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Spanish and Latin American Language and Literature - in the Library and on the Web
Guides to Research
Dictionaries
Manuals of Grammar/Stylistics/Pronunciation
Guides to literary terms/theories/characters/plots
Histories of the language/linguistics
Guides to authors/histories of literature
Selected bibliographies
Databases and Internet Sources
Guides to Research
A Sourcebook for Hispanic Literature and Language: A Selected, Annotated Guide to Spanish, Spanish-American, and United States Hispanic Bibliography, Literature, Linguistics, Journals, and Other Source Materials. 1995. The third edition of this sourcebook, it is also the most recent guide to the field. In addition to annotated lists of sources, the editor offers information on the research process and style guides. The section on research would be most useful to someone who is unfamiliar with that process. The literary sections are organized chronologically and divided between Spain and Spanish America, with the bulk of the sources on Spain. Unique to this source is a section on Hispanic literature in the United States and Cuba. The linguistics chapter treats Spanish as a whole. There is an author index.
(Mugar Reference X Z2695 A2 B55 1995)
Guide to Reference Works for the Study of the Spanish Language and Literature and Spanish-American Literature. 1987. For the most part, this volume treats only works published since 1950. It divides both language and literature between Spain and the Americas, further separating the Americas into individual countries. There are a large number of subdivisions (especially for Spain), which are clear and useful; it is extensively annotated. In addition to national bibliographies, translations are included. It contains an index to authors of the sources, as well as an "author biography" index.
(Mugar Reference X Z2695 A2 W66 1987)
Manual of Hispanic Bibliography. 1977. Heavily annotated, this source presents resources for the study of Spanish and Spanish-American literature. The last section, a collection of national bibliographies for Spanish America (Argentina through Venezuela), is unique to this source. The manual includes an author/corporate entry index and a short title index.
(Mugar Reference X Z2691 A1 F68 1977)
Manual bibliográfico de estudios españoles. 1976. This volume is not limited to language and literature, but does include them; therefore, it is useful for interdisciplinary work. It is broken into classified sections, such as "Cultura," "Lingüística" and "Literatura;" cross references and brief annotations are supplied. Indices to authors and subjects are available.
(Mugar Reference X Z2681 G58)
Manual de investigación literaria: guía bibliográfica para el estudio de la literatura española. 1981. Restricted to Spanish literature (with a small section on the Spanish of Spain), this is the most detailed guide to the subject. It is international in scope, and includes commentary for each section and annotations for many entries. The name index includes both authors and subjects of the sources.
(Mugar Reference X Z2681 G58)
Dictionaries
English-Spanish/ español-inglés
Collilns Online Dictionaries (BU only)- English translations of words in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Russian in a bilingual format.
Oxford Reference Online (BU only) (Spanish/Eng, Eng/Spanish)
Collins Spanish-English, English-Spanish Dictionary-Collins diccionario espanol-inglés, inglés-espanol. 1993. Containing more than 135,000 terms, the dictionary makes an effort to include American and British English, as well as peninsular and American Spanish. It is especially good at providing context for words, as well as offering colloquialisms and idioms.
(At Mugar Reference desk X PC4640 C53 1993)
Random House Latin-American Spanish Dictionary: Spanish-English, English-Spanish. 1997. This dictionary emphasizes current vocabulary, and includes compound words and idioms. Because of the focus on Latin America as a whole, definitions particular to specific countries are noted. It gives guidance to pronunciation across the Americas. (Mugar Reference X PC4822 G65 1997)
The Oxford-Duden Pictorial Spanish-English Dictionary. 1985. To find vocabulary terms without knowing the word in either language (e.g., the parts of a motor), this dictionary is useful. The images used to illustrate the words are organized by subject, rather in the way that a thesaurus works. Two indices, one in Spanish and the other in English, refer either to the section in which the term is to be found or to the actual picture.
(Mugar Reference X PC4629 O94 1985)
Diccionario conciso de modismos: inglés-español, español-inglés. 1977. Although dated, this source is useful for discovering the equivalent of idiomatic expressions or proverbs, such as "Rome was not built in a day" or "Más claro que el agua." It is organized alphabetically, with an index in English and one in Spanish.
