Library Research Guide for French Literature
Chao Chen (chao.chen@tufts.edu or 7-2057), Reference Librarian, Tisch Library
Fall, 2007

Introduction: this guide is designed to help students in French with their library research. The Guide focuses on key research sources pertinent to the courses and basic strategies in effectively using these sources.    

Part I: Key Research Sources and Strategies for French Literature
A. Language Study Tools—Dictionaries
    1. Electronic
    2. Print
    3. Bilingual
    4. Historical period
B. Cultural and Literary Research Sources
    1. Biographies, Cultural and Historical Backgrounds, and Literary Surveys
    2. Newspaper, Magazine, and Journal Articles, Books and Movies—Lexis-Nexis, MLA, JSTOR, Project Muse and the Catalog
    3. E-texts for Textual Analysis—ARTFL

Part II: Research Paper Writing Tools
A. Report and Research Paper Writing Manual and Handbooks
B. Citing Sources the —MLA Style

Search samples

Part I: Key Research Sources and Strategies for French Literature
A. French Language Study Tools —Dictionaries
Electronic
Collins French Dictionary (Tufts subscribe to this e-source; enter your Tufts' ID to access.)
Le Robert électronique [CD-ROM and printed guide] (Ref. PC2625 .R5525 1994)
La Langue française de TV5 [http://dictionnaire.tv5.org/]
Online French dictionary with synonyms, conjugations of verbs, and also English-French and French-English sections.
ATILF- Analyse et Traitement Informatique de la Langue Française [http://atilf.atilf.fr/tlf.htm]
WordReference.com—Le dictionnaire anglais français [http://www.wordreference.com/fr/]

Print
Dictionnaire de synonymes et contraires (Ref. PC2591 .B44 1997)
Dictionnaire du français non conventionnel (Ref. PC2689 .C44 1981)
Warnant, Dictionnaire de la prononciation française (Ref. PC2137 .W3 1968)
Le Petit Robert. Dictionnaire alphabétique et analogique de la langue française (Ref. PC2625 .R553 1984)
Trésor de la langue française: dictionnaire de la langue du XIXe et du XXe siècle (Ref. PC2625 .I4)

Bilingual
Grand dictionnaire français-anglais, anglais-français (Larousse) (Ref. PC2640 .G735 1993)
Robert & Collins senior dictionnaire français-anglais, anglais-français (Ref. PC2640 .C69 1998)

Historical Periods
Cotgrave. A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues. Reprint of the 1611 ed. (Ref. PC2640. A2 C7 1611a)
Furetière. Le dictionnaire universel. Reprint of the 1690 ed. (Ref. PC2620 .F7 1978)
And also: Godefroy (Middle Ages), Huguet (16th century), Encyclopédie (18th century, see below), Dictionnaire du XIXe siècle, Bergeron (Québécois)

B. Cultural and Literary Research Sources
1. Biographies, Cultural and Historical Backgrounds, and Literary Surveys
2. Newspaper, Magazine, and Journal Articles, Books and Movies
3. E-texts for Textual Analysis

1. Biographies, Cultural and Historical Backgrounds, and Literary Surveys
(Access electronic sources: from the Tisch Library Web Site [http://www.library.tufts.edu/tisch/], go to Databases and Articles.)
Biographical Sources
Dictionary of Literary Biography (Web Resource)
Contemporary Literary Criticism--Select (Web Resource)

Le Petit Robert: Dictionnaire universel des noms propres (Ref. AG25 .R6 1995)
Cyclopedia of World Authors (Ref. PN451 .C93 1997)
Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs de tous les temps et de tous les pays (Ref. N40 .B47 1966)
Dictionnaire de biographie française (Ref. CT143 .D5)
Dictionnaire des auteurs français (Ref. PQ146 .D5 1962)
Dictionnaire des écrivains français (Ref. PQ41 .M3)
Dictionnaire des figures et des personnages (Ref. NX651.8 .A96 1981)
Dictionnaire des personnages historiques (Ref. CT143 .D53 1995)
Dictionnaire des grands auteurs de littérature et des sciences humaines(Tisch Book Stacks: PN456 .B67 2000)

Cultural and Historical Backgrounds
Contemporary
Quid, an almanac/encyclopedia (also as an annual publication on French institutions and their history. Ref. AE25 .Q85)

All Time Periods
Encyclopædia Universalis (Ref. AE25 .E3 1984)
Grand dictionnaire encyclopédique Larousse (Ref. AE25 .G63 1982)
Dictionnaire des institutions de la France aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles (Tisch Book Stacks: DC35 .M3 1968)
Dictionnaire des intellectuels français : les personnes, les lieux, les moments (Ref. DC33.7 .D48)
Dictionnaire des idées contemporaines (Ref. B804 .M65)
Dictionnaire d'histoire de France (Ref. DC35 .D53)
Dictionnaire des idées contemporaines(Ref. B804 .M65)

