Fontane Bibliography

I. About the Fontane Bibliography Online

The core of the Fontane Bibliography Online is based on the Theodor Fontane Bibliography by Wolfgang Rasch, published in three volumes by De Gruyter-Verlag in 2006 and edited by Ernst Osterkamp and Hanna Delf von Wolzogen in conjunction with the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Theodor Fontane Archive Potsdam.

In 2017/18, this core collection was supplemented by Wolfgang Rasch on behalf of the Theodor Fontane Archive by over 600 entries. From 2006 to September 2018, it was expanded by over 2,000 entries. The bibliography is to be continued annually in future.

The bibliography covers all known texts by Theodor Fontane, large parts of the contemporary reception and large parts of the research literature. It also covers significant parts of the posthumous reception, as well as film adaptations, soundtracks, audio books and the like.

II. Three ways to get started

The online service of the bibliography offers three options to start your exploration (cf. the graphic on the right):

  • The option Show all bibliography entries on the start page of the bibliography takes you to a results view (What is the results view?) with all entries, which you can narrow down further, e.g. using the faceted search in the left-hand column of the results view.
  • By entering a search term in the search slot on the start page of the bibliography or by using the detailed search, you can make specific search queries and have the corresponding results displayed in the results view (What is the results view?).
  • You can use the bibliography structure, which you will find at the bottom of the bibliography start page and which is based on the system of the printed edition of the bibliography, to display specific sets of results on specific topics etc. in the results view (What is the results view?).

III. Option 1: Show all entries

This function displays all entries in the bibliography.

IV. Option 2: Search

You have two search options:

  • Using the search slot offered to you by default, you can perform a search on all data fields of the bibliography. The word or sequence of words you enter will therefore be searched for in the title, the author’s name, the locations, the annotations, etc.
  • You can use the detailed search to search specifically in one or more data fields of the entries. To call up the detailed search, click on the cross to the right of the word »Detailed search«. A series of additional search slots will open, which you can use to search specifically in the corresponding data fields. The operators to the left of the search slots allow you to combine fields using »and«, »or« and »and not«. In this way, for example, you can search for a bibliography entry in which »Fontane« is in the title but »Fontane« is not the author (search for title »Fontane« »and not« author »Fontane«).

V. Option 3: The structure of our holdings

For the printed version of the Fontane Bibliography, a classification system was developed according to which the literature by and about Fontane was grouped. This system distinguishes between »primary literature«, i.e. works by Fontane, and »secondary literature«, i.e. works about Fontane.

Below these main categories there is a differentiated system of subcategories, which in turn sometimes have subcategories. This system makes it possible for you to call up literature on specific topics or work complexes.

The principle is always the same. The arrow> next to an outline item takes you to the bibliography entries in this group. You can call up further subcategories via the plus + next to an outline item.

Example: In this way, you can call up,  for example, all entries for reviews of Effi Briest. In the »Secondary literature« section, go to »33 Zu einzelnen erzählerischen Werken« (To the individual narrative works) and open this bullet point using the plus +. Now scroll down until you find the bullet point »33/14 Effi Briest« and then the bullet point »33/14.1 Reviews«. Now click on the arrow to the right of the bullet point. You will be taken to a list of results with all the reviews that have been included in the bibliography so far.

VI. The results (list)

Each of the three options takes you to a results list with an overview of the entries you are looking for.

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You can further filter and sort this resultus list in various ways. You can also go from here to the individual view (What is the individual view?) of a bibliography entry with detailed information. The results view consists of four areas (cf. the graphic on the right):

  • At the top you will again find the search field, which you can use to perform a new search query. Below the search slot, you will see your current search selection and an indication of the number of results.
  • There is a navigation bar below the search field. Here, you can either (left) return to the hierarchical view, i.e. the structure of the holdings or you can change the sorting of the entries in the results list: You can choose between the options ›Date ascending‹ and ›Date descending‹. Thirdly, you can navigate through the result set using the numbers on the right.
  • The lower area is divided into the sidebar on the left and the results list on the right. In the sidebar, you have the option of further filtering your result set (which is currently displayed in the results list): The options available here include filtering into the sections »Primary literature« and »Secondary literature« or filtering according to specific types. You can also filter by keywords. If you have accessed the results view via the structure of the holdings, the place in the classification system where you are currently located will also appear at the top
  • At the bottom right you will find the results list. All entries that match your search query or are assigned to the category are displayed here with brief information in a list view. Clicking on an entry takes you to the individual view (What is the individual view?) with detailed information.

VII. Single view

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This takes you to the individual view (cf. the graphic on the right), where you can see the bibliographic information on the respective entry in detail. Blue Texts are linked, i.e. it takes you back to the results view, where all entries by the respective person or for the selected keyword are listed.

You can see from the Print edition field whether the entry already existed in the print edition or whether it is a »supplement«.

In the field shelfmark you can see the shelfmark of the title in the library of the Theodor Fontane Archive.

You can use the »Copy link to this page« field to copy a short link to the entry to your computer’s clipboard and then paste it into another program.

 

VIII. Further information

Here, we collect further hints, tips and tricks for the Bibliography: