Handbook of French literature; historical, biographical, and critical

Front matter

Class _

Book

GoipghtN"-

Preface

Almost every one now learns something of French. But among the many who acquire as much knowledge of the language as to understand any passage they may occasionally meet, there are comparatively few who have any general acquaintance with the literature of France — perhaps we might say there is a large proportion who have never read a single volume of it besides their school text-books. They have heard of Montaigni^^' Corneille, Racine, Moliere, Boileau, Fontaine, Rousseau, Voltaire ; but they have no distinct knowledge of the leading characteristics of their works, or of the circumstances under which their genius developed itself. Still less have they any well-defined ideas of the literature as a whole, of the distinguishing features of each of its ages, or of the progressive steps by which the national mind of France has attained its present position. It is for such, chiefly, that the present volume has been written. Fain would we disarm criticism by protestinsj

Vlll PREFACE.

with Malherbe, that we have not been ^' dressing meat for cooks ;'' and that we pretend not to offer any addition to the knowledge of those who are already familiar with this literature; for even had it been within the compass of our talent, it would not have comported with our design, nor yet with our limits, to enter upon anything like minute criticism. We have collected facts which are undisputed ; and embodied in a popular way those general opinions which lie on the surface of literary history : but the depths we have not presumed to fathom.

Having designed the work, as has been intimated, principally for those who have passed through the usual course of education, we have deemed it unnecessary, and indeed undesirable, to furnish English versions of the specimens, except those of the earlier ages, which, in the original, would be unintelligible to ordinary French scholars in this country ; and here, as matter of curiosity, we have generally added the old French in foot-notes.

Margaret Foster.

Edinburgh, July, 1854.

Contents

EAGB HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE 13

INTRODUCTION 33

THE MIDDLE AGES.