The Cambridge Introduction to French Literature [Hardcover]

An engaging, highly accessible and informative introduction to French literature from the Middle Ages to the present.A highly readable and accessible introduction to French literature from the Middle Ages to the present, through a sequence of chapters on major French writers of their time. A comprehensive and engaging account of the riches and pleasures of one of the world's great literary traditions.A highly readable and accessible introduction to French literature from the Middle Ages to the present, through a sequence of chapters on major French writers of their time. A comprehensive and engaging account of the riches and pleasures of one of the world's great literary traditions.In this highly accessible introduction, Brian Nelson provides an overview of French literature - its themes and forms, traditions and transformations - from the Middle Ages to the present. Major writers, including Francophone authors writing from areas other than France, are discussed chronologically in the context of their times, to provide a sense of the development of the French literary tradition and the strengths of some of the most influential writers within it. Nelson offers close readings of exemplary passages from key works, presented in English translation and with the original French. The exploration of the work of important writers, including Villon, Racine, Moli?re, Voltaire, Balzac, Flaubert, Zola, Proust, Sartre and Beckett, highlights the richness and diversity of French literature.Preface; Acknowledgements; Chronology; 1. Villon: a dying man; 2. Rabelais: the uses of laughter; 3. Montaigne: self-portrait; 4. Corneille: heroes and kings; 5. Racine: in the labyrinth; 6. Moli?re: new forms of comedy; 7. La Fontaine: the power of fables/fables of power; 8. Madame de Lafayette: the birth of the modern novel; 9. Voltaire: the case for tolerance; 10. Rousseau: man of feeling; 11. Diderot: the enlightened sceptic; 12. Laclos: dangerous liaisons; 13. Stendhal: the pursuit of happil“: