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The heritage of literature in the French language is rich, varied, extensive in time and space, and appealing both to its immediate public--readers of French--and also to a global audience reached through translations and film adaptations.The first great works of this repertory were written in the twelfth century in northern France, and now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, this literature includes authors writing in many parts of the world, ranging from the Caribbean to Western Africa.This Very Short Introduction gives the reader a basic orientation to this lively literary world by focusing on texts (epics, novels, plays, poems, screenplays) that concern protagonists whose adventures and conflicts reveal shifts in literary and social practices.From the hero of the medieval Song of Roland to the Caribbean heroines of I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem or the European expatriate in Japan in Fear and Trembling, these problematic protagonists allow us to understand what interests writers and readers across the wide world of French literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An excellent introduction
The blurb on the cover tells us "The first great works of this repertory were written in the twelfth century", from which we move to the Introduction, which informs us, "The first great works of this repertory were written in the 11th century".No matter.After this slightly false start, we are into a first class survey of one of the World's greatest literary traditions.

Lyons employs a clear, rather plain style, blessedly free from the jargon of literary theory.The illustrations are helpful and apposite, which is not always the case in this VSI series.The end result is a solid introduction to the subject.

I hesitate to complain about omissions in what is after all a very short introduction, but I must mention a couple that surprised me:Firstly, neither Dumas - père nor fils - appears.They may well be too middlebrow for a survey of Literature with a capital L, but I would have thought that the most widely-read French author ever, whose works are routinely described as 'classics', and the author of La Dame aux Camélias would both have deserved at least a mention.More troubling is the absence of Jean Genet and Jean Cocteau.Lyons talks of "...the grand old men of the Second World War generation..." yet omits to mention either of those authors.Given the attention Lyons gives to cinema, the omission of Cocteau is particularly strange.

On the other hand, a large amount of space is devoted to Samuel Becket.I understand that France was Becket's adopted country and that he turned the self-imposed discipline of writing in a foreign language to what he saw as his advantage, but he nonetheless remains much more part of the Irish tradition than the French.He warrants a mention here certainly, but not the relatively extensive coverage given.

Despite these caveats, this book can be wholeheartedly recommended as an excellent introduction to an extraordinarily rich cultural heritage.
[PeterReeve]

One of the best introductions to literature
This book is exactly what books in the "Very Short Introduction" series ought to be like - concise, informative, to the point, told from a point of view of someone who is clearly knowledgeable and passionate about his or her area of expertise, etc., etc. I don't often get to read books in this series where I am almost completely unfamiliar with the subject matter, so when I started reading this one I really didn't know what to expect. What I did find was a very readable and interesting introduction to one of the World's oldest and richest literary traditions. It exposed me to many works of literature over the last thousand of years that I had either never heard of before, or was only superficially familiar with. This introduction emphasizes the historical circumstances under which those literary works were written, and how themes in those works were influenced by those circumstances. However, and to the author's credit, this introduction does not try to make literature into something that is predominantly concerned with social criticism. In particular, you will not find any references to any of the -isms that have come to dominate literary theories in recent decades. This is a book about literature first and foremost, written for people who want to learn more about it.

In a book of this length it is not possible to give any longer excerpts from literary works. Nonetheless, there are quite a few quotes, in both French and English, that help reader get a better sense of those works. A few shorter poems are even included in their entirety. These excerpts, short that they are, really help one get a better sense about the works that they come from.

