BD - Literature and Literary Studies

1998

BD -- Literature and Literary Studies

An RREO Original Review

Dictionnaire de rhétorique et de poétique [Dictionary of Rhetoric and Poetics]. Michèle Aquien and Georges Molinié. Paris: Librairie générale française, 1996. 757 p. 19 cm. (Le livre de poche. La Pochothèque. Encyclopédies d'aujourd'hui). ISBN 2-2531-3017-6: 120 FF.

This title includes two reference works in one which have also been published separately in the series "Les Usuels de Poche." The Dictionnaire de rhétorique by Georges Molinié, professor at the Université Paris-Sorbonne, defines and explains some 400 terms important in the discipline of rhetoric, as, for example, "allégorie," "concession," "honnête," "hypotypose," "improvisation," "judiciaire," "mémoire," "parabole," "réfutation," "synchorèse," and "variation." The length of the annotations varies from a few lines to two to three pages. Many annotations include examples from well-known texts. The book also features an introduction to the field of rhetoric as well as tables outlining and classifying important concepts in rhetoric.

Molinié has published a number of works in the area of stylistics, including Éléments de stylistique française (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1986) and Vocabulaire de la stylistique, co-authored with Jean Mazaleyrat (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1989). Some of the ideas he developed in these works are found as well in the Dictionnaire de rhétorique, most notably his classification of rhetorical terms into macrostructural and microstructural.

The Dictionnaire de poétique by Michèle Aquien, senior lecturer at the Université de Paris-XII, defines and explains about 285 poetic terms and provides examples of poetry from more than 150 poets. The book includes an introduction to poetics and an index of poets cited; it does not contain any biographical information on poets. In this dictionary, Aquien, who has a small number of other publications in the area of poetry to her credit, explains in clear language such terms as "calligramme," "églogue," "liaisons," "métaphore," "polysémie," "refrain," "rime," and "sextine." The length of the annotations ranges from a few lines to several pages. A generous number of poetry samples serves to clarify and illustrate the definitions given.

Dictionnaire de rhétorique et de poétique can be compared to the earlier Dictionnaire de poétique et de rhétorique by Henri Morier (4th rev. and expanded ed., Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1989). This more extensive work (1320 p.), which arranges both rhetoric and poetic terms in one alphabetical sequence, is similar in scope, but different in content. The earlier work places greater emphasis on the field of poetics, while the later one provides broader coverage of the field of rhetoric. Although many of the same terms can be found in both works, each title features a good number of terms not included in the other. In addition, the definitions, explanations, and examples are very different in each resource. The entries in Morier's work are in general much more extensive and contain more linguistic theory. The entries in Aquien and Molinié's title are shorter and tailored to be understood by the general reader. For example, the entry for "accent" is one page long, while in Morier's book it covers 24 pages. Morier's title also contains numerous diagrams, charts, and tables (some of them fold-out), such as diagrams and photos depicting how to form the consonants and vowels. Since the annotations in the more recent reference work are so different from those in the earlier one, Aquien and Molinié's dictionary complements Morier's nicely.

A modestly priced paperback, the Dictionnaire de rhétorique et de poétique is recommended for most academic library collections, and, for the reasons stated above, even for those which already hold Morier's work.

Barbara Allen, University of Northern Iowa

An RREO Original Review

Diccionario de literatura popular española [Dictionary of Spanish Popular Literature]. Ed. Joaquín Alvarez Barrientos and José Rodríguez Sánchez de León; with Ricardo de la Fuente Ballesteros. Madrid: Ediciones Colegio de España, 1997. 368 p. ISBN 8-4864-0867-9: $17.46

The idea of creating this dictionary belonged to the Basque scholar Julio Caro Baroja who projected the publication of a Spanish ethnological resource. Caro Baroja's effort did not materialize, but Ediciones Colegio de España undertook the publication under the editors Joaquin Alvarez Barrientos and José Rodríguez Sánchez de León along with the participation of 60 distinguished contributors. The present reference tool is the second of the set of three volumes; the other two volumes are: Diccionario histórico de la antropología española (Madrid: 1994) and Etnología de las Comunidades Autónomas (Madrid: 1996). The editors of the present book suggest referring to the other volumes for anthropological and ethnological questions that users may encounter. Use of the three different books in the series will provide readers with the means to look at the cultural diversity of Spain's autonomous regions.

