Available:*
Library | Material Type | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Sugar Grove - Todd Library | Reference Book | PQ41.N48 1995 | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French is far more than a simple revision of the original Oxford Companion to French Literature, published in 1959, and described by The Listener as the `standard work of reference for English-speaking enquirers into French literature'. As the change in title implies, this completely new work presents an authoritative guide not only to ten centuries of literature produced in the territory now called France, but also to the rich literary output of other French-speaking countries around the world. The scope of the Companion is deliberately open and inclusive, challenging and extending the traditional canon. Literature is understood in a broad sense, ranging from strip cartoon and pamphlet to tragedy and epic, and particular attention is devoted to francophone writing from outside France. Written by an international team of specialists, entries cover individual authors and works - over 3,000 of them - from the troubadours to Césaire, and from La Princesse de Clèves to La Vie mode d'emploi. Each is discussed in detail within their historical, cultural, and intellectual context. Among the new features of the Companion are the substantial essay-entries, reflecting up-to-date scholarship and theoretical debates on topics such as: - literary movements and genres - historical subjects such as chivalry, or Occupation and Resistance in wartime France - movements of thought from Scholasticism to feminism - linguistic topics - the sciences - the arts and media, including opera, cinema, and press As a divertissement for readers, an entry on `Quotations' lists 100 well-known quotations from the canon of French literature. Adventurous and wide-ranging, The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French will be an indispensable and hugely enjoyable reference work for all scholars, students and general readers.
Reviews (2)
Booklist Review
Nearly four decades have elapsed since the publication of The Oxford Companion to French Literature (OCFL) in 1959, and almost 20 years since the abridged and revised version, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of French Literature (1976). However, as the editor, a professor emeritus at the University of Edinburgh, notes in his introduction, The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French (NOCLF) is not simply an updated edition of these earlier works, but a completely new compilation. The changed title reflects the most significant difference: coverage now extends beyond literature produced in France to encompass francophone writing from throughout the world. The NOCLF not only treats individual writers from many countries, but also provides broad survey articles on the literature of each area, for example, Africa (South of the Sahara), Belgian Literature in French, Haiti, Quebec. In addition, this new companion reflects the shifting perceptions of the literary canon by embracing more women writers and popular literature, and it gives greater emphasis to literature produced in the last half of this century. It also recognizes the increased influence of popular culture by including such entries as Chevalier, Maurice; Detective Fiction; and Tintin. The approximately 3,000 alphabetically arranged entries were written by France or a member of an international team of 130 scholars. The majority are limited to a single paragraph, but major authors, such as Marguerite Duras, Victor Hugo, and Voltaire, receive more extensive treatment, as do topics of a more general nature, for instance, Feminism and Versification. The longer articles are generally accompanied by one or two bibliographic references. The generous provision of see references greatly facilitates use, and a list near the front of the volume groups selected entries into broad topical categories such as Intellectual and Cultural Movements and Literary and Theatrical Genres. Other helpful features include a chronological chart linking specific authors with events in France and other French-speaking countries and a section of maps of France, its colonies, and Paris. No other English-language compilation offers the breadth of coverage of the NOCLF. However, Anthony Levi's two-volume Guide to French Literature (St. James, 1992-94) provides more in-depth treatment of 326 major French writers and literary movements, and Sandra W. Dolbow's Dictionary of Modern French Literature: From the Age of Reason through Realism (Greenwood, 1986) covers the period 1715-1880 in greater detail. This new Oxford companion is an important acquisition for public and academic libraries. However, even with its expanded scope, it has only half the number of entries of the OCFL. Because hundreds of minor authors, historical figures, geographic entities, titles, characters, and literary allusions have either been dropped or incorporated into more general articles, librarians may want to consider retaining one or both of this work's predecessors. (Reviewed Sept. 1, 1995)
Choice Review
This New Oxford Companion reflects a change in focus from its predecessors, The Oxford Companion to French Literature, ed. by Paul Harvey (1959), and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of French Literature (CH, May'77). The words "literature in French" in the title signal this change: the companion includes 200 new entries on francophone literature (writing in French outside France in former French possessions), as well as entries on Proven,cal (or Occitan) and Breton literature (literature in other languages native to France). The work also updates recent research on literary, cultural, and political history with entries on versification, fin'amor, libraries, and occupation and resistance. It includes entries on new developments and shifts in French literature such as music hall, detective fiction, photo-roman, and the bande dessin'ee. At the book's beginning the editor helpfully provides a chronology, which lists, alongside "reigning monarch, or regime," corresponding historical and cultural events and prominent authors of each period. The editor also includes maps of France at different periods and a map of central Paris. Asterisks beside a title or author indicate separate entries in the book. A fine, up-to-date reference book for French literature, highly recommended for all college and university reference collections. R. T. Ivey; University of Memphis