This was an eminently readable book and I was unable to put it down. After finishing it I immediately put several of the books that were mentioned herein on my reading list. This is exactly what the best of there "short introduction" books should do - want to go out and read more about the topic that they cover. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Literary Collections / General; Literary Criticism / European / French; Fiction / Action ... Read more

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Contributing to the current lively discussion of collaboration in French letters, this collection raises fundamental questions about the limits and definition of authorship in the context of the nineteenth century's explosion of collaborative ventures. While the model of the stable single author that prevailed during the Romantic period dominates the beginning of the century, the authority of the speaking subject is increasingly in crisis through the century's political and social upheavals. Chapters consider the breakdown of authorial presence across different constructions of authorship, including the numerous cenacles of the Romantic period; collaborative ventures in poetry through the practice of the "Tombeaux" and as seen in the Album zutique; the interplay of text and image through illustrations for literary works; the collective ventures of literary journals; and. multi-author prose works by authors such as the Goncourt brothers and Erckmann-Chatrian. Interdisciplinary in scope, these essays form a cohesive investigation of collaboration that extends beyond literature to include journalism and the relationships and tensions between literature and the arts.The volume will interest scholars of nineteenth-century French literature, and more generally, any scholar interested in what's at stake in redefining the role of the French author. ... Read more

Product Description
Rabelais and Montaigne, Moliere and Racine, Stendhal and Proust--the literature of France boasts a long and glorious tradition. In The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French, readers will have at their fingertips a trusted guide to this rich literary heritage.

Written by an international team of experts, the Companion's 3,000 entries capture ten centuries of work produced in France and, more recently, in other French-speaking countries around the world. The coverage they provide is superb. The volume highlights not only poets, novelists, and dramatists, but also historians, scientists, statesmen, and philosophers--providing a sweeping tour of French culture. Here readers will find lengthy articles on the giants of French letters, from Voltaire, Flaubert, and Balzac, to Valery, Cocteau, and Sartre. Among the new features of the Companion are substantial essays that reflect the latest scholarship on topics such as literary movements and genres; historical subjects such as chivalry or Occupation and Resistance in wartime France; intellectual movements from Scholasticism to Feminism; linguistic topics; coverage of the sciences; and the arts and media, including opera, cinema, and journalism. There is generous coverage of painters such as Degas and Delacroix, and composers such as Meyerbeer and Debussy. Scientists and philosophers also appear in thse pages (ranging from Poincare and Cuvier to Descartes, Pascal, and Rousseau). There is even an entertaining entry that cites 100 well-known quotations from French literature. Finally, the contributors have approached the literature of France in the widest terms possible, challenging the traditional canon as they examine everything from strip cartoons and pamphlets. Adventurous and wide ranging, the New Companion is more than a simple revision of the original work.

Whether you are interested in Condillac or Condorcet, Lamartine or Lamarck, Madame de Stael or Madame Deficit (Marie-Antoinette), The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French provides informed and engaging coverage of the vast literary tradition of France. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Peter France for French Literary Studies
The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French is well written, clear, concise.It takes you 30 seconds to 5 minutes to read any subject and yet get a pretty good idea about it.I am at the Graduate Level of FrenchStudies and I have found every entry that I have searched for:fromcritics' profiles to genre definitions, it has all the major authors andtheir writings, as well as explanations about historical and politicalissues relevant to French Literature.It is a strictly informative text;by this I mean that it does not intend to express any particular point ofview.Finally, the editing and printing make it very easy to use and read. ... Read more

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This splendid introduction to French literature from 842 A.D. to the present decade is the most imaginative single-volume guide to the French literary tradition available in English.

Conceived for the general reader, this volume presents French literature not as a simple inventory of authors or titles, but rather as a historical and cultural field viewed from a wide array of contemporary critical perspectives. The book consists of 164 essays by American and European scholars, and covers the history of French literature from 842 to 1989.

Customer Reviews (1)

French Literature in Context
The book is very interesting and very well written.It is composed of individual articles and essays rather than chapters, which makes it very refreshing. In this book, French Literature is placed in its historical,political, social, and philosophical context.This approach allows thereader to make more sense of the authors as well the texts.Literature isalso viewed in the context of other artistic manifestations as well as inits different media. The only downside that I found is that, since the bookdoes not aim to be exhaustive, some authors do not seem to find their placein it, Duras and Yourcenar for example. ... Read more

