanese, Korean, etc. translations of Harry Potter.

Chinese Literature - Basic Classification

Literature (stories, novels, & poetry) are mostly kept on LG3, in classes PJ -> PZ. Below you can find very general listing of classification for browsing.

PL 2250 -> 3208 = Chinese literature

PL 2450 -> 2452 (General collections; mixed authors & periods)
PL 2661 (Individual authors, early to Qin Dynasty)
PL 2662 -> 2663 (Qin & Han dynasties)
PL 2664 - 2669 (Three Kingdoms -> Sui dynasties)
PL 2670 -> 2678 (Tang Dynasty)
PL 2679 -> 2687 (Song Dynasty)
PL 2687.5 -> 2694 (Yuan Dynasty)
PL 2694.5 -> 2698 (Ming Dynasty)
PL 2699 -> 2735 (Qing Dynasty)
PL 2735.5 -> 2832.3 (1912-1949)
PL 2832.5 -> 2929.9 (1949-2000)
PL 2930 - 2979 (2001 - )

pre-2000 Chinese author names & Wade Giles Romanization

Example E - Two novels by Louis Cha

Call number	Title
PL 2848 .Y8 L79 1981	鹿鼎記
PL 2848 .Y8 S53 1990	神鵰俠侶

金庸, also known as Louis Cha, has written several novels. As an author he has a classification number of PL2848.Y8

This shows that he is a Chinese language author who began writing (or, at least publishing) after 1949. His family name is Chin (PL2848) and his given name is Yong (Y8).

But...why is he listed as "Chin"? His name is 金, which in pin-yin is "Jin" and in Cantonese pin-yin "Gum".

Until 2001, the US Library of Congress used a Romanization system called "Wade-Giles" where Chin meant Jin and Ch'in meant Qin. You can look at the Pinyin & Wade-Giles Conversion Tables for further details.

Wade-Giles and Pinyin Conversion Table in pdf

English Literature - Basic Classification

PR 1 - > PR 6126 - English literature from Britain

PR 2199 -> 3195 - (1500-1640)
PR 3291 -> 3785 (1640-1770)
PR 3991 -> 5990 ( 1770- 1900)
PR 6000 -> 6049 (1900-1960)
PR 6050 -> 6076 (1961-2000
PR 6100 -> 6126 (2001 - )
PR 8309 -> 9680 - English literature from outside Britain & outside the USA

PS 1 -> PS 3576 - English literature from North America

PS 700-893 Colonial period (17th and 18th centuries)
PS 991-3390 (19th century)
PS 3500-3549 (1900-1960)
PS 3550-3576 (1961-2000)
PS 3600-3626 (2001-
PS 8001-8599 - Canadian literature

Literature Classification as a Whole

Here is the overall general classification by language:

Literature Materials	Call No.
Literary History & General Collections	PN1-PN6790
American literature	PS1-PS3626
Chinese literature	PL2250-PL3208
English literature	PR1-PR9680
French literature	PQ1-PQ3999
German literature	PT1-PT4897
Greek literature	PA3050-PA4505
Italian literature	PQ4001-PQ5999
Japanese literature	PL700-PL889
Russian literature	PG2900-PG3698
Spanish literature	PQ6001-PQ8929