Comparative Literature: Background Resources

Tommy Nixon
Humanities Reference Librarian
tommy_nixon@unc.edu
919.962.1151

This Library of Congress classification system holds true for any library in the world using the LC system. For example, Romance language dictionaries will always be classed in the PCs, while English language dictionaries will always be classed in the PEs. General literature will be in the PNs, Romance language literartures in the PQs, British literature in the PRs & American literature in the PSs.

Use this Map to find books in Davis Reference.

Use this Location Guide to find books in Davis.

Through the Carolina BLU Delivery Service, you can request to have books and articles available at any of the UNC-CH campus libraries, as well as books and articles requested through interlibrary loan, delivered to the campus library most convenient to you.

In addition to literary encyclopedias for national & regional literatures, there are any number of additional categories of background sources that may prove useful for literary research.

The Cambridge history of literary criticism. Edited by George A. Kennedy. Cambridge [England] ;New York : Cambridge University Press, 1989- [ongoing] v. 1. Classical criticism -- v. 2. The Middle Ages-- v. 3. The Renaissance -- v. 4. The eighteenth century -- v. 5. Romanticism -- v. 6 (not published as of 8/10) -- v. 7. Modernism and the new criticism -- v. 8. From formalism to poststructuralism -- v. 9. Twentieth-century historical, philosophical and psychological perspectives.
Davis Reference PN86 .C27 1989

The Columbia dictionary of modern literary and cultural criticism. Joseph Childers and Gary Hentzi, general editors. New York : Columbia University Press, c1995.
Davis Reference BH39 .C62 1995

A dictionary of literary terms and literary theory. J.A. Cuddon ; (revised by C.E. Preston). 4th ed. Oxford; Malden, Mass. : Blackwell, 1998.
Davis Reference Desk PN41 .C83 1998

Encyclopedia of contemporary literary theory : approaches, scholars, terms. Irena R. Makaryk, general editor and compiler. Toronto : University of Toronto Press, c1993.
Davis Reference PN81 .E43 1993

Encyclopedia of feminist literary theory. Editor, Elizabeth Kowaleski-Wallace. New York : Garland, 1997.
Davis Reference PN98.W64 E53 1997

Encyclopedia of literary critics and criticism. 2 vols. Consultant, John Sutherland ; edited by Chris Murray. London ;Chicago, IL : Fitzroy Dearborn, 1999.
Davis Reference PN86 .E63 1999

A handbook to literature. William Harmon. 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Pearson Prentice Hall, c2009. A standard & clearly written handbook.
Davis Reference Desk PN41 .H355 2009

The Johns Hopkins guide to literary theory & criticism. Edited by Michael Groden, Martin Kreiswirth, and Imre Szeman. 2nd ed. Baltimore, Md. : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. An important guide to theory & theorists .
Davis Reference PN81 .J554 2005

Literary Theory
A database of theoretical texts ranging from Aristotle to Sedgwick. The criteria for the inclusion of works in Literary Theory seek to reflect the diverse material and interests encompassed by the history of literary theory and criticism. In addition to works written in English, the database includes works which were originally written in other languages but which have had a significant bearing on English and American traditions of theory and criticism, or which have influenced contemporary theoretical debate in the English-speaking world. All works in the database appear in English.

The Oxford dictionary of literary terms [electronic resource]Chris Baldick. 3rd ed. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2008.

The year's work in critical and cultural theory [electronic resource] Oxford : Published for the English Association by Blackwell Publishers, c1994- An annual series of bibliographic essays, covering topics as diverse as deconstruction, modernism & postmodernism, virtual cultures, film theory, and colonial discourse.
Davis Reference PN80 .Y43 v. 1- (1991-) TO DATE Currently received.

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Biographical research can be straightforward (for the famous) or exceedingly difficult (for the less famous & obscure). Literary biographical encyclopedias will abound in all the various literature subclasses of the Library of Congress Classification Outline (in the Ps) and may be arranged by genre, gender, period, ethnicity or combinations thereof. There are also many subject, period, & national biographical sources, e.g. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (British) or the American National Biography. What follows is higly selective.

Dictionary of Literary Biography. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research, 1978-[ongoing].
An ongoing series of more than 300 volumes of bio-critical articles on individual authors, with some volumes devoted to general topics. Each volume, as it is published, has a cumulative index for the set; therefore, the most recent (highest numbered) volume will index the set at any given time. Print volumes of the DLB, with much excellent illustrative material, are all located on Davis Reference Row 3, under the following call number: Davis Reference Row 3 PS21 .D5185 1978 - To Date .
N.B: The text of the DLB is now available electronically (but with very few illustrations) as part of the Literature Resource Center (see below).