Product Description
Timeless French masterpieces such as Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Flaubert's Madame Bovary, and Camus' The Plague (1947) have been the subject of copious literary criticism since their publications. This volume was developed specifically to help students and general readers reach a deeper understanding of eight French masterpieces. Lucid yet challenging literary analysis focuses on plot and character development, themes, style, and biographical and historical context. This guide offers a fuller sense of the historical and literary environment in which each author worked. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A supplementary guide to aid comprehension
Masterpieces Of French Literature is a literary analysis written especially to help students better understand eight classic French novels. "The Stranger", "The Plague", "The Three Musketeers", "The Count of Monte Cristo", "Madame Bovary", "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", "Les Miserables", and "The Little Prince" are all examined in terms of narrative style, philosophy, historical relevance, biographical context, and much more. Although brief summaries of the novels are offered, Masterpieces Of French Literature is intended as a supplementary guide to aid comprehension and exploration, and not as a substitute for reading the work, nor is it the mechanical dissection and parsing of a Cliff's Notes - the essays here flow with far more depth, insight, and curiosity. Highly recommended for literature and literary studies shelves.

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Customer Reviews (4)

A literary treasure map
If tackling the greatest literature written in our own language daunts us, at least we have a fair idea of the terrain; how can we even approach the literature of a different country when it is a vast expanse of unknowns?

//One Hundred Great French Books//, the intrepid reader's //Lonely Planet//, maps a tidy path through centuries of France's, and other French-speaking countries', finest works--beginning with //The Song of Roland// in 1095 and finishing with modern master Michel Houellebecq's 2005 //The Possibility of an Island//.Donaldson-Evans, a professor of Romance Languages at the University of Pennsylvania, is openly passionate about this topic, and even more vitally, adept at imparting it to others with few pretensions.To avoid the feel of a college reading list, he mingles the expected Zola and Flaubert with mysteries, science fiction, memoirs, and the beloved comic series //Astérix//.

Take heed: the two-page descriptions given for each book introduce the work, the author, and the impact in a fashion concise but dry.Those already familiar with the works included will find little to enhance understanding or deepen appreciation.But for those of us still quaking off these literary shores, here is a treasure map with a multitude of riches for the taking.

Reviewed by Ariel Berg

A fine addition to literary studies collections
France has been a great cultural center through all of its existence. "One Hundred Great French Books" is a guide to a collection of the greatest works of French literature. From the oral traditions of the Song of Roland, stating that God will not allow a death of solider of Charlemagne be unavenged, to more popular works such as the Hunchback of Notre Dame, "One Hundred Great French Books" is a treasure trove of information about the best of French literature, a fine addition to literary studies collections.

a good introduction to French literature
As a former student of Dr. Lance Donaldson-Evans,' I bought this book to read what he considers great literature in the present. I find his comments enlightening and marked by his good humor. I especially liked his comments about Zola. A good read.

terrific introduction to French literature
This is a terrific introduction to French literature from the Middle Ages to modern times.Each entry is summed up briefly with a commentary so that no more than two pages are provided on those included.Starting with the classic Song of Roland and including well known works by renowned authors like Sartre, de Troyes, Pascal, Moliere, Racine, Hugo and others; One Hundred Great French Books is a great introduction to some of the best works ever.However, what makes this so complete is genres normally ignored by English literature anthologies, but not by Lance Donaldson-Evans.For instance the editor also includes the comic book Asterix by Goscinny and Uderzo.With a wide gamut of genres, formats and centuries including twenty-fist century works like W, or Memory of Childhood by Perec, readers will relish this fine easy to use guide that says oui oui Francais.

