1996

BD-96-2/3 -- Literature and Literary Studies


96-2/3-218

Einführung in die Literaturwissenschaft [Introduction to Literary Studies]. Ed. Miltos Pechlivanos . . . Stuttgart and Weimar: Metzler, 1995. 453 p. 24 cm. ISBN 3-476-01225-5: DM 49.80

This volume is not an introduction in the usual sense. It contains 30 essays in three sections, a subdivision which is not paticularly useful for an introductory text for beginners. Many of the essays are very difficult. For long-time scholars, the texts do offer an excellent overview of the current state of literary theories, methods, and styles as they apply to all literatures. But even experts will want to keep a copy of Irena R. Makaryk's Encyclopedia of Contemporary Literary Theory (Toronto 1993) close at hand while reading these texts. [hak/hh]

96-2/3-220

Katalog-Lexikon zur österreichischen Literatur des 20. Jahrhunderts [Catalog and Directory of 20th Century Austrian Literature]. Wien: IG Autoren-Autorensolidariät. 30 cm. ISBN 3-900419-18-3: ÖS 1480.00. (Literaturhaus, Seidengasse 13, A-1070 Wien)

Pt. 1. AutorInnen [Authors]

Vol. 1. A-L. Ed. Gerhard Ruiss. 1995. 230 p. ill.

Vol. 2. M-Z. Ed. Gerhard Ruiss. 1995. p. 235-464. ill.

Pt. 2. Lieferbare Titel [Titles in Print]

Vol. 1. Lieferbare Titel österreichischer AutorInnen und ÜbersetzerInnen in österreichischen (inklusive Südtiroler) Verlagen [Available Titles of Austrian Authors and Translators from Austrian (including South Tirol) Publishers ]. Volume ed. Manuela Arzberger . . . 1995. 257 p. ill.

Vol. 2. Lieferbare Titel österreichischer AutorInnen und ÜbersetzerInnen in deutschen, Schweizer und anderen deutschsprachig produzierenden Verlagen [Available Titles of Austrian Authors and Translators from German, Swiss and Other German-Language Publishers]. Volume ed. Patricia Hladschik . . . 1995. 206 p. ill.

This four-volume work, consisting of an author directory and a list of books in print, was produced for the Austrian exhibit at the 1995 Frankfurt Book Fair. The books-in-print component lists 6,600 titles from 235 publishers in Austria and 5,300 titles of Austrian authors published outside of Austria. The term "Austrian" is interpreted widely to include living authors either born in Austria or residing in Austria (or both). In the long run, the more interesting component for libraries will be Part 1, the alphabetical author directory, which lists birthdate and place, awards, honors, and memberships, a short biography, plus a bibliography of the author's publications outside of collections and anthologies. These data are based chiefly on information supplied by the authors themselves. The usual caution with which one must approach any hastily produced deadline-driven publication is recommended. But the fact remains that this author directory contains a great deal of information that cannot be found elsewhere. [hak/hh]

96-2/3-221

Wende-Literatur: Bibliographie und Materialien zur Literatur der deutschen Einheit. [Literature of the Wende: Bibliography and Background Material on the Literature of German Unification]. Ed. Jörg Fröhling. Frankfurt am Main; Bern [et.al.]: Lang, 1996. 200 p. 23 cm. (Bibliographien zur Literatur- und Mediengeschichte, 6). ISBN 3-631-49592-7: DM 65.00

Wende (roughly: turning point) is the term used to describe the period in recent German history from the fall of the Berlin Wall through German unification. The first part of the volume is a bibliography of about 1,300 books published by early 1995 (almost all German) which can be counted as "Wende-Literatur" in a broad sense. Included are literary works related to the Wende, books on political issues written by politicians and reporters, photographic essays, and also the first publications about the Stasi (secret police of the German Democratic Republic). The second part consists of short reviews (some of books not listed in the first part), the third part gives a selective list of TV and radio coverage. Finally, the last section lists relevant articles published in Der Spiegel from 1989 to 1994. This work provides access to valuable source material for those engaged in a variety of research areas relating to the Wende, including literature, the media, and more general topics. [hak/gh]

96-2/3-222

Taschenbuch Literaturwissenschaft: ein Studienbegleiter für Germanisten [Pocket Book of Literary Studies: A Guide for Students of German Language and Literature]. Edgar Papp. Berlin: Erich Schmidt, 1995. 128 p. 20 cm. ISBN 3-503-03704-7: DM 19.80