Articles are listed alphabetically by the dominant word (in bold characters) of the entries. To supply explanations of more specific terms, there are plentiful see-references that lead the user to think of a global context. For example, the meaning of the word refrán is included under paramiología, a more general term.

The DLPE offers exhaustive explanations of what words mean in the context of popular literature. The contributors skillfully provide scholarly information suitable for researchers and graduate students in Spanish. Indeed, master's candidates will find this tool useful, as it glosses vocabulary often encountered on master's examinations, e. g., jarcha, sevillana, mote, tonadilla, seguidilla, sermón, exempla, and serranilla. The explanation of terms such as alegoría (p.20-24), cante flamenco (p. 58-61) and the romancero (p. 289-295) is scholarly and meticulous. The list of works cited that appears after each article is in itself worth following up; for example, the essay on the literatura de cordel is accompanied by a bibliography which occupies nearly an entire page.

Although most of the articles are well crafted, there is a discrepancy in the article bolero: in the DLPE, Monique Joly thinks it originated in the Caribbean islands (Cuba and Puerto Rico), and Mexico, while Robert W. Kern in The Regions of Spain (Greenwood: 1995, [p. 18]), cites it as invented in Cadiz by Sebastián Cerezo (ca. 1780). Another disappointment is that Gema Cienfuegos Antelo, who covers the novela policíaca, spends three-fourths of her essay explaining the development and origin of this genre in England, the United States, and France. She uses the remaining fourth to mention names of relevant Spanish exponents of this genre, but without offering an analysis of their work.

In general, DLPE is convenient to use. A minor inconvenience, however, is that the articles are so long that other important terms could not be included, such as "mozárabe" which was not mentioned in Tipos étnicos. Nor were the terms "trobador," "redondilla," "zéjel," "estribillo," and "cantiga" included as head words or even as see-references. Perhaps even the words "clerecía" and "juglaría" would have been interesting to include as contrasting definitions of popular literature.

Martha Zárate, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

An RREO Original Review

Catálogo de cuentos folclóricos reelaborados por escritores del siglo XIX [Catalog of Folktales Adapted by 19th Century Writers]. Montserrat Amores. Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 1997. 406 p. 24 cm. (Biblioteca de Dialectología y Tradiciones Populares, 27) ISBN 8400076788: 4500 Ptas

Catálogo tipológico del cuento folklórico español: Cuentos maravillosos [Typological Catalog of the Spanish Folktale: Fairy Tales]. Julio Camarena Laucirica and Maxime Chevalier. Madrid: Gredos, 1995. 794 p. 25 cm. (Biblioteca románica hispánica: IV, Textos, 24). ISBN 8424916735: $64.66

Catálogo tipológico del cuento folklórico español: Cuentos de animales [Typological Catalog of the Spanish Folktale: Animal Tales]. Julio Camarena Laucirica and Maxime Chevalier. Madrid: Gredos, 1997. 477 p. 25 cm. (Biblioteca románica hispánica: IV, Textos, 26). ISBN 8424918770: $32.00

These three books are useful additions to the literature on Peninsular folktales and oral culture. Camarena Laucirica and Chevalier are prominent Peninsular folklorists. Their two volumes reviewed here--part of a larger projected series--classify these folktales using the conventions established by Aarne and Thompson to facilitate comparative work. The authors note in their introduction where and how they modified this classification scheme. Each entry presents a narrative, a classification number, and a list of oral versions of the story in related areas and languages (Spanish, Catalonia, Galicia, the Basque countries, Portugal, and the Latin American countries). References to literary uses of the stories are also provided. A third volume, on religious folktales, is in progress.

