Background Info for Literature
The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French (e-book) by Publication Date: 1995It presents an authoritative guide not only to ten centuries of literature produced in the territory now called France, but also to the rich literary output of other French‐speaking countries around the world. Written by an international team of specialists, entries cover individual authors and works from the troubadours to Césaire, and from La Princesse de Clèves to La Vie mode d'emploi. Substantial essay‐entries reflect the latest scholarship on topics such as chivalry, Occupation and Resistance in wartime France, scholasticism, the sciences, literary movements and genres, as well as opera, cinema, and press.
Guide to French Literature by ISBN: 1558621598Publication Date: 1993-11-01The accompanying volume to the Guide to French Literature: 1789 to the Present, this text traces the flow of ideas from writer to writer and the connection between literature and the other arts, and the interaction between writers and the political, social and economic circumstances of their age.
A History of Modern French Literature by 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 by 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.
Use sources for background information to orient yourself to a topic and get ideas for further investigation.
Biographical Info
- Dictionary of Literary Biography
Biographical and critical information on influential literary personalities from all geographical areas, periods and genres.
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
The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and CriticismCall 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:
Background Info in other disciplines
- Oxford Art OnlineOxford (formerly Grove) Dictionary of Art Online plus image links cross-referenced to art galleries and museums. Access doesn't include Benezit Dictionary of Artists. Access limited to 5 simultaneous users.
- Oxford Music Online
Oxford Music Online is a gateway offering users the ability to access and cross-search multiple music reference resources in one location including Grove Music Online, Oxford Companion to Music, Oxford Dictionary of Music & Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Access limited to 5 simultaneous users.
- 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.
- Credo Reference
Provides access to a collection of aggregated and integrated reference books from high-quality publishers.