This book is an introduction to various aspects of German literary studies (not general literature, as the main title might suggest). The chapter on bibliography lists ten rules--only sufficient for beginners--but Papp also refers to more comprehensive works, such as Raabe's Einführung in die Bücherkunde zur deutschen Literaturwissenschaft and Blinn's Informationshandbuch deutsche Literaturwissenschaft. The bibliography at the end is a courageous and praiseworthy attempt to give order to a selection of citations from the otherwise unmanageable quantities of published material. In general it succeeds. A few changes could be desired: the sections on terminology and subject dictionaries should be together, some dubious works are included, and the overlapping coverage of various works should have been emphasized. [hak/gh]

96-2/3-223

Grillparzer-Bibliographien: selbständige und versteckte Bibliographien und Nachschlagewerke zu Leben und Werk [Grillparzer Bibliographies and Reference Sources on His Life and Works]. Karl F. Stock, Rudolf Heilinger, and Marylène Stock. Graz: Stock & Stock, 1991. 61 p. 21 cm. (Bibliographieverzeichnisse großer Österreicher in Einzelbänden). Taken from: Personalbibliographien österreichischer Persönlichkeiten. Karl F. Stock, Rudolf Heilinger, and Marylène Stock. Vol. 5 (1991). ISBN 3-900818-07-X: ÖS 235.00, ÖS 610.00 (+ 2 diskettes, with retrieval software). (K. & M. Stock, Wienerstr. 260, A-8051 Graz)

96-2/3-224

Hofmannsthal-Bibliographien: selbständige und versteckte Bibliographien und Nachschlagewerke zu Leben und Werk [Hofmannsthal Bibliographies and Reference Sources on His Life and Works]. Karl F. Stock, Rudolf Heilinger and Marylène Stock. Graz: Stock & Stock, 1992. ill. 65 p. 21 cm. (Bibliographieverzeichnisse großer Österreicher in Einzelbänden). Taken from: Personalbibliographien österreichischer Persönlichkeiten. Karl F. Stock, Rudolf Heilinger, and Marylène Stock. Vol. 7 (1992). ISBN 3-900818-12-6: öS 265.00, öS 610.00 (+ 2 diskettes, with retrieval software). (K. & M. Stock, Wienerstr. 260, A-8051 Graz)

96-2/3-225

Kafka-Bibliographien: selbständige und versteckte Bibliographien und Nachschlagewerke zu Leben und Werk [Kafka Bibliographies and Reference Sources on His Life and Works]. Karl F. Stock, Rudolf Heilinger, and Marylène Stock. Forward by Manfred Lube. Graz: Stock & Stock, 1991. vii, 84 p. 21 cm. (Bibliographieverzeichnisse großer Österreicher in Einzelbänden). Taken from: Personalbibliographien österreichischer Persönlichkeiten. Karl F. Stock, Rudolf Heilinger and Marylène Stock. Vol. 9 (1995). ISBN 3-900818-16-9: ÖS 365.00, ÖS 720.00 (+ 2 diskettes, with retrieval software). (K.& M. Stock, Wienerstr. 260, A-8051 Graz)

These slim volumes come from the same group who edited Personalbibliographien österreichischer Dichter und Schriftsteller (Graz, 1972) and Bibliographie österreichischer Bibliographien, Sammelbiographien und Nachschlagewerke . . . Because of its huge scale and high price, the Bibliographie is not likely to be purchased by any but the very largest libraries, so the editorial staff is now issuing smaller volumes for the more important Austrians. Not limited to literary figures, the series also includes historical figures, famous composers, etc. They all have the same structure. The volumes list bibliographies and other reference works on each author, including those that are "buried" in other publications. The entries--annotated full bibliographic citations--are grouped by year of publication. A combined author and title index completes each volume. The Grillparzer and Hofmannsthal volumes list 283 titles each, the Kafka volume 441 titles. Though modest in appearance, these thin volumes are an excellent starting point for research and belong in every reference collection.

Each of the print volumes is accompanied by a pair of diskettes which reproduce the entries in electronic form. There is also a retrieval program provided called BIBLIOGRAMM, with modules VISIBIL and BIB-SUCH, which offers a search interface in one of three languages, a choice of output options (download, print, screen only), and full-text search capability. [hak/hh]

96-2/3-241

Guide bibliographique des études d'histoire de la littérature française [Bibliographical Guide to the Study of the History of French Literature]. Michel Brix. 3d rev. and expanded ed. Namur: Bibliothèque Universitaire Moretus Plantin, 1992. 138 p. 24 cm. (Publication, Bibliothèque Universitaire Moretus Plantin, 2). ISBN 2-87235-012-8: FB 600. (Presses Universitaires de Namur, Rempart de la Vierge 8, B-5000 Namur)

Based on the collections of the university library in Namur, Belgium, this is a bibliographic listing and a guide for both students and their teachers (themselves often bibliographically challenged) who are planning research in French literary history. The work contains 314 brief entries without pagination, but with annotations that are much too brief, given the intended audience. Too many of the listings are out-of-date, too many are marginal, and too many newer titles (especially non-French) are missing. Given the lack of competition, this guide does serve a purpose, though one hopes that in future editions the author will extend his horizons beyond Namur and, with his readers in mind, augment his annotations. [sh/sl]

96-2/3-242

Dictionnaire des oeuvres littéraires de langue française [Dictionary of Literary Works in the French Language]. Jean-Pierre de Beaumarchais and Daniel Couty. Paris: Bordas. 31 cm.

