French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by French citizens; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional

languages of France French is the sole official language in France according to the second article of the French Constitution. French, a Gallo-Romance language, is spoken by nearly the entire population of France. In addition to French, several regional langua ...

other than French. Literature written in the French language by citizens of other nations such as

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, etc. is referred to as

Francophone literature Francophone literature is literature written in the French language. The existence of a plurality of literatures in the French language has been recognised, although the autonomy of these literatures is less defined than the plurality of liter ...

. For centuries, French literature has been an object of national pride for French people, and it has been one of the most influential aspects of the literature of Europe. France ranks first on the list of Nobel Prizes in literature by country. One of the first known examples of French literature is the

Song of Roland The ''Song of Roland'' () is an 11th-century based on the deeds of the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in AD 778, during the reign of the Emperor Charlemagne. It is the oldest surviving major work of French lite ...

, the first major work in a series of poems known as, "

chansons de geste The , from 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known poems of this genre date from the late 11th and early 12th centuries, shortly before the e ...

". The French language is a

Romance language The Romance languages, also known as the Latin or Neo-Latin languages, are the languages that are Language family, directly descended from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-E ...

derived from

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

and heavily influenced principally by

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

and

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...

. Beginning in the 11th century, literature written in medieval French was one of the oldest vernacular (non-Latin) literatures in western Europe and it became a key source of literary themes in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

across the continent. Although the European prominence of French literature was eclipsed in part by vernacular literature in Italy in the 14th century, literature in France in the 16th century underwent a major creative evolution, and through the political and artistic programs of the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

, French literature came to dominate European letters in the 17th century. In the 18th century, French became the literary

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...

and diplomatic language of western Europe (and, to a certain degree, in America), and French letters have had a profound impact on all European and American literary traditions while at the same time being heavily influenced by these other national traditions. Africa and the far East have brought the French language to non-European cultures that are transforming and adding to the French literary experience today. Under the aristocratic ideals of the Ancien Régime (the "honnête homme"), the nationalist spirit of post-revolutionary France, and the mass educational ideals of the Third Republic and modern France, the French have come to have a profound cultural attachment to their literary heritage. Today, French schools emphasize the study of novels, theater and poetry (often learnt by heart). The literary arts are heavily sponsored by the state and literary prizes are major news. The and the are important linguistic and artistic institutions in France, and French television features shows on writers and poets (one of the most watched shows on French television was ''

Apostrophes The apostrophe (, ) is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet and some other alphabets. In English, the apostrophe is used for two basic purposes: * The marking of the omission of one o ...

'',Roger Cohen
"The Media Business; Books Star on TV, but Only in France"
, ''The New York Times'', September 10, 1990. a weekly talk show on literature and the arts). Literature matters deeply to the people of France and plays an important role in their sense of identity. As of 2022, fifteen French authors have been awarded the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

which is more than novelists, poets and essayists of any other country. In 1964

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...

was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, but he declined it, stating that "It is not the same thing if I sign Jean-Paul Sartre or if I sign Jean-Paul Sartre, Nobel Prize winner. A writer must refuse to allow himself to be transformed into an institution, even if it takes place in the most honorable form."

French Nobel Prize in Literature winners

Henri Fantin-Latour - By the Table - Google Art Project

For most of the 20th century, French authors had more Literature

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

s than those of any other nation.National Literature Nobel Prize shares 1901–200
by citizenship at the time of the award
an

. From J. Schmidhuber (2010)
Evolution of National Nobel Prize Shares in the 20th Century
a
arXiv:1009.2634v1
The following French or French language authors have won a

: *1901 –

Sully Prudhomme René François Armand "Sully" Prudhomme (; 16 March 1839 – 6 September 1907) was a French poet and essayist. He was the first winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1901. Born in Paris, Prudhomme originally studied to be an engineer, bu ...

(The first Nobel Prize in Literature) *1904 –

Frédéric Mistral Joseph Étienne Frédéric Mistral (; , 8 September 1830 – 25 March 1914) was an Occitan writer and lexicographer of the Provençal form of the language. He received the 1904 Nobel Prize in Literature "in recognition of the fresh origina ...

(wrote in

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

) *1915 –

Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and Mysticism, mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary pro ...

*1921 –

Anatole France (; born ; 16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters.Henri Bergson Henri-Louis Bergson (; ; 18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopher who was influential in the traditions of analytic philosophy and continental philosophy, especially during the first half of the 20th century until the S ...

*1937 –

Roger Martin du Gard Roger Martin du Gard (; 23 March 1881 – 22 August 1958) was a French novelist, winner of the 1937 Nobel Prize in Literature. Biography Trained as a paleographer and archivist, he brought to his works a spirit of objectivity and a scrupulous ...

*1947 –

André Gide André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French writer and author whose writings spanned a wide variety of styles and topics. He was awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature. Gide's career ranged from his begi ...

*1952 –

François Mauriac François Charles Mauriac (; ; 11 October 1885 – 1 September 1970) was a French novelist, dramatist, critic, poet, and journalist, a member of the'' Académie française'' (from 1933), and laureate of the 1952 Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Pr ...

*1957 –

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the s ...

*1960 –

Saint-John Perse Alexis Leger (; 31 May 1887 – 20 September 1975), better known by his pseudonym Saint-John Perse (; also Saint-Leger Leger), was a French poet, writer and diplomat, awarded the 1960 Nobel Prize in Literature "for the soaring flight and the ev ...

*1964 –

(declined the prize) *1969 –

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

(Irish, wrote in English and French) *1985 –

Claude Simon Claude Eugène Henri Simon (; 10 October 1913 – 6 July 2005) was a French novelist and recipient of the 1985 Nobel Prize in Literature. Biography Claude Simon was born in Tananarive on the isle of Madagascar. His parents were French, an ...

*2008 – J. M. G. Le Clézio *2014 –

Patrick Modiano Jean Patrick Modiano (; born 30 July 1945), generally known as Patrick Modiano, is a French novelist and recipient of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is a noted writer of autofiction, the blend of autobiography and historical fiction. I ...

*2022 –

Annie Ernaux Annie Thérèse Blanche Ernaux (; ; born 1 September 1940) is a French writer who was awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature "for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints o ...

French literary awards

* – created in 1948, for crime and detective fiction. * – created 1918. * – created in 1989. *

Prix Femina The Prix Femina is a French List of literary awards, literary prize awarded each year by an exclusively female jury. The prize, which was established in 1904, is awarded to French-language works written in prose or Verse (poetry), verse by male ...

– created 1904, decided each year by an exclusively female jury, although the authors of the winning works do not have to be women. *

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt ( , "The Goncourt Prize") is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward of only 10 euros, but resul ...

– created 1903, given to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". *

Prix Goncourt des Lycéens The Prix Goncourt des Lycéens is a French literary award voted for by school students. It was created in 1988 under the patronage of the Prix Goncourt, with the aim of giving young readers the chance to read and discuss the books selected as the ...

– created in 1987. * Prix Littéraire Valery Larbaud – created in 1957. *

Prix Médicis The Prix Médicis () is a French literary award given each year in November. It was founded in 1958 by and .

– created 1958, awarded to an author whose "fame does not yet match their talent." * – created in 1926. * Prix Tour-Apollo Award – 1972–1990, given to the best science fiction novel published in French during the preceding year. *

Prix des Deux Magots The Prix des Deux Magots () is a major French literary prize. It is presented to new works, and is generally awarded to works that are more off-beat and less conventional than those that receive the more mainstream Prix Goncourt. The name derives ...

– created in 1933.

Key texts

Fiction

** anonymous – ''La Chanson de Roland'' (''

The Song of Roland The ''Song of Roland'' () is an 11th-century based on the deeds of the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in AD 778, during the reign of the Emperor Charlemagne. It is the oldest surviving major work of French li ...

'') **

Chrétien de Troyes Chrétien de Troyes (; ; 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on King Arthur, Arthurian subjects such as Gawain, Lancelot, Perceval and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's chivalric romances, including ''Erec and Enide'' ...

– ''Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion'' (''

Yvain, the Knight of the Lion ''Yvain, the Knight of the Lion'' () is an Arthurian romance by French poet Chrétien de Troyes. It was written c. 1180 simultaneously with ''Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart'', and includes several references to the narrative of that poem. It ...

''), ''Lancelot, ou le Chevalier à la charrette'' (''

Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart ''Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart'' () is a 12th-century Old French chivalric romance">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... chivalric romance poem by ...

'') **

Marie de France Marie de France (floruit, fl. 1160–1215) was a poet, likely born in France, who lived in England during the late 12th century. She lived and wrote at an unknown court, but she and her work were almost certainly known at the royal court of Kin ...

– ''Lais'' ** various – ''Tristan et Iseult'' (''

Tristan and Iseult Tristan and Iseult, also known as Tristan and Isolde and other names, is a medieval chivalric romance told in numerous variations since the 12th century. Of disputed source, usually assumed to be primarily Celtic nations, Celtic, the tale is a ...

'') ** anonymous – ''Lancelot-Graal'' ''(

Lancelot-Grail The ''Lancelot-Grail Cycle'', also known as the Vulgate Cycle or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is an early 13th-century French Arthurian legend, Arthurian literary cycle consisting of interconnected prose episodes of chivalric romance originally writte ...

)'', also known as the ''prose Lancelot'' or the ''Vulgate Cycle'' ** anonymous – ''Roman de Renart'' **

Guillaume de Lorris Guillaume de Lorris () was a French scholar and poet from Lorris. He was the author of the first section of the . Little is known about him, other than that he wrote the earlier section of the poem around 1230, and that the work was completed f ...

and

Jean de Meung Jean de Meun (or de Meung, ) () was a French author best known for his continuation of the ''Roman de la Rose''. Life He was born Jean Clopinel or Jean Chopinel at Meung-sur-Loire. Tradition asserts that he studied at the University of Paris. He ...

– ''

Roman de la Rose ''Le Roman de la Rose'' (''The Romance of the Rose'') is a medieval poem written in Old French and presented as an allegory">allegorical romantic love is disclosed. Its two authors conceived it as a psychological allegory; throughout the Lover' ...

'' ("Romance of the Rose") **

Christine de Pizan Christine de Pizan or Pisan (, ; born Cristina da Pizzano; September 1364 – ), was an Italian-born French court writer for King Charles VI of France and several French royal dukes, in both prose and poetry. Christine de Pizan served as a cour ...

– "

The Book of the City of Ladies ''The Book of the City of Ladies'', or ''Le Livre de la Cité des Dames'', is a book written by Christine de Pizan believed to have been finished by 1405. Perhaps Pizan's most famous literary work, it is her second work of lengthy prose. Pizan u ...

" *

16th century The 16th century began with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (represented by the Roman numerals MDI) and ended with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (MDC), depending on the reckoning used (the Gregorian calend ...

François Rabelais François Rabelais ( , ; ; born between 1483 and 1494; died 1553) was a French writer who has been called the first great French prose author. A Renaissance humanism, humanist of the French Renaissance and Greek scholars in the Renaissance, Gr ...

– ''La vie de Gargantua et de Pantagruel'' ("

Gargantua and Pantagruel ''The Five Books of the Lives and Deeds of Gargantua and Pantagruel'' (), often shortened to ''Gargantua and Pantagruel'' or the (''Five Books''), is a pentalogy of novels written in the 16th century by François Rabelais. It tells the advent ...

") **

Hélisenne de Crenne Hélisenne de Crenne was a French novelist, epistolary writer and translator during the Renaissance. Critics generally agree that "Hélisenne de Crenne" was the pseudonym of Marguerite Briet (c. 1510, Abbeville - after 1552), a French gentlewoman m ...

– ''

The Torments of Love ''The Torments of Love'' is a French sentimental novel by Hélisenne de Crenne, first published in 1538, that is considered the very first sentimental novel in French literature, and had the benefit of a great success at its first publication. ' ...

'' **

Marguerite de Navarre Marguerite de Navarre (, ''Marguerite d'Alençon''; 11 April 149221 December 1549), also known as Marguerite of Angoulême and Margaret of Navarre, was a princess of France, Duchess of Alençon and Berry, and Queen of Navarre by her second mar ...

– ''

Heptaméron The ''Heptaméron'' is a collection of 72 short stories written in French by Marguerite de Navarre (1492–1549), published posthumously in 1558. It has the form of a frame narrative and was inspired by ''The Decameron'' of Giovanni Boccacc ...

'' *

17th century The 17th century lasted from January 1, 1601 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCI), to December 31, 1700 (MDCC). It falls into the early modern period of Europe and in that continent (whose impact on the world was increasing) was characterized ...

Honoré d'Urfé Honoré d'Urfé, marquis de Valromey, comte de Châteauneuf (11 February 15681 June 1625) was a French novelist and miscellaneous writer. Life He was born at Marseille, the grandson of Claude d'Urfé, and was educated at the Collège de T ...

– ''

L'Astrée ''L'Astrée'' is a pastoral novel by Honoré d'Urfé, published between 1607 and 1627. Possibly the single most influential work of 17th-century French literature, ''L'Astrée'' has been called the "novel of novels", partly for its immense le ...

'' ** Madame de Lafayette – ''

La Princesse de Clèves ''La Princesse de Clèves'' (; "The Princess of Cleves") is a French novel which was published anonymously in March 1678. It was regarded by many as the beginning of the modern tradition of the psychological novel and a classic work. Its autho ...

'' **

François Fénelon François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon, PSS (), more commonly known as François Fénelon (6 August 1651 – 7 January 1715), was a French Catholic archbishop, theologian, poet and writer. Today, he is remembered mostly as the author of ' ...

– ''

The Adventures of Telemachus ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' **

Madame d'Aulnoy Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, Baroness d'Aulnoy (September 1652 – 14 January 1705), also known as Countess d'Aulnoy, was a French author known for her literary fairy tales. Her 1697 collection ''Les Contes des Fées'' (Fairy Tales) ...

– ''Les Contes des Fées'' ("Fairy Tales", a fairy tale collection including ''The Blue Bird'' and ''

The Story of Pretty Goldilocks The Story of Pretty Goldilocks or The Beauty with Golden Hair is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in ''The Blue Fairy Book''. It is Aarne–Thompson type 531. This type is generally called "The ...

''), ''Contes Nouveaux ou Les Fées à la Mode'' ("New Tales, or Fairies in Fashion", a fairy tale collection including ''The White Cat'') **

Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , , ; 12 January 162816 May 1703) was a French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales, published in his ...

– ''

Histoires ou contes du temps passé ''Histoires ou contes du temps passé, avec des moralités'' (), or ''Contes de ma mère l'Oye'' (),Zipes (2000), 236 ff. is a collection of literary fairy tales written by Charles Perrault, published in Paris in 1697. The work became popular be ...

'' ("Stories or Tales from Past Times, with Morals", a fairy tale collection which includes ''

Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...

'' and ''

Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" () is a fairy tale by Charles Perrault about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th-century European Fable, folk tales. It was later retold in the 19th-century by the Broth ...

'') *

18th century The 18th century lasted from 1 January 1701 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCCI) to 31 December 1800 (MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements of Enlightenment thinking culminated in the Atlantic Revolutions. Revolutions began to ch ...

Antoine Galland Antoine Galland (; 4 April 1646 – 17 February 1715) was a French orientalist and archaeologist, most famous as the first European translator of ''One Thousand and One Nights'', which he called '' Les mille et une nuits''. His version of the ta ...

– ''Les Mille et une nuits'' ("The Thousand and One Nights", a fairy tale collection, which includes ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; , , ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of the original ...

'' and ''

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" () is a folk tale in Arabic added to the ''One Thousand and One Nights'' in the 18th century by its French translator Antoine Galland, who heard it from Syrian storyteller Hanna Diyab. As one of the most popul ...

'') **

Abbé Prévost Antoine François Prévost d'Exiles ( , , ; 1 April 169725 November 1763), usually known simply as the Abbé Prévost, was a French priest, author, and novelist. Life and works He was born at Hesdin, Artois, and first appears with the full na ...

– ''

Manon Lescaut ''The Story of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut'' ( ) is a novel by Antoine François Prévost. It tells a tragic love story about a nobleman (known only as the Chevalier des Grieux) and a common woman (Manon Lescaut). Their decisio ...

'' **

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

– ''

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...

'', '' Zadig ou la Destinée'' **

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...

– '' Julie, ou la nouvelle Héloïse (Julie or the New Heloise)'' **

Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent figure during th ...

– ''Jacques le fataliste'' (''

Jacques the Fatalist ''Jacques the Fatalist and his Master'' () is a novel by Denis Diderot, written during the period 1765–1780. The first French edition was published posthumously in 1796, but it was known earlier in Germany, thanks to Schiller's partial translat ...

'') **

Montesquieu Charles Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (18 January 168910 February 1755), generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French judge, man of letters, historian, and political philosopher. He is the principal so ...

– ''

Persian Letters ''Persian Letters'' () is a literary work, published in 1721, by Charles de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu, recounting the experiences of two fictional Persian noblemen, Usbek and Rica, who spend several years in France under Louis XIV and the ...

'' **

Pierre Choderlos de Laclos Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos (; 18 October 1741 – 5 September 1803) was a French novelist, official, Freemason and army general, best known for writing the epistolary novel '' Les Liaisons dangereuses'' (''Dangerous Liaisons ...

– ''

Les Liaisons dangereuses ''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' (; English: ''Dangerous Liaisons'') is a French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu on March 23, 1782. It is the story of the Marquise Isabelle de Merteu ...

(Dangerous Liaisons)'' **

Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (; also called Bernardin de St. Pierre) (19 January 1737, in Le Havre – 21 January 1814, in Éragny, Val-d'Oise) was a French writer and botanist. He is best known for his 1788 novel, '' Paul et Virginie' ...

– ''

Paul et Virginie ''Paul et Virginie'' (; sometimes known in English as ''Paul and Virginia'') is a novel by Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, first published in 1788. The novel's title characters are friends since birth who fall in love. The story is s ...