(Mugar Reference X PE1129 S8 S25)
Spanish only
Diccionario general ilustrado de la lengua española. 1989. This up-to-date dictionary includes etymologies and synonyms, as well as irregular plurals. Words are defined and used in a sentence. A term particular to an area of Spain or to a particular country is noted as such. A few black-and-white illustrations are included.
(Mugar Reference X PC4625 D52 1989)
Diccionario de la lengua española. 1984. This is the twentieth edition of the official dictionary of the Real Academia Española. These two volumes contain only words and their variants accepted by the Academia. The dictionary offers their etymologies, and notes about word use in a specific geographic location.
(Mugar Reference X PC4625 D5 1984)
Diccionario de uso del español. 1979. Based on the dictionary of the Real Academia Española, this is a two-volume set which focuses on current word usage and grammar. In addition to grammatical assistance, it includes synonyms and examples of word use. "Ch" and "Ll" are interfiled appropriately.
(Mugar Reference X PC4625 M6 1979M)
Diccionario básico del español de México. 1986. Published by the Colegio de México, this is a concise volume of vocabulary frequently used in the "interpretación mexicana de la lengua española" and Mexican literature (10). The inclusion of idiomatic expressions is particularly useful.
(Mugar Reference X PC4628 D53 1986)
Historical
Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico. 1980. The impressive six-volume dictionary known as the DCEC acts both as an etymological and historical dictionary--tracing word origins and derivations over time and space. The terms treated are all of those found in the Real Academia Española's dictionary. The entries begin with generally accepted etymology and then give more theoretical possibilities. Selections from prominent authors are used to give context to a term or as an example of its usage. A unique feature is the index in the last volume: for the original term it gives the current Spanish word.
(Mugar Reference X PC4580 C59 1980)
Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana. 1967. "Breve" is an accurate term to describe this volume, an abbreviated edition of the Diccionario crítico etimológico de la lengua castellana. It contains only commonly used words in contemporary language. Each word is very briefly defined, and then analyzed.
(Mugar Reference X PC4580 C58 1967)
Lexico Hispanoamericano del siglo XVI. 1971. This dictionary concentrates solely on words used in the Americas. Each term is situated both geographically and temporally. It is useful for critiquing sixteenth-century texts and as an etymological dictionary for Spanish in the Americas.
(Mugar X PC4861 Z5 B6)
Diccionario histórico de la lengua española. 1972-present. When finished, this dictionary will be a great resource as it is by far the most complete and thorough study of changing word usage. The Real Academia Española began this project in 1960 and has only now completed A-BAJOCA.
(Mugar Reference X PC4580 F60)
Spelling
Manual práctico de ortografía actual. 1991. This slim volume gives basic rules for spelling; chapters have such titles as "Confusión entre B y V." It discusses exceptions, syllabic divisions, accents and punctuation, with an emphasis on correct pronunciation as a guide to correct spelling.
(Mugar Reference X PC4143 G66 1991)
Diccionario de ortografía. 1985. The author presents the rules of spelling in a dictionary format. Entries are for elements of spelling and for typographical conventions that affect spelling (e.g., "acentuación," "macron," "mayúscula y minúscula"). Each topic is discussed at length and examples are provided. There are both a bibliography and an index. (Mugar PC4143 M28 1985)
Manuals of Grammar/Stylistics/Pronunciation
A Comprehensive Spanish Grammar. 1995. This frequently translated (originally Dutch) resource is a clear and thorough treatment of Spanish grammar in English. In the effort to be comprehensive, the grammar includes variant and contemporary usage in addition to the standard "correct" forms. Rules are illustrated from works dating from 1960 and after. The bibliography of sources and references is helpful.
(Mugar Reference X PC4112 B7913 1995)
A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish. 1988. The Reference Grammar offers an impressively detailed analysis of Spanish grammar, with attention paid to variants from Spain and/or Latin America. Examples are primarily taken from texts written in the 1980s.
(Mugar Reference X PC4112 B88 1988)
Gramática de la lengua española. 1994. This is the official publication of the Real Academia Española, with the intent of promoting correct grammar. It covers pronunciation, parts of speech and sentence structure. There is a bibliography of texts cited, the majority of which are from the 1970s and 1980s.
(Mugar Reference X PC4105 .A62 1994)
Manual de español correcto. 1989. The first volume focusses on "Acentuación, puntuación, ortografía, pronunciación" and the second on "Morfología y sintaxis, estilo, léxico." The author bases the rules on the judgments of the Real Academia Española. The intended audience is the broad range of native-Spanish speakers and foreigners who "quieran perfeccionar su español, etc." (8).
