Research Guides: Francophone Literature: Search Books and Articles

Library Catalog Tips

Use the Library Catalog to find books and journals in Bobst Library, the Real Estate Library, as well as the libraries of the New School, Cooper Union, and Parsons School of Design.

You can combine search terms in the Library Catalog. For example:

To find a biography of Madame de Sévigné use the subject terms: "biography" and "Sevigne."
To find criticism on Georges Bataille's writing use the subject terms: "bataille" and "criticism"
To find a dictionary of a creole dialect of French, use the terms: "dictionaries" and "creole"

Search NYU Libraries Resources

Search here for books, articles, journals and other print materials, videos, sound recordings, e-books, e-journals, databases, and indexes in our local libraries and special collections.

Online sources

MLA International Bibliography (MLAIB) This link opens in a new window
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Indexes journal articles (except book reviews), books, collections and festschriften, conference papers, etc. on literature, language, linguistics, folklore and film. Updated ten times a year.
Medieval Bibliographies This link opens in a new window
Provides integrated cross-searching of two core databases for Medieval Studies. International and multidisciplinary coverage of monographs, journal articles, and miscellaney volumes (conference proceedings, essay collections, etc.) concerning Europe, North Africa, and/or the Near East during the period 300-1500. Contains live links to the Lexikon des Mittelalters and the International Encyclopedia for the Middle Ages.
Historical Abstracts with Full Text (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Covers the history of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 to the present, including world history, military history, women's history, history of education, and more. Indexes more than 2,300 academic historical journals in over 40 languages. Dates of coverage: items published from 1955 to present.
Arts and Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI) This link opens in a new window
This database indexes about 1,700 arts and humanities journals. Dates of coverage: 1975 to present.
Adjust settings to expand your searching to include the Social Sciences Citation Index, the Science Citation Index, the Book Citation Index, and others.

Print Sources

Browsing location in Bobst: Z2615 to Z2710; check the reference collection and the circulating stacks for books.

French Language and Literature by Fernande Bassan; Donald C. Spinelli; Howard A. Sullivan
Call Number: Main Collection Offsite Z2175.A2 B39 1989
ISBN: 9780824047986
Publication Date: 1989-04-01
While somewhat out of date, this work lists basic book resources for starting research in French literature.
Year's Work in Modern Language Studies by Modern Humanities Research Association
Call Number: Online
ISBN: 22224297
Publication Date: Periodical
Yearly publication offering long essays summarizing the year's scholarship in each modern language. There is a substantial section on French literature. An excellent way to keep current on publishing in your area.
French 17 by Colorado State University.; Modern Language Association of America. Seventeenth Century French Division
Call Number: Bobst 1st Floor Reference Z2172.M6 Non-circulating and Online
Publication Date: Periodical
An annual descriptive bibliography of French 17th-century studies.
French XX bibliography by Camargo Foundation.; French Institute in the United States.; French Institute-Alliance Française de New York.
Call Number: Main Collection (Z2171 .A45 )
ISBN: 00850888
Publication Date: Periodical
Index of secondary material on French literature since 1885.