French Studies
This Guide provides a starting point for materials on French Studies.
French Studies Databases
You can see a complete list of relevant databases here. Databases are collections of journals, and often have advanced search functions that allow you to search/ browse across specific subjects or multiple journals at once.
- Erudit This link opens in a new windowErudit is a disseminator of French-language resources. It offers centralized access to journals, the majority of which are francophone publications in the social sciences and humanities; including scholarly and cultural journals, books, conference proceedings, theses and dissertations, as well as various research documents and data.
- Cairn.info This link opens in a new windowCairn.info offers a comprehensive online collection of francophone publications from major French, Belgian and Swiss publishers in the social sciences and humanities. Some of the subject areas covered include: History, psychology, economics, olitical science and sociology. As well, Cairn.info has developed an International Edition, an English-language platform where abstracts and selected articles from key journals on Cairn.info are translated from French into English, enabling users to search, browse and read this content without speaking a word of French.
- MLA International Bibliography [EBSCOhost] This link opens in a new windowThe MLA (Modern Languages Association) database is a classified listing and subject index of scholarly books and articles on modern languages, literatures, folklore and linguistics.
- Persee Portal This link opens in a new windowPerse is an open access portal for a multidisciplinary collection of French language journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. It contains some journals with embargoes on their current content as this is at the discretion of the publisher or journal distributor, and generally has a moving wall between 2 and 5 years.
- ARTFL-FRANTEXT [ARTFL] This link opens in a new windowARTFL-FRANTEXT is a database containing French language texts spanning from the 12th through the 20th centuries.
- ARTFL Encyclopdie [ARTFL] This link opens in a new windowThe ARTFL Encyclopdie is the online edition of the Encyclopdie ou Dictionnaire raisonn des sciences, des arts et des mtiers, par une Socit de Gens de lettres published under the direction of Diderot and d'Alembert. It contains 17 volumes of text and 11 volumes of plates, and was published between 1751 and 1772. The Encyclopdie was a massive reference work for the arts and sciences, as well as a machine de guerre which served to propagate the ideas of the French Enlightenment. The impact of the Encyclopdie was enormous. Through its attempt to classify learning and to open all domains of human activity to its readers, the Encyclopdie gave expression to many of the most important intellectual and social developments of its time.
- Dictionary of Literary Biography Online (DLB) [Gale] This link opens in a new windowThe Dictionary of Literary Biography Online provides access to biographical and critical essays on the lives, works, and careers of the world's most influential literary figures from all eras and genres.
- Dictionnaires d'autrefois [ARTFL] This link opens in a new windowDictionnaires d'autrefois is an ARTFL database containing French dictionaries of the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
- Encyclopdie Larousse en ligne This link opens in a new windowEncyclopdie Larousse en ligne is a French encyclopedia and dictionary that provides information and images of historical events.
- French Women Writers [ARTFL] This link opens in a new window
French Women Writers is an ARTFL database containing works by French women authors from the early sixteenth to the nineteenth century.
- Gale's Literary Index [Gale] This link opens in a new windowGale's Literary Index is a master index to the major literature products published by Gale. It combines and cross-references author names, including pseudonyms and variant names, and listings for titles into one source. The Library has access to some of these titles.
- L'le This link opens in a new windowL'le contains biographies and bibliographies of Quebecois authors. Each author's record is accompanied by a bibliography that lists their books published in all languages and in all countries.
- Textes de Français Ancien (TFA) [ARTFL] This link opens in a new window
Textes de Français Ancien (TFA) is a collection of literary works in Old and Middle French, includes works from the 12th through 15th century.
Other Database Resources
You can see a complete list of relevant databases here. Databases are collections of journals, and often have advanced search functions that allow you to search/ browse across specific subjects or multiple journals at once.
- FabulaFabula is a French language portal for researchers interested in the relationship between theory and literary history. The Fabula site is a resource center and meeting place for researchers in the broad field of French literary studies. It includes online publications, debates, calls for papers, and more in the field of French literature and language.
- Gallica, bibliotheque numerique de la Bibliotheque nationale de FranceA massive and ongoing retrospective digitization project from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, of copyright-cleared titles (70 years and older, in accordance with French law) primarily in French but also including English, German, and other languages. Only limited text-recognition has been performed on the images in this collection, which is searchable down to the level of book title, and tables-of-content and index where present.
Journals
- Contemporary French and Francophone StudiesAn established journal of reference inviting all critical approaches on the latest debates and issues in the field, Contemporary French & Francophone Studies (formerly known as SITES ) provides a forum not only for academics, but for novelists, poets, artists, journalists, and filmmakers as well. In addition to its focus on French and Francophone studies, one of the journal's primary objectives is to reflect the interdisciplinary direction taken by the field and by the humanities and the arts in general.
- Ecrits du Canada françaisFrench Canadian Literature reviews and analysis
- EllipseJournal of comparative literature
- L'Esprit CréateurFor more than forty years, L'Esprit Créateur has published studies on French and Francophone literature, film, criticism, and culture. The journal features articles representing a variety of methodologies and critical approaches. Exploring all periods of French literature and thought, L'Esprit Créateur focuses on topics that define French and Francophone Studies today.
- Magazine littéraireModern literature review and criticism
- PoétiqueLiterary theory and analysis.
- Voix et ImagesThe journal publishes articles on the literature of Quebec, from its inception up to the present day.
- Études françaisesFounded in 1965, Études françaises is a French-language journal of criticism and theory. It examines French-language literature and the relationships between the arts and the human sciences, discourse and writing. Each issue concentrates on a specific theme and presents diverse studies. While aimed particularly at specialists of French and Québécois literature, Études françaises addresses anyone with an interest in literature.
Key Series
- Yale French StudiesYale French Studies is the oldest English-language journal in the United States devoted to French and Francophone literature and culture. Each volume is conceived and organized by a guest editor or editors around a particular theme or author. Interdisciplinary approaches are particularly welcome, as are contributions from scholars and writers from around the world. Recent volumes have been devoted to a wide variety of subjects, among them: Crime Fiction; Surrealism; Contemporary Writing for the Stage; and Memory in Postwar French and Francophone Culture.