Comparative Literature: A Guide to Library Resources: Europe

DICTIONARIES, ENCYCLOPEDIAS, GUIDES AND HANDBOOKS

Columbia Dictionary of Modern European Literature. 2nd ed. New York: Columbia UP, 1980. Print edition: Olin Reference PN 771 C72 1980

Some 500 scholars have contributed short essays to this edition of the Columbia Dictionary. Over 1800 authors from throughout the Western world are treated, giving biographical as well as bibliographical information. Most entries contain references to further critical or biographical readings.

Encyclopedia of Italian Literary Studies. Gaetana Marrone, general editor; New York: Routledge, c2007. 2 vols. Olin Ref PQ4006 E536 2007+

"Contains some 600 entries on all aspects of Italian literary culture, including analytical essays on authors and works,articles on critics, themes, genres, schools, historical surveys, and other related topics. The encyclopedia also covers subjects of contemporary interest, such as journalism, film, media, children's literature, food, and vernacular literatures. Entries consist of an essay on the topic and a bibliographic portion listing works for further reading, and, in the case of entries on individuals, a brief biographical paragraph and list of works by the person." [publisher]

Everyman's Dictionary of European Writers. New York: Dutton, 1968. Olin stacks PN 451 H27w

Brief but informative entries cover not only outstanding literary authors but also non-literary authors whose works have stimulated the literary climate of Europe. The time span is from the 10th century onward, and coverage includes writers of smaller communities not often treated in other works. Tit Titles of English translations are included where necessary.

Handbook of Russian Literature. Terras, Victor, ed. New Haven: Yale UP, 1985. Olin Reference PG 2940 H23 1985+; also Olin stacks

This excellent guide to Russian literature contains articles of varying length on all aspects of this field of study. Entries are arranged alphabetically with most containing short, selective bibliographies. The work also includes an index and a general bibliography.

Modern Encyclopedia of Russian and Soviet Literature.v.1-10. (in progress) Gulf Breeze: Academic International, 1977-. Olin stacks PG 2940 M68

"The coverage envisioned for this series goes beyond writers and their works to include those aspects of Russian and Soviet cultural life which impinge in one way or another on literature in a broad sense: literary criticism, the contributions of past literary scholars (no living scholar is represented), a number of selected linguistic problems, literary movements, literary journals, and folklore....The encyclopedia strives, ultimately, to arrive at a cultural profile of Russia and the Soviet Union, as revealed in Russian literature, in the many other national Soviet literatures, and in their literary traditions and literary history. This has enabled translating authoritative articles in older reference works, or combining information from many sources into a comprehensive orifice, or including entries by knowledgeable specialists" (" From the Editor"). Longer articles are signed; most include bibliographies.

A New History of German Literature . Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2004. Olin Reference PT91 .N49 2004 + (also Olin stacks)

Contains 200 original essays on events in German literary history focusing on a particular literary work, an event in the life of an author, a historical moment, a piece of music, a technological invention, even a theatrical or cinematic premiere.

Oxford Companion to German Literature. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1997. Olin Ref PT 41 G23 1997 <

Intended as a "companion to the historical and cultural background to German literature as well as to the writers and works themselves. Spans the period from c. 800 to the mid-1990's, and the aim has been to cover in a reasonably representative way every period of the literature of each German-speaking country." (Preface). Entries vary in length from a few Lines to a page, and are arranged in alphabetical order.

Oxford Companion to Spanish Literature. Ward, Phillip, ed. Oxford: Clarendon, 1978. Olin Reference PQ 6006 098; also Olin stacks

This handbook "attempts to provide, in a single alphabetical sequence, a one-volume" collection of that should be useful to students of Spanish literature. (Preface) Some entries include references. No index. Spanish-language edition in Olin stacks PQ 6006 O98 1984

Plots and Characters in Major Russian Fiction. 2 vols. Hamden: Archon, 1977-1978. Library Annex PG 3095 B53

"Designed to encourage the reading of Russian literature" (Preface), each volume in this set is divided into two parts: Part 1, the Plots; and Part II, the characters and other personages. Volume one covers Pushkin, Lermontov, Turgenev and Tolstoi; Volume two covers Gogol, Goncharov, Dostoyevski.

Reader's Encyclopedia of Eastern European Literature. Pynsent, Robert B. with S.I. Kanikova. New York : HarperCollins Pub., 1993. Olin Reference PN849 E9 R27 1993; also Olin stacks)

Limited to writers of fiction from the Austrian, Prussian, Ottoman, and Russian Empires. Features an historical introduction; a section on anonymous, collective, and oral tradition works; brief histories of Eastern European literature alphabetically arranged by language. Author entries include limited primary and secondary bibliographies. Author and language indexes.

Russian Literature: An Introduction. Lord, Robert. 2nd ed. London: Kahn and Averill, 1980. Olin Stacks PG 2951 L86 1980

This handbook is divided into four parts. Part 1 is "The Russian Writer in Context," part 2 is Poetry, part 3 Prose, and part 4 Theatre. Included is a selected bibliography and an index to individual authors. Not much biography is provided, but rather a discussion of particular authors' style, technique and contribution to Russian literature.

Russian Literature Under Lenin and Stalin. 1917-1953 . Struve, Gleb. Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1971. Olin Reference PG 3022 S92 1971; also Olin stacks

A revision of the 1951 edition of the author's Soviet Russian Literature, this work is a reliable history of the period in Russian literature containing information about specific writers, periods, events, and literary controversies. Includes an index and a bibliography.

