Literature

French. Up to the year 1500 French literature consists chiefly of the poems of the trouveres and the troubadours, to which separate articles are given. We find the beginnings of French prose in the chronicles of this period, those of Froissart being the most important. The period of the Renaissance and Reformation is the Golden Age of French literature. The chief influences at work were ancient learning, religion, and the monarchy of Louis XIV. Rabelais, a learned scholar, but the "great jester of France," as Lord Bacon calls him, may be regarded as typical of the Renaissance; Calvin, of the Reformation. The intellectual awakening aroused in France a spirit of inquiry which soon led to skepticism.

Montaigne stands foremost among the skeptics and is of note as the earliest philosophical writer, while Descartes is another name prominent in the line of philosophical inquiry. The sixteenth century presents the names of Ronsard and Malherbe in poetry, and of J. de Balzac in prose, whose writings exemplify the light literature of this period. In the seventeenth century dramatic literature becomes of first importance, with the great names of Corneille, Moliere, and Racine. La Fontaine stands high as a writer of narrative poetry; Boileau wrote satires; Fenelon and Madame de La Fayette, romances; Rochefoucauld, moral philosophy; and Madame de Sevigne is noted for her brilliant letters.

The third period of French literature covers the time from the beginning of the eighteenth century to the present. It is marked by skepticism, a taste for the modern in literature, and political unrest, culminating in the French Revolution. The dominant influence during the first part of the period was the spirit of skepticism. Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, and Buffon are the four noted writers of this time. During the Revolutionary period, we find in literature the names of Bernardin St. Pierre, Madame de Stael, and Chateaubriand. Since the close of the Revolution France has produced writers in every department of literature. The greatest name is perhaps that of Victor Hugo, who excelled in poetry, drama, and as a novelist. Dumas, father and son, and Sardou are other well known dramatists.

In fiction Hugo, Dumas, Honore' de Balzac, George Sand, Sandeau, and others appear to have taken as a model the novels of Sir Walter Scott. This group has been followed by many later writers of almost equal excellence. A few poets have appeared also, as well as historians, critics, and miscellaneous writers; but drama and fiction are the lines in which the French genius of the nineteenth century has expressed itself. The chief characteristics of French literature are invention, lightness and delicacy of touch, and clearness of style. Goethe says:

The French do not deny their general character in their style. They are of a social nature, and so never forget the public they address; they try to be clear to convince the reader, and charming to please him.

See Renaissance; Reformation; Froissart; Rabelais; Calvin; Corneille; Racine; Moliere; La Fontaine; Fenelon; Rochefoucauld; Voltaire; Villon; Montesquieu; Buffon; Rousseau; Hugo; Dumas; Balzac; Dudevant; De Stael