Materials for Research: Sixteenth Century French Language and Literature

A Selective, Annotated
Bibliography

ROFR 530
Love Poetry of the Renaissance -- Ronsard

Bibliography prepared by:
Laura A. Sill
Revised by:
Laura Fuderer, Subject Librarian
for English and French Literature
219 Hesburgh Library
laura.s.fuderer.1@nd.edu

N.B. See the Libraries' Electronic Gateway for indexes, reference sources, electronic texts, and electronic journals arranged A to Z, by subject, or by category such as Arts and Humanities.

LANGUAGE

 

DICTIONARIES
Unabridged Dictionaries
Trésor de la langue française : dictionnaire de la langue du XIXe et du XXe siècle (1789-1960). Paris: Editions du Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 1971- . 17 vols. (Incomplete) Ref. PC 2625 .T8.
The TLF, currently being compiled at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, is planned to be the ultimate French historical dictionary and will probably supersede both the Littré and the Robert when completed. The plan is to issue several different multi-volume sets, each devoted to a different period of the language. This first set (1789-1960) draws its language from 416 texts of the nineteenth century and 586 text of the twentieth century and will include some 70,000 words. Each entry includes definitions, examples from various literary and scientific texts, large sections on the history and etymology of the word, pronunciation, references to books and articles which contain discussions of the word in question, a frequency count of occurrences in the texts examined, and finally, a detailed inventory of syntax an usage.

Littré, Emile. Dictionnaire de la langue française contenant...la nomenclature...la grammaire... la signification des mots...la partie historique...l'étymologie.... Paris: Hachette & Cie., 1863. 2 vols.
Ref. PC 2625 .L6 1863.
While it may not be an appropriate choice for use with a mid-twentieth century author, it remains important for pre-twentieth century language. This source includes etymology and the history of word meanings and also notes grammatical usage.
Littré 1883 is available also in HESB Medieval Inst. (7th Fl.) PC 2625 .L6 1883 v.1-v.4. Littré 1889 is available in HESB PC 2625 .L737d v. 1-.v 4.

Robert, Paul. Dictionnaire alphabétique et analogique de la langue française : les mots et les associations d'idées. Paris : Société du Nouveau Littré, 1966. 6 vols. Ref. PC 2625 .R6421.
This dictionary in six volumes serves to update the Littré. It not only gives the definitions, etymology, and history of works, but also includes synonyms and antonyms. The Robert cites many writers from all centuries. You will find this source helpful when writing papers because of its many cross-references.

Abridged (Desk) Dictionaries
Larousse, Pierre. Petit Larousse; dictionnaire encyclopédique pour tous. Paris: Larousse, 1960 [c 1959]. Medieval Institute (Med. Inst.) AE 25 .L328p 1959.
This Larousse dictionary is divided into two parts, the first of which gives the definitions, pronunciation, and examples of usage of words. The second part is a short, alphabetically arranged glossary of proper names.

Robert, Paul. Dictionnaire alphabétique et analogique de la langue française. Nouvelle éd. Paris: S.N.L., 1983, c1967. Ref. PC 2625 .R553 1983.
Known more commonly as the Petit Robert, this is probably the best desk dictionary for the advanced undergraduate and graduate student because of its detailed definitions and "synonym-antonym" feature.

Period Dictionaries
Medieval
Di Stefano, Giuseppe. Dictionnaire des locutions en moyen français. Montréal: CERES, 1991.
M.I. PC 2889 .D5 1991.
A 930-page dictionary that identifies phrases or expressions derived from texts of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Includes quotes and a fifteen-page list of sources.

Godefroy, Frédéric Eugène. Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes, du IXe au XVe siécle. Paris: Librairie des sciences et des arts, 1937-1938. 10 vols. Ref. PC 2889 .G542.
Because of its expanded period coverage (ninth to fifteenth centuries), Godefroy is often considered to be the "standard" medieval dictionary. It is filled with quotations, examples of usage, and variant spellings. The first eight volumes comprise the basic dictionary, A-Z; volumes nine and ten are supplementary volumes which include many words still in use.
Also available in HESB Medieval Inst. (7th Fl.) PC 2889 .G542 v. 1-v. 10.