Tables of European History, Literature, Science, and Art, from A.D. 200 to 1909... Nichol, John. 5th ed. Glasgow: Maclehose, 1909. Olin Ref +PN 524 N59 1909 v.2

Presents, in tabular format, comparative achievements in literature and other fields within defined chronological periods (decade by decade after 1500) as they correspond to major historical events. Columns are labeled Foreign History, English & Scotch History, English Literature, Foreign Literature, Science, and The Fine Arts. Though Eurocentric and dated in its emphases, it is useful for quickly placing authors and works in their broader historical context. (Note: for the period 1500 B.C. to 200 A.D., see volume 1, Olin Ref +PN 524 N59 1909 v.1 )

Themes & Motifs in Western Literature: A Handbook. Daemmrich, H.S., Tubingen: Francke, 1987. Olin Stacks PN 43 D12 1987

This book is an A-Z arrangement of popular literary motifs and themes. "Each entry provides a systematic presentation of the nature, occurrence, development' and function of the theme or motif" (Preface). Citations to representative literature are included as well as references to scholarly studies.

---

BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES

European Authors 1000-1900: a Biographical Dictionary of European Literature. Kunitz, Stanley J. and Vineta Colby, eds., New York: Wilson, 1967. Olin Reference PN 451 K96+; also Library Annex)

This work spans almost a thousand years of the library tradition of continental Europe. Thirty-one different literatures are included. In addition to the brief biographies of individual authors, there are listings of translations, and brief bibliographies of biographical and critical sources for further study.

European Writers . 14 vols. New York: Scribner's, 1983 1991. Uris Library Willis Room PN 501 E89+

A collection of lengthy signed biographical and critical articles about major European writers. Each article includes a selected bibliography. Periods covered include the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (vol. 1-2); the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment (vol. 3-4); the Romantic Century (vol. 7) and the Twentieth Century (vol. 8-11).

---

LITERARY CRITICISM

Continental Novel: A Checklist of Criticism in English 1900 1966. Metuchen: Scarecrow, 1968. Plus suppl. 1967-1980. 1983. Uris stacks Z 5916 K24 (A.D. White Library)

"A checklist of twentieth century English literary criticism of the continental novel." (Preface) Citations are to critical essays found in both books and journals. Each volume is divided first by national literature (e.g. the French Novel, etc.) with entries then arranged alphabetically by author and his/her works.

Epic and Romance Criticism. Coleman, Arthur. 2 vols. New York: Watermill, 1973. Uris stacks Z 7156 E6 C69 1973 (A.D. White Library)

This bibliography of criticism on epics and romances lists about 20,000 citations to English language articles written between 1940 and 1972 and published in books and journals. Volume 1 covers English and American works; Volume 2 focuses on classical and Continental selections. In each volume entries are arranged by title. The table of contents lists authors with page references to their works.

European Drama Criticism. 1900-1975. 2nd ed. Hamden: Shoe String, 1977. Olin Reference Z 5781 P17 1977; also Uris stacks

A comprehensive listing of criticism which has appeared in books and periodicals in English and foreign languages, from 1900 to 1975. Arrangement is alphabetical by playwright, with plays alphabetized under the playwright. Cross-references are included.

A History of German Literary Criticism. Hohendahl, P.U., gen ed.,Lincoln: University of Nebraska, 1988. Olin Stacks PT 73 G38 1988

This work provides an historical overview of German literary criticism. It is divided in five parts: From Classicist to Classical Literary Criticism, The Concept of Literary Criticism in German Romanticism, Literary Criticism in the Epoch of Liberalism, Literary Criticism from Empire to Dictatorship, and Literary Criticism from 1933 to the Present. There is a lengthy notes section and an index to the authors mentioned.

Letteratura Italiana, Aggiornamento Bibliografico. (L.I.A.B.) Trieste : Alcione Edizioni, 1991 - 2006 . Olin Reference Z 2354 C8 L653

Published in two volumes annually, this index to critical writing on Italian literature lists monographs, journal articles, book reviews, and articles in collections. After a section covering general literary topics, the arrangement is chronological by century (beginning with the 13th). Includes author, subject, and publisher indexes, as well as bibliographical data for the periodicals covered.

Modern Slavic Literatures. Mihailovich, Vasa, ed., 2 vols. New York: Ungar, 1972-1976. Olin Reference PG 501 M63; also Olin stacks

Another in Ungar's Library of Literary Criticism series, the two volumes of Modem Slavic Literatures provide critical studies on nearly 70 Russian authors and more than twice that many writers from the other Slavic countries. For each author there are excerpts of criticism on specific works, extracted from both books and journal articles. All excerpts are in English. Although concerned mainly with the works of each author, many entries contain some biographical information as well.

Manual de Bibliografia de la Literatura Espanol. 3rd ed. Madrid : Gredos, 1980. Olin Reference Z2691 S59 M2 1980

Lists books and periodical articles covering the whole range of Spanish literature. A general section is followed by chronological divisions covering one or more centuries, containing references to both primary and secondary sources by and about individual authors. Name and subject indexes provided.

---

SELECTED INTERNET RESOURCES

Electronic Text Collections in Western European Literature.

Produced by the Western European Specialists Section (WESS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries. Lists links to Internet sources for literary texts in the western European languages other than English, including Latin, Old Norse, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Finnish, Catalan, and others.

REESWeb: Russian and East European Studies Internet Resources

Sponsored by the Center for Russian and East European Studies (REES) of the University of Pittsburg. Provides links to language, literature and cultural resources relating to Russian, East Slavic, South Slavic, West Slavik, Polish and non-Slavic languages of Eastern Europe.