German 151: The Literary Imagination and the Holocaust
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Introduction Professor: Steven Cerf (
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Introduction
Research material on the literature of the Holocaust is available in many different formats. This guide describes a variety of tools which will help you discover useful sources for your research; if you have specific problems using these tools, the reference librarian on duty will be glad to assist you. Always feel free to call or e-mail Karl Fattig (x3027, kfattig@bowdoin.edu, AIM: CherLubin) for individual help.
Library Catalog
The online library catalog on the web is the primary access point for Bowdoin's collections - and a jumping off point for searching the NExpress and MaineCat catalogs. The Bowdoin catalog covers books, periodicals, videorecordings, CD-ROMs, and sound recordings. For the older government documents collection, specialized indexes may need to be consulted since the records for these materials are only partially entered into the library catalog. Much of Special Collections material is in the catalog, but not all. Consulting with the librarians on duty in Special Collections is advised. Also of note: you may Limit your catalog search by such categories as Year of Publication, Material Type (for videorecordings or sound recordings, etc.) or Language.
You can begin research with a subject search or a keyword search. For subject searching the best search results are obtained by use of the standardized subject headings found in the Library of Congress Subject Headings books. If you don't know these exact terms, start with a keyword search, and then check the subject headings in the catalog records you find to identify specific subject terms for more precise searching. For example, a subject search using the phrase Holocaust in literature yields no items in our collection, while use of the heading Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) in literature turns up many items in our collection; the former is not an "official" subject heading. Subject headings are also often subdivided into more specific categories, such as by place or by subtopic. Examples of useful subject headings:
World War, 1939-1945 -- Jews
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) in art
[in literature]
[--personal narratives]
[--literary collections]
Antisemitism
Holocaust survivors
Germany -- History -- 1933-1945
Germany -- Politics and government -- 1933-1945
Concentration camps
Auschwitz (Concentration camp)
Jewish ghettos
Jews -- Europe
[Germany]
[France]
Gays -- Nazi persecution
American literature -- Jewish authors -- History and criticism
Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust
Research Strategies
Please consult "Library Research and Navigation" for an overview of the research process and for tips for efficient database searching. Below you will find some additional tips for historical research:
- Remember to try keyword searching. This search method often turns up different or additional material, especially when the search words are new terminology, jargon or older terms. Subject and keyword searching usually works in any electronic database or index, including the library catalog. Because different parts of the bibliographic record are searched, you will receive different results.
- When you find a relevant bibliographic record, always check the descriptors or subject headings for additional search terms.
- Read footnotes and bibliographies of books and articles to find other secondary and primary sources. In most cases, the library catalog will indicate whether or not a given book includes such information.
- For information on primary sources, please read the CBB Guide to Primary and Secondary Sources.
- Take time to browse the library shelves in your subject area. Your research will be easier and more productive when you understand the way collections are organized in the Library of Congress Classification system.
Indexes and Databases
MLA International Bibliography.
1963-present (Quarterly update)
1921/25-1962 (Print format only - Per Index)
The MLA International Bibliography, produced by the Modern Language Association of America, consists of bibliographic records pertaining to literature, language, linguistics and folklore and includes access to scholarly research in over 3,000 journals, relevant monographs, working papers, proceedings, bibliographies and other formats in a variety of languages.
Arts & Humanities Search!
1980- (Weekly update)
The Arts & Humanities Search!, the online equivalent of the Arts and Humanities Citation Index includes over 1.4 million records referencing more than 1,300 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals.
Academic Search Premier
1987-
The Academic Search Premier, or Academic Search Premier , as it is often called, is an electronic index to 2500 scholarly and general interest periodicals published in the last ten years, and includes 570 full-text titles. It may be searched in combination with MLA International Bibliography and any other ERL databases.
Note: when doing research it is useful to exercise some critical judgment in choosing sources: some of the periodicals in Academic Search Premier are of a very general nature and are valuable for newsworthiness or basic background, but they are not appropriate for scholarly research. Look carefully at the source before selecting articles to pursue.