Greimas, A.J. Dictionnaire de l'ancien français jusqu'au milieu du XIVe siècle. Paris: Librairie Larousse, 1982. Med. Inst. PC 2889 .G76 1982. Also available in Ref. PC 2889 .G76 1982.

Greimas, A. J., and Teresa Mary Keane. Dictionnaire du moyen français : la Renaissance. Paris: Larousse, c1992. Ref. PC 2650 .G74 1992.
A 668-page dictionary of words in use after ca. 1340, intended to be used with Dictionnaire de l’ancien français...

Van Dael, Hilaire. Petit dictionnaire de l'ancien français. Paris: Garnier Frères [1940] Nendeln Kraus Reprint, 1969. Medieval Inst. (7th Fl.) PC2889 .V28.
This one-volume dictionary is good for brief definitions of medieval French, but it does not include quotations or extensive etymologies. It is most useful as a "reading" dictionary.

Sixteenth Century
Cotgrave, Randle. A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues. Menston : Scolar Press, 1968. Ref. PC2640 .A2 C7 1611B. Photocopy available in Med. Inst. PC 2640 .A2 C826 1632a.
Frequently cited by lexicographers and of interest for historians of proverbial sayings.

Huguet, Edmond. Dictionnaire de la langue française du seizième siècle. Paris: E. Champion, 1925-67 . 7 vols. Med. Inst. PC 2650 .H875.
This scholarly multi-volume dictionary of sixteenth-century French includes slang, words no longer in use, and those whose meaning has changed. The quotations and illustrative examples are given in the original spelling, and there is a list of sources.

Marty-Laveaux, Charles Joseph. La Pléiade françoise: Appendice, Langue de la Pléiade. Paris: A. Lemerre, 1896-1898. PQ 1661 .A1 Append.

Synonym Dictionaries Bailly, René. Dictionnaire des synonymes de la langue française. Paris: Larousse, [1946].
Med. Inst. PC 2591 .B158.
Commended by the Académie française, this small, compact work brings related words together and clearly and simply explains their differences, sometimes with examples.

Bilingual Dictionaries Harrap's New Standard French and English Dictionary. By J.E. Mansion. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1972. Ref. PC 2640 .H235 1972.

LITERATURE

Literary Dictionaries
Dictionnaire de Poétique et de Rhétorique. Henri Morier. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1981. Ref. PN 1021 M6 1981.
This 1,263-page dictionary provides lengthy articles on critical terms for poetry, sometimes including diagrams and tables; see the 72-page article on “métaphore” for example.

Dictionnaire historique, thématique et technique des littératures: littératures française et etrangères, anciennes et modernes. Paris: Larousse, 1985. 2v. Ref. PN 41 .D487 1985.
This contemporary study of literature contains sections that discuss authors, major works, characters, literary schools, and national literatures. Literary technique is outlined in sections including: literary genres, rhetoric, styles, metric, criticism, aesthetic, and literary theory. In addition, reoccurring themes in literature are discussed: de l'amour, á la revolte, de l'âne, à l'ours, de la figure de cercle, and à celle du labyrinthe ou du pont; and motifs.

Encyclopedia of contemporary literary theory : approaches, scholars, terms. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, c1993. Ref PN 81 .E528 1993.
Divided into three sections this dictionary explains theoretical approaches in the first, identifies leading scholars in the second, and defines literary terms in the third.

The Johns Hopkins guide to literary theory & criticism. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, c1994. Ref PN 81 .J546 1994. (See the electronic version on the Libraries’ Electronic Gateway.)

The new Princeton encyclopedia of poetry and poetics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1993. Closed Ref PN 1021 .N39 1993.

York Dictionary of English-French-German-Spanish Literary Terms and Their Origin. By Saad Elkhaden. Fredericton, N.B.: York Press, 1976. Ref. PN 41 .E4.
A concise dictionary that gives the meaning of important literary terms with their French, German, and Spanish equivalents. Outdate but invaluable for this multilingual feature.