This reader found the indexes to be of limited value. In fact, in the volume on fairy tales (cuentos maravillosos), there is no index other than a table of contents (Indice general) which lists stories by type number, Spanish title, and a second title in brackets that appears to refer to a motif. Stories are listed in the numerical order of their Aarne-Thompson classification, so that any search for a Spanish version of a particular story requires that the reader have on hand the Aarne-Thompson numbers and a list of changes made in the classification scheme by Camarena Laucirica and Chevalier. The table of contents for the volume on cuentos de animales provides only the type number and a title for each story.

Montserrat Amores's catalog of nineteenth-century literary treatments also has to be used with other folktale and motif indexes in hand. Each entry provides a title for a folktale, a listing of its classification by Aarne-Thompson, Camarena-Chevalier, Haboucha's Types and Motifs of the Judeo-Spanish Folktale, and other sources, and a bibliography of the story's use in nineteenth-century Spanish literature. Amores does group the stories by theme at the back of the book. While these typologies will be useful to scholars of Peninsular and Latin American literature and folktales, librarians should take note: to use Amores, readers must have access to Camarena-Chevalier, Aarne-Thompson, and perhaps also Ralph S. Boggs's Index of Spanish Folktales.

Roberta Astroff, Pennsylvania State University

An RREO Original Review

Dicionario do romantismo literario portugues [Literary Dictionary of Portuguese Romanticism]. Ed. Helena Carvalhao Buescu. Lisboa: Editorial Caminho, 1997. 634 p. 25 cm. ill. ISBN 972-21-1101-9: ca. $95.00.

Dicionario de literatura portuguesa [Dictionary of Portuguese Literature]. Ed. Alvaro Manuel Machado. Lisboa: Editorial Presença, 1996. 567 p. 26cm. ISBN 972-23-2084-X. ca. $60.00.

The Dicionario do romantismo is the work of 56 scholars and provides concise yet detailed entries, accompanied by a selected bibliography, mostly of Portuguese language sources. As expected, the literary giants Herculano, Almeida Garrett, and Castelo Branco receive the most coverage, 8 and 9 pages respectively. But there are also substantial entries on women and women’s literary journals as well as on the presence of Camoes, the 16th century writer, in other European literatures.

The book is supplemented with rich illustrations of contemporary paintings and drawings on countryside and urban motifs as well as portraits of literary personalities. The indexes on cited authors, title, subject, and illustrations provide multiple access points.

The intended audience of the Presença Dicionario is not only secondary school and university students but also the educated general public (publico de cultura geral). Particular attention has been paid to contemporary writers. The entries are also brief, aiming to provide "the most information possible within limited space" (maxima informaçao num minimo espaço). The only "index" is a list of contributors, whose initials appear at the end of each entry. Unlike the Caminho Dicionario , a separate "Peridologia" covers thematic entries. This section contains cross references. It would have been less confusing to the user if this part had been incorporated into the author section. Unfortunately, this thematic portion lacks an entry on women, who have produced a large number of writings since the 1974 revolution. However, the author section does include these major women writers. Bibliographies are also limited to mostly Portuguese language sources.

In the absence of an Oxford Companion to Portuguese Literature and since there exists so little in this area, both dictionaries are welcome additions to reference tools on Portuguese literature which ought to find a place in the reference collection of college and university libraries.

Adan Griego, Stanford University

98-1/2-077

Kurze Bücherkunde für Literaturwissenschaftler [Brief Bibliographic Guide for Literature Scholars]. Carsten Zelle. Tübingen: Francke, 1998. 258 p. 19 cm. (UTB für Wissenschaft: Uni-Taschenbücher, 1939) ISBN 3-772-2250-2 (Francke); ISBN 3-8252-1939-9 (UTB): DM 26.80

Now and then reviewers come across a book about which they have only one complaint: that they didn't write it themselves. This is such a book. Its greatest value is the way in which it cuts across national literatures, so that a literary scholar coming from any specialization can use it profitably. Zelle has selected expertly from an overabundance of literary reference works, and his annotations often hit the nail on the head. An appendix introduces the student to four main methods of inquiry with suggested reference tools for each. An index is a desideratum for the next edition. A most valuable guide for all students of literature. [hak/hsb]

98-1/2-078 to 080

Die deutsche Literatur [German Literature]. Series 2, Die deutsche Literatur zwischen 1450 und 1620: biographisches und bibliographisches Lexikon [German Literature between 1450 and 1620: Biographical and Bibliographical Lexicon]. Ed. Hans-Gert Roloff. Bern; Frankfurt am Main [et al.]: Lang. 25 cm

Part A. Autorenlexikon [Dictionary of Authors]

Vol. 1 A-Al. 1985-1991. xi, 1213 p. ill. ISBN 3-261-04399-7

Vol. 2. Fasc. 1/5, Albertus, Laurentius--Amadís. 1991. 400 p. ill.

Part B. Forschungsliteratur [Research Literature], 1

Vol. 1, fasc. 1 (1979) - 6 (1985)

Part B. Forschungsliteratur, 2, (Autoren) [Research (Authors)]

Vol. 1, fasc. 1/2 (1985). 144 p.

98-1/2-081

Die deutsche Literatur. Series 3, Die deutsche Literatur zwischen 1620 und 1720: biographisches und bibliographisches Lexikon. [German Literature between 1620 and 1720]. Ed. Hans-Gert Roloff. Bern; Frankfurt am Main [et al.]: Lang. 25 cm

Part B. Forschungsliteratur, 1

Vol. 1, fasc. 1/2-3 (1987). iii, 240 p.

98-1/2-082

Die deutsche Literatur. Series 4, Die deutsche Literatur zwischen 1720 und 1830: biographisches und bibliographisches Lexikon [German Literature between 1720 and 1830]. Ed. Hans-Gert Roloff. Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt: Frommann-Holzboog. 25 cm

Part A. Autorenlexikon [Dictionary of Authors]

Vol. 1, fasc. 1/2 (1998). 260 p. DM 288.00

98-1/2-083

Die deutsche Literatur. Series 6, Die deutsche Literatur von 1890 bis 1990: biographisches und bibliographisches Lexikon [German Literature from 1890 to 1990...]. Ed. Hans-Gert Roloff. Bern; Frankfurt am Main [et al.]: Lang. 25 cm

Part. A, Autorenlexikon [Dictionary of Authors]

Vol. 1, fasc. 1-5, A-Ahlers, Thomas. 1991. iv, 400 p. ill.

In the process of being published since 1979, this overly ambitious, monumental project appears to have little chance of ever being completed, even though a new publisher, Frommann-Holzboog, has taken over from the Swiss-based Lang. Organized into six chronologically-based sections, each is divided into Parts A (Authors) and B (Research, divided in turn into 1. General Secondary Literature and 2. Secondary Literature on Authors). Instead of completing, or even continuing one of the existing series, Frommann-Holzboog inaugurated its takeover this year by beginning a new series (4). It is no exaggeration to say that this reference work has, after almost twenty years, managed to specialize exclusively in the letter A. The project is clearly hampered by too broad a "selection" policy, which extends to all German-language authors of belles lettres--and beyond. Even if half the Germanists on the planet were to devote themselves to this undertaking, it would never be completed. Surely those scholars doing research on some of these very, very obscure writers can do their own bibliographic legwork. Meanwhile, scholarship is well served by the third edition of Kosch's Deutsches Literaturlexikon: biographisch-bibliographisches Handbuch ("Kosch") (3d ed., 1966- ) and Literaturlexikon: Autoren und Werke deutscher Sprache (15 vols., 1988-1993) ("Killy"). [sh&hak/hsb]

