Comparative Literature: A Guide to Library Resources: General Reference Sources
This guide is selective and limited to items held by the Cornell University Library, with an emphasis on those resources held in the Reference collections of Olin, Kroch, and Uris Libraries
General Reference Sources for Comparative Literature
Der Brockhaus Literatur: Schriftsteller, Werke, Epochen, Sachbegriffe. Herausgegeben von der Lexikonredaktion des Verlags F.A. Brockhaus, Mannheim ; [Projektleitung: Hildegard Hogen ; Redaktion: Eva Beate Bode ... et al.]. Mannheim : F.A. Brockhaus, 2004. Olin Reference PN44.5 B76 2004
Alphabetically arranged dictionary of authors, works, literary periods and concepts, and relevant historical events. Illustrated.
Cassell's Encyclopaedia of World Literature. 3 vols. New York: William Morrow, 1973. Library Annex PN 41 C34 1973
Volume 1 includes entries for histories of national literatures, literary genres, literary movements, schools, themes, and specific literary terms. Volumes 2 and 3 contain biographical sketches of literary figures and occasionally sketches of individual works. Selective bibliographies accompany most articles.
Intended to address the current situation of scholarship in the discipline of comparative literature and the fields of world literature and comparative cultural studies in a global context.
Complete Review Guide to Contemporary World Fiction.Columbia University Press, [2016]. Olin Reference PN3491 .C626 2016
Profiles hundreds of titles and authors from 1945 to today, with an emphasis on fiction published in the past two decades. Entries illuminate the fiction of individual nations, cultures, and peoples, while concise biographies sketch the careers of noteworthy authors. Compiled by M. A. Orthofer, an avid book reviewer and the founder of the literary review site the Complete Review.
Contemporary World Writers.. 2nd ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 1993. Library Annex PN 771 C7615 1993
Revised edition of Contemporary foreign language writers. 1st ed., 1984 (Olin stacks PN 771 C7615). Alphabetically arranged; contains biographical and bibliographical information on 345 authors. "The entry for each author consists of a biography, a complete list of separately published books, a selected list of published bibliographies, and critical studies on the writer, and a signed critical essay" (Editors note in first ed.).
A Dictionary of Literary Symbols by Michael Ferber. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2007. Print copy: Olin Reference PN56 S9 F47 2007+
...centered primarily on Western literature. Covering 175 symbols, entries are complemented by quotations and citations. Alphabetically arranged, words are defined and their uses in literature are explored. Extensively cross-referenced with a list of authors cited and a bibliography.
Dictionary of Narratology, by Gerald Prince. Lincoln : Univ. of Nebraska, 2003. Olin Reference P 302.7 P75x 2003
Defines and illustrates terms specific to narratology, terms whose narratological acception differs from their other uses, and terms whose ordinary or technical meaning belongs to a semantic domain that is prominent in or essential to narratological description and argumentation.(adapted from the Preface)
Dictionnaire des Personnages Litteraires et Dramatiques de Tous les Temps et de Tous les Pays: Poesie, Theatre, Roman, Musique. Paris: Societe d'Edition de Dictionnaires et Encyclopedies, 1960. Olin Reference PN 41 D55+
This richly illustrated companion volume to the French edition of the Dizionario Letterario Bompiani (described below) identifies and describes characters of fiction, poetry, music and drama from all periods and countries. It includes historical figures who have figured prominently as characters in artistic works. Especially useful for its comparative illustrations of characters that have been represented in many different ways and media over time (e.g., Hamlet, Ulysses, Jeanne d'Arc).
Le Dictionnaire du Littéraire publié sous la direction de Paul Aron, Denis Saint-Jacques, Alain Viala ; avec la collaboration de Marie-Andrée Beaudet ... [et al.]. Paris : Presses universitaires de France, 2004. 2e éd., revue et augmentée. Olin Reference PN41 D486 2004
A general one-volume literary encyclopedia focusing on the genres, broad concepts and theories common to world literatures. Each entry contains a selected bibliography.
Dizionario Letterario Bompiani delle Opere e dei Personaggi di Tutti i Tempi e di Tutte le Letterature. Milan: Bompiani, 1947-1950. 9v. with Appendice. 3v. Olin Reference PN 41 D62
Lavishly illustrated encyclopedia covering literary works from all countries and periods. The first half of the first volume is devoted to aesthetic schools and movements (e.g., Futurism, Romanticism, Patristics). Signed entries thereafter are arranged alphabetically by the Italian form of the work's title (which is followed by the original title in brackets). Many works of art and music are also described. Volume 8 is a dictionary of literary characters, while Volume 9 presents synoptic tables showing literary developments in all parts of the world, as well as several indexes to the set. Appendices add supplemental information.
An encyclopedia of world literature covering 1870 through the mid-20th century. Alphabetically arranged, it includes entries on writers (as well as other important figures in the arts), literary movements, periodicals, national literatures, and concepts, most of which present bibliographies. Enhanced by many illustrations and photographs. Often considered to be a supplement of the Dizionario Letterario Bompiani delle Opere... described above.
Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo. Rome: Casa Ed. le Maschere, 1954-62. 9v. Olin stacks PN 2035 E563+
Filled with illustrations and photographs, this encyclopedia is international in scope, covering theater, opera, ballet, motion pictures, and other dramatic and performing arts from antiquity to the 20th century. Includes bibliographies. A tenth volume is an index to titles of works mentioned in the other nine. A supplemental volumes published later contains biographical sketches of contemporary figures not covered in the basic set (Aggiornamento 1955-1965,Olin Reference PN 2035 E563+ Suppl.). Another ( Cinema, Teatro, Balletto, TV,Olin PN 2035 E564 1982+) seems to be an updated abridgement containing brief entries -- without bibliographies -- many related to film.