'' (''Paul and Virginia'') *

19th century The 19th century began on 1 January 1801 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 (MCM). It was the 9th century of the 2nd millennium. It was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was Abolitionism, ...

Germaine de Staël Anne Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein (; ; 22 April 176614 July 1817), commonly known as Madame de Staël ( ; ), was a prominent philosopher, woman of letters, and political theorist in both Parisian and Genevan intellectual circles. She was ...

– ''

Corinne, or Italy ''Corinne, or Italy'' (, also known as ''Corinne'', is a novel by the Genevan and French writer Germaine de Staël, published in 1807. It relates a love story between an Italian poet, Corinne, and Lord Oswald Nelvil, an English nobleman. The ...

'' **

François-René de Chateaubriand François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand (4 September 1768 – 4 July 1848) was a French writer, politician, diplomat and historian who influenced French literature of the nineteenth century. Descended from an old aristocratic family from Bri ...

– ''Atala'', ''

René René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name ( Renée being the feminin ...

'' **

Benjamin Constant Henri-Benjamin Constant de Rebecque (25 October 1767 – 8 December 1830), or simply Benjamin Constant, was a Swiss and French political thinker, activist and writer on political theory and religion. A committed republican from 1795, Constant ...

– ''

Adolphe ''Adolphe'' is a classic French novel by Benjamin Constant, first published in 1816. It tells the story of an alienated young man, Adolphe, who falls in love with an older woman, Ellénore, the Polish mistress of the Comte de P***. Their illici ...

'' **

Stendhal Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, , ), was a French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' ('' The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de Parme'' ('' T ...

– ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' (''

The Red and the Black ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' (; meaning ''The Red and the Black'') is a psychological novel in two volumes by Stendhal, published in 1830. It chronicles the attempts of a provincial young man to rise socially beyond his modest upbringing through a c ...

''), ''La Chartreuse de Parme'' (''

The Charterhouse of Parma ''The Charterhouse of Parma'' () is a novel by French writer Stendhal, published in 1839. Telling the story of an Italian nobleman in the Napoleonic era and later, it was admired by Balzac, Tolstoy, André Gide, Lampedusa, Henry James, and Er ...

'') **

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly ; ; born Honoré Balzac; 20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'', which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is ...

– ''

La Comédie humaine (; English: ''The Human Comedy'') is Honoré de Balzac's 1829–48 multi-volume collection of interlinked novels and stories depicting French society in the period of the Restoration (1815–30) and the July Monarchy (1830–48). ''La Com� ...

'' ("The Human Comedy", a novel cycle which includes ''

Père Goriot ''Le Père Goriot'' (, ''"Old Goriot"'' or ''"Father Goriot"'') is an 1835 novel by French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850), included in the ''Scènes de la vie privée'' section of his novel sequence ''La Comédie huma ...

'', '' Lost Illusions'', and ''

Eugénie Grandet ''Eugénie Grandet'' () is a novel first serialised from 1833 to 1834, and published in book form in 1834 by French author Honoré de Balzac. While he was writing it he conceived his ambitious project, ''La Comédie humaine'', and almost immediat ...

'') **

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

– ''

The Count of Monte Cristo ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Alexandre Dumas. It was serialised from 1844 to 1846, and published in book form in 1846. It is one of his most popular works, along with ''The Three Musketeers'' (184 ...

'', ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' () is a French historical adventure novel written and published in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is the first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances. As with some of his other works, he wrote it in col ...

'' **

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

– ''Notre-Dame de Paris'' (''

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (, originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. The title refers to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which features prominently throughout the novel. I ...

''), ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' **

Théophile Gautier Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rema ...

– '' Mademoiselle de Maupin'' **

Paul Féval, père Paul Henri Corentin Féval, ''père'' (29 September 1816 - 8 March 1887) was a French novelist and dramatist. He was the author of popular swashbuckler novels such as '' Le Loup blanc'' (1843) and the perennial best-seller '' Le Bossu'' (1857). ...

– ''Le Bossu'' (''The Hunchback'') **

Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , ; ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. He has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country and abroad. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flaubert, realis ...

– ''

Madame Bovary ''Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners'' (; ), commonly known as simply ''Madame Bovary'', is the début novel by France, French writer Gustave Flaubert, originally published in 1856 and 1857. The eponymous character, Emma Bovary, lives beyond he ...

'', ''

Salammbô ''Salammbô'' is an 1862 historical novel by Gustave Flaubert. It is set in Carthage immediately before and during the Mercenary Revolt (241–237 BCE). Flaubert's principal source was Book I of the '' Histories'', written by the Greek hist ...