A-C. 1994. xvi, 473 p. ISBN 2-04-018550-X: FF 390.00

D-J. 1994. p. 475-1046. ISBN 2-04-018552-6: FF 390.00

K-P. 1994. p. 1047-1622: ill. ISBN 2-04-018554-2: FF 390.00

Q-Z. 1994. p. 1623-2159: ill. ISBN 2-04-027022-1: FF 390.00

96-2/3-243

Dictionnaire des littératures de langue française [Dictionary of French-Language Literature]. Jean-Pierre de Beaumarchais, Daniel Couty, and Alain Rey. New ed. Paris: Bordas. 31 cm. FF 1800.00

A-D. 1994. xv, 766 p. ISBN 2-04-027031-0: FF 450.00

E-L. 1994. p. 767-1442. ISBN 2-04-027032-9: FF 450.00

M-R. 1994. p. 1443-2209. ISBN 2-04-027033-7: FF 450.00

S-Z. 1994. p. 2211-2875. ISBN 2-04-027034-5: FF 450.00

Together with the collection Anthologie des littératures de langue française (Bordas, 1988, 2 volumes), these two works constitute a comprehensive project that provides an introduction to French literature from different angles (author, work). Indeed, they can (but don't need to) supplement one another: a user might, for example, begin with a passage of a literary text in the anthology, then proceed to an analysis in the "works" volume, and conclude with an article on the author.

More than 100 specialists contributed to the "works" volumes, covering ca. 3,700 French-language literary works from all centuries. Entries include bibliographic information, plot summary and analysis. Unfortunately, there are no references to the secondary literature. The alphabetical arrangement by is by title, supplemented by an author index. The selection of titles corresponds to the canon. Authors such as Racine and Stendhal are covered comprehensively. About 80 articles are devoted to the works of Balzac. Lesser known authors are represented by their "most original" or "characteristic" works. Marginal works are not excluded. The analyses can be quite detailed and varied.

The littératures volumes contain 1,900 entries devoted to authors. Only ca. 430 deal with "subjects," addressing topics such as literary theory, the influence of other countries on French literature, the relationship of film to literature, etc. The thematic and chronological indexes provide further access points.

The fourth volume also contains lists of members of the Académie Française and the Académie Goncourt, as well as a title index with over 20,000 listings. The subject entries are concise but not superficial, and include bibliographic references to both relevant primary works and to the secondary literature (though not always the most current). As for the author articles, the better known the author, the fuller treatment s/he gets. The approach is generally work-centered, rather than looking at literary texts as historical or sociological documents. [bk/mj]

96-2/3-244

Guide to French Literature: Beginnings to 1789. Anthony Levi. Detroit; London [et al.]: St. James Press, 1994. xlvi, 1111 p. 29 cm. ISBN 1-55862-159-8: $120.00, £80.00

96-2/3-245

Guide to French literature: 1789 to the Present. Anthony Levi. Chicago; London: St. James Press, 1992. xiii, 884 p. 29 cm. ISBN 1-55862-086-9: $115.00, £80.00

In concept roughly comparable to the Dictionnaire des littératures de langue française (RREO 96-2/3-243), this two-volume guide's 326 entries are all written by a single author, compared to the Dictionnaire's 300 contributors and 2,330 entries. The single authorship provides consistency, though it limits coverage and perspective. Treatment of early French literature and the twentieth century is weak, as is coverage of francophone writers. Dividing the author entries into "life"and "work" does not really work conceptually. A mere 21 subject entries can scarcely do justice to a literature spanning many centuries. The author entries include bibliographic references (though very selective for secondary literature and bibliographies); the subject entries do not. [bk/mj]

96-2/3-246

Dictionnaire Bordas de littérature française [Bordas Dictionary of French Literature]. Henri Lemaître. New and expanded ed. Paris: Bordas, 1994. xi, 914 p. 22 cm. Former title: Dictionnaire Bordas de littérature française et francophone. ISBN 2-04-019682-X: FF 149.00

