This accessible introduction to medieval French literature concentrates on how to enjoy reading this lively and influential literary tradition. Rather than offering a conventional literary history, Simon Gaunt suggests strategies for reading medieval French texts, many of which retell traditional stories. A common misconception among students and dated textbooks is that medieval French literature is merely a 'recording' of an oral tradition. This book draws a picture of medieval literature, showing that medieval writers were in fact very aware that they were retelling tales in a new...

In this accessible guide, Victoria Best explores the turbulent twentieth century in France through its literature, introducing the works that created fresh perspectives on the human condition in an age of rapid change and insecurity. Challenging and experimental, modern French writing reflects the problems of a culture transformed by sophisticated theoretical inquiry and violent historical events. Preoccupied with finding ways to express new extremes of experience, twentieth-century texts dramatise the realisation that stories provide a significant means of making sense of the world. The...