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Notes On French Literature

The document provides an overview of French literature from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. It discusses major literary periods and movements in France and some of the most prominent authors that defined each era, such as Chretien de Troyes in the Middle Ages, Francois Rabelais and Pierre de Ronsard in the Renaissance, Pierre Corneille and Jean Racine in Classicism, Voltaire and Rousseau in the Enlightenment, Victor Hugo and Balzac in the 19th century, and Jean-Paul Sartre in the 20th century. The document traces the evolution of French literature and the transition between different literary styles over the centuries.

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Lady Mae Ramos
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1K views

Notes On French Literature

The document provides an overview of French literature from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. It discusses major literary periods and movements in France and some of the most prominent authors that defined each era, such as Chretien de Troyes in the Middle Ages, Francois Rabelais and Pierre de Ronsard in the Renaissance, Pierre Corneille and Jean Racine in Classicism, Voltaire and Rousseau in the Enlightenment, Victor Hugo and Balzac in the 19th century, and Jean-Paul Sartre in the 20th century. The document traces the evolution of French literature and the transition between different literary styles over the centuries.

Uploaded by

Lady Mae Ramos
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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French Literature

Presenter:
Christopher Ronn Q. Pagco
Instructor, Humanities

Discovering French Literature


 It is considered one of the greatest literatures of all times.
 In general, it is focused on national pride and national identity.
 Most European literary movements originated from France.
 The Middle Ages (10th Century to 12th Century)
 The French Renaissance (1534 to 1500’s)
 The Victory of Classicism (17th Century to 1600’s)
 The French Enlightenment (18th Century to 1762)
 The 19th Century French Literature
 The 20th Century French Literature

The Middle Ages


 10th Century – most writers used Latin in their works.
 11th Century – literature in French emerged in the form of epics and poems.
- The Chanson de Geste
- Chanson of Roland was Written
th
 12 Century – The Roman Courtois was written.
 The Middle Ages
- Tristan and Iseult was written.
- Chretien de Troyes was considered the greatest poet in this era.
- Lais became very famous.
- Marie de France was the most famous writer of Lais.
- Roman de la Rose was written.
- the Fabliaux became very famous.
 The Middle Ages
- Fables were also famous.
- Reynard the Fox
- The Testament was written by Francois Villion
The French Renaissance
 1534 – Francois Rabelai pioneered the rebirth in France through his work “Gargatua”
 1500’s – the literature and though of antiquity was revived.
- printed books became popular.
- translation of ancient texts was encouraged.
 The French Renaissance
- precise critical methods were developed.
- Humanism was forged.
- Protestantism emerged and competed with Catholicism.
- Michel de Montaigne invented essay.
- Pierre de Ronsard was considered the prince of Renaissance poets.
 The Victory of Classicism
 17th Century – considered the Golden Age of Literature.
- the reinforcement of royalty and the Catholic church was evident.
 1635 – Cardinal Richelieu founded the “Academie Francaise”
 1600’s – There was a faction between writers of baroque and classicism.
 The Victory of Classicism
-Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux codified the components of French Classicism.
- in his book, “Art of Poetry” (1674) he said that literary values must be reason,
proportion, and harmony.
- two great dramatists emerged in this period.
- Pierre Corneille (The Cid)
- Jean Racine (Andromache 1667 &
The Victory of Classicism
“Phaedra” (1667)
- novels in this era were long, diffused, and filled with improbable adventures.
 The French Enlightenment
 18th century – characterized by the scientific inquiry.
- the French monarchy experienced decline in authority.
- Pierre Bayle wrote “Dictionnaire Historique et Critique”
 1700’s – Voltaire wrote “Dictionnaire Philisophique” (1764)
The French Enlightenment
- Charles de Montequieu wrote “The Spirit of the Laws”
- Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote “The Social Contract”
- Poetry in this century was characterized by thedesiccating influence of rational
analysis.
- Andre Chenier
th
The 19 Century French Literature
 19th Century – characterized by the transition and triumph of the Romantic Movement that
started in the 18th Century.
- poetry regained its strength as a literary genre.
- novels dominated this era because of its suitability in registering Social Upheavals.
 The 19th Century French Literature
- most of the themes in literary works were the conflicts between the Reactionaries
and Liberals; The Church and the Anticlericals; and the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat.
 1800’s – Vicomte de Chateaubriand wrote “The Beauties of Christianity” (1802)
 The 19th Century French Literature
- Alphonse de Lamartine brought French poetry back to its lyric roots with
“Meditations Potiques” (1802)
- Theophile Gautier made the first break in Romanticism who has the credo “Art for
Art’s Sake”
- he announced the arrival of Parnassians.
 The 19th Century French Literature
- Charles Baudelaire wrote “The Flowers of Evil” (1857)
 1830-1850 – there were enormous changes inn terms of novels in the span of 50 years.
- Madame George Sand exemplified romanticism in its most individualistic sense.
 The 19th Century French Literature
- Stendhal injected the dominant role of passion in a romantic novel.
- Victor Hugo evocated medieval parisian life, seen in his work “The Hunchback of
Notre Dame” (1831)
- Honore de Balzac introduced Realism in the latter part of the century through his
work “Human Comedy” (1842)
 The 19th Century French Literature
- Realism was triumphantly realized in the novel “Madame Bovary” by Gustave
Flaubert (1857)
- Guy de Maupassant wrote short stories that were characterized by irony and
reality.
The 20th Century French Literature
 20th Century – characterized by expansion in literary works and the fast paced
experimentation with fresher means of expression.
- most works were influenced by Marxism and Freudianism.
- symbolism continued to be the inspiration of French poets.
 The 20th Century French Literature
- Guillaume Apollinaire coined the term “Surrealist”
 1930’s – Jean Paul Sarte led the existentialist movement in France.
 1950’s – the Antinovel or the New Novel became popular.
- writers of antinovels reject plot and verisimilitude as traditionally understood.

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