ENCYCLOPEDIAS
General:
Encyclopaedia Universalis. Paris: Encylopaedia Universalis France, 1992. 23 vols. Ref. AE 25 .E5.

Grand Larousse Enyclopédique. Paris: Librairie Larousse, 1960-1975. 10 vols. and 3 supplements
Ref. AE 25 .G749.
Littérature section: contains articles on genres (epopée or roman), literary movements (classicisme, romantisme, réalisme), articles on related areas, such as theatre (comédien, comedie, tragédie). Foreign literatures and regional literature of France are also represented. Related areas include: musique, philosophie, beaux-arts, histoire, droit et economie politique. Bibliographies are present in the back of each volume.

Subject:
Dictionary of the Middle Ages. New York: Scribner's, 1982-89. 13 vols. Med. Inst.D 114 .D5 1982. Also Ref D 114 .D5 1982.

Dictionnaire des lettres français. Paris: Arthème Fayard, 1951. 5 vols. Ref. PQ 41 .D562.
This multi-volume set devotes one or two volumes to each century of French literature. "Vue Générale du XVIe siècle" in Volume 1 is followed by an alphabetical listing of authors, institutions, vocabulary, and literary terms. Brief bibliographies follow selected entries.

Dictionnaire des littératures de langue française. Paris: Bordas, 1984. 3 vols. Ref. PQ 41 .B4 1984.
Contains entries about authors and their works, as well as entries on literary history, specific movements in literature, events in social and political history that have impacted literature (l'affair Dreyfus), literary groups of authors, entries about important publications, institutions, genres (autobiographie et roman), and entries on literary sociology (communication, books, teaching literature, etc.). Includes a general bibliography with specific editions and studies.

Dictionnaire des oeuvres littéraires de langue française. Paris: Bordas, 1994. Ref PQ 41 .B42 1994. 4 vols.
Literary works arranged alphabetically; e.g., see Les Amours by Ronsard. Indexed by author.

Encyclopedia of Philosophy. New York: Macmillan, 1967. 8 vols. Ref. B 41 E56. [See also the “Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy” on the Libraries’ Electronic Gateway.]

Guide to French literature: 1789 to the present. Chicago, London; St. James Press, 1992. Ref PQ 41 .L48 1992.
An 884-page work with substantial articles (two to four pages) on French authors; includes an index of all titles listed.

New Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967 17 vols. Ref. BX 841. C286 1967. [See “The Catholic Encyclopedia” on the Libraries’ Electronic Gateway for the revised version.]

HISTORIES
Adam, Antoine. Littérature française. Paris: Larousse, 1967-1968. 2 vols. Ref. PQ 101 .A3.
Each volume contains a bibliography, index, and detailed table of contents. Volume two features several short articles on literature of French expression outside of France. Chronological arrangement. Third section: "La Renaissance (1500-1580)" and Fourth section: "De la Renaissance au Baroque (1580-1630)". Articles from those sections includes: Clément Marot, Jean Calvin, François Rabelais, Contes et Roman, Les Poètes Lyonnais, and La Pléiade... Birkett, Jennifer, and James Kearns. A guide to French literature from early modern to postmodern. NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1997. Ref PQ 305 .B524 1997.
Narrative chapters on French literature by period.

Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800. Detroit: Gale, 1984- . Ref PN 86 .L56.
Excerpts of literary criticism about major authors of Western civilization. Critics are mostly English-language, with some exceptions. Volume 6 contains forty pages of criticism on Ronsard beginning with Montaigne.

BIBLIOGRAPHIES/INDEXES

Periodical Indexes
Art Abstracts
Indexes 250 English language periodicals from 1984 to date (including abstracts since 1994). See the Libraries’ Electronic Gateway.

Arts & Humanities Citation Index
AHCI traces authors and articles cited in 1,300 journals from 1980 to date. See the Libraries’ Electronic Gateway.

Bibliographic Index. New York : Wilson, 1937 to date. Ref. Index Table A Z 1002 .B471.
Covers English-language books and periodicals. While subjects are general in scope, you will find entries under many of the major French authors.

PCI (Periodicals Contents Index) 1780-1993. See the Libraries’ Electronic Gateway.
Indexes tables of contents from major U.S. and Western European journals.

