Explore the rich world of French literature, from classic movements to contemporary authors. Learn vocabulary related to literary terms and discover famous works.
Marie de France
Moyen Âge (Medieval Period) - 12th century
Narrative poetry with Celtic influences
Famous Works:
Lais
Fables
Sample Poem:
Le Laüstic
Le rossignol chante la nuit
Quand tout le monde dort,
Il dit son amour sans bruit
Dans l'ombre de la mort.
luh roh-see-nyol shahnt lah nwee
kahn too luh mohnd dor,
eel dee sohn ah-moor sahn bwee
dahn lohn-bruh duh lah mor
The nightingale sings at night
When everyone sleeps,
He tells his love without sound
In the shadow of death.
Chrétien de Troyes
Moyen Âge (Medieval Period) - 1135-1185
Arthurian romance poetry
Famous Works:
Lancelot
Perceval
Sample Poem:
Extrait de Lancelot
L'amour est une fleur délicate
Qui fleurit dans le cœur,
Mais peut se faner si l'on tarde
À la protéger de la peur.
lah-moor ay oon fluhr day-lee-kaht
kee fluh-ree dahn luh kuhr,
may puh suh fah-nay see lohn tard
ah lah proh-tay-zhay duh lah puhr
Love is a delicate flower
That blooms in the heart,
But can wither if one delays
To protect it from fear.
Pierre de Ronsard
Renaissance - 1524-1585
Pléiade movement, classical inspiration
Famous Works:
Odes
Amours
Sample Poem:
Mignonne, allons voir si la rose
Mignonne, allons voir si la rose
Qui ce matin avait déclose
Sa robe de pourpre au soleil,
A point perdu cette vesprée
Les plis de sa robe pourprée,
Et son teint au vôtre pareil.
mee-nyohn, ah-lohn vwar see lah rohz
kee suh mah-tan ah-vay day-klohz
sah rohb duh poor-pruh oh soh-lay,
ah pwan pair-doo set-uh vay-spray
lay plee duh sah rohb poor-pray,
ay sohn tan oh vo-truh pah-ray
Sweetheart, let's go see if the rose
That this morning had unfolded
Her purple dress in the sun,
Has lost this evening
The folds of her purple dress,
And her complexion like yours.
Joachim du Bellay
Renaissance - 1522-1560
Sonnet form, melancholy themes
Famous Works:
Les Regrets
Défense et illustration
Sample Poem:
Heureux qui, comme Ulysse
Heureux qui, comme Ulysse, a fait un beau voyage,
Ou comme celui-là qui conquit la toison,
Et puis est retourné, plein d'usage et raison,
Vivre entre ses parents le reste de son âge !
uh-ruh kee, kohm oo-lees, ah fay uhn boh vah-yahzh,
oo kohm suh-lwee-lah kee kohn-kee lah twah-zohn,
ay pwee ay ruh-toor-nay, plan doo-zahzh ay ray-zohn,
vee-vruh ahn-truh say pah-rahn luh ress-tuh duh sohn ahzh
Happy he who, like Ulysses, has made a beautiful journey,
Or like that one who conquered the fleece,
And then returned, full of experience and reason,
To live among his parents the rest of his age!
Jean de La Fontaine
Classicisme - 1621-1695
Fables with moral lessons
Famous Works:
Fables
Contes
Sample Poem:
Le Corbeau et le Renard
Maître Corbeau, sur un arbre perché,
Tenait en son bec un fromage.
Maître Renard, par l'odeur alléché,
Lui tint à peu près ce langage :
may-truh kor-boh, soor uhn ar-bruh pair-shay,
tuh-nay ahn sohn bek uhn froh-mahzh.
may-truh ruh-nar, par loh-duhr ah-lay-shay,
lwee tan ah puh pray suh lah-gahzh
Master Crow, perched on a tree,
Held in his beak a cheese.
Master Fox, attracted by the smell,
Spoke to him in this way:
Victor Hugo
Romantisme - 1802-1885
Romantic poetry, social themes
Famous Works:
Les Contemplations
La Légende des siècles
Sample Poem:
Demain, dès l'aube
Demain, dès l'aube, à l'heure où blanchit la campagne,
Je partirai. Vois-tu, je sais que tu m'attends.
J'irai par la forêt, j'irai par la montagne.
Je ne puis demeurer loin de toi plus longtemps.
duh-man, day lohb, ah luhr oo blahn-shee lah kahn-pah-nyuh,
zhuh par-tee-ray. vwah too, zhuh say kuh too mah-tahn.
zhuh-ree-ay par lah foh-ray, zhuh-ree-ay par lah mohn-tah-nyuh.
zhuh nuh pwee duh-muh-ray lwan duh twah ploo lohn-tahn
Tomorrow, at dawn, at the hour when the countryside whitens,
I will leave. You see, I know that you are waiting for me.
I will go through the forest, I will go through the mountain.
I cannot stay far from you any longer.
Alphonse de Lamartine
Romantisme - 1790-1869
Lyrical poetry, nature themes
Famous Works:
Méditations poétiques
Harmonies poétiques
Sample Poem:
Le Lac
Ainsi, toujours poussés vers de nouveaux rivages,
Dans la nuit éternelle emportés sans retour,
Ne pourrons-nous jamais sur l'océan des âges
Jeter l'ancre un seul jour ?
an-see, too-zhoor poo-say vair duh noo-voh ree-vahzh,
dahn lah nwee ay-tair-nel ahn-por-tay sahn too-roor,
nuh poo-rohn-noo zhah-may soor loh-say-ahn day zahzh
zhuh-tay lahn-kruh uhn suhl zhoor
Thus, always pushed towards new shores,
In eternal night carried away without return,
Will we never be able on the ocean of ages
To cast anchor for a single day?
