The French have always attached great importance to aesthetic issues; The history of French literature is the best textbook to study the development of literature. Because French literature has a long and rich history, and it has a far-reaching influence on the literature of other languages in the process of development, it is generally considered to occupy a core position in the development of western literature.
Sometimes French people regard themselves as descendants of Gaul, inherit the so-called "Gaul spirit", pursue relaxed and pleasant joy, like to ridicule others, and never seriously think about life and life-related problems. In fact, this "Gaul spirit" can be seen in all French literature. However, a very basic feature of French literature is often overlooked, that is, the "Gaul spirit" in the works of most of the greatest French writers is not obvious.
Such a simple summary obviously cannot explain the characteristics of complex French literature clearly. For most foreigners, especially English speakers, French prose, which is characterized by clear expression, accurate expression and elegant style, seems to be superior to French poetry in form. However, the French will try their best to refute this. In their eyes, the unique rhythm of French poetry can never be fully appreciated by onlookers, and its charm is no less than that of well-known French prose. For the French, the uniqueness of French poetry is rooted in the tradition of French civilization and is also in line with the French taste.
Middle Ages: Diversification of Literary Forms
The earliest French literature can be traced back to 1 1 century. Song of Roland is the earliest epic in France, and its author is unknown. Similar epics include Beowulf and Song of Nibelungen. Most of these epics praise the great monarch. For example, Song of Roland is a tribute to the famous French king Charlemagne (742-8 14). In addition, chivalrous legends prevailed in medieval France, all praising chivalry and advocating elegant love. The most important writer in France in this period was Crety de Trouvat in the12nd century. He was the most famous narrative poet in medieval France. In addition, most of the poems popular in Provence in the south are based on the elegant love between knights and ladies. Most of these poems are imaginative, but their style is melodramatic and their literary value is not high. It was not until the end of the Middle Ages that the first truly great lyric poet, Fran? ois Veron, appeared in France (143 1- 1465).
The style of medieval French prose is the most common in history and chronicles, but the most attractive of these works is the series of stories of "Okasian and Madame Nicole" which appeared from12nd century.
Like other parts of Europe, French drama originated from medieval religious drama, but after a long time, these two literary styles became incompatible enemies. The earliest dramas were only simple plots of religious ceremonies, and the most common ones were legends about Christmas and Easter. However, when the performance places of these dramas were transferred from the church to the public, the original Latin was replaced by French, and the development of French drama began to embark on a completely different road from the Roman Christian style. Those burlesque dramas with humorous language, rough form and realistic style are very popular. In this farce, as well as satirical fables and narrative short poems, the shadow of the above-mentioned "Gaul spirit" appeared for the first time.
16th century: the influence of Renaissance
The French Renaissance began with the rule of Francois I (15 15- 1547). The collapse of feudal system, the introduction of printing technology and the rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman cultural heritage are the most important factors that gave birth to the French Renaissance. Although the European Reformation in full swing at that time also influenced France in this century, until the end of 16, the French were still devout Catholics. In the field of literature, the influence of Renaissance is mainly reflected in the creative tendency of classicism. A group of writers named "Seven-Star Poetry Society" published a declaration on 1550, which clarified the creative rules of academic literature. The lyric poet Bill Delongsha (1524- 1585) is the leader of the Seven Star Poetry Society. Poetic tragedy officially appeared. This theme attaches importance to the combination of plot, time and place, and has been popular in France for 300 years.
However, this16th century greatest French writer wrote in prose style. Francois Rabelais (1490- 1553) and his most famous work, Biography of the Giant, were written in a novel style that was still ambiguous at that time. Biography of the Giant has a peculiar style, extremely exaggerated language, and sometimes even vulgar language, but it mercilessly satirizes society in its gag. Montaigne (1533- 1592),1another French writer in the 6th century, whose style is completely different from that of rabelais. His style is mature and quiet, and he is the first great essayist in modern times. His works aim to reflect his real life experience, not to pursue gorgeous language.
17th century: the rule of French classicism in Europe
/kloc-in the 0/7th century, France became a monarchy. 1635 The famous French Academy led to the centralization of French culture. Nicholas Boile de Sprow (1636-1711), a literary theorist, published The Art of Poetry, which established the rules for the creation of classical literature and became an absolute authority at that time, which could not be challenged.
French classicism holds that literary creation should be based on the classic works of ancient Greece and Rome, while poetry should follow the principles of nature and rationality. The creation of all rhymes must follow strict laws, especially tragic creation. However, under these restrictions, French literature reached the first peak in history, which is the classicism period, also known as the "Louis XIV period", because this period basically coincides with the long-term rule of Louis XIV, the "sun king" (1643- 17 15). During this period, France was the undisputed hegemon in Europe, both politically and culturally. In classical times, the development of politics, religion and literature should follow the authoritative dogma. However, the related concepts of classicism, such as order, balance and elegance, still reflect the French people's pursuit of literary taste. Pierre corneille (1606- 1684) and jean racine (1639- 1699) created many poetic tragedies according to the principles of classicism. Most of Gao Naiyi's works describe themes related to personal honor, while Racine often describes tragic love. The theologian and orator Jacques-Bonnie Bourboucher tried to concretize the classical principles, but his achievements were not as good as that of another religious writer. Blaise Pascal (1623- 1662) was not only a great thinker, but also the greatest French prose writer at that time. In the era of serious classicism, Moliere (1622- 1673) and La Fontaine (162 1- 1695) are the most distinctive styles. The former creates witty and lively modern comedies, while the language stories created by the latter have become a must-read for French children today. Francois de laroche Foucault is a master of prose aphorisms. The style of "prose aphorism" is very rich in French literature.
Classical literature is essentially aristocratic literature, which embodies the aesthetic taste of the royal family and its achievements are limited to a few fields. With the continuous improvement of citizens' education level and the continuous expansion of social concern, the rigid dogma of classicism has gradually become the