Bibliographic Guides
Baker, Robert. Introduction to Library Research in French Literature. Boulder, CO: Westview, 1978. Ref. Z 2171 .B34.
Contains an annotated bibliography on the various sources used in advanced research in french literature. The source for many of the annotations in this bibliography.

Malclès, Louise Noëlle. Les Sources du travail bibliographique. Genève: E. Droz, 1950-1958.
Ref. Z 1002 .M292

Osburn, Charles B. Research and Reference Guide to French Studies. 2nd ed. Metuchen, H.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1981. 3 vols. Ref. PC 2071 .O8.
This greatly detailed bibliographic guide lists bibliographies not only for general French studies but also for individual authors. It also includes section on "Comparative literature and travel," "Romance philology," etc. There are author and subject indexes in both volumes and analytical tables of contents. This is an indispensable tool for both graduates and undergraduates.

Bibliographies of Bibliographies
Besterman, Theodore. A World Bibliography of Bibliographies and of Biographical Catalogues, Calendars, Abstracts, Digests, Indexes and the Like. 4ed. Lausanne : Societa Bibliographica, [1965-1966]. Ref. Z 1002 .B46 1965.
Ideal for retrospective research. Contains 117,000 separate entries under both persons and subjects.

Bibliographies of Literature and Criticism
Cabeen, David Clark, ed. A Critical Bibliography of French Literature. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press, 1947-1994. 6 vols. Ref. Z 2171 .C111c.
Each volume in this series is devoted to a particular period in literature, listing books, periodical articles, bibliographies of bibliographies, dissertations, and reviews.

Bibliographie der Französischen Literaturwissenschaft. Frankfurt am Main: V. Klostermann, 1960
Ref. Index Table E Z 2171 .B56 and Section 18 for Bd. 1-34.
Klapp is an important annual bibliography which has indexes materials in books, periodical, Festschriften, and theses since 1956. Both the table of contents and the chapter headings are given in French and German. There is an Index nominum (of scholars) and an Index rerum (of subjects, including authors). The index to volumes on through four was published separately in 1970.

MLA International Bibliography of Books and Articles on the Modern Languages and Literatures. New York: Modern Language Association, 1922 to date. Ref. Section 18 for 1989-1993. (See the Libraries’ Electronic Gateway for online access to 1963 to date.)
This standard bibliography includes a section for French literature in its annual volume. While adequate for the undergraduate, both Klapp and Rancoeur are more comprehensive.

Romanische bibliographie. Tübingen : Max Niemeyer Verlag, 1965 to date. Med. Inst. (7th Fl.) Z 7032 .Z45.
Lists scholarly publications for a two-year period.

Year's Work in Modern Language Studies. London: Modern Humanities Research Association, 1930 to date. Ref. PB 1 .Y33
The section of French literature in this annual publication is selective and critical. The bibliography is in essay form and is useful for indicating trends in literary criticism. Unlike most of the bibliographies mentioned thus far, the list of abbreviations and periodicals is at the back of the volume before the index.

Sixteenth Century
Cioranescu, Alexandre. Bibliographie de la littérature française du seizième siècle. Paris: C. Klinaksiecle, 1959. Gen Z 2171.C576

STYLE MANUALS
Achtert, Walter S. The MLA Style Manual. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1998.
HESB Closed Ref. PN 147 .G444 1998

MLA handbook for writers of research papers.
HESB Close Ref LB 2369 .G53 1995.

FURTHER SOURCES FOR ALLUSIONS
BIOGRAPHY
Dictionnaire biographique des auteurs de tous les temps et de tous les pays. Paris: Laffont-Bompini, 1956. 2 vols. Ref CT 143 .D554.

European authors, 1000-1900: a biographical dictionary of European literature. NY: Wilson, 1967. Ref PN 451 .K8.
Contains biographies of 967 Continental writers and includes 309 portraits.

Le petit Robert 2: dictionnaire universel des noms propres. Paris: S.E.P.R.E.T., 1975.
Ref AG 25 .R6 1975.

ASTROLOGY, MYTHOLOGY, and SUPERSTITION
Bulfinch's Mythology: the Age of Fable, the Age of Chivalry, Legends of Charlemagne. New York: Crowell, 1970. Ref. BL 310 .B871m 1970.
Dictionary of astrology. London; Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1985.
HESB Ref. BF 1655 .G4 1985

The Dictionary of Classical Mythology. Oxford; New York: Blackwell, 1985, c1986. Ref. BL 715. G713 1986.

Dictionary of Classical Mythology: Symbols, Attributes and Associations. R.E. Bell. Oxford: ABC-Clio, 1982. Ref. BL 715 .B44.

A Dictionary of Superstition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, c1984. Ref. BF 1775 .L3713 1984.

Dictionary of Symbols. J.E. Cirlot. 2nd ed. New York: Philosophical Library, 1971.
HESB Ref. Closed Ref. BF 1623 .S986 C5 1983

Dictionary of Symbols and Imagery. Ad de Vries. Amsterdam; London: North-Holland Pub. Co., 1974.
HESB Ref. BL600 .V74

Dictionnaire des mythologies et des religions des sociétés traditionelles et du monde antique. Edited by Yves Bonnefoy. Paris: Flammarion, 1981. 2 vols. BL 311 .D5 1981.

The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend. New York: Facts on File, 1988. Ref. BL 303 .M45 1988.

An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols. London: Thames and Hudson, 1978.
HESB Ref. BL 603 .C66

Zolar's Encyclopedia of Omens, Signs and Superstitions. New York: Prentice Hall, 1989. Ref. BF 1777 .Z65 1989.

BIBLE
Biblia sacra. Stuttgart: Wurttembergische Bibelanstalt, 1969.
HESB Medieval Inst. (7th Fl.) BS75 1969

Dictionnaire Biblique. Paris: Besclée, 1984.
HESB Ref. BS 440 .M56 1984

The Eerdman's Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdman's Pub. Co. 1987.
HESB Ref. BS 440 .G7613 1987

The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible: an Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York: Abingdon Press, 1962. 4v. HESB Ref. BS 440 I61

HERALDRY
Dictionary of medieval knighthood and chivalry: concepts and terms. B. B. Broughton. NY: Greenwood, 1986. Ref CR 4505 .B76 1986.

GENERAL
Allusions: cultural, literary, biblical and historical: a thematic dictionary. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1982. Ref PN 43 .A4 1982.
For example, “lust,” “lovers, famous,” “lover, virtuous,” “moon.”

MUSIC
Encyclopédie de la musique. Paris: Fasquelle, [1958-1961]. 3 vols. Ref. ML 100 .E56

BOOK REVIEWS

Australian journal of French studies. Clayton, Victoria, etc.: Monash University. PQ 1 .A8 Current issues in Periodicals

Diacritics. Ithaca, New York: Dept. of Romance Languages, Cornell University. PN 801 .D5 Current issues in Periodicals. (For the electronic version see the Libraries’ Electronic Gateway.)

L'Esprit créateur. Lawrence, Kansas : L'esprit créateur. PQ 1 .E77 Current issues in Periodicals

French Review. Champaign, IL: American Association of Teachers of French. PC 2001 .F887 Current issues in Periodicals

French Studies. Oxford: Society for French Studies, etc. PQ 1 .F876 Current issues in Periodicals

MLN (Modern Language Notes). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. PB 1 .M721 Current issues in Periodicals. (For the electronic version see the Libraries’ Electronic Gateway.)

Nouvelle revue française. Paris. AP 20 .N856 Current issues in Periodicals.

Revue d'histoire littéraire de la France. Paris: Colin. PQ 2 .R328 Current issues in Periodicals.

Romance philology. Berkeley: University of California Press. PC 5 .R661 Current issues in Periodicals.

Romanic review. NY: Dept. of French and Romance Philology of Columbia University. PC 1. R662

Studi Francesi. Torino: Sicieta Editrice internazionale. Med. Inst. PQ 5 .S938

*Some of the annotations in this bibliography are from Baker, Robert. Introduction to Library Research in French Literature.