'', ''L'Éducation sentimentale'' (''

Sentimental Education ''Sentimental Education'' (French: ''L'éducation sentimentale'') is an 1869 novel by Gustave Flaubert. The story focuses on the romantic life of a young man named Frédéric Moreau at the time of the French Revolution of 1848 and the founding o ...

'') **

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

– ''Vingt mille lieues sous les mers'' (''

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' () is a science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may inclu ...

''), ''Voyage au centre de la Terre'' ('' A Journey to the Center of the Earth''), ''Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours'' (''

Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate ...

'') ** Edmond and

Jules de Goncourt Jules Alfred Huot de Goncourt (; 17 December 183020 June 1870) was a French writer, who published books together with his brother Edmond. Jules was born and died in Paris. His death at the age of 39 was at Auteuil of a stroke brought on by sy ...

– ''Germinie Lacerteux'' **

George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. Being more renowned than either Victor Hugo or Honoré de Balz ...

– '' La Petite Fadette'' **

Joris-Karl Huysmans Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans (, ; 5 February 1848 – 12 May 1907) was a French novelist and art critic who published his works as Joris-Karl Huysmans (, variably abbreviated as J. K. or J.-K.). He is most famous for the novel (1884, pub ...

– "

À rebours (; translated ''Against Nature'' or ''Against the Grain'') is an 1884 novel by the French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans. The narrative centers on a single character: Jean des Esseintes, an eccentric, reclusive, ailing aesthete. The last scion o ...

" **

Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, celebrated as a master of the short story, as well as a representative of the naturalist school, depicting human lives, destinies and s ...

– ''

Bel Ami ''Bel-Ami'' (, "Dear Friend") is the second novel by French author Guy de Maupassant, published in 1885; an English translation titled ''Bel Ami, or, The History of a Scoundrel: A Novel'' first appeared in 1903. The story chronicles journalist ...

'', ''La Parure'' (''

The Necklace "The Necklace", or sometimes "The Diamond Necklace", () is a short story by Guy de Maupassant, first published on 17 February 1884 in the French newspaper ''Le Gaulois''. It is known for its twist ending, a hallmark of de Maupassant's style. ...

''), other short stories **

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, ; ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of Naturalism (literature), naturalism, and an important contributor to ...

– ''

Thérèse Raquin ''Thérèse Raquin'' () is an early novel by French writer Émile Zola. It appeared in serial form from August–October 1867 in the magazine ''L'Artiste'', and was published in book form later that year. Although it was Zola's third novel, it ...

'', ''

Les Rougon-Macquart ''Les Rougon-Macquart'' () is the collective title given to a cycle of twenty novels by France, French writer Émile Zola. Subtitled ''Histoire naturelle et sociale d'une famille sous le Second Empire'' (''Natural and social history of a family u ...

'' (a novel cycle which includes ''

L'Assommoir , published as a serial in 1876, and in book form in 1877, is the seventh novel in Émile Zola's twenty-volume series '' Les Rougon-Macquart''. Usually considered one of Zola's masterpieces, the novel — a study of alcoholism and poverty in the ...

'', ''

Nana Nana, Na Na or NANA may refer to: People * Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname * Nana (chief) (died 1896), Mimbreño Ap ...

'' and '' Germinal'') *

20th century The 20th century began on 1 January 1901 (MCMI), and ended on 31 December 2000 (MM). It was the 10th and last century in the 2nd millennium and was marked by new models of scientific understanding, unprecedented scopes of warfare, new modes of ...

– ''Les Faux-monnayeurs'' ('' The Counterfeiters''), ''L'Immoraliste'' (''

The Immoralist ''The Immoralist'' () is a novel by André Gide, published in France in 1902. Plot ''The Immoralist'' is a recollection of events that Michel narrates to his three visiting friends. One of those friends solicits job search assistance for Miche ...