Print edition arranged in three volumes covering Literary Theory from 1900 to 1966, Literary Theory from 1966 to the present, and Cultural Theory, this encyclopedia provides accessible entries on the important concepts, theorists and trends in post-1900 literary and cultural theory.
Encyclopedia of Literary Modernism, edited by Paul Poplawski. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2003. Olin Reference PN56 M54 E53x 2003+
"The principal focus of the book is on English-language literary modernism and the period 1890-1939, yet many entries extend beyond those parameters to include important precursors and successors of the movement. The book also covers the crucial European and interdisciplinary dimensions of modernism and provides complementary comparative perspectives from countries and regions not usually included in traditional accounts of the subject. Entries cite works for further reading, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography." [publisher]
Encyclopedia of Literary Translation into English. Editor, Olive Classe. London; Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, c 2000. 2 vols. Olin Reference PN241 E56x 2000+
Articles fall into three categories: (1) general and historical surveys of literary translation into English from the major world languages, classical and modern; (2) topics related to the history, theory and practice of literary translation into English, and (3) writer and work entries -- analytical accounts of the treatment in English translation of (a) all the significant translated works by major world authors or (b) single translated works.
Encyclopedia of Literature and Science edited by Pamela Gossin. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2002. Olin Reference PN55 E53 2002
"This reference defines the rapidly emerging interdisciplinary field of literature and science. An introductory essay traces the history of the field, its growing reputation, and the current state of research. Broad in scope, the volume covers world literature from its beginnings to the present day and illuminates the role of science in literature and literary studies. Included are more than 650 alphabetically arranged entries on topics, themes, writers, scientists, works, theories, and methodologies. A wide range of experts contributed entries, each ending with a brief bibliography. The entire volume closes with a list of works for further reading." - back cover
This second edition, three-volume set retains the same format as the first edition. It includes entries that encompass genres, major subjects and critical biographies of writers. Entries from the first edition have been updated, where appropriate; nearly 200 new entries have been added, and, in many cases, bibliographies have been updated to take into account new critical techniques. It covers the history and development of the literatures of the colonies of the former British Commonwealth and the Philippines and includes original research relating to the literatures of some fifty countries and mandated territories. In addition to the entries by genre, subject, and biography, there are also important "Overviews" for selected major subjects and genres in the form of comparative essays which explore the issues over a variety of countries. A comprehensive index to authors, subjects, and works is also included.
Encyclopedia of World Literature in the 20th Century. 5 vols. Rev. ed. New York: Ungar, 1981-1993. Olin Reference PN774 L64 1981+
This revised edition strives to review, reconsider, and update world literature of the 20th century in an internationalized, comprehensive manner for the scholar, student, and general reader. The four volumes are alphabetically arranged with: a) articles on national literatures in the post W.W. II era, including survey articles on 85 Asian and African literatures; b) topical articles (i.e. cubism, imagism) and c) separate articles on major and representative writers. Transitional 19th to 20th century figures who produced significant work after 1900 have been included. Each a article is signed. Extensive cross references, bibliographies, and lists of further works by authors are provided.
Key Sources in Comparative and World Literature: An Annotated Guide toReference Materials. New York: Ungar, 1982. Olin Reference Z 6511 T47+
A valuable source for finding reference materials on comparative literature. It is arranged in general by broad area, e.g. Italian literature, Oriental literatures. Each broad area has an outline displaying its format usually by type of work, e.g. bibliographies, handbooks, etc. or by period then individual authors. Title and subject lists included.
In Online version of the comprehensive German literary encyclopedia, updated annually. International in scope, covering all literary periods. The biographical entries for authors include synopses of works and bibliographical information on selected editions, translations, and criticism.
Kritisches Lexikon zur fremdsprachigen Gegenwartsliteratur. München : Edition Text + Kritik, 1983- .Loose-leaf. Olin stacks PN774 .K92
Kritisches Lexikon der romanischen Gegenwartsliteraturen. Tübingen : G. Narr, c1984-2006 . Loose-leaf. Uris Library stacks Z7031 .K92 (A.D. White Library)
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama: An International Reference Work in Five Volumes. 2nd ed. 5 vols. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984. Olin Reference PN 1625 M14 1984
"The purpose of the book is to present, in the clearest possible format, factual information and critical evaluations of numerous dramatists' work and stature."(Preface) Most entries contain a biographical sketch, a brief critique of the dramatist's work, a selection of synopses of his/her plays, a bibliography of editions and usually a list of critical and biographical works. Emphasis is on English and Western European playwrights. Includes same general essays on drama of the world (e.g., "Belgian and Flemish Drama").
A revised and updated version of the major reference work for poetry. Compiled by an entirely new team of editors, this first new edition in almost twenty years reflects recent changes in literary and cultural studies, providing up-to-date coverage and giving greater attention to the international aspects of poetry, all while preserving the best of the previous volumes. [publisher] 1993 edition available online.
Created by the University of California, Santa Barbara. Links to Web sites specializing in a wide range of non-English literatures, from African to Welsh. Main page lists links alphabetically by nation or continent.