98-1/2-084

Neuere deutsche Literaturwissenschaft : eine praxisorientierte Einführung fur Anfänger [Recent German Literary Scholarship: A Practical Introduction for Beginners]. Hans-Albrecht Koch. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1997. xii, 209 p. 22 cm. (Germanistische Einführungen) ISBN 3-534-13172-X: DM 29.80

This introduction covers fundamentals of German literary scholarship such as literary theory, the history of German literary study, methods, rhetoric, thematic studies, typology and history of bibliography, etc. There are also chapters on the book trade, and on libraries and archives. Unlike most introductions of this type, it does not consist primarily of a listing of titles, though each chapter is followed by a brief, mostly unannotated bibliography, and chapter 16, "Bibliographic Appendix" (twenty pages). This work is intended as a "practical" guide and is likely to be bought by students for home use. [sh/hsb]

98-1/2-087

"Der Weg vom Manuscript zum gedruckten Text ist länger, als er bisher je gewesen ist": Walter Benjamin im Raubdruck 1969 bis 1996 ["The Path from the Manuscript to the Printed Text Is Longer Than Ever Before": Pirated Editions of Walter Benjamin's Writings, 1969 to 1996]. Albrecht Götz von Olenhusen. Lengwil, Switzerland: Libelle-Verlag, 1997. 109 p. ill. 23 cm. ISBN 3-909081-82-7: SFr. 25.00, DM 35.00. (Libelle-Verlag, Sternengarten, CH-8574 Lengwil)

The phenomenon of publishing pirated works is one which has not only literary and scholarly ramifications but touches on the economic, cultural, legal, and political arenas as well. It is fortunate that the author of this work on pirated editions of Walter Benjamin's works, Albrecht Götz von Olenhusen, is a knowledgeable and competent interpreter of Benjamin as well as an attorney and expert in publishing law. He is also an avid collector of pirated publications. In this entertainingly written book he presents a comprehensive treatment of the rise and spread of Benjamin piracy and the goals of its practitioners.

Initially, illegal editions arose as a way for students to obtain works in areas such as labor movement history, Marxist theory, social theory, psychoanalysis, and critical theory. The political-theoretical discussions of the late 60s and early 70s produced a demand for works which were either out of print, expensive, or simply unavailable.

The author also details the reactions of publishers to this development. In some cases works were reissued as demand became apparent from the appearance of illegal editions. The assertion of publishers and law enforcement that pirates made huge profits from their activities had no basis in truth, especially for difficult writers like Benjamin. Nor was this the intent of the illegal editions. Rather the pirates saw themselves as providing a commentary, corrective and supplement to the editorial practices of the official publishers. An example of their seriousness can be seen from an ambitious 1972 project to publish as complete as possible an edition of Benjamin's correspondence including all the correspondence with Adorno and Horkheimer. The project failed due to lack of funds. The author also offers several examples of the "cold shoulder" treatment given the illegal publications by the Frankfurt editors of the "critical" Benjamin edition, who often ignore the existence of unauthorized versions and the important material they contain.

At the end of his book Olenhusen includes an extensive bibliography of the pirated works and all their variants. Finally, he also looks at a new medium shaking up the publishing landscape: the Internet, where texts and pictures of Benjamin can be accessed without regard to any licensing scruples. [mb/jc]

98-1/2-088

Fortschreibung: Bibliographie zum Werk Heinrich Bölls [Reworking: Bibliography of the Work of Heinrich Böll]. Viktor Böll and Markus Schäfer. Köln: Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 1997. 477 p. 21 cm. ISBN 3-462-02604-6: DM 58.00

Under the circumstances, it could scarcely be expected that the Heinrich Böll Archive in Cologne would be content with issuing its Böll bibliography as a supplement to the generally exemplary Böll bibliography published two years ago by Werner Bellmann (see RREO 1995 and RREA 1:262). Astonishingly, Bellmann, a Böll expert and skilled practitioner of the art of bibliography, is barred from access to the Cologne archive--an unpleasant bit of archival power politics. As a result, researchers must now work with two bibliographies: Bellmann's, because of its accuracy, and the Viktor Böll/Markus Schäfer bibliography which, because of the compilers' access to the Cologne archives--including Böll's working notebooks--contains a few titles not included in Bellmann.

