LITTRANS 204: Survey of 19th and 20th Century Russian Literature in Translation II (Spring 2025) : Find Background Information
Reference Sources
Reference sources are authoritative works to which you can refer for specific information or general overviews of topics. There are many types of reference sources such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories, and more, and they can come in either print or digital form.
On this page, see a few reference sources that may be of particular use in this course.
Print Reference
- Handbook of Russian Literature by Victor Terras (Editor)Publication Date: 1985A compilation of nearly 1,000 entries by leading scholars on authors, genres, and literary movements, covering ten centuries of literature with many entries centered on the 19th and 20th. Most articles include a bibliography with recommendations for further reading on a subject. Refer to the index on pp. 543-558 to find entries on particular authors, movements, etc.
Keep in mind that the coverage of this book is limited by its publication date (1985). It will not be a comprehensive source on writers who were active in the late 20th century.
Memorial Library call numbers:
- Stacks Regular Size Shelving: PG2940 H29 1985
- East Europe Stacks, Rm. 212: PG2940 H29 1985 (no loan; in-library use only)
- Reference Stacks, Floor 2 South: PG2940 H29 198 (no loan; in-library use only)
- Reference Guide to Russian Literature by Neil Cornwell (Editor)Publication Date: 1998A collection of in-depth entries on 273 writers of Russian literature, including biographies, overviews and histories of notable works, and bibliographies of critical studies for further reading. The majority of authors surveyed in this course are covered.
Entries are alphabetized by writers' last names; refer to the alphabetical list of writers on pp. xiii-xviii to check for coverage, or to the alphabetical list of works on pp. xix-xxii to locate entries on specific works.
Memorial Library call number:
- Reference Stacks, Floor 2 South: PG2940 R43 1998 (no loan; in-library use only)
Digital Reference
Literature Resource Center is a reference database that compiles entries on authors and literary works from Contemporary Authors, Dictionary of Literary Biography, and many other sources. The Person Search tool may be especially useful for your research essay. By searching an author's name within this function, you'll find:
- Any indexed biographies, many of which include a complete list of the author's literary works
- Overviews of the author's works
- A selection of critical essays as well as reviews and news related to the author's work