(Mugar Reference X PC4112 G637 1989)
Gramática de la lengua castellana. 1981. This is a classic work by noted author Andrés Bello, revised by Ramón Trujillo. The footnotes and index are extensive.
(Mugar PC4105 B5 1981)
Curso de fonética y fonología españolas para estudiantes angloamericanos. 1972. The advantage to a book aimed specifically at English-speaking students is that inter-lingual comparisons can be made and known difficulties for English speakers can be fully addressed. The International Phonetic Alphabet is used and helpful diagrams of the palate and tongue are offered.
(Mugar PC4131 Q5 1972)
Guides to literary terms/theories/characters/plots
Manual de términos literarios. 1987. This source is intended to give definitions for commonly used terms in literary studies. Each term is given a short definition; occasionally examples, taken from the work of important authors, are provided. Entries include movements, genres, figures of speech, poetics and phrases adopted from other languages (e.g., carpe diem).
(Mugar PN44.5 B333 1987)
Literary Theory: An Introduction. 1996. Terry Eagleton gives an excellent summary and explanation of the wealth of literary theories which have appeared in the last century. He provides some background and intellectual history, showing inter-relationships between theoretical camps. There is also a good bibliography.
(Mugar PN94 E2 1996)
Diccionario de personajes y escenarios de la literatura española. 1997. Focusing entirely on Spanish literary characters, this dictionary provides short "biographies" and critical histories of both specific characters (e.g., Carrizales) and character types (e.g., Pícaro). It is notable for including contemporary as well as "classic" authors. Since it is arranged alphabetically by the name of the character, a very useful index provides a listing of the authors and works included.
(Mugar Reference X PQ6006 P47 1997)
Cyclopedia of Literary Characters. 1963. This source offers the names of over 16,000 characters in 1,300 literary works. International in scope, it does have lengthy and informative descriptions of noteworthy Spanish literary characters. It is arranged alphabetically by literary work, with a character index in the back.
(Mugar Reference X PN41 F602)
Histories of the language/linguistics
Spanish
Historia de la lengua española. 1965. Rafael Lapesa's book is a standard in the field. He begins with the language before the Roman conquest, and includes later borrowings and influences from other tongues; however, there is only a small section on Latin America. The color fold-out maps are a nice feature, as is the index.
(Mugar PC4075 L364 1965)
Latin American Spanish. 1994. This source is divided into two parts: a general "Evolution of Latin American Spanish" succeeded by chapters on "individual Latin American dialects." Each chapter has a "historical overview," "Extra-Hispanic linguistic influences," "Phonetics and phonology," "Morphological characteristics," "Syntactic characteristics" and "Lexical characteristics." Extensive notes and a literature review are also part of each chapter. There is a comprehensive bibliography and a helpful index.
(Mugar Reference X PC4821 L56 1994)
The Evolution of Spanish: An Introductory Historical Grammar. 1980. The author provides a brief historical grammar of Spanish. He begins with an introduction to classical and vulgar Latin, stressing the ways in which they influenced Spanish. He avoids dialect and influences on Spanish from languages other than Latin.
(Mugar PC4101 L33)
Enciclopedia lingüística hispánica. 1960-1962. A massive two-volume work, it provides a scholarly treatment of peninsular Spanish. Signed chapters contain bibliographic footnotes.
(Mugar PC45 F601)
General
The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics. 1994. These ten volumes contain articles on central linguistic themes, their related concepts and relationships with other disciplines. They intend to be authoritative, comprehensive and international in scope, while appealing to an academic audience. There is an alphabetic list of the articles; the longer entries are signed and followed by bibliographies.
(Mugar Reference X P29 E48 1994)
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. 1992. The goal of this source is to present articles on the full range of linguistic disciplines (applied, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, etc.) and their inter-relationships, as well as intersections with other disciplines. It provides a detailed index and a language list. The signed essays are followed by bibliographies.
(Mugar Reference X P29 I58)
Guides to authors/histories of literature
General
Diccionario de literatura española e hispanoamericana. 1993. Arranged alphabetically, these two volumes contain short, signed, entries for authors and literary concepts: "un panorama completo de las diversas manifestactiones literarias en lengua castellana." (ix). Entries are followed by a brief bibliography. "Ch" and "Ll" are interfiled appropriately. A lengthy index of works is found in the second volume.
