A History of French Literature Part 20

Of elder histories that by Nisard is by far the most distinguished, the work of a scholar and a thinker. (See the final section of the present volume.)

The student will find Merlet's _etudes litteraires sur les Cla.s.siques francais_ (2 vols.), revised and enlarged by M. Lintilhac, highly instructive; the second volume is wholly occupied with Corneille, Racine, and Moliere.

For the history of the French theatre the best introduction is M.

Pet.i.t de Julleville's _Le Theatre en France_; it may be supplemented by M. Brunetiere's _Les epoques du Theatre francais_. Learning wide and exact, and original thought, characterise all the work of M.

Brunetiere; each of his many volumes should be searched by the student for what he may need. The studies of M. f.a.guet on the writers of the sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries are the work of a critic who is penetrating in his psychological study of authors, and who, just or unjust, is always suggestive. For numberless little monographs the student may turn to Sainte-Beuve. Monographs on a larger scale will be found in the admirable series of _Grands ecrivains francais_ (Hachette); the _Cla.s.siques populaires_ (Lecene, Oudin et Cie.) are in some instances no less scholarly. The writings of Scherer, of M. Jules Lemaitre, and of M. Anatole France are especially valuable on nineteenth-century literature. The best study of French historical literature is Professor Flint's _The Philosophy of History_ (1893).

Provided with such books as these the student will hardly need the general histories of French literature by German writers. I may name Prof. Bornhak's _Geschichte der Franzosischen Literatur_, and the more popular history by Engel (4th ed., 1897). Lotheissen's _Geschichte der Franzosischen Literatur im XVII. Jahrhundert_ seems to me the best book on the period. The monographs in German are numberless.

The editions of authors in the _Grands ecrivains de la France_ are of the highest authority. The best anthology of French poetry is Crepet's _Les Poetes francais_ (4 vols.). Small anthologies of French poetry since the fifteenth century, and of French lyrical poets of the nineteenth century, are published by Lemerre.

The list which follows is taken partly from books which I have used in writing this volume, partly from the Bibliography in M. Lintilhac's _Histoire de la Litterature francaise_. To name English writers and books seems unnecessary.

THE END

Short Histories of the Literatures of the World EDITED BY EDMUND GOSSE, LL.D.

Large Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s. each Volume

ANCIENT GREEK LITERATURE By Prof. GILBERT MURRAY, M.A.

FRENCH LITERATURE By Prof. EDWARD DOWDEN, D.C.L., LL.D.

MODERN ENGLISH LITERATURE By the EDITOR

ITALIAN LITERATURE By RICHARD GARNETT, C.B., LL.D.

SPANISH LITERATURE By JAMES FITZMAURICE-KELLY

j.a.pANESE LITERATURE By WILLIAM GEORGE ASTON, C.M.G., D.Lit.

BOHEMIAN LITERATURE By THE COUNT LuTZOW, D.Litt., D.Ph.

SANSKRIT LITERATURE By Prof. A. A. MACDONELL, M.A.

HUNGARIAN LITERATURE By Dr. RIEDL

AMERICAN LITERATURE By Prof. W. P. TRENT

RUSSIAN LITERATURE By K. WALISZEWSKI

CHINESE LITERATURE By Prof. A. GILES

ARABIC LITERATURE By C. HUART

GERMAN LITERATURE By CALVIN THOMAS, LL.D.

_In preparation_ LATIN LITERATURE By MARCUS DIMSDALE, M.A.

LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN

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