The Cambridge Companion to French Literature (Cambridge Companions to Literature) - Softcover

Lyons, John D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1107665221 ISBN 13: 9781107665224

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2015

Synopsis

In this authoritative and accessible account of French literature, sixteen essays by leading specialists offer provocative insights into French literary culture, its genres, movements, themes, and historic turning points, including the cultural and linguistic challenges of today's multi-ethnic France. The French have, over the centuries, invented and reinvented writing, from the Arthurian romances of Chretien de Troyes to Montaigne's Essays, which gave the world a new literary form and a new standard for writing about personal thought and experience; from the highly polished tragedies of French classicism to the satirical novels of the Enlightenment; from Proust's explorations of social and sexual mores to the 'New Novel' of the late twentieth century; and from Baudelaire's urban poetry to today's poetic experiments with sound and typography. The broad scope of this Companion, which goes beyond individual authors or periods, enables a deeper appreciation for the distinctive literature of France.

About this title

Review:

'The strength of this book lies not simply in the excellence of the individual essays but also in its kaleidoscopic nature. By focusing on a particular topic or genre in a particular period, but suggesting links to other periods and other topics, these essays combine to form a thoroughly convivial Companion.' Brian Nelson, French Studies

'This is a model of what a volume of collected essays can be: from start to finish, the quality of the work and the level of writing are excellent.' John T. Booker, French Review

Book Description:

An authoritative and accessible account of French literature from medieval romance to avant-garde poetry. It explores the medieval roots of modern literature; French tragedy; why the Romantics revered nature; how Proust helped create the modern novel; and the widely varying uses authors have made of the French language.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1107665221
• ISBN 13: 9781107665224
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304