Background Info for Literature
Use sources for background information to orient yourself to a topic and get ideas for further investigation.
Biographical Info
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Dictionary of Literary BiographyOnline source of in-depth biographical information on authors from all countries and periods.
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European Writers (e-book)
Call Number: REF PN501 .E9 1983Publication Date: 1983Literary encyclopedia with introductory articles to more than 270 continental European writers, from 400 CE to the present day. Available in print (https://i-share.carli.illinois.edu/vf-uic/Record/UICdb.109731 and as e-book)
Literary Theory
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The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism
Call Number: REF PN81 .J554 2005Publication Date: 2004
Useful Overviews
Search in the library catalog for the following book series, both of which provide great introductions to literature and culture of different countries:
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World Literature in Spanish
Call Number: REF PQ6006 .W68 2011Publication Date: 20113-volume encyclopedia about Spanish-language literature throughout the world. -
Latin American Writers
Call Number: REF PQ7081.A1 L37 1989Publication Date: 19893-volume biographical encyclopedia of Latin American Writers from the 16th century to the present. -
The Cambridge History of Spanish Literature
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Publication Date: 2004Important comprehensive overview of the literature of Spain by leading scholars. -
The Cambridge History of Latin American Literature (3 vols.)
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Publication Date: 1996Important survey of Latin American literature (including Brazilian) by leading scholars, from pre-Columbian times to the present.
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The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French (e-book)
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Publication Date: 1995Standard reference work in a searchable online format. -
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A History of Modern French Literature
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Call Number: PQ103 .H57 2017ISBN: 9780691157726This book provides an engaging, accessible, and exciting new history of French literature from the Renaissance through the twentieth century, from Rabelais and Marguerite de Navarre to Samuel Beckett and Assia Djebar. -
The Cambridge History of French Literature
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Call Number: PQ103 .C26 2011Publication Date: 2011Comprehensive history of French literature from the Middle Ages to the present day, including Francophone literature and French cinema.
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Kritisches Lexikon zur deutschsprachigen Gegenwartsliteratur (KLG)
Call Number: REF PT155 .K757 1978Multi-volume scholarly encyclopedia of 20th-century German-language literature -
Kindlers neues Literatur Lexikon
Call Number: REF PN44 .K54 1988Publication Date: 198822-volume German encyclopedia of world literature. -
Encyclopedia of German Literature (e-book)
Publication Date: 2000Searchable, 2-volume, English-language encyclopedia of German literature. -
The Cambridge History of German Literature
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Call Number: PT91 .C36 2000Publication Date: 2000History of German literature up to the unification of Germany in 1990, leading scholars in their field.
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The Cambridge Introduction to Russian Literature
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Call Number: PG2951 .E47 2008Publication Date: 2008Useful introduction to Russian literature. -
The History of Polish Literature
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Call Number: PG7012 .M48 1983Publication Date: 1983Updated history of Polish literature and culture by Nobel-prize-winning Polish poet.
Background Info in other disciplines
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Oxford Art OnlineIncludes Grove Dictionary of Art, the best encyclopedia for information about art history.
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Oxford Music OnlineIncludes the Grove Dictionary of Music, the best encyclopedia for information on music and composers.
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Oxford Reference Online
Oxford Reference Online is a digital reference shelf of topical encyclopedias, handbooks, thesauruses and dictionaries with emphasis on Literature and Western Civilization . Limited to 5 simultaneous users.
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Credo Reference
Provides access to a collection of aggregated and integrated reference books from high-quality publishers.