Literary Surveys
Dictionnaire de la mythologie grecque et romaine(Grimal, Ref. BL715 .G7 1969; Schmidt, Ref. BL715 .S3)
Dictionnaire biblique culturel et littéraire (Ref. BS440 .L33 2002)
Cyclopedia of Literary Characters (Ref. PN44 .M3 1998)
Dictionnaire des symboles (Ref. GR931 .D52 1996)
Dictionnaire des œuvres littéraires de langue française (Ref. PQ41 .B4 1994)
Dictionary of the theatre : terms, concepts, and analysis (Ref. PN2035 .P313 1998)
Dictionnaire du théâtre français contemporain(Ref. PN2635 .S46)
Dictionnaire des films : 11 000 films du monde entier(Ref. PN1998 .D48 1999)
Guide to French poetry explication (Ref. PQ401 .C65 1993)
Dictionnaire des lettres françaises(Tisch Book Stacks: PQ41 .D56 1994)
Notes : [v. 1.] Le Moyen age -- [v. 2.] Le XVIIe siècle -- [v. 3.] Le XVIIIe si`ecle.
Dictionary of modern French literature: from the age of reason through realism (Ref. PQ41 .D65 1986)
Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers. Reprint of the 1751-1780 ed. (Ref. AE25 .E53 1751a)
Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers (online)
Grand dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle /Pierre Larousse. Reprint of the 1866-1879 ed. [CD ROM, 2 volumes](Tisch Circulation Desk: AE25 .L32 2003)
Bibliographie des revues et journaux littéraires des XIXe et XXe siècles (Ref. PQ2 .P5)
Dictionnaire des lettres françaises. Le XXe siècle / édition réalisée sous la direction de Martine Bercot et d'André Guyaux. (Tisch Book Stacks: PQ41 .D562 1998)
2. Newspaper, Magazine, and Journal Articles, Books and Movies
Books book
Access: Tisch Library web site, http://www.library.tufts.edu/tisch/; select "Search Resources-->Library Catalogs"

Note: you DO NOT NEED to include accents in French words in these catalogs.
A sample Keyword Search in the Catalog on francophone cultures and/or literatures
A sample Subject Search in the Catalog on Molière and his works
The Difference between a Subject Search and a Keyword Search
A sample Advanced Search in WorldCat on adaptations of Molière's work

Finding Movies
Use the Tufts Library Catalog to find movies made in France, by French directors, or in French. See the sample searches here.

Journal Articles c
Access: Tisch Library web site, http://www.library.tufts.edu/tisch/; select "Articles via Databases"

Use the database, Lexis-Nexis, which includes such daily newspapers and magazines as: Les Echos, L’Equipe, Le Figaro, Le Monde, La Tribune, L’Express, Lire, Le Nouvel Economiste, Le Point. See the search screen here.

· Use MLA for journal articles on French literature—literary criticism and interpretation
· Use JSTOR and Project Muse for journal articles on French studies as well as French literature
Note: MLA is the most comprehensive and authoritative source for the literature of the discipline, and links directly to our electronic journals. JSTOR and Project Muse, while far from being as comprehensive, offers the advantages of an multidisciplinary coverage and full texts.

MLA International Bibliography 1963-   Search examples.
an international index to books and journals on the modern languages and literatures, including linguistics and folklore.

Project Muse and JSTOR      Search examples.
These are two collections of electronic journals in many different disciplines. Project Muse offers more recent issues, while JSTOR has more earlier issues.

3. E-texts for Textual Analysis
(Access electronic sources: from the Tisch Library Web Site [http://www.library.tufts.edu/tisch/], go to Databases and Articles. Then select from the A-Z list.)
ARTFL, American and French Research on the Treasury of the French Language is a full-text retrieval database of classical French writings. Users can create a dictionary and frequency count of words used in a text, trace origins of words or phrases back through the 17th century, etc. The database includes literary works, political tracts, philosophical writings, and technical treatises. See two sample searches here.

Part II: Research Paper Writing Tools
A. Report and Research Paper Writing Manual and Handbooks
B. Citing Sources the —MLA Style

A. Report and Research Paper Writing Manuals and Handbooks
Du plan à la dissertation : la dissertation française aux baccalauréats et aux concours administratifs (Tisch Book Stacks LB2369 .D44 1977)
L'art de la thèse : comment préparer et rédiger une thèse de doctorat, un mémoire de DEA ou de maîtrise ou tout autre travail universitaire (Ref. LB2369 .B36 1986)
Guide to the successful thesis and dissertation : a handbook for students and faculty (Ref. LB2369 .M377 1998)

B. Citing Sources the —MLA Style
When creating a bibliography for your research paper, be aware that there are a variety of citation styles you can choose from. MLA (Modern Language Association) is one of the most commonly used citation styles.

Print all search samples