96-2/3-247

Lexikon der französischen Literatur [Dictionary of French Literature]. Winfried Engler. 3d improved and expanded ed. Stuttgart: Kröner, 1994. x, 1013 p. 18 cm. (Kröners Taschenausgabe, 388). ISBN 3-520-38803-0: DM 58.00

96-2/3-248

The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French. Ed. Peter France. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995. li, 865 p. 25 cm. ISBN 0-19-866125-8: £30.00

All three dictionaries contain author and subject entries, which cover French-language literature both in and outside France from the beginning to the present. Engler and Oxford also include entries devoted to individual works and journals. Bordas provides separate author and subject indexes, but no secondary literature. Engler often supplies cross-references within entries, and concludes his work with a comprehensive bibliography. The new Oxford Companion is arranged in alphabetical order with a list of general entries at the beginning, and cross-references and bibliographies within individual entries. Among these three dictionaries, Engler provides the most (and often the most current) bibliographical information, Bordas's entries offer more extensive treatment than Engler's, and Oxford is the most informative, concise, and comprehensive. Compared to its predecessor, The Oxford Companion to French Literature (1959, partially updated by the 1979 Concise Oxford Dictionary of French Literature), this New Oxford is much more generous in its coverage of francophone literature and subject terms. Given what is possible in a one-volume comprehensive dictionary, all three works can be recommended. [bk/mj]

96-2/3-250

Dictionnaire des lettres françaises [Dictionary of French Literature]. Ed. Cardinal Georges Grente. Paris: Fayard. 24 cm

Le moyen âge [The Middle Ages]. Ed. Robert Bossuat, Louis Pichard and Guy Raynaud de Lage. Completely rev. and updated ed. 1994. lxi, 1506 p. ISBN 2-213-59340-X: FF 390.00

This thoroughly revised dictionary runs to 1506 paperback-format pages compared with the 764 large-format pages of the 1964 original. Only one-fifth of the articles have been left unaltered (though updated bibliographically); the rest have been revised to reflect the changes in research emphasis over thirty years and include more precise title details and better structuring of entries. Individual works are now arranged under their authors, not alphabetically by title as before, and even the unaltered articles contain many cross-references. Unfortunately there is no index of titles, nor are there any references from titles to authors, so the user must know the author of the required text in order to find it. The entries give content details and also consider the text's structure, its typical features and the reworking of the subject matter in other texts; they list critical editions and references to secondary sources. A similar approach is followed with anonymous works, especially in regard to questions of literary tradition. Of the dictionary's competitors, only the New Oxford Companion to Literature in French (RREO 96-2/3-248) shares this concern with context, whereas the Dictionnaire Bordas (RREO 96-2/3-246) and Engler's Lexikon der französischen Literatur (RREO 96-2/3-247) generally focus on textual content. Anthony Levi's volumes (RREO 96-2/3-244-245) do not cover the medieval period, and the Beaumarchais Dictionnaire des oeuvres littéraires (RREO 96-2/3-242/243) cannot provide the same level of detail as this more specialized title. Recommended for all libraries. [bk/rp]

96-2/3-251

Dictionnaire des oeuvres du XXe siècle: littérature française et francophone. [Dictionary of Twentieth Century Works: French and Francophone Literature]. Ed. Henri Mitterand. Paris: Dictionnaires Le Robert, 1995. 621 p. 24 cm. ISBN 2-85036-262-X: FF 240.00

This dictionary contains entries for 1,500 French-language literary works and over 50 literary journals, supplemented by 73 overview articles on movements, trends, genres and special areas of French and francophone literature. The selection includes works of literary criticism and the humanities where they show features of literary creativity. The "twentieth century" of the title refers to the work's date of publication, which is adhered to strictly, so that it excludes some major authors' early works. Also provided is a cultural and political chronology by period and year, and author and title indexes. The articles on each work give author, genre, date of first publication or performance, a brief summary and short and accurate textual analyses, a bibliography that lists in-print editions of the author's work and frequently a selection of references to criticism. (bk/rp)

96-2/3-252

Dictionnaire des oeuvres littéraires africaines de langue française [Dictionary of African Literary Works in French]. Pius Ngandu Nkashama. Ivry-sur-Seine: Editions Nouvelles du Sud, 1994. 745 p. 24 cm. ISBN 2-87931-093-8: FF 300.00

The value of this dictionary, which seems to be aimed at an African audience, lies in the wealth of titles reviewed only here, even if the authors are listed in similar tools. It should be noted that in spite of the title, authors from North Africa are not covered by this work. The organization (by genre, subdivided by author, then chronologically by title) presents a challenge to the user, especially since the author and title indexes refer the user only to the section. Nor does the author index list cross references to different parts of African names. The entries focus on the content of the titles, which is put in a biographical context. Little attention is paid to elements pertaining to language, intertextuality, etc. On the other hand, relatively large numbers of quotations are included, especially for poems. Entries give the authors' country of origin and birth year, followed by the titles in chronological order, including second editions, although not comprehensively. First editions (sometimes also subsequent editions) are listed. There are no references to secondary literature, should any exist. [bk/hsb]

