French Literature: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #230

by John D. Lyons

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.

Genres: France, Nonfiction, Literature, French Literature, History, Literary Criticism, Criticism

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

John D. Lyons is a Master of Arts (MA), Yale University and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Yale University. He is a professor of the Department of French, University of Virginia

Reviews

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...the literary tradition in French both roots texts in their original historical moment and allows them to encounter one another across the centuries. Texts, in other words, are a bit like the water lilies of Claude Monet's famous series of paintings, the 'Nympheas' (1906-27). The lilies are rooted separately in the soil at the bottom of the pond but drift on their stems so that the leaves and flowers shift and touch on the water surface."(p.127)

[Hosein Kashanain · Rating 5 out of 5]

علاوه‌ بر حجم کمش بسیار آموزنده و توضیحاتش به اندازه‌‌ست، درباره تاثیرگذارترین‌ها روی سیر تاریخی ادبیات فرانسه نوشته‌ و تأثیرپذیری و تاثیرگذاری‌هارو به خوبی بیان کرده، البته من ترجمه آقای میثم پارسا رو خوندم، یک خلاصه‌ هم ازش داخل کانال تلگرام گذاشتم که امیدوارم مفید باشه.

[Eric Rupert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief introductions like this must be both encyclopedic and succinct: a tough task for the writer. In order to accomplish this particular feat, the mountainous French canon cannot be overlooked, but the benchmarks should be updated based upon the needs and expectations of new readers. Although I would have liked to see lengthier treatments of modern literature, I enjoyed discovering these new nexus points (for me) with Lyons mainly because his writing is decisive, attempts to be and succeeds in being demonstrably precise and unflinching, and provides the reader with a well-wrought trail for summiting at least one great peak: the many facets of character development upon the philosophical vista that makes French literature an extraordinary viewpoint to the world.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

John D. Lyons's French Literature: A Very Short Introduction aims to acquaint us with the general course of writing in French. It starts with The Life of St. Alexis (written circa 1050) and ends with J.M.G. Le Clézio’s winning of the Nobel Prize in 2008. Lyons delineates the French canon into various stages (the medieval era, the dramatic 17th century, the Enlightenment, the Revolution, etc.) and in each describes the major writers and one of their representative works. This alone will prove valuable to readers like myself, who have a hard time remembering if Moliere came before Rabelais or vice versa. Lyons also likes making comparisons between the different eras in order to identify perennial concerns of French literature. Most, though not all, titles and quotations are given both in English and the original French.

One cannot expect every “great writer” to be covered in a book of this size: Saint-John Perse and Georges Perec get no mention, for example. But one can bemoan that, like many volumes in the Very Short Introduction series, this one gives far too little space to the last themes to be discussed. Though Lyons aims to include Arab and Sub-Saharan African writing in French in his survey, there is not enough space to give more than a paragraph to one or two big names. Nor does Lyons end with a mention that the belles lettres that he focuses on are of rapidly declining interest to the general population of France, which is content with romans policiers (crime novels) etc., sharing the same trend of becoming a post-literary culture like much of the West.

[Meggie Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting! will definitely reference again when picking out my next read in french

[armin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, here’s what: I have to take a French literature exam in two weeks and the professor has already assigned sophisticated anthologies in French which are demanding, heavily-loaded and so delved down. With such a background this book became an easy reading that I basically went through in one single sitting of five hours. However, I need to admit it’s a really compact pack of handy information, well-structured while providing a neat basis of sociopolitical history of France, which as we know, has affected French literature to a great deal. I do recommend it, definitely to start and definitely to go way beyond.
The bad thing is: it spoils some of the works it uses to lay out the theories, so if you mind someone being a grinch, you might not really like this book!

[Daniel Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduction: meeting French literature
Chapter 1: Saints, werewolves, knights, and a poète maudit: allegiance and character in the middle ages
Chapter 2: The last Roman, 'cannibals', giants, and heroines of modern life: antiquity and renewal
Chapter 3: Society and its demands
Chapter 4: Nature and its possibilities
Chapter 5: Around the revolution
Chapter 6: The hunchback, the housewife, and the flâneur
Chapter 7: From Marcel to Rrose Selavy
Chapter 8: The self-centred consciousness
Chapter 9: French-speaking heroes without borders?

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual for this series a straightforward and brief summary of the subject at hand. It clarified some confusions I had about the French Renaissance. I would have liked a less theoretical conclusion in talking about French literature of the 21st century. Perhaps that deserves a very short introduction of its own?

[moi, k.y.a. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 belki ama 3 vermek içimden gelmedi kesinlikle.

a very short introduction serisi, farklı kitaplarıyla gözüme hep takılmıştı. Fransız edebiyatı konulu bu kitabı gördüğümde ise başlamak istedim hemen. orta çağ edebiyatının anlatıldığı kısım güzeldi ama rönesans ve ihtilal kısımları beni tatmin etmedi diyebilirim.

[Amanda Harber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a perfect introductory history to get me started on studying for my Masters Exam in French literature. Luckily it included almost every author on my exam list and helped me to contextualize their respective places in history and the literary canon.

[Emīls Ozoliņš · Rating 5 out of 5]

can’t speak on how good, comprehensive or informative it was because i know dick all about french literature per se, but it was very fun and it made me excited to read more of it, so it did what i wanted it to do

[Garima Khera · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to start with French literature. It actually gives you a sort of timeline which you can follow for further exploration for this literature.

[RKanimalkingdom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rtc

[CP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction book on French literature. But I am personally not too familiar with the French literature canon so sometimes it is hard to understand fully.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Discusses the main themes, events, and works that have influenced French literature and vice versa.

[J Grimsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this short read.

[DJ Yossarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me pretty much what I wanted from it -- a cursory overview of French literature from the Middle Ages through to the 21st century. It was a bit uneven in places, but redeemed itself in the last chapter, with a look at francophone literature / littérature-monde en francais.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed this excellent introduction in two posts, and recommend the book to anyone interested in literature of any kind:
https://anzlitlovers.com/2016/12/17/f... and
https://anzlitlovers.com/2016/12/16/f...

[Vahid · Rating 4 out of 5]

یک کتاب جمع و جور و کوچک خوش ترجمه با ویراست دقیق و چاپ شکیل
به همراه پرداختن به تاریخ ادبیات فرانسه به طور فشرده و کارآمد.

[Sijing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a concise and informative introduction to French literature. Different groups of writers and their ways of writing are situated in their own distinctive historical period. The brief account of the historical background helps the understanding of the writers' motives and mentalities.