(Mugar PQ6006 D6 1993)
Diccionario de literatura española. 1964. This dictionary contains entries on concepts, authors and anonymous works written in Spanish --including those from the Americas. It is selective in approach, choosing authors who are "classics" and modern writers with a large body of works. Concepts include movements, genres, principal themes, types of publications, institutions and philosophies. Some author entries conclude with a brief bibliography. There is a very useful index to titles of works, as well as a time-line contrasting political and cultural history (710 to 1963) and historical maps. (Mugar Reference X PQ6006 F64)
The Oxford Companion to Spanish literature. 1978. This is a handbook to "literature in the Spanish language," with includes some Basque, Catalan and Galician literature. The Companion is not intended to be used as a full-scale, comprehensive encyclopedia; however, longer articles have a small bibliography. The focus of the book is on individual authors and works, rather than on terms. "Ch" and "Ll" are interfiled appropriately.
(Mugar Reference X PQ6006 O93)
Historia y crítica de la literatura española. 1980. Edited by Francisco Rico, the HCLE has articles on a variety of topics. Each volume covers a different chronological period/theme (for example volume III: Siglos de Oro: Barroco); the articles are written by prominent scholars. Supplemental volumes continue to be published, enlarging and updating the series. Each volume has an index and there is some bibliographical information.
(Mugar PQ6032 H57 1980)
Latin America
Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature. 1997. In an impressive volume are collected long, signed articles on a variety of authors, themes and genres, as well as nations. Each is followed by a bibliography and there are useful cross-references. There are both a title index to the included works and a general index.
(Mugar Reference X PQ7081 A1 E56 1997)
The Cambridge History of Latin American Literature. 1996. This is a three-volume history; the first volume is entitled Discovery to Modernism, the second The Twentieth Century, and the third Brazilian Literature; Bibliographies. Signed thematic essays are arranged chronologically. Volume three contains the bibliographies and index for the entire set. (Mugar Reference X PQ7081 A1 C35 1996)
Spanish American Literature. 1997. Similar to the Modern Latin American Literature, these five volumes (Theoretical Debates in Spanish American Literature, Writers of the Spanish Colonial Period, From Romanticism to Modernismo in Latin America, Twentieth-Century Spanish American Literature to 1960, Twentieth-Century Spanish-American Literature since 1960) focus on literary criticism. However, instead of being organized alphabetically, they are arranged chronologically by author's date of birth --between one to three essays per author. Essays written in Spanish have not been translated.
(Mugar Reference X PQ7081 A1 T44 1997)
By country
España: Dictionary of the Literature of the Iberian Peninsula. 1993. These two volumes are devoted to the literature of Spain and Portugal, thus including literature in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan and Galician. An effort was made to include women and contemporary authors. Literature is defined broadly to include "historical, religious, cultural, and philosophical writings as well as prose, poetry and drama" (xv). There are entries dealing with a selection of literary movements, styles and terms. Each entry has a bibliography of primary texts and some works of criticism, and indicates works translated into English. "Ch" and "Ll" are interfiled appropriately. The editors used the Diccionario de literatura española
(Mugar Reference X PQ6006 F64) as a base.
(Mugar Reference X PN849 S6 D54 1993)
España: Historia de la lengua y literatura castellana. 1915-1922. These are fourteen volumes of serious scholarship on both linguistic and literary topics. The essays are in chronological order and are accompanied by extensive biographical and bibliographical notations for the authors presented. Black and white illustrations also are included. Each volume concludes with an index to authors and anonymous works found in that volume. The final volume contains an appendix "Diálogos familiares acerca del eúquera y del castellano" and a general critical bibliography on the Spanish language and literature.
(Mugar PQ6032 D5)
Ecuador: Diccionario de la literatura ecuatoriana. 1980. This is a five-volume set of biographies. The entries are brief, and there is no bibliographical information. |
(Mugar Reference X PQ8201 .B35 1980)
México: Dictionary of Mexican Literature. 1992. Containing 500 signed entries prepared by scholars and, in some cases, with the help of the authors themselves, this source intends to present Mexican literature to an English-speaking public. Each entry contains biographical and bibliographical information. There is a useful overview of the history of Mexican literature, a general bibliography and an index.
