Encyclopedias
Articles in encyclopedias, especially scholarly subject encyclopedias, can be very helpful in establishing basic information about a person, place, event, or theory and they often have bibliographies that list additional resources worth consulting.
- eBook Collection (Gale) This link opens in a new windowSearch for ebooks that provide a broad overview of many topics. The database includes mostly reference works, such as encyclopedias, almanacs, yearbooks, handbooks, and more. (Gale)
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new windowSearch for background information on a variety of topics published in the Oxford series of reference books. Find information on topics in the arts, sciences, history, language and literature, and more. (Oxford)
- Cambridge Companions Online This link opens in a new windowSearch these ebooks for essays that provide an introduction to major writers, artists, philosophers, topics, and periods. Subjects covered include Africana studies, anthropology, classical studies, English and literature, music, philosophy, and religious studies. (Cambridge)
Reference Books for Contemporary French Culture
- CountryWatchOverview of France. Use the Intelligence Zone link at the top to find Country Reviews, then the drop down box on the left to find the country of interest.
- Countries and Their CulturesGood orientation to the major issues, history, and social structure of France.
- Worldmark encyclopedia of cultures and daily lifeGood article on France
- Worldmark chronology of the nationsYou'll want vol. 4- Europe
- Contemporary French Cultural StudiesEach chapter focuses on a topic from the French cultural scene today. The text discusses the varied forms of French cultural expression and looks critically at what 'Frenchness' itself means. The book also explores examples of cultural production ranging from sport, media and literature to theatre, cinema, festivals and music
Curiosities of Paris by Call Number: Boatwright Circulating Books - Basement Levels Call Number: DC708 .L397 2017ISBN: 9781681371108Publication Date: 2017-05-23
The Cambridge Companion to the Literature of Paris by ISBN: 1107005124Publication Date: 2013-08-01Beginning with the 'salon', followed by the hybrid culture of libertinage and the revolutionary hotbeds of working-class districts, it explores the continuities and changes between the pre-modern era and the nineteenth century, when Paris asserted itself as cultural capital of Europe. It goes on to explore how this vision of Paris as a key capital of modernity has shaped contemporary literature.
The Cambridge Companion to Modern French Culture by ISBN: 0521791235Publication Date: 2003-09-11Includes chapters on history, language, literature, thought, theatre, architecture, visual culture, film and music, and discusses the contributions of popular culture, Francophone culture, minorities and women.
Paris and the Cliché of History by ISBN: 9780190681647Publication Date: 2018-08-16Focusing on one of photography's birthplaces, Paris and the Cliché of History tells the story of how photographs came to be imagined as documents of the past.