Charles Baudelaire
Symbolisme - 1821-1867
Symbolist poetry, urban themes
Famous Works:
Les Fleurs du mal
Le Spleen de Paris
Sample Poem:
L'Albatros
Souvent, pour s'amuser, les hommes d'équipage
Prennent des albatros, vastes oiseaux des mers,
Qui suivent, indolents compagnons de voyage,
Le navire glissant sur les gouffres amers.
soo-vahn, poor sah-moo-zay, lay zohm day-kee-pahzh
pren duh zal-bah-tros, vahst wah-zoh day mair,
kee swee-vahn, an-doh-lahn kohn-pah-nyohn duh vah-yahzh,
luh nah-veer glee-sahn soor lay goof-ruh zah-mair
Often, to amuse themselves, the crewmen
Take albatrosses, vast seabirds,
Who follow, indolent traveling companions,
The ship gliding over bitter abysses.
Paul Verlaine
Symbolisme - 1844-1896
Musical poetry, impressionist themes
Famous Works:
Poèmes saturniens
Fêtes galantes
Sample Poem:
Chanson d'automne
Les sanglots longs
Des violons
De l'automne
Blessent mon cœur
D'une langueur
Monotone.
lay sahn-gloh lohn
day vee-oh-lohn
duh loh-tohn
blay-sahn mohn kuhr
doon lahng-guhr
moh-noh-tohn
The long sobs
Of the violins
Of autumn
Wound my heart
With a languor
Monotonous.
La Princesse de Clèves
by Madame de La Fayette (1678)
17th Century
First French psychological novel about forbidden love and moral dilemmas
Genre:
Psychological novel
Key Themes:
Love
Duty
Honor
Self-control
Candide
by Voltaire (1759)
18th Century
Satirical work questioning optimism and exploring human nature
Genre:
Philosophical tale
Key Themes:
Optimism
Philosophy
Satire
Human nature
Les Misérables
by Victor Hugo (1862)
19th Century
Epic tale of redemption, justice, and social inequality in 19th century France
Genre:
Historical novel
Key Themes:
Redemption
Justice
Social inequality
Love
Madame Bovary
by Gustave Flaubert (1857)
19th Century
Story of a provincial woman's romantic illusions and tragic downfall
Genre:
Realist novel
Key Themes:
Romanticism
Reality
Bourgeoisie
Tragedy
À la recherche du temps perdu
by Marcel Proust (1913-1927)
20th Century
Seven-volume exploration of memory, time, and consciousness
Genre:
Modernist novel
Key Themes:
Memory
Time
Consciousness
Art
L'Étranger
by Albert Camus (1942)
20th Century
Story of an indifferent man who commits murder and faces the absurdity of existence
Genre:
Existentialist novel
Key Themes:
Absurdity
Existentialism
Indifference
Death
Le Cid
by Pierre Corneille (1637)
17th Century
Tragic conflict between love and honor in medieval Spain
Genre:
Tragedy
Key Themes:
Honor
Love
Duty
Conflict
Famous Quote:
"À vaincre sans péril, on triomphe sans gloire."
ah van-kruh sahn pay-reel, ohn tree-ohnf sahn glwar
"To conquer without peril is to triumph without glory."
Phèdre
by Jean Racine (1677)
17th Century
Tragic story of forbidden love and divine punishment
Genre:
Tragedy
Key Themes:
Forbidden love
Divine punishment
Fate
Passion
Famous Quote:
"C'est Vénus tout entière à sa proie attachée."
say vay-noos too tahn-tyair ah sah prwah ah-tah-shay
"It's Venus entirely attached to her prey."
Le Mariage de Figaro
by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1784)
18th Century
Satirical comedy about social classes and marriage
Genre:
Comedy
Key Themes:
Social classes
Marriage
Satire
Revolution
Famous Quote:
"Sans la liberté de blâmer, il n'est point d'éloge flatteur."
sahn lah lee-bair-tay duh blah-may, eel nay pwan day-lohzh flah-tuhr
"Without the freedom to criticize, there is no flattering praise."
Classicisme
17th century
Key Authors:
Molière
Racine
Corneille
Characteristics:
Respect for classical models
Clarity and order
Vocabulary:
la clarté - clarity
l'ordre - order
Romantisme
19th century
Key Authors:
Victor Hugo
Lamartine
Vigny
Characteristics:
Emphasis on emotion and imagination
Nature as inspiration
Vocabulary:
l'émotion - emotion
l'imagination - imagination
Réalisme
19th century
Key Authors:
Flaubert
Balzac
Zola
Characteristics:
Objective representation of reality
Focus on ordinary people
Vocabulary:
la réalité - reality
l'objectivité - objectivity
Classicisme
17th century
Characteristics:
Respect for classical models
Clarity and order
Moral purpose
Restraint and decorum
Key Authors:
Molière
Key representative of Classicisme
Racine
Key representative of Classicisme
Corneille
Key representative of Classicisme
La Fontaine
Key representative of Classicisme
Vocabulary:
la clarté
clarity
lah klah-ray
l'ordre
order
lor-druh
la mesure
measure/restraint
lah muh-zoor
la bienséance
decorum
lah bee-an-say-ahnss