In every aspect of research, scholars
must rely on current work published in scholarly journals. One
need only consult recent listings in bibliographies to verify
the enormous proliferation of journals. Limiting ourselves to
the field of French studies (and this applies to a great extent
to literary and cultural studies in general), a perusal of listings
in the MLA International Bibliography allows one to make several
observations: under the bibliographical listings by genre, then
by chronological periods, and then by author, one notes that different
journals cater to different levels of specialization:
On the most specialized end of the spectrum are journals devoted
solely to a single author (e.g., in nineteenth-century studies,
L'Année Balzacienne, H.B. (formerly Stendhal
Club), Parade Sauvage on Rimbaud), as well as bulletins
for different authors (e.g. Nerval, Baudelaire, Sand). Slightly
less specialized are journals devoted to literary movements (e.g.,
Romantisme, Cahiers naturalistes ).
Journals focusing on chronological periods widen the range of
studies to all authors, genres and movements within the delimited
time-frame. Each "century" has its authoritative journals,
the titles of which can be gleaned from reviewing the periods'
chronological listings (e.g., Nineteenth- Century French Studies,
Sites).
In growing numbers, academic journals emphasize a wide range of
topics, authors, genres and literary periods, and during the previous
three decades, the division between domains (i.e. French vs. English
studies) has blurred with the interdisciplinary emphasis. In terms
of French studies, one demarcation is possible between journals
with predominantly linguistic focus and those tending toward (a)
literary critical approach(es). Another demarcation is possible
between journal focusing on chronological periods farther from
or closer to the contemporary period. In the case of medieval
and some Renaissance journals, for example, the philological emphasis
is the rule rather than the exception.
A further demarcation is possible between journals of French studies
edited by French or other European (non-anglophone) publishers
and those by Anglo (British/Canadian/ Australian)-American publishers.
Among the former, the following is only a very partial list of
frequently encountered reviews: Cahiers de l'Association Internationale
des Études Françaises, Critique, Le Français
dans le Monde, Les Lettres Romanes, Littérature, Neophilologus,
Poétique, Revue d'Histoire Littéraire de la France,
Revue des Sciences Humaines, Studi Francesi, Travaux de Littérature.
Among the latter, the Anglo entries include: Australian Journal
of French Studies, Canadian Modern Language Review,
Discours social/Social Discourse (graduate student editors),
French Studies, Texte.
The American entries are those in which published articles can
be judged by the widest range of one's professional peers (* =
accepts unsolicited submissions): Cincinnati Romance Review
(peer-reviewed proceedings of annual Cincinnati Romance Language
conference), Degré Second* (general), L'Esprit
Créateur (theme- or author-oriented issues with guest
editors), French Forum* (general), The French Review*
(as publication of the American Association of Teachers of French,
membership is predominantly high school teachers; emphasis on
French culture and pedagogy as well as literature), French
Literature Series (proceedings of annual Univ. of So. Carolina
French conference), Kentucky Romance Quarterly* (general),
Modern Language Notes* (one of four annual issues is devoted
to French literature), Qui Parle* (general, graduate student
editors), Romanic Review* (general), Stanford French
Review* (until recently, of general focus; new editorial policy
emphasizes interdisciplinary and cultural studies), SubStance*
(focus on post-structuralist approaches), Yale French Studies
(theme-oriented with guest editors).
Given the interdisciplinary directions of literary studies in
recent years, a number of journals provide forums for reflection
on general theoretical and/or literary critical concerns. Several
of the regional Modern Language Association organizations (e.g.
Midwest, South Atlantic, South Central) have their own journals
in which articles, reviews and conference programs appear. While
these and most of the following titles are not limited to French
studies, the critical problems raised in each issue have considerable
impact on work in literary and cultural studies in general:
Angelaki* (British; philosophy, literature, and social
sciences), Body and Society (British; focus on the theme
of "body" in research and teaching), Camera Obscura
(film & feminist studies), Configurations (linked to
membership in the Society for Literature and Science), Critical
Inquiry*, Criticism*, diacritics (lengthy review
essays), differences* (feminist studies), Discourse
(journal for theoretical issues in media and culture), Narrative*
(linked to membership in the Society for the Study of Narrative
Literature), New Literary History*, PMLA*, Paragraph
(British), Poetics Today (Israeli), Representations*,
Rethinking Marxism*, Semiotica*, Signs* (feminist
studies), Social Text, South Atlantic Quarterly
(usually theme-oriented), Style *, Tulsa Studies in
Women's Literature*, Yale Journal of Criticism*.
Yet another "genre" of journals relates to the broad
field of "cultural studies," including (but not limited
to) Cultural Critique, Cultural Studies (with general
issues as well as theme-oriented), European Journal of Cultural
Studies.
Some final comments on academic journals concern what might be
called "distinction." In principle, all editors and
editorial boards guarantee the quality of their publication by
screening submitted articles either through "referees"
(external readers) or internal, editorial review. However, certain
journals in all fields have acquired reputations as more prestigious
than others, a matter of subjective judgment often dependent on
the particular critical approach(es) (if any) toward which the
journal tends and on the reader's concomitant interest in said
approaches.
In the Anglo-American domain, Critical Inquiry stands out
as most consistent in its range of topics considered and debates
generated. In French studies, each critical and/or century specialization
has appropriate forums (and reputations), and the best way to
gauge these is by direct encounter of several kinds: certainly,
regular examination of articles published in different French
journals will be informative about varied approaches entertained,
even showcased, from one journal to the next. Another encounter
of the most intense kind occurs when one submits an essay to a
journal. Not only does this provide an inside look at the review
process of the particular journal, but in some cases (unfortunately
not all), direct feedback that may be useful for further revisions
and submissions of one's work. Finally, the process of preparing
texts for conferences and for journal submission constitutes a
process for building critical work toward a book-length manuscript.