The Böll/Schäfer work betrays weaknesses in bibliographic technique. Although Böll/Schäfer appeared two years after the Bellmann version, the Cologne compilers appear not to have compared their work with the earlier publication. There are instances where the 1997 work omits titles included in the earlier work, or where a title is incorrectly attributed to Böll. The work is overloaded with non-bibliographical information and includes numerous annotations which, though sometimes helpful, are often not necessary. The index is not thorough and conventions of the publication are not always made clear. The compilers do describe Böll's practice of what he referred to as Fortschreibung, i.e. multiple use by Böll of some of his texts, but they nowhere indicate that titles highlighted in gray refer to works originally written in a particular year but republished in altered form later in collections and other editions. [hak/jc]

98-1/2-090

Bibliographie Rolf Dieter Brinkmann: Verzeichnis der veröffentlichten Druckschriften; Primär- und Sekundärliteratur [A Rolf Dieter Brinkmann Bibliography: A Listing of Publications by and about Brinkmann]. Gunter Geduldig and Claudia Wehebrink. Publ. for the Rolf-Dieter-Brinkmann-Gesellschaft and the Arbeitsstelle Rolf Dieter Brinkmann (Hochschule Vechta). Bielefeld: Aisthesis-Verlag, 1997. 279 p. 21 cm. (Bibliographien zur deutschen Literaturgeschichte, 6) ISBN 3-89528-191-3: DM 68.00

This work is one of the rare examples of a thoroughly successful author bibliography, covering both primary and secondary literature pertaining to the German writer Rolf Dieter Brinkmann (1940-75). In organizing their material the authors have adopted a well-thought-out framework admirably suited to their material. In their introduction they discuss the considerations, problems and choices involved in the collection and organization of bibliographic material. What they write is so clear and sensible that it could be profitably read by the many inexpert bibliographers who are publishing these days.

The work is divided into two parts. Primary literature is arranged in sections (books, contributions to anthologies, newspapers, etc.) within which titles are listed chronologically by year. Secondary literature is presented in a detailed systematic arrangement, again with chronological arrangement by year within each area. The two parts are brought together in an alphabetical title index to the primary literature and an index of authors, editors, translators, compilers, illustrators and correspondents. [hak/jc]

98-1/2-092

Goethe-Handbuch: in vier Bänden [Goethe Handbook: In Four Volumes]. Ed. Bernd Witte. Stuttgart; Weimar: Metzler. 25 cm. ISBN 3-476-00923-8

Vol. 3. Prosaschriften [Prose Writings]. Ed. Bernd Witte. Die naturwissenschaftlichen Schriften [Writings on Natural History]. Gernot Böhme. 1997. xiv, 854 p. ill. ISBN 3-476-01445-2: DM 198.00, DM 168.00 (subscription)

The first two volumes of this Goethe handbook were reviewed in RREO last year (cf. RREA 3:144). The third volume of this very opulent set, covering the prose works, includes Goethe's prose fiction (novels and stories), autobiographical prose, correspondence, writings on literature, art and science and the official writings (in his position at the Weimar court). To interpret and contextualize these disparate elements is no easy task. As in the previous volumes a combination of survey articles and more detailed interpretations of individual works is used. The material in this volume, however, requires a more intensive use of formal and subject groupings (translations, official writings, speeches, addresses, etc.), and the user has to rely heavily on the index.

