Finding Dickinson: Linguistic Sexism and Inconsistent Indexing in "Masterplots."

Many students use the library resource Masterplots as a means of summary, as a method to enhance their comprehension of the text, and as a source of literary commentary. This paper presents findings from an analysis of linguistic sexism in the indexing of Masterplots, particularly the 1976 revised edition but also the "Women's Literature Series," published almost two decades later (1995). Certain editions of "Masterplots" have an indexing system in the table of contents of last name first, first name last for male authors; however, a different system (first name first, last name last) is applied for female authors, specifically poets. This exclusionary indexing method is an example of linguistic sexism. My analysis of indexing and cataloging of women in "Masterplots" reveals that linguistic sexism is an area that still needs and demands our attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]