Literature Recource Center
LRC contains the text of the Dictionary of Literary Biography and of Contemporary Authors, as well as selected critical excerpts or full text articles from various Gale criticism sets.

World Biographical Index
Indexes many 19th & early 20th century biographical compendia (not restricted to literature), and references microfiche collections published by Saur that reproduce the biographical entries. It is especially useful for locating more obscure persons.

Biographical dictionaries and related works : an international bibliography of approximately 16,000 collective biographies ... 2 vols. Robert B. Slocum, editor. Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., c1986.
A very useful bibliography of biographical dictionaries (all areas): v. 1. Universal biography ; National or area biography -- v. 2. Biography by vocation ; Author index ; Title index ; Subject index.
Davis Reference Row 1 Z5301 .S55 1986

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Although this is a relatively long list of "genre resources," broadly defined, it is just a sample & by no means complete for genre resources. There are many more in the PNs (General Literature), as well as within national literatures.

The New Princeton encyclopedia of poetry and poetics. Alex Preminger and T.V.F. Brogan, co-editors ; Frank J. Warnke, O.B. Hardison, Jr., and Earl Miner, associate editors. Rev. ed. Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, 1993.
An excellent resource, this provides substantive essays on poetry for various nationalities (but not individual poets), movements, etc.
Davis Reference Desk PN1021 .N39 1993

McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of world drama : an international reference work in 5 volumes. Stanley Hochman, editor in chief. 2nd ed. New York, N.Y. : McGraw-Hill, c1984.
Davis Reference PN1625 .M3 1984

The World encyclopedia of contemporary theatre. 6 vols. Editor: Don Rubin. London ;New York : Routledge, 1994-
An "ambitious six-volume theatrical reference comprising a comparative study of nations and their theatres since 1945."
Davis Reference PN1861 .W67 1994

The Columbia encyclopedia of modern drama. 2 vols. Edited by Gabrielle H. Cody and Evert Sprinchorn. New York : Columbia University Press, c2007.
Davis Reference PN1861 .C65 2007

The Oxford encyclopedia of theatre & performance. 2 vols. Edited by Dennis Kennedy. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2003.
Davis Reference PN2035 .O94 2003

Encyclopedia of the novel. Editor, Paul Schellinger ; assistant editors, Christopher Hudson, Marijke Rijsberman. Chicago : Fitzroy Dearborn, c1998.
Davis Reference PN41 .E53 1998

Reference guide to short fiction. Editor, Thomas Riggs. 2nd ed. Detroit : St. James Press, c1999.
Davis Reference PN3373 .R36 1998

Encyclopedia of the essay. Editor, Tracy Chevalier. London ;Chicago : Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997.
Davis Reference PN6141 .E53 1997

Encyclopedia of literary translation into English. 2 vols. Editor, Olive Classe. London ;Chicago : Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 2000.
Davis Reference PN241 .E53 2000

Encyclopedia of life writing. 2 vols. Edited by Margaretta Jolly. London : Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001.
Although classed with British literature (PR), this is international in scope and is an excellent resource for biography/autobiography.
Davis Reference PR756.B56 E53 2001

Gothic literature . 3 vols. Foreword by Jerrold E. Hogle ; Jessica Bomarito, project editor. Detroit : Thomson/Gale, c2006.
Davis Reference PR408.G68 G675 2006

The Encyclopedia of science fiction. Edited by John Clute and Peter Nicholls. New York : St. Martin's Press, 1993.
Davis Reference PN3433.4 .E53 1993

Supernatural literature of the world : an encyclopedia. 3vols. Edited by S.T. Joshi and Stefan Dziemianowicz ; foreword by Ramsey Campbell. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2005.
Davis Reference PN56.S8 S86 2005

Encyclopedia of erotic literature. 2 vols. Gaëtan Brulotte, John Phillips, editors. New York : Routledge, c2006
Davis Reference PN56.E7 E53 2006

Holocaust literature : an encyclopedia of writers and their work. 2 vols. S. Lillian Kremer, editor. New York : Routledge, 2003.
"This encyclopedia offers an authoritative and comprehensive survey of the important writers and works that form the literature about the Holocaust and its consequences..."
Davis Reference PN56.H55 H66 2003

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Historical encyclopedias can be extremely useful in providing context for literary texts. What follows is a selection of some of the more important multinational period encyclopedias. There are many more classed within national or regional literatures (Ps) or within the history classifications (Ds, Es & Fs).