96-2/3-254

Louis-Sébastien Mercier. Enrico Rufi. Paris; Roma: Éditions Memini, 1996. 171 p. 24 cm + 1 Diskette. (Bibliographie des écrivains français, 2) (Bibliographica). ISBN 88-86609-02-7: FF 250.00, Lit. 75,000

The French dramatist, novelist and journalist Mercier (1740-1814), rooted in the Ancien Régime but an active participant in the French Revolution, is primarily known for his utopian novel L'an 2440 and as a theorist of drama. This bibliography lists 1,182 titles dating from the 18th century to today; 649 of these are critical works. Only some titles are annotated. There are numerous indexes (title, keyword, dissertations, authors, reviewers). The work concludes with a preview of the next two volumes in the series, whose worthy aim is to focus on less known writers. [sh/hsb]

96-2/3-256

Bibliografia degli studi su Rousseau: (1941-1990) [Bibliography of Works about Rousseau: 1941-1990]. Appendix: Bibliografia generale delle opere di G. G. Rousseau: (1950-1990) [Bibliography of Works by Rousseau: 1950-1990]. Giuseppe A. Roggerone and Pia I. Vergine. Lecce: Milella, 1992. 1385 p. 25 cm. (Pubblicazioni del Dipartimento di Filosofia Università degli Studi di Lecce: Sezione testi, 1). ISBN 88-7048-224-3: Lit. 160.000

96-2/3-257

Bibliography of the Writings of Jean Jacques Rousseau to 1800. Jo-Ann E. McEachern. Oxford: Voltaire Foundation. 24 cm. (Voltaire Foundation, University of Oxford, 99 Banbury Rd., Oxford OX2 7RB)

Vol. 1. Julie, ou la Nouvelle Héloïse. 1993. ix, 814 p. ill. ISBN 0-7294-0378-5: £100.00

Vol. 2. Émile, ou de l'éducation. 1989. ix, 473 p. ill. ISBN 0-7294-0379-3: £60.00

Albert Schinz's État present des travaux sur J.-J. Rousseau (Paris; New York, 1941; reprint New York, 1971) covered the extensive secondary literature up to 1940. The Roggerone/Vergine bibliography lists some 6,000 titles for the 50 years since then. Their aim is to be comprehensive, but a check in more specialized Rousseau bibliographies reveals gaps: hardly surprising, given the protean nature of Rousseau scholarship. All citations are annotated, some extensively. The volume is so hefty that it can barely be held in one hand. An appendix lists the Rousseau editions and translations published from 1950 to 1990, thus updating Jean Sénelier's Bibliographie générale des oeuvres de Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Paris, 1950). Here, too, there are omissions, especially translations.

British bibliographer McEachern has begun the mammoth task of compiling an analytical bibliography of the early French-language Rousseau editions. The Julie and Émile volumes will be followed by a third, listing translations before 1800. (McEachern has written about the plans for this project in an article, "Bibliography of the writings of J.-J. Rousseau, Transactions of the Eighth International Congress on the Enlightenment, Oxford, 1992, p. 1800-1802.) Both published volumes feature detailed histories of each first edition, and very extensive descriptions of the titles according to the principles of "ideal copy," with a reproduction of the title page, a desciption of typography, paper, pagination, etc. An introduction discusses previous Rousseau bibliographies, and appendices include lists of libraries visited and a tentative listing of holding libraries worldwide, extending to Siberia. One wishes that others would follow Ms. McEachern's example in compiling analytical bibliographies of French Enlightenment authors. It has come to the reviewer's attention that D. L. Adams is preparing a Diderot bibliography for the Voltaire Foundation. Maybe some day the Voltaire Foundation will publish a bibliography on the writer from whom it takes its name . . . [sh/hsb]

96-2/3-264

Bibliographie analytique des écrits relatifs à Voltaire, 1966-1990 [Analytical Bibliography of Writings on Voltaire]. Frederick A. Spear. Oxford: Voltaire Foundation, 1992. 24 cm. ISBN 0-7294-0443-9: £50.00. (Voltaire Foundation, University of Oxford, 99 Banbury Rd., Oxford OX2 7RB)

