Classic French Course in English

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

23033

Title

Classic French Course in English

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This volume offers an enlightened introduction to French literature for English readers, bypassing narrative description to present specimen extracts illuminated by critical analysis. It explores the nation's brilliance in prose, philosophy, and wit, while acknowledging its relative poverty in poetry. The text guides readers through the evolution of French style from medieval verse to the classic masters, celebrating clarity, precision, and the unique charm of the French literary spirit.

Summary up to 500 words

William Cleaver Wilkinson's *Classic French Course in English* offers a comprehensive survey of French literature, deliberately excluding poetry to focus on the nation's greatest achievements in prose, philosophy, history, and fiction. Wilkinson establishes strict limits to manage the vast subject, selecting only authors from the 'finished centuries' whose merit is unquestionable. The work begins by contrasting French literature's poetic weakness with its triumphs in eloquence, philosophy, theology, history, and the unique art of the *jeu d'esprit*. Wilkinson emphasizes that French literature is a living body, characterized by incomparable clearness, precision, and style, though it occasionally suffers from obscurity or coarseness in specific authors. The narrative proceeds chronologically, starting with the medieval era. It examines the troubadours and trouvères, detailing the epic cycles of Charlemagne, Arthur, and Alexander. The chronicler Froissart is highlighted for his vivid, chivalric accounts of the Hundred Years' War, including the dramatic capture of King John of France by the Black Prince. Wilkinson praises Froissart's ability to capture the spirit of vanished days, noting his depiction of Count Gaston Phoebus de Foix's magnificent court life. The course moves to the Renaissance with François Rabelais, whose grotesque and learned *Gargantua and Pantagruel* represents a wild, humorous chaos. Rabelais is presented as a voracious learner and a merry-andrew who used his work to veil serious meanings within a tissue of shocking adventures. Following him is Michel de Montaigne, the supreme egotist. His *Essays* revolutionized prose by turning the mirror inward, borrowing freely from ancients to form unique judgments. Wilkinson describes Montaigne as a pure and perfect egotist who held a mirror to humanity, making his work an immortal and universal writer. The text then covers the moralists and preachers like La Rochefoucauld and Pascal, the comedies of Molière, the tragedies of Corneille and Racine, and the epistolary genius of Madame de Sévigné. The Enlightenment figures dominate the latter half, featuring Bossuet, Fénelon, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, and the Encyclopédistes. Wilkinson analyzes their distinct contributions: Voltaire's wit and clarity, Rousseau's introspection and gloom, and the scientific exposition of the Encyclopédistes. The volume concludes with an epilogue, aiming to furnish readers with trustworthy knowledge and appreciation of French classics through translation and criticism, rather than mere description.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Classics
• French Literature