French and Italian Studies

Guides to French History and Literature

Please note that this list is just a starting point and does not include some of the major print bibliographies. Important bibliographic databases such as the MLA, PCI, the Arts and Humanities Citation Index, Project Muse, and JSTOR, are available through the Stanford Libraries databases page.

General Handbooks:

Birkett, Jennifer, and Kearns, James. A Guide to French Literature: From Early Modern to Postmodern. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1997.
PQ305.B524 1997 IC

France, Peter. The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995.
PQ41.N48 1995 IC

A New History of French Literature. Ed. Denis Hollier. Cambridge, M: Harvard University Press, 1989.
PQ119.N48 1989 IC

Dictionnaire des littératures de langue française. Paris: Bordas, 1994. 4 vols. (Beaumarchais/Couty/Rey).
PQ41.B4 1994 f IC

Some Retrospective Bibliographies:

Cabeen, D.C., ed. A Critical Bibliography of French Literature. New York: Syracuse University Press, 1947.
Z2171.C3 IC
An annotated survey of editions, bibliographies and critical studies. Some recent editions, but all can be valuable.
v.1. The Medieval Period, 1947, 1952
v.2. The Sixteenth Century, 1956. Supplement 1985
v.3. The Seventeenth Century, 1961. Supplement 1982
v.4. The Eighteenth Century, 1951. Supplement 1968
v.5. The Nineteenth Century, 1994. In 2 vols.
v.6. The Twentieth Century,1979. In 3 vols.

Hatin, Eugene. Bibliographie historique et critique de la presse périodique francaise, ou… Paris: Librairie de Firmin Didot Frères, fils, et cie., 1866.
Z6956 F8H36

On Women Writers:

French Women Writers: a Bio-Bibliographical Source Book. Ed. by Eva Martin Sartori and Dorothy Wynne Zimmerman. New York: Greenwood Press, 1991.
PQ149.F73 1991 IC

Feminist Encyclopedia of French Literature. Ed. by Eva Martin Sartori. Wesport: Greenwood Pr., 1999.
PQ149.F47 1999 IC

Continuing bibliographies or indexes:

FRANCIS — online version of Bulletin signalétique. This periodical index is produced by the CNRS, and covers Western European social sciences and humanities, a Western European MLA. Available through Stanford Libraries.

Klapp, Otto, ed. Bibliographie der französischen Literatur-Wissenschaft. Frankfurt am Main: Klostermann, 1960-
Z2171.B5 IC

Bibliographie annuelle de l’histoire de France du 5e siècle à 1939. Paris: CNRS, 1955-
Z2176.B5 HASRC

A few continuing indexes that cover particular periods (on French areas or from France):

“BIHR” Bibliographie internationale de l’humanisme et de la Renaissance. Geneva: Droz, 1956-
Z7128.H9B5 HASRC

Modern Language Association of America. French III. Bibliography of French Seventeenth Century Studies. 1953-77. Continued by: French 17 (no.26-) 1978-
Z2172.M57 IC

Bibliographie du dix-neuvième siècle : lettres, arts, sciences, histoire: année 1998- Société des études romantiques et dix-neuvièmistes; par Florence de Chalonge et Claude Duchet. Paris: Sedes, 1999.
CD415 .B53 1998 IC

French XX Bibliography: Critical and Biographical References for the Study of French Literature since 1885. N.Y.: French Institute, 1949- . Annual.
Z2173.M6 IC

Last modified: August 25, 2008