La FontaineLa Cigale et la Fourmi, 1668
LatheCigale,cicadaayanthavingchantésungtoutalll’été,the-summer
Seherselftrouvafoundfortverydépourvuedestitute
The movements at a glance
| Movement | When | Key authors | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classicisme | 1630–1715 | Molière, Racine, La Fontaine | Order, clarity and rules; plays in verse; moral fables. Polite 17th-century vocabulary. |
| Lumières | 1715–1789 | Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau | Ideas, satire and argument. Prose is clear and witty; ideal for C1 readers. |
| Romantisme | 1820–1850 | Hugo, Lamartine, Musset | Emotion, nature and history. Long novels, lyrical poetry. |
| Réalisme | 1830–1890 | Balzac, Flaubert, Zola | Society described in detail. Rich vocabulary, long descriptions. |
| Symbolisme | 1857–1900 | Baudelaire, Verlaine, Rimbaud | Suggestion and music in poetry. Short texts, dense imagery. |
| Modernité | 1900–today | Proust, Camus, Duras, Ernaux | Inner life, memory and the self. From very long sentences to very short ones. |
Four famous passages, glossed
Victor HugoLes Misérables, 1862
Enin1815,1815M.MrCharles-François-Bienvenu(first names)MyrielMyriel
étaitwasévêquebishopdeofDigne.Digne
BaudelaireL’Invitation au voyage, 1857
Monmyenfant,childmamysœur,sister
Songethinkàoflathedouceursweetness
D’allerof-goinglà-basover-therevivreto-liveensemble !together
Marcel ProustDu côté de chez Swann, 1913
Longtemps,for-a-long-timejeImemyselfsuisamcouchégone-to-beddeofbonnegoodheure.hour
Reading French verse: counting syllables
French poetry counts syllables, not stresses. The classic line is the alexandrin: twelve syllables split into two halves of six. The silent e at the end of a word is counted when a consonant follows, which is why poetry sounds slower than speech.
A reading ladder
From the most approachable to the most demanding. Modern works are listed by title only.
1 Le Petit PrinceSaint-Exupéry · 1943Short, simple sentences and a story everyone knows.
2 FablesLa Fontaine · 1668Short poems, each a complete story with a moral.
3 CandideVoltaire · 1759Brisk, funny chapters of satire. Surprisingly readable.
4 L’ÉtrangerCamus · 1942Short, flat sentences in the passé composé.
5 Bel-AmiMaupassant · 1885A gripping social novel in clear 19th-century prose.
6 Les MisérablesHugo · 1862Long, but the abridged editions are a joy.
7 Madame BovaryFlaubert · 1857Perfect, precise prose; slow and rewarding.
8 À la recherche du temps perduProust · 1913–27Famously long sentences. The summit, for C2 readers.
Talking about a book
Ce roman raconte… L’auteur dénonce…
The phrases French students use in class and in the DELF and DALF oral exams to discuss a text. Each one takes a direct object (the thing raconté, dénoncé…) straight after the verb.
The plotsuh ro-MAN ra-KONT lees-TWAR dün fa-MEE-yuh · “This novel tells the story of a family.”
Ce romanthis novelracontetellsl’histoirethe storyd’une famille.of a family
The settinglak-SYON suh day-ROOL a pa-REE · “The story is set in Paris.”
L’actionthe actionse dérouletakes-placeà Paris.in Paris
The messagelo-TUR day-NONSS lan-zhüs-TEESS · “The author condemns injustice.”
L’auteurthe authordénoncedenouncesl’injustice.the injustice
The main characterluh pair-so-NAZH pran-see-PAL ay ün zhuhn FAM · “The main character is a young woman.”
Le personnage principalthe character mainestisune jeune femme.a young woman
Your viewsuh KEE ma fra-PAY, say luh STEEL · “What struck me was the style.”
Ce quiwhatm’a frappé,struck-mec’estit-isle style.the style
A recommendationzhuh luh ruh-ko-MOND veev-MON · “I highly recommend it.”
JeIleitrecommanderecommendvivement.strongly
How books are read in France
La rentrée littéraire and the Goncourt
Every late August and September, hundreds of new novels appear at once: la rentrée littéraire. The literary prizes follow in the autumn and decide what the country reads that winter.