The choice of works receiving separate treatment is generally successful. In the survey articles it could also be questioned whether the right balance has always been found between general introduction and scholarly discussion of recent research findings (clearly necessary). With a few minor exceptions the edition has been prepared with great care. On the whole this volume succeeds, as do the earlier ones, in providing a handbook for general use. The bibliographical information for both the survey sections and the discussions of individual works is very reliable. This work was scheduled to be completed with a fourth volume (covering people, subjects, concepts, and a general index) in 1999, the 250th anniversary of Goethe's birth. In fact, all four volumes were available by 1998. [ss/jc]

98-1/2-097

Bibliography of Anglo-Italian Comparative Literary Criticism 1800-1990. Alfonso Sammut. Ed. Peter Vassallo. Msida: University of Malta, 1997. 429 p. 25 cm. ISBN 99909-44-12-1: £15.50. (University of Malta, Communications Office, Msida, MSD 06, Malta, fax 356 33 64 50]

This specialized bibliography of comparative Italian and English literature has been published posthumously from the collection of titles compiled by the late Alfonso Sammut, Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Malta. The majority of its 4,022 annotated references are to sources in English and Italian. The largest section is devoted to works about the English reception of Italian authors, organized by author. By far the largest number of entries are devoted to Dante (754), Boccaccio (402), and Petrach and Petrarchism (289). The subject index is not sufficiently detailed. Nonetheless, this is a welcome contribution to bibliographies of comparative literature, a field that is bibliographically not strongly represented. [sh/mjc]

98-1/2-098

Bibliologia e critica dantesca: saggi dedicati a Enzo Esposito [Bibliography and Dante Criticism: Studies Dedicated to Enzo Esposito]. Ed. Vincenzo De Gregorio. Ravenna: Longo. 24 cm. (Il portico: biblioteca di lettere e arti; . . . : materiali letterari)

Vol. 1. Saggi bibliologici [Bibliographical Studies]. 1997. 293 p. (Il portico, 108: materiali letterari). p. 13-36: "Bibliografia degli scritti di Enzo Esposito (1944-1997)," ed. Sara Esposito. ISBN 88-8063-123-3: Lit. 40,000

Vol. 2. Saggi danteschi [Dante Studies]. 1997. 438 p. (Il portico, 109: materiali letterari). p. 385-432: "Bibliografia delle bibliografie dantesche (1727-1950)" [Bibliography of Dante Bibliographies]. Emanuela Bufacchi. ISBN 88-8063-135-7: Lit. 65,000

The presence of the 310-item bibliography of Dante bibliographies in volume 2 justifies mention of this festschrift--a genre not normally covered in IFB/RREA--published on the occasion of the seventieth birthday of the outstanding Dante bibliographer Enzo Esposito (see RREO 1997 and RREA 2:101). Given the inevitable inclusion of many superseded titles, more extensive annotations highlighting the few really important ones would have been useful. [sh/mjc]

98-1/2-101

Bibliographie: Lateinunterricht [Bibiliography: Latin Instruction]. Dieter Gerstmann. Paderborn: Schöningh. 25 cm.

Vol. 1. Lateinische Autoren: Sekundärliteratur, Werkausgaben, Kommentare und Übersetzungen [Latin Authors: Criticism, Editions, Commentaries, and Translations]. 1997. 506 p. ISBN 3-506-11118-3: DM 69.00

This first volume of an intended two-volume bibliography of material for Latin instruction lists primary and secondary literature for Latin-language authors, not only of the Classical period, but also of the Middle Ages and modern times. Although the sections on post-Classical writers are selective to the point of failing to be even representative, Classical authors are covered in breadth and depth, including monographs, journal articles, contributions in encyclopedias, and reviews, even exceeding the needs of the students who are this work's primary audience. Ovid, for example, gets no less than 55 pages in double columns devoted to concordances, bibliographies, criticism, etc. covering Ovid's work as a whole, and then editions, commentaries, translations, etc. relating to specific works. Unlike the planned second volume, which is to be on pedagogy and methodology, this volume should have widespread appeal for all who are interested in Latin literature. [sh/mjc]

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