Skip to Main Content

FREN 440: French Fiction of the 20th Century

Finding Criticism

Not sure where to start?  Here are three broad strategies that you can try:

  • Browse key journals for scholarship related to French literature and culture
  • Search a subject database, such as the MLA International Bibliography or Gale Literature Criticism
  • Search Primo for print and ebooks related to your topic

Search Primo

Search Collins+Summit+Articles

Using Library of Congress Subject Headings

Collins Library uses Library of Congress Subject Headings to describe the content of books. In many ways, subject headings are a form of tagging, in that they represent the content of the material and provide ways for you to efficiently locate more materials that are conceptually related.

Here are several examples:

Camus, Albert, 1913-1960

Camus, Albert, 1913-1960. Étranger

Robbe-Grillet, Alain, 1922-2008 -- Criticism and interpretation

Duras, Marguerite -- Criticism and interpretation​

French literature -- 20th century​

French literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism

Experimental fiction, French -- History and criticism

France -- History -- 20th century​

France -- Intellectual life -- 20th century​

Featured Books

Databases for French Literature & History

For this course, most of you will want to start your search with the MLA International Bibliography, Literature Criticism (literature and linguistics), and/or Historical Abstracts (world history).

When searching for articles, click on the "check for full text" link to see if Collins Library has the journal or you need to order it through interlibrary loan.

e-Journal Collections

In most cases, you'll be better served by searching the subject databases above. However, if you have a topic that is very multidisciplinary, searching these electronic journal collections might be useful.

How to Search for French Language Material in Databases

Depending on the database, there are a few strategies to find resources written in French:

You can:

  • conduct your search in English and then, once you have a list of results, click on the Search Options and then from the Language list, select French. 
  • search using French search terms.
  • locate the Thesaurus or Subject Terms and appropriate French terms.

Be aware of databases that auto correct French words to similar English words.

General Database Search Tips

Try these strategies to become a better, more efficient searcher -- and help you find articles that you can actually use:

  • Build your search vocabulary -- keep a running list of key words, phrases, concepts, synonyms, and any related terms or ideas that you find.
  • Use advanced search features -- narrow your search with "AND," expand your search with "OR," or search in specified fields (i.e., author, title, publication, abstract).
  • Use search limits -- control the types of results you get (academic journals? language?) and how they are displayed (date? relevance?) so that you're only looking at results you can use.
  • Try multiple searches and evaluate your results -- try to figure out why you got the results you did, and adjust your search until you get closer to results you can use.
  • Use database descriptors -- once you find an article that looks good, see what descriptors or "subject headings" were assigned to it in the database. You can use these to search only for articles that have the same descriptors attached.

Tipasa: Interlibrary Loan

If your article is not available at Collins Library, you've got another option for getting it. Use Tipasa, our interlibrary loan service.

Tipasa is linked to your library account so you'll need to log in to use it.

Once you are logged in, either go directly to Tipasa and manually enter the information, or, if you're using a database, look for a shortcut link to automatically fill out the form:

Interlibrary Loan Link

Allow at least a week for the article to come. If your article is delivered in electronic format, you'll receive an email with a link to follow as soon as it's arrived.