Harriet Klausner
... Read more

Product Description
Although the great French novelists of the last two centuries are widely read in America, there is a widespread notion that little of importance has happened in French literature since the heyday of Sartre, Camus, and the nouveau roman. Curious American readers seeking new, up-to-date information and analyses will find in Paths to Contemporary French Literature a stimulating and much-needed guide to the major currents of one of the worlds great literatures. This critical panorama of contemporary French literature introduces English-language readers to over fifty important writers and poets. Emphasiing authors who are admired by their peers (as opposed to those with overnight reputations), John Taylor offers a compelling insiders view. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Showcases more than fifty contemporary French writers
In Paths To Contemporary French Literature, John Taylor introduces and showcases more than fifty contemporary French writers, novelists, and poets to an American readership. Often unknown on this side of the Atlantic, these are men and women who have shaped French literature since the days of Sarte, Camus, and the "nouveau roman". The seminal, groundbreaking essays comprising Paths To Contemporary French Literature offer insightful analysis of the literary ideas and innovations of current and influential French writers. Paths To Contemporary French Literature is especially commended for addition to college and university level French Cultural Studies, Intellectual History, and World Literature Studies collection and supplemental curriculum reading lists. ... Read more

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Recasting French literary history in terms of the cultures and peoples that interacted within and outside of France's national boundaries, this volume offers a new way of looking at the history of a national literature, along with a truly global and contemporary understanding of language, literature, and culture. The relationship between France's national territory and other regions of the world where French is spoken and written (most of them former colonies) has long been central to discussions of "Francophonie." Boldly expanding such discussions to the whole range of French literature, the essays in this volume explore spaces, mobilities, and multiplicities from the Middle Ages to today. They rethink literary history not in terms of national boundaries, as traditional literary histories have done, but in terms of a global paradigm that emphasizes border crossings and encounters with "others." Contributors offer new ways of reading canonical texts and considering other texts that are not part of the traditional canon.By emphasizing diverse conceptions of language, text, space, and nation, these essays establish a model approach that remains sensitive to the specificities of time and place and to the theoretical concerns informing the study of national literatures in the twenty-first century. ... Read more

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This book traces the history of French literature from its beginnings to the present. Within its remarkably brief compass, it offers a wide-ranging, personal, and detailed--though selective--account of major writers and movements. Developments in French literature are presented in an innovative way, not as an even sequence of literary events but as a series of stories told at varying pace and with different kinds of focus. Readers can thus take in the broad sweep of historical change, grasp the main characteristics of major periods, or enjoy a close appraisal of individual works and their contexts. The book is written in an accessible and non-technical style that will make it attractive both to students of French and to non-specialist readers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Intelligent overview
This book is a good general outline of French literature from the start of the language through the modern era. It's artfully written, with an elucidating style that isn't cluttered or fussy. A self-motivated and bright high school student could approach the text with success, but it is still a good read in the hands of a grad student. All French examples of text have translations. It does more than describe what's out there--works are contextualized by political movements, wars and prevailing social trends. (See the section on Zola and the Dreyfus affair for a good example of this.)

The first part, concerning the Middle Ages is highly informative and detailed. The Early Modern section (through the French Revolution) is similarly well done. I have small quibbles with the Modern Period section. Sartre and de Beauvoir get a fair amount of ink, but astonishingly Camus gets less than a page of discussion. He is mentioned only in passing. A bigger concern for me is a dearth of information about the Francophone literature of Africa and former colonies around the world. What about Ba, Senghor and Fanon? I consider French literature to be any literature written in the language. Perhaps the editors have a different philosophy.

Still though, feminist writers and literature produced by women are better covered. The suggested reading list is well done, and I am sure to return to it on occasion.

Oxford has done a good job with the physical aspects of the book. It is printed on quality acid-free paper and typeset in a face that is elegant and very readable. ... Read more