Film Index International
1900-
Brief descriptions of about 118,000 films going back to 1900, and more than 685,000 film personalities from around the world. Most entries also contain a list of references to reviews or studies of the film. It also includes international film award and festival coverage as well as searchable plot summaries and full cast and crew lists.
Historical Abstracts
1980- (Updated bimonthly)
Historical Abstracts, the online equivalent of the print index covers the world's scholarly journals in history.
Print Resources
Edelheit, Abraham J.
Bibliography on Holocaust literature.
Boulder : Westview Press, 1986.
Main Ref Z6374.H6 E33 1986
Covers nearly 15,000 resources, including documentaries, dissertations, memoirs, eyewitness reports, books, periodicals, scholarly studies, and contemporary newspaper reports. Many are annotated. Introductory essays also serve as guides for further research.
The Encyclopedia of the Holocaust.
New York : Macmillan, 1990
Main Ref D804.3 E53 1990
Illustrated, with select bibliographies for most entries; covers the background, history, and impact of the Holocaust.
Enzyklopädie des Holocaust : die Verfolgung und Ermordung der europäischen Juden
Berlin : Argon, 1993
Main Ref D804.3 E5313 1993
German language edition of The Encyclopedia of the Holocaust.
Edelheit, Abraham J.
History of the Holocaust : a handbook and dictionary
Boulder, CO : Westview Press, 1994
Main Ref D804.3 E33 1994
Covers the history of the Holocaust, and includes a complete dictionary of terms relating to the Holocaust in a variety of languages.
The Holocaust : an annotated bibliography and resource guide
Hoboken, NJ : Ktav Pub. House for the National Jewish Resource Center and the Anti-defamation League of B'nai B'rith, New York, 1995
Main Lib D810.J4 H656 1985
Resources related to teaching and learning about the Holocaust. In addition to nonfiction and literature, includes audiovisual and music materials, education centers and landmarks, curricula, and survivor groups.
The Holocaust encyclopedia / Walter Laqueur, editor ; Judith Tydor Baumel, associate editor.
New Haven : Yale University Press, c2001
Main Ref D804.25 .H66 2001
An analytical encyclopedia to be consulted for its fine thematic articles, written by leading experts, and for its inclusion of hundreds of documentary evidence, such as photographs, maps, and the like.
Holocaust literature : an encyclopedia of writers and their work.
New York : Routledge, 2003
Main Ref PN56.H55 H66 2003
This comprehensive and exhaustive encyclopedia covers 300 novelists, poets, essayists and dramatists who have brought this subject into their work, or have been signficantly impacted by the Holocaust. The detailed entries include extracts from the authors' works. Covers first, second and some third-generation writers.
Holocaust novelists
Detroit : Gale, 2004
Main Ref PN56.H55 H68 2004
Biographical and critical overviews of important Holocaust novelists, with significant bibliographical information leading to other scholarly works.
The Holocaust film sourcebook
Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2004
Main Ref PN1995.9.H53 2004
Including information about documentaries, propaganda and fictional films -- extremely useful for researchers finding out about film archives, rental sources, festivals.
Muffs, Judith Herschlag.
The Holocaust in books and films : a selected, annotated list
3rd ed.
New York : Hippocrene Books, 1986
Main Lib D810.J4 M83 1986
Primarily nonfiction resources, but includes a chapter on "After the Holocaust: Reflections and Literary Analyses".
Niewyk, Donald L. and Francis Nicosia
The Columbia guide to the Holocaust
New York : Columbia University Press, c2000.
Main Lib D804.3 .N54 2000
Excellent starting point for beginning researchers. Portable guide, includes detailed, but readable chronology, as well as a probing section entitled "Problems and Interpretations" which provdes an overview of Holocaust historiography.
Laska, Vera.
Nazism, resistance & Holocaust in World War II : a bibliography
Metuchen, NJ : Scarecrow Press, 1985
Main Lib D810.J4 L37 1985
Selective bibliography includes books only, with concise annotations for many entries. Mainly nonfiction, primary source material.
Antisemitism : an annotated bibliography
New York : Garland, 1987-
Main Ref Z6374 A56A57 1987
Annotated collection of materials from history, sociology, psychology, literature and art. Includes a section on the Holocaust Period (1933-1945). Covers publications in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew and Yiddish.
Selected Web Sites
The Anne Frank House Website
(http://www.annefrank.nl/)
The official website of the Anne Frank House, overseen by the Anne Frank Stichting. Includes pictures, biographical material and other information about Frank and the Frank Diaries.
Shamash: The Jewish Internet Consortium Holocaust Home Page
(http://www.shamash.org/holocaust/)
Designed to refute the efforts of Holocaust deniers; includes source materials and a gallery of photographs.
The Nizkor Project
(http://www2.ca.nizkor.org/index.html)
Nizkor is the Hebrew word for "we will remember"; this searchable site provides links to FAQs and other sites, in addition to their own FTP archive of over 11,000 files. Search capabilities also cover the up-to-date indexing of over 70 important Holocaust websites
Yad Vashem
(http://www.yad-vashem.org/)
Yad Vashem is a complex of museums, monuments, research, teaching and resource centers in Jerusalem, Israel, dedicated to the documentation and study of the Holocaust. This site contains a wealth of information and includes links to their well known repositories of Holocaust documentation: The Hall of Names, the General Archives, and the Photo Archives.
The History Place: World War II in Europe
(http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/)
Award-winning site which includes a detailed interactive timeline of the Holocaust containing text, photographs and speeches related to the rise of Hitler and the Holocaust.
The Holocaust History Project
(http://www.holocaust-history.org/)
The Holocaust History Project is a free archive of documents, photographs, recordings, and essays regarding the Holocaust, including direct refutation of Holocaust-denial.
H-Holocaust
(http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~holoweb/)
Part of the H-Net interdisciplinary project to unite humanities and social sciences scholars and teachers online, H-Holocaust is an online community for those who study the Holocaust. The site includes links to logs of discussions, papers, reviews and more.
Cybrary of the Holocaust
(http://remember.org/)
Includes a virtual tour of Auschwitz, excerpts from books (and some full-text), current events, online educational programs, documentation and photographs, and much more.
YIVO Photo Collection: Holocaust
(http://www.yivoinstitute.org/exhibits/holopix_fr.htm)
Maintained by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, preeminent research institute and academic center for Eastern European Jewish Studies, which has recently made a portion of their vast photo collections from the Holocaust available over the Web.
Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
(http://www.library.yale.edu/testimonies/homepage.html)
Website for the collection, which is a part of Manuscripts and Archives, Sterling Memorial Library, Yale University. Includes a link to the catalog of over 3,800 videotaped interviews with witnesses and survivors.
Crosspoint Anti Racism: Jewish Resources & Shoah
(http://www.magenta.nl/crosspoint/shoah.html)
Created and maintained by the Magenta Foundation; provides a variety of links to Holocaust-related sites, resources and materials, including a full-text English version of the Wannsee Protocol, and a virtual tour of Theresienstadt.
The Holocaust: a Tragic Legacy
(http://library.thinkquest.org/12663/)
An interactive educational site that includes stories from survivors, timelines, a virtual tour of a concentration camp, as well as links to other Holocaust resources. http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/Holocaust/default.htm
A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust
(http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/Holocaust/default.htm)
Includes classroom resources, video and audio clips, descriptions of victims, resisters, perpetrators, survivors, and others.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, DC)
(http://www.ushmm.org/)
Highlights include online exhibitions, historic photographs archive, excerpts from trial records, texts of lectures, and an annotated videography. Their Library website includes an online catalog.
Memorial Museums for the Victims of National Socialism in Germany
(http://www.memorial-museums.net/)
Published by The Topography of Terror Foundation in English and German, this site aspires to collect links to all memorial sites in Germany.
Simon Wiesenthal Center
(http://www.wiesenthal.org/)
Located in Los Angeles, the Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international center for Holocaust remembrance and the defense of human rights and the Jewish people; included among its many online resources is access to its archive of audio events. It includes an extensive section devoted to its namesake, Simon Wiesenthal.
Course Syllabus
View and print a copy of the course description and syllabus using Adobe Acrobat Reader