Dictionary of the Middle Ages. 13 vols. + Suppl. Joseph R. Strayer, editor in chief. New York : Scribner, c1982-c1989.
Davis Reference, Art Reference, Undergrad Reference D114 .D5 1982

Encyclopedia of the Renaissance. 6 vols. Paul F. Grendler, editor in chief. New York : Scribner's published in association with the Renaissance Society of America, 1999.
Davis Reference CB361 .E52 1999

The Oxford encyclopedia of the Reformation. 4 vols. Hans J. Hillerbrand, editor in chief. New York : Oxford University Press, 1996.
Davis Reference, Undergrad Reference BR302.8 .O93 1996

Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment [electronic resource]. 4 vols. Alan Charles Kors, editor in chief. Oxford ;New York : Oxford University Press, 2003.
Davis Reference B802 .E53 2003

Europe 1450 to 1789 : encyclopedia of the early modern world. 6 vols. Jonathan Dewald, editor in chief. New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, c2004.
Davis Reference D209 .E97 2004

Europe 1789 to 1914 : encyclopedia of the age of industry and empire. 5 vols. John Merriman and Jay Winter, editors in chief. Detroit : Thomson Gale, c2006.
Davis Reference D299 .E735 2006

The Oxford encyclopedia of the modern world [1750 to present] [electronic resource]. 8 vols. Peter N. Stearns, editor in chief. Oxford ;New York : Oxford University Press, 2008.
Davis Reference D205 .O94 2008

Europe since 1914 : encyclopedia of the age of war and reconstruction. 5 vols. John Merriman and Jay Winter, editors in chief. Detroit : Charles Scribner's Sons/Thomson Gale, c2006.
Davis Reference D424 .E94 2006

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There will be other feminist and women's reference works within various national & regional literatures, e.g., French women writers : a bio-bibliographical source book, Davis Reference PQ149 .F73 1991.

Feminism in literature : a Gale critical companion. 6 vols. Foreword by Amy Hudock ; Jessica Bomarito, Jeffrey W. Hunter, project editors. Detroit : Thomson Gale, c2005
Davis Reference PN47 .F43 2005

The Feminist companion to literature in English : women writers from the Middle Ages to the present. [editors], Virginia Blain, Patricia Clements, Isobel Grundy. New Haven : Yale University Press, 1990.
Davis Reference PR111 .F465 1990

The Bloomsbury guide to women's literature. Edited by Claire Buck. New York : Prentice Hall General Reference, c1992.
Davis Reference PN471 .B57 1992

Feminist writers. Editor, Pamela Kester-Shelton ; foreword by Hortense Spillers. Detroit : St. James Press, c1996.
Davis Reference PN451 .F46 1996

Women writers of Great Britain and Europe : an encyclopedia. Editors, Katharina M. Wilson, Paul Schlueter, June Schlueter. New York : Garland Pub., 1997.
Davis Reference PN471 .W565 1997

An Encyclopedia of continental women writers. 2vols. Edited by Katharina M. Wilson. New York : Garland Pub., 1991.
Davis Reference PN481 .E5 1991

Women in world history : a biographical encyclopedia. 17 vols. Anne Commire, editor, Deborah Klezmer, associate editor. Waterford, CT : Yorkin Publications, 1999-
A major biographical encyclopedia for women (not restricted to literature).
Davis Reference HQ1115 .W6 1999

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There are a number of secondary reference sources that become standard tools for doing literary research: authoritative dicitionaries, quotation books, phrase books, etc. Below are some examples.

ARTFL Project (American and French Research on the Treasury of the French Language).
In addition to containing databases of primary texts, ARTFL also contans dictionaries, encyclopedia projects, etc.

Bible in English (990-1970)

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable via Barlteby.com.
This is an older, out-of-copyright edition. The current print edition is available at Davis Reference Desk PN43 .B65 2005.

Elsevier's dictionary of symbols and imagery. By Ad de Vries ; revised and updated by Arthur de Vries. Amsterdam ;Boston : Elsevier, 2004.
Davis Reference Desk BL600 .V74 2004

English Usage, Style & Composition via Bartleby.com
These are older, freely available works.

The Golden Bough:A Study in Magic and Religion via Bartleby.com

Information Please
A general almanac.

Oxford Classical Dictionary. Edited by Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth. 3rd ed. rev. Oxford ;New York : Oxford University Press, 2003.
Davis Reference Desk DE5 .O9 2003

The Oxford English dictionary [electronic resource]. 20 vols. 2nd ed. Oxford : Clarendon Press ;New York : Oxford University Press, 1989.
Davis Reference PE1625 .O87 1989

The Oxford dictionary of quotations [electronic resource]. Edited by Elizabeth Knowles. 7th ed. Oxford ;New York : Oxford University Press, 2009.
Davis Reference Desk PN6080 .O95 2009

Quotation Books via Bartleby.com

Roget’s International Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases
This is an older edition. The current Roget's is available at Davis Reference Desk PE1591 .R73 2001

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