An overview of French literature as it evolved from the Middle Ages to the mid-twentieth century. In this compact yet wide-ranging volume, the many aspects of French literature and the different tendencies of successive schools are shown in the light of contemporaneous political and artistic developments. A Concise Survey of French Literature explores the relationship between literature and the evolution of French thought, deeply concerned, as it is, with the problems of human life and destiny. It also serves as an excellent reference for any student of French literature.

metropolitan France as well as by francophone authors from Canada, the Caribbean, Africa, Belgium and Switzerland, One Hundred Great French Books offers a rich, varied, and multicultural panorama of one of the most beloved and inspiring literatures in the world." --Book Jacket.

The heritage of literature in the French language is rich, varied, and extensive in time and space; 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, include authors writing in many parts of the world, ranging from the Caribbean to Western Africa. French Literature: A Very Short Introduction introduces this lively literary world by focusing on texts - epics, novels, plays, poems, and 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. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

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This book provides a clear and well-informed guide to French history from the early middle ages, with the emergence of a strong state in the Ile-de-France, to the trente glorieuses following the Second World War and including the Mitterand presidency. It provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive study of French history available. Among the book's central themes are the relationship between state and society, the impact of war and such crucial questions as who possessed political power, how this power was used, and in whose interests and with what consequences. It takes account of the great figures of French history, including Philip Augustus, Henri IV, Louis XIV, the two Napoleons, Clemenceau and De Gaulle, and also the findings of modern social historians concerned with the life and death of ordinary people, the passing of generations, social structures, beliefs, and economic activity. This is a rich and entertaining guide to France for the student and general reader.