History of French Literature

Author: Chen Zhenyao, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1989-10-01
Features: French literature has a long and glorious history. It is not only a valuable cultural heritage of the French people but also an important part of human civilization. It is difficult for a literary history to fully introduce this brilliant treasure to readers; there must be choices and omissions. What to take and what to leave depends on individual perspectives. However, no matter how meticulous and thorough, it is hard to meet the needs of readers from different social strata. Professional scholars might find the content too simple, while general readers may feel overwhelmed by the numerous authors and works listed. The purpose of writing this History of French Literature is to introduce the outline of French literature throughout the ages to faculty and students of French departments in foreign language institutions, French workers, and general readers. The content of this book is designed to be concise and clear, allowing readers to grasp the overall picture in a relatively short time. Literature is a special social phenomenon and belongs to the superstructure. To gain an in-depth understanding of the development of French literature, it is essential to study and explore French history, politics, economy, religion, philosophy, culture, thought, and art. Only in this way can we reveal the characteristics of the emergence, development, and different stages of French literature. However, literature itself has its own development patterns. Influential schools, artistic styles of different schools, and the works of writers still play a decisive role in the long history of literary development. Due to space constraints, the focus is placed on the discussion of literature itself. When dealing with the relationship between arguments and historical facts, we discard the approach of using arguments to guide history and strive to reflect our views in the explanation of literary phenomena. This results in a combination of history and arguments, where history is intertwined with arguments. Of course, this book also reflects the fruits of years of research by French scholars. If there are any biases or inaccuracies, the responsibility lies with the editors.
The division of periods in the history of French literature is a highly complex issue, with differing opinions among scholars. Based on the relatively complete stages in the development of French literature, we have determined the principles for dividing periods. Within the same period, chapters are not strictly arranged in chronological order but are organized according to the actual development and characteristics of literature, grouping the creative activities of relevant writers into different categories. According to the conventions of writing a history of French literature, this book also mentions some Belgian and Swiss writers who wrote works in French. Additionally, we introduce important works in history, philosophy, and religion that are closely related to literature. Due to space limitations, when introducing writers of different schools, we primarily mention the names of major works and provide brief content or plot summaries, rarely quoting excerpts from the works. Since the beginning of the 20th century, especially after World War II, French literature has been dazzling. Some important literary schools in the West and Europe originated in France, while others, though rooted in other countries, flourished in France after being transplanted there. Moreover, it is difficult to introduce contemporary French literature using the framework of literary schools that existed before the 19th century, as the lines become unclear and conclusions are hard to draw. Many issues still rely on experts and scholars to conduct specialized research and explore them in depth.