Voltaire is fortunate among prolific authors to have a number of excellent bibliographical works devoted to his work. Mary Barr's A Centenary of Voltaire Study (New York, 1929; reprint, 1972) covers the secondary literature published from 1825 to 1925 and was continued by Quarante années d'études voltairiennes (Paris, 1969) for the years 1926 to 1965. The Spear bibliography, published just before the Voltaire tercentenary in 1994, now brings us up to 1990. Spear's bibliography, organized much like its predecessors, consists of 3,546 sequentially numbered entries, including editions of Voltaire's works and correspondence as well as the secondary literature. The first section lists works about Voltaire from a more general perspective, and the second section deals with specific titles. A concluding section treats Voltaire celebrations, adaptations and iconography. Coverage is extensive and the format of entries is exemplary. Russian titles, for example, are printed in Cyrillic; titles in "exotic" languages such as Japanese are translated. Explanatory information is provided for articles as necessary and critical reviews are included, even those appearing in publications that, strictly speaking, are of marginal interest to Voltaire researchers. The author index (which excludes authors of reviews) and the excellent subject index use the sequential numbers to identify relevant titles. This is an indispensable bibliography. One hopes that it will be continued soon, not only because it could harvest the yield from the 1994 Voltaire jubilee, but because it so conveniently cumulates material that must otherwise be laboriously gleaned from the numerous annual volumes of the standard French literary bibliographies. [sh/jb]

96-2/3-265

The Illustrated Editions of Candide: The Interpretation of a Classic; An Examination & Checklist. Peter Tucker. Oxford: Previous Parrot Press, 1993. 67 p. ill. 30 cm. £48.50, £8.00 (box). (Previous Parrot Press, The Foundry, Church Hanborough, Witney near Oxford OX8 8AB, England)

Voltaire's works have enjoyed a varied reception and popularity from age to age, with Candide again reaching new heights of popularity in the 20th century after having been ignored in the 19th. Its wide appeal has made it a favorite for illustration by well-known artists. Using mostly black and white illustrations from various Candide editions, Tucker's work traces the history of these illustrated editions. A checklist provides a chronological listing of first editions and includes information about the artist, publisher, place of publication, year and number and type of illustrations for each edition. However, the poor quality of the reproductions and the incompleteness of the checklist are significant deficits. [sh/jb]

96-2/3-266

Dictionnaire Voltaire: les oeuvres, les thèmes, les personnages, les lieux [Voltaire Dictionary: Works, Themes, Characters, Places]. Ed. Raymond Trousson. Paris: Hachette, 1994. v, 281 p. 24 cm. ISBN 2-01-235116-6: FF 150.00

Despite the four categories mentioned in the subtitle, the Dictionnaire Voltaire is basically a collection of some articles dealing with Voltaire's works. They are written mainly by members of the Voltaire Foundation who are editing the critical edition of his works. The articles treat the origin, content and chronological position of each work in Voltaire's oeuvre, and some (alas, only some) contain a brief bibliography of editions and critical studies. However, this accompanying bibliography lists only recent editions published separately or the critical edition published by the Voltaire Foundation and fails to provide information on titles available in older complete Voltaire editions. The first of two indexes lists persons, works and terms mentioned in the articles; the second presents a list of works that do not have their own separate entry, as well as a list of variant titles. [sh/jb]

96-2/3-267

Inventaire Voltaire [Voltaire Inventory]. Ed. Jean Goulemot, André Magnan and Didier Masseau. Paris: Gallimard, 1995. 1479 p. ill. 21 cm. (Quarto Gallimard). ISBN 2-07-073757-8: FF 170.00 [*96-2/3-267]

This collection of 1368 alphabetically arranged articles on Voltaire consists to a considerable extent of Voltaire quotations that follow many of the longer articles. The articles themselves cover concepts, places, and titles, as well as persons who influenced Voltaire (such as Corneille) or he himself influenced (Flaubert). There are a number of black-and-white illustrations with commentary as well. Cross-references make it possible to pursue a topic contextually. An asterisk signals terms that have their own entry. In spite of its alphabetical organization, this work is more a reader with commentary than a reference book. Readers will still need Jean de Vieguerie's Histoire et dictionnaire du temps de lumières (Paris, 1995) for necessary background information on the eighteenth century. [sh/jb]

96-2/3-268

Catalogo dei premi letterari italiani [Catalogue of Italian Literary Prizes]. Ed. Carla Deiosso Gronchi. 2d ed. Milano: Editrice Bibliografica, 1995. vii, 507 p. 25 cm. ISBN 88-7075-433-2: Lit. 60,000

