A Short History of French Literature

16th century admiration already antiquity appeared ballads Balzac became Bellay Boileau Bossuet Breton Epic Chansons de Geste character chief Christian classical comedy composed contemporaries Corneille court criticism Discours doctrine dramatic Encyclopédie Étienne famous farces followed Française France François French language French literature Gaul genius German greatest Greek Henry Hommes Hôtel de Rambouillet human ideal ideas imitation important influence Italian Jean Joachim Du Bellay Keltic king language langue langue d'oil later Latin letters literary Louis lyrical Madame de Staël Malherbe Marot masterpieces merit Middle Ages modern Molière Montaigne moral nature novels original Parnassiens passion period philosophic Pierre plays Pléiade Plutarch poems poet poetic poetry political popular Précieuses prose Rabelais Racine Reformation Régnier religion Revolution rime Roland Roman Ronsard Rousseau satire siècle society spirit story style tion tragedy translation vers verse Victor Hugo Villon Voltaire whole words writers written wrote