Librarian
Hesburgh Library
153 Hesburgh Library
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(574) 631-2987
mmoore18@nd.edu
0000-0003-1002-4973Overview of French Language and Literature
Generally speaking, French literature refers to literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French.
Literature written in the French language by citizens of other nations such as Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Senegal, Algeria, Morocco, etc. is referred to as francophone literature.
For more information on French history, including primary sources, please refer to the France section of the Western Europe History library guide.
Other Related Resources
- Department of Romance Languages and LiteraturesPrograms, faculty and staff, courses, news and events.
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
Dictionaries are most often collections of words in one or more specific languages, usually arranged in alphabetical order, providing information like word meanings, usage, etymology, and, when they contain more than one language, translations. Some dictionaries include information more commonly found in encyclopedias. Encyclopedias are collections of information on terms, figures, eras, locations also arranged alphabetically, and, alongside definitions of terms, they also include more in-depth general information on a topic. Encyclopedias can be general or subject-specific.
- Grand Robert This link opens in a new windowThe electronic version of the Grand Robert de la langue française includes all 6 volumes of the most current edition.
- Grand Robert & Collins This link opens in a new windowLe grand Robert & Collins : franc̦ais-anglais, anglais-franc̦ais
- Encyclopedia UniversalisA French-language general encyclopedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Articles are written by a staff of full-time editors and expert contributors from a wide variety of disciplines. Includes multimedia content, a world atlas, an integrated dictionary, bibliographies, and original source documents. A daily calendar provides topical information related to current events.
- Routledge Dictionary of Cultural References in Modern FrenchThis cultural dictionary of French provides the reader with clear and concise explanations of the crucial cultural dimension behind the most frequently used words and phrases found in the contemporary French press.
- Oxford business French dictionary (French-English)Essential vocabulary, clear translations, usage and grammar help in this French-English dictionary.
- Dictionnaires d'autrefois (Dictionaries of Former Times)Contains 16 complete dictionaries from the 17th to the 20th centuries
- Dictionnaire vivant de la language francaise (DVLF)Interactive and community-based approach to French lexicography.
Guides, Handbooks & Finding Aids
Reference resources like Handbooks, Guides, and Manuals provide subject-specific, sometimes technical information to aid in understanding important aspects of the discipline or subject that they treat. Finding Aids are useful for finding information within libraries, archives, or specific collections.
The New Oxford Companion to Literature in FrenchISBN: 9780191735004Surveys literature in French from all over the world, identifying writers from many countries, intellectual and cultural movements, and literary and theatrical genres.- The Cambridge History of French Literature by ISBN: 9780511976322Publication Date: 2011-05-28From Occitan poetry to Francophone writing produced in the Caribbean and North Africa, from intellectual history to current films, and from medieval manuscripts to bandes dessinées, this History covers French literature from its beginnings to the present day.
- French Literature: A Very Short Introduction by ISBN: 9780191574375This Very Short Introduction highlights the heritage of literature in the French language, starting in the twelfth century in northern France, up to the beginning of the twenty-first century. Includes authors writing in many parts of the world, ranging from the Caribbean to Western Africa.
The Cambridge Companion to Medieval French Literature by ISBN: 9781139001809Publication Date: 2009-03-28This Companion offers a wide-ranging and stimulating guide to literature composed in medieval French from its beginnings in the ninth century until the Renaissance. The essays are grounded in detailed analysis of canonical texts and authors such as the Chanson de Roland, the Roman de la Rose, Villon's Testament, Chrétien de Troyes, Machaut, Christine de Pisan and the Tristan romances. Features a chronology and suggestions for further reading.- The Oxford Companion to Canadian LiteratureISBN: 9780191735141Covers fiction, prose poetry, and drama, prominent writers and literary magazines. Entries cover new writers, books, and extended entries on established authors.
- Montaigne: A Very Short Introduction by ISBN: 9780190848798Provides an overview of Montaigne's life, thought, and writing, situating the Essays within the arc of Montaigne's lived experience and focusing on themes of particular interest for contemporary readers. Designed for a broad audience.
- The Cambridge History of French Thought by ISBN: 9781316681572Publication Date: 2019-04-25Delivering a comprehensive history of thought in France from the Middle Ages to the present, this book follows themes and developments of thought across the centuries. Chapters feature treatments of specific thinkers including Voltaire, Rousseau, Descartes and Derrida, but also more general movements and schools of thought from humanism to liberalism, via the Enlightenment, Romanticism, Marxism, and feminism.
- The French Revolution:A Very Short Introduction by ISBN: 0191540277Beginning with a discussion of familiar images of the French Revolution, this work looks at how the ancien régime became ancien as well as examining cases in which achievement failed to match ambition.
Modern France: A Very Short Introduction by ISBN: 9780199874903Publication Date: 2011-01-01In this Very Short Introduction, Vanessa Schwartz argues that modern France, as both a world stage and a global crossroads, is an essential actor in the development of contemporary culture.
The Routledge Handbook of French Politics and Culture by ISBN: 9781315656717Publication Date: 2019-11-12The Routledge Handbook of French Politics and Culture provides a detailed survey of the highly differentiated field of research on French politics, society and culture across the social sciences and humanities. It is essential reading and an authoritative reference for scholars, students, researchers and practitioners.
Biographies
Biographies provides a description of a person's life, detailing the basic facts like birth and death, education, family background, etc. but also portraying the individual subject's experience of those life events.
Gale Virtual Reference LibraryProvides searchable full-text e-book versions of many reference works, including multi-volume encyclopedias, biographical collections, business plan handbooks, company history compilations, consumer health references, and specialized handbooks, dictionaries, and encyclopedias.
- L’ÎLE: l'Infocentre Littéraire des écrivainsBiographical resource for Quebec writers and literature