'') ** Marcel Proust – ''À la recherche du temps perdu'' (''In Search of Lost Time'') ** Albert Cohen (novelist), Albert Cohen **

** Louis Aragon ** Blaise Cendrars **

– ''Molloy (novel), Molloy'', ''Malone Dies'', ''The Unnamable (novel), The Unnamable'', ''How It Is'' ** André Breton – ''Nadja (novel), Nadja'' ** Gaston Leroux – ''Le Fantôme de l'Opéra'' (''The Phantom of the Opera (novel), The Phantom of the Opera'') **

– ''Les Thibault'' (''The Thibaults'') ** Louis-Ferdinand Céline – ''Voyage au bout de la nuit'' (''Journey to the End of the Night'') ** Colette – ''Gigi (novella), Gigi'' ** Jean Genet – ''Our Lady of the Flowers, Notre-Dame-des-Fleurs'' ** Julien Gracq – ''Le Rivage des Syrtes'' (''The Opposing Shore'') ** André Malraux – ''La Condition Humaine'' (''Man's Fate''), ''L'Espoir'' (''Man's Hope'') **

– ''L'Étranger'' (''The Stranger (Camus novel), The Stranger'' or ''The Outsider'') ** Michel Butor – ''La Modification'' ** Marguerite Yourcenar – ''Mémoires d'Hadrien'' ** Alain Robbe-Grillet – ''Dans le labyrinthe'' ** Georges Perec – ''Life: A User's Manual, La vie mode d'emploi'' **

– ''Les Géorgiques'' (''The Georgics'') ** Robert Pinget – ''Passacaille'' **

– ''La Nausée'' (''Nausea (novel), Nausea''), ''L´Âge de Raison'' ''(The Age of Reason (Sartre), The Age of Reason)'' ** Françoise Sagan – ''Bonjour Tristesse'' (''Hello Sadness'') ** Antoine de Saint-Exupéry – ''Le Petit Prince'' (''The Little Prince'') * Contemporary French literature, 21st century ** Michel Houellebecq – ''La carte et le territoire'' (''The Map and the Territory'') ** Pierre Lemaitre – The Great Swindle (novel), ''The Great Swindle'' ** Léonora Miano – ''La Saison de l'ombre'' ** Kamel Daoud – ''Meursault, contre-enquête'' (''The Meursault Investigation'')

Poetry

* Middle Ages ** William IX, Duke of Aquitaine, William IX (1071–1127) ** Jaufre Rudel (1113–70) ** Bernart de Ventadorn (1130–90) ** Bertran de Born (1140–1215) **

(fl. 1160–1210) ** Rutebeuf (1245–85) ** Jean Froissart (1337–1405) ** François Villon (1431–63) – ''Le Testament'' * La Pléiade ** Clément Marot (1496–1544) ** Maurice Scève (1505–1569) ** Joachim du Bellay (1522–60) ** Pontus de Tyard (1521–1605) ** Louise Labé (1524–1566) ** Pierre de Ronsard (1524–85) * Baroque ** Agrippa d'Aubigné (1552–1630) – ''Les Tragiques'' ** Théophile de Viau (1590–1626) * Classicism ** François de Malherbe (1555–1628) ** Jean de La Fontaine (1621–95) – ''The La Fontaine's Fables, Fables'' ** Nicolas Boileau (1636–1711) * Romantic poetry, Romanticism ** André Chénier (1762–1794) ** Alphonse de Lamartine (1790–1869) – ''Méditations poétiques'' ** Alfred de Vigny (1797–1863) **

(1802–85) – ''Les Contemplations'' ** Gérard de Nerval (1808–55) – ''The Chimeras'' ** Alfred de Musset (1810–57) ** Charles Baudelaire (1821–67) – ''Les Fleurs du mal'' * Parnassianism **

(1811–72) ** Leconte de Lisle (1818–94) ** Théodore de Banville (1823–91) * Symbolism (arts), Symbolism and Decadent movement, Decadence ** Villiers de L'Isle-Adam (1838–89) ** Stéphane Mallarmé (1842–98) ** Paul Verlaine (1844–96) ** Comte de Lautréamont (1846–70) ** Arthur Rimbaud (1854–91) – ''Une Saison en Enfer'' ** Paul Valéry (1871–1945) ** Paul Fort (1872–1960) * Modernist poetry, Modernism **Charles Péguy (1873–1914) ** Guillaume Apollinaire (1880–1918) – ''Alcools'' ** Blaise Cendrars (1887–1961) **

(1887–1975) – ''Vents'' * Dada and Surrealism ** Paul Éluard (1895–1952) ** Tristan Tzara (1896–1963) ** André Breton (1896–1966) ** Louis Aragon (1897–1982) ** Henri Michaux (1899–1984) ** Robert Desnos (1900–45) ** René Char (1907–88) * Postmodern literature, Postmodernism ** Jules Supervielle (1884–1960) ** Jean Cocteau (1889–1963) ** Francis Ponge (1899–1988) – ''Le Parti Pris des Choses'' ** Jacques Prévert (1900–77) ** Raymond Queneau (1903–76) * Négritude ** Léopold Sédar Senghor (1906–2001) ** Birago Diop (1906–89) ** Aimé Césaire (1913–2008)

