This book traces the history of French literature from its beginnings to the present. It offers a wide-ranging, personal, and detailed - though selective - account of major writers and movements. It is written in an accessible and non-technical style.

This book traces the history of French literature from its beginnings to the present. Within its remarkably brief compass, it offers a wide-ranging, personal, and detailed--though selective--account of major writers and movements. Developments in French literature are presented in an innovative way, not as an even sequence of literary events but as a series of stories told at varying pace and with different kinds of focus. Readers can thus take in the broad sweep of historical change, grasp the main characteristics of major periods, or enjoy a close appraisal of individual works and their contexts. The book is written in an accessible and non-technical style that will make it attractive both to students of French and to non-specialist readers.

Thoughtfully organized, this version of the story of French literature is masterfully told ... It is the telling of the story against the rich backdrop of historical and social contexts that makes this overview so important. That all the information in this book can coexist in a format that is such an enjoyable read is truly remarkable ... Essential.