A Guide to French Literature: Early Modern to Postmodern

Rating:
Summary: A good reference.
Review: The content and context held much interest because of its well-presented subject matter.

For an inquiry, A GUIDE TO FRENCH LITERATURE: FROM EARLY MODERN TO POSTMODERN really came in handy for a quick reference and for a well-done narrative that read almost like a novel. Recently someone had mentioned the poet Lamartine to me. Coincidentally, this book for personal enjoyment included the needed reference about his work. Later, the excellent index led back to the relevant text and the end notes (a bibliography by itself!). The easy access to needed information and the highly readable narrative to pleasant reading yielded an overall excellent book.

The content covered a broad sweep of literary, sociological, political, and intellectual history with emphasis on explicating the literary. The clearly written, chronological organization from 1515 and onwards joined to build both an enlightening narrative and a reference book. The French-English translations in the narrative (except for titles) enlivened otherwise word-for-word ones; just the right amount of these additions (divergences) supported the text. A balanced amount of political, sociological, and intellectual background illuminated the writers' prose, poetry, and drama. These writers' comparative viewpoints with predecessors, contemporaries, and successors provided depth; while the literary details remained securely afloat to take along this reader.

The cover design depicting Pissarro's 'Rue Saint-Honore, Effect of Rain' with its picturesque city-life and its swiftly moving clouds over the rooftops, pedestrians, and carriages convinced one to sit with this book in a warm, dry place until the final page.