Theatre

* Adam de la Halle – ''Le Jeu de Robin et de Marion'' * Anonymous - ''La Farce de maître Pathelin'' (ca. 1456–1460) * Pierre Corneille (1606–84)- ''Le Cid'' (1636), ''Horace (play), Horace'' * Molière – ''Tartuffe'', ''Le Misanthrope'', ''Dom Juan'', ''L'Avare'' (''The Miser''), ''Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme'', ''L'École des femmes'' (''The School for Wives''), ''Le Malade imaginaire'' (''The Imaginary Invalid'') * Jean Racine – ''Phèdre'', ''Andromaque'', ''Bérénice'', ''Athalie'' * Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux, Marivaux – ''Jeu de l'amour et du hasard'' * Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais – ''Le Barbier de Séville'' (''The Barber of Seville (play), The Barber of Seville''), ''La Folle journée, ou Le Mariage de Figaro'' (''The Marriage of Figaro (play), The Marriage of Figaro'') * Alfred Jarry – ''King Ubu'' * Edmond Rostand – ''Cyrano de Bergerac (play), Cyrano de Bergerac'' * Jean Giraudoux – ''The Trojan War Will Not Take Place'' * Jean Anouilh – ''Becket'', ''Antigone (Anouilh play), Antigone'' *

– ''No Exit'' * Eugène Ionesco – ''La Cantatrice chauve (''The Bald Soprano''), ''Les Chaises'' (''The Chairs''), ''La Leçon'' (''The Lesson''), ''Rhinoceros (play), Rhinoceros'' * Jean Genet – ''The Maids'', ''The Balcony'' *

– ''En attendant Godot'' (''Waiting for Godot''), ''Fin de Partie'' (''Endgame (play), Endgame'') and other works in French

Nonfiction

* Jean Froissart – Froissart's Chronicles, ''Chronicles'' * Philippe de Commines – ''Memoirs'' * Étienne de La Boétie - ''Discourse on Voluntary Servitude'' * Michel de Montaigne – ''Essays (Montaigne), The Essays'' * Blaise Pascal – ''Pensées, Les Pensées'' * René Descartes – ''Meditations on First Philosophy'', ''Discourse on Method'' * François de La Rochefoucauld (writer), François de La Rochefoucauld – ''The Maxims'' *Jean de La Bruyère, Jean de la Bruyère – ''Les Caractères ou les Mœurs de ce siècle'' *Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon – ''Memoirs'' *

– ''Discourse on the Arts and Sciences'', ''Social Contract (Rousseau), The Social Contract'', ''Les Confessions'' (Confessions (Rousseau), Confessions) *

– ''Génie du christianisme, Genius of Christianity'', ''Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe, Memoirs from Beyond Grave'' * Alexis de Tocqueville – ''Democracy in America'' * Frédéric Bastiat – ''The Law (1850 book), The Law'' * Jules Michelet – ''Histoire de France'', ''La Sorcière'' *

Henri Bergson Henri-Louis Bergson (; ; 18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopher who was influential in the traditions of analytic philosophy and continental philosophy, especially during the first half of the 20th century until the S ...

– ''Creative Evolution (book), Creative Evolution'' *

– ''The Myth of Sisyphus'' *

– ''Existentialism is a Humanism'', ''Being and Nothingness'' * Simone de Beauvoir – ''The Second Sex'' * Claude Lévi-Strauss – ''Tristes Tropiques'' * Emil Cioran – ''A Short History of Decay'', ''The Trouble with Being Born'' and other works in French * Paul Ricœur – ''Freedom and Nature. The Voluntary and the Involuntary'' * Michel Foucault – ''Discipline and Punish'', ''The History of Sexuality'' * Pierre Bourdieu – ''La Distinction'' * Gilles Deleuze - ''Difference and Repetition''

Literary criticism

*Nicolas Boileau *Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve *Hippolyte Taine *Jacques Lacan *Maurice Blanchot *Paul Bénichou *Roland Barthes *Jean Ricardou *Paul Ricœur *Michel Foucault *Jean-François Lyotard *Jacques Derrida *Julia Kristeva

Poetry

*Parnassianism *Romanticism *Symbolism (arts)

Notes and references

External links

French Language & Literature Resources at Yale University

online texts

online texts
The Marandet Collection of French Plays

ABU
online texts

site maintained by prominent French poet Jean-Michel Maulpoix {{DEFAULTSORT:French Literature French literature,

French Nobel Prize in Literature winners

French literary awards

Key texts

Fiction

Poetry

Theatre

Nonfiction

Literary criticism

Poetry

See also

Notes and references

Further reading

External links