(Mugar Reference X PQ7106 D53 1992)
Nicaragua: Panorama de la literatura nicaragüense. 1982. Providing an overview of Nicaraguan literature, this source includes a little of everything. There is information about the political, social and cultural contexts; discussion of genres; and some biographical information about specific authors. There are useful bibliographical footnotes, in addition to a general bibliography.
(Mugar PQ7510 A7 1982)
Women
Women Writers of Spain: An Annotated Bio-Bibliographical Guide. 1986. 300 women writers (in Spanish, Catalan, or Galician) are covered by this source; however, most writers included in Apuntes para una biblioteca de escritoras españolas (Mugar PQ6171 A2 E76, v. 268) are not, nor are many writers appearing in earlier editions of the Diccionario de autores: quién es quién en las letras españolas
(Mugar Reference X Z2693.3 D53 1988).
Women Writers of Spain: A Bio-Bibliographical Source Book. 1993. The editors of this source selected fifty writers from the fourteenth to the early twentieth centuries "whose writings have received little acknowledgment and study" (xii). A preface gives introductory material. For each author included there is a long essay, bibliography of her works (divided by genre, including television programs and translations), and bibliography of criticism. In addition, there is a selected general bibliography; list of authors by date of birth; works available in English translation; and title and subject indices.
(Mugar Reference X PQ 6055 )
Spanish American Women Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical Source Book. 1990. The subjects of this volume are "fifty of the most important women writers of Latin America from the seventeenth century to the present" (ix). Each long (averaging nine pages), signed entry contains biographical information, a discussion of literary themes, a survey of criticism and a selected bibliography. The source is enhanced by two general chapters treating Indian and Latina writers, respectively. A general bibliography to the subject is found at the end of the volume, along with lists of authors by birth-date, country and genre. There are also title and subject indices.
(Mugar Reference X Z 1609 L7S6 1990)
Contemporary Argentinean Women Writers: A Critical Anthology. 1998. This source is unusual because of its scope and format; it covers fourteen living women writers. For each author there is a short biography, a bibliography of primary and secondary sources, an interview with the individual, and an excerpt from her work (chosen by the writer herself). There is also a useful general bibliography.
(Mugar Reference X PQ7776.2 W65 E713 1998)
Selected bibliographies
XVIIIe: Bibliografía de autores españoles del siglo XVIII. 1981-present. This set, which is projected to be complete with nine volumes, contains complete bibliographies for eighteenth-century Spanish authors. For each author, manuscripts and printed editions are listed, as well as indications of where they are presently located. Currently volumes I-VIII have been published, covering the authors A-Z.
(Mugar Reference X Z2681 A39)
Bibliography of Latin American and Caribbean Bibliographies. 1986-present The Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials publishes this report annually. It includes a section on literature, and one on bibliographies of bibliographies; authors biographies are found in the biography section.
(Mugar Reference X Z1601 A2 B52)
Latin American Literary Authors: An Annotated Guide to Bibliographies. 1986 The entries in this source are arranged alphabetically by author. Bibliographical information about the author's works and any criticism of the author are included.
(Mugar Reference X Z1609 L7 Z82 1986)
A Bibliography of Latin American Bibliographies Published in Periodicals. 1976 This two-volume set includes only those bibliographies contained in the periodical literature.
(Mugar Reference X Z1601 A2 G76 1976)
Bibliográfica de la literatura hispánica. 1950-present. This set is still in progress; ordered by language (starting with Castilian) and then chronologically, it has now reached the Castilian "Siglo de oro" (volume XVI). For each time period, authors are listed alphabetically. Each author's works are given (along with information about where the primary documents are held) and a list of "estudios" is provided.
(Mugar Reference X Z2691 F50)
Databases and Internet Sources
Databases
Arts & Humanities Citation Index
Bibliografia de la Literatura Espanola
Francis
Hispanic American Periodicals Index
Humanities Index
Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism
JSTOR
LION: Literature Online
LLBA
MLA Bibliography (Modern Language Association) 1926+
Project Muse Alternative Link
Oxford Reference Online (dictionaries)
Internet Sources
DOAJ - Directory of Open Access Journals (many in Spanish)
BU Literature and Languages eResources
LANIC
- from the U. of Texas
Latin American Resources on the Internet
WESS Iberian Studies Page