The information in this guide to 686 Italian literary prizes was solicited by questionnaire, with the predictable result that much of it had to be carried forward from the previous edition (1991). Each entry contains information pertaining to the year of the founding of the prize, venue, the nature of the prize, names of the jury members, address, etc. It is organized by keyword of the prize's name, whose official form is never indicated anywhere. A second part lists the prizes again, with the same information, in 48 subject categories. A simple index would have accomplished the same in much less space. There is an index of jurors. Outside of Italy, the Catalogo will be of marginal interest, unlike the almost identically titled Catalogo dei premi letterari (Milano, 1987), which limits itself to a few major prizes, but follows them from their beginnings to 1986, describes the winners and their writings, and lists the countries in which their translations have appeared. Premiopoli: un indice ragionato dei premi letterari (Milano, 1987) is noteworthy for the extensive amount of information it gives about a relatively large number of titles. [sh/sl]

96-2/3-269

Manuale critico-bibliografico per lo studio della letteratura italiana [Bibliographical Handbook for the Study of Italian Literature]. Mario Puppo and Giorgio Baroni. 4th ed. Torino: Società Editrice Internazionale, 1994. 594 p. 24 cm. ISBN 88-05-02302-7: Lit. 45.000

Mario Puppo's very successful bibliographical introduction to Italian literature first appeared in 1954 and has been carefully edited and brought up to date by Giorgio Baroni. The chronology of the various editions causes some confusion: though this is identified as the 4th edition, Puppo's last (1987) edition of his own work was the 14th. Editions 6 (1965) and 12 (1972), both major reworkings, have presumably been retrospectively renumbered 2 and 3. Baroni has retained the structure of the original work, though adding new entries for Marino, Galilei, Svevo, Saba, Ungaretti, Montale and Calvino. In the standard style of Italian introductory bibliographies, titles are lumped together in paragraphs rather than broken out into separate lines, making them very difficult to scan. Monographs clearly outnumber essays and articles, and though references to Italian sources dominate, works in other languages are also listed. Although there is no title index, the author index represents a step in the right direction, since previous editions had none at all. This is the best, most current and comprehensive of introductions to Italian literary bibliography, and it belongs in every Italian literature collection. [sh/cmc]

96-2/3-270

L'italianistica: introduzione allo studio della letteratura e della lingua italiana [Italian Studies: Introduction to the Study of Italian Literature and Language]. Barberi Squarotti. Torino: UTET Libreria, 1993. 420 p. 21 cm. ISBN 88-7750-209-6: Lit. 38.000

This introduction to Italian linguistics and literature is divided into twelve chapters by well-known Italian scholars. While the authors cite important works in the text and each chapter ends with a bibliography, no link is provided between the citations and the bibliographies. The collection is an example of an earlier style, now outdated, of introductions to Italian studies. [sh/cmc]

96-2/3-271

Strumenti per lo studio della letteratura italiana [Tools for the Study of Italian Literature]. Alberto Beniscelli and Vittorio Coletti. Novara: De Agostini; Firenze: Le Monnier, 1992. x, 197 p. 24 cm. (Strumenti per l'italiano, 1). ISBN 88-00-83500-7 (Le Monnier): Lit. 28.000

With the support of the Accademia della Crusca, the Italian foreign ministry plans a ten-volume series, Strumenti per l'italiano, which will focus on language and is intended to support programs of Italian instruction for foreigners. This first volume on literature is an unsystematic introduction intended to convey the basic facts of Italian literary history. Bibliographical references are brief and restricted to Italian language monographs. This work may have some value for teaching beginning students, but it delivers less than its title promises. [sh/cmc]

96-2/3-273

Novecento letterario italiano: repertorio bibliografico; strumenti per lo studio e la ricerca [Nineteenth Century Italian Litearture: Bibliography; Tools for Study and Research]. Antonio Iurilli. Bari: Palomar, 1996. xxiv, 464 p. 21 cm. Lit. 60,000

Antonio Iurilli, Professor for Bibliography and Library Studies at the University of Bari, focuses on publications from the 1980s. The two main sections list editions of the works of 136 important authors of the 20th century and secondary literature (by keyword and including but not limited to the 136 authors). Bibliographic citations (to monographs) appear in the Italian style as continual text, and without annotation or other bibliographic details. The keyword indexes are computer-generated and not without problems. In spite of its limitations, this bibliography is very current and is an essential acquisition for Italian literary collections. [sh/cmc]

96-2/3-276

Bibliografia analitica degli scritti su Dante [Analytic Bibliography of Writings on Dante]. Enzo Esposito. Firenze: Olschki. 24 cm. (Dantologia, . . .)

