A New History of French Literature

by Denis Hollier

Book Overview

This introduction to French literature from 842 AD - the date of the earliest surviving document in any romance language - to the present decade is the most compact and imaginative single volume guide available in English to the French literary tradition. It is not the customary inventory of authors and titles but rather a collection of wide-angled views of historical and cultural phenomena. It sets before us writers, public figures, criminals, saints,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674615654
• ISBN13: 9780674615656
• Release Date: September 1989
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 1149 Pages
• Weight: 4.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.2" x 6.8" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

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 the reader to make more sense of the authors as well the texts. Literature is also viewed in the context of other artistic manifestations as well as in its different media. The only downside that I found is that, since the book does not aim to be exhaustive, some authors do not seem to find their place in it, Duras and Yourcenar for example.