Product Description
This Kindle book includes the complete text of 30 books in the original French: 20,000 Lieues sous les Mers, L'Archipel en Feu, Autour de la Lune, Aventures du Capitaine Hatteras, Un Billet de Loterie, Le Chateau des Carpathes, Cinq Cents Millions de la Begume, Cinq Semaine en Ballon, Le Docteur Ox, Les Enfants du Captaine Grant, Face au Drapeau, L'Ile Mysterieuse, Les Indes Noires, La Jangada, Keraban-le-Tetu, L'Ile a Helice, La Maison a Vapeur, Michel Strogoff, Mistress Branican, Nord Contre Sud, Le Pays des Fourrures, Le Pilote du Danube, Robur le Conquerant, Sans Dessus Dessous, Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-Vingts Jours, Les Tribulations d'un Chinois en Chine, Le Village Aerien, Une Ville Flottante, Voyage au Centre de la Terre.According to Wikipedia: "Jules Gabriel Verne (February 8, 1828 – March 24, 1905) was a French author who pioneered the science-fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Journey to the Center of the Earth (written in 1864), From the Earth to the Moon (1865), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1869–1870), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873). Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before navigable aircraft and practical submarines were invented, and before any means of space travel had been devised. Consequently he is often referred to as the "Father of science fiction", along with H. G. Wells.[1] Verne is the second most translated author of all time, only behind Agatha Christie with 4162 translations..." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

French literature IN FRENCH???
The title says "in French" and the other reviews say it's in French, but I downloaded it, and it's IN ENGLISH. Not sure what happened here, but I don't want it in English - I want it in FRENCH!!! I guess I'll go to Gutenberg.

too many typos
Not worth the purchase. Far too many spelling mistakes (it seems to have been scanned from printed books). Some words are separated with hyphens in the middle of the line. Many ii/iL/LL combinations are wrong, lots of accents missing. Same applies to other editions in the Classic Literature series. Just a rip off. Get all the books free and without the errors on the Gutenberg Project website.

Few typos but so cool
There are a few typos (mostly missing spaces between two words) but otherwise, this is a good buy. Jules Verne is really one of the best French writer and having the possibility to read it in French on the Kindle is very handy.
Please note than though it's one of the most famous novel of Jules Verne, De la Terre à la Lune (From Earth to Moon) is not included even though the second part is. But other than that, it's a must have for all French speakers and fans of early scientific novels!

A great buy!
This is a very good buy if you can read French. For only one dollar you get 30 books by Jules Verne! His books are very good although it gets a wee bit boring at sometimes. The file is very big and 30 books is alot when you think about it!
I recommend everyone who speaks French to buy it! Enchantant! ... Read more

Product Description
Algonquian and Iroquois natives of the American Northeast were described in great detail by colonial explorers who ventured into the region in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Beginning with the writings of John Smith and Samuel de Champlain, Gordon Sayre analyzes French and English accounts of Native Americans to reveal the rhetorical codes by which their cultures were represented and the influence that these images of Indians had on colonial and modern American society. By emphasizing the work of Pierre François-Xavier Charlevoix, Joseph-François Lafitau, and Baron de Lahontan, among others, Sayre highlights the important contribution that French explorers and ethnographers made to colonial literature.

Sayre's interdisciplinary approach draws on anthropology, cultural studies, and literary methodologies. He cautions against dismissing these colonial texts as purveyors of ethnocentric stereotypes, asserting that they offer insights into Native American cultures. Furthermore, early accounts of American Indians reveal Europeans' serious examination of their own customs and values: Sayre demonstrates how encounters with natives' wampum belts, tattoos, and pelt garments, for example, forced colonists to question the nature of money, writing, and clothing; and how the Indians' techniques of warfare and practice of adopting prisoners led to new concepts of cultural identity and inspired key themes in the European enlightenment and American individualism. ... Read more

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In the nineteenth century, literature shared with the medical and psychological sciences a strategy of examining the mostextreme manifestations of human desire. Drawing case material from the nineteenth-century French canon, the author brings works by Baudelaire and Rachilde into dialogue with key European texts of sexology and psychoanalysis. She reads against the grain of traditional Freudian theories of sexuality, and feminist critiques of the 'masculine' morbid aesthetic in order to bringto light a model of desire whose problematic nature afflicts existing discourses about sexuality and gender in nineteenth-century France and beyond. ... Read more

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Core texts range from the ninth century to the present day highlight central features of the language. Non-literary as well as literary texts illustrate some of the many varieties of French in legal, scientific, epistolary, administrative, liturgical and more popular domains, including attempts to represent spoken usage. ... Read more