1950-70 (1990). Vols. 1-4. (Dantologia, 1). ISBN 88-222-3724-2: Lit. 352.000

Bibliographic access to Dante scholarship suffers from lack of coordination between the yearbooks of national Dante societies, specialized bibliographies, and Dante journals, resulting in overlap. Enzo Esposito, a respected Dante scholar and bibliographer, provides a comprehensive, retrospective bibliography of secondary literature on Dante for the period 1950-1970. His work continues the sequence of earlier Dante bibliographies, so the scholar can now follow the course of Dante research from 1920 to 1970: Bibliografia dantesca (1920-1930) (Firenze, 1932), "Bibliografia dantesca (1931-1937)" (in Giornale dantesco, N.S. 9, 1936 [1938]), Bibliografia dantesca (1938-1939) (in Giornale dantesco, N.S. 11, 1938 [1940]), "Bibliografia dantesca (1931-1934)" (in Bibliografia degli studi sulla letteratura italiana: 1920-1934, 1 [1938]), "Bibliografia dantesca (1935-1939)" (in Aevum 13 [1941]), and Gli studi danteschi dal 1940 al 1949 (Firenze, 1950). However, unlike its predecessors, this bibliography provides annotations to its 9,180 titles, including descriptions of contents, critical commentary and chronological lists of reviews. All descriptions are based on actual examination of the work, resulting in a bibliography of great reliability. Approximately 1600 journals were indexed, among them titles in which articles on Dante were surely the exception (for example, a German dentistry magazine). The reviewer checked sample entries in the extensive subject index (volume 4) and discovered that the indexer had missed some entries. Nonetheless, Esposito has compiled the definitive Dante bibliography for the period 1950-1970. [sh/cmc]

96-2/3-277

Bibliografia dantesca [Dante Bibliography]. Leonella Coglievina. In: Studi danteschi pubblicati dalla Società Dantesca Italiana. Firenze: Le Lettere [*96-2/3-277]

1972-77. Vol. 60 (1988) [publ. 1992], p. 35-341

This is simply a bibliography of titles without annotation, though reviews are cited. The compiler considers it a fill-in for the "Bibliografia dantesca ragionata," which last appeared in the periodical Bibliografia dantesca in 1975 and which the publisher hopes to revive (although not immediately, since a continuation of this title-only bibliography for 1978 to 1984 is already in preparation). It exceeds Esposito's Bibliografia analitica degli scritti su Dante 1950-1970 (RRE/IFBA 96-2/3-276) in two respects: 1) It is not limited to secondary literature, but includes textual editions and translations; and 2) it contains a section on research on Latin and romance-language literatures in the Middle Ages generally. This reduces the initially impressive number of 3121 titles to 1931 listings with direct relevance to Dante. A sufficiently detailed subject index is lacking, although there is an index of authors and other contributors. This publication can serve as an interim reference tool, but it makes one wish all the more for a continuation of Esposito's work, with its annotations and superior subject indexing, as well as for a retrospective bibliography of textual editions. [sh/mjc]

96-2/3-278

L'opera di Dante nel mondo: edizioni e traduzioni nel Novecento; atti del Convegno Internazionale di Studi, Roma, 27 - 29 aprile 1989. [Dante's Works in the World: Editions and Translations in the Nineteenth Century; International Conference, Rome, April 27 - 29, 1989]. Ed. Enzo Esposito. Ravenna: Longo, 1992. 318 p. 24 cm. (Bibliografia e storia della critica, 8). Lit. 45.000

This collection of papers from the international conference L'opera di Dante nel mondo cannot satisfy the need for a bibliography of textual editions and translations of Dante's works; at best it is a starting point. It does, however, provide insight into the reception of his works in the twentieth century. It offers less that is new in English- and German-speaking countries than in countries where little has been known about Dante's popularity: the smaller Slavic countries, the former USSR, Scandinavia, Finland, Hungary, Arabic-speaking areas, Asia. It also includes translations into Hebrew, Latin, and Italian dialects. [sh/mjc]

96-2/3-279

Dalla bibliografia alla storiografia: la critica dantesca nel mondo dal 1965 al 1990. Atti del convegno internazionale realizzato dal "Centro Bibliografico Dantesco", Roma, 26 - 27 aprile 1993 [From Bibliography to Historiography: Worldwide Dante Criticism from 1965 to 1990. Proceedings of the International Meeting Organized by the Centro Bibliografico Dantesco, Rome, April 26 - 27, 1993]. Ed. Enzo Esposito. Ravenna: Longo, 1995. 269 p. 24 cm. (Bibliografia e storia della critica, 12). ISBN 88-8063-032-6: Lit. 50.000

This collection of papers, which deals with Dante studies from 1965 to 1990, is a companion piece to that of the conference held in 1989, L'opera di Dante nel mondo (RREO 96-2/3-278). Here, too, are articles about scholarship from countries not usually well represented in the field: Turkey, Iran, China, and Japan. In addition, it reaches back into the years previous to 1965 for German research, offering a panorama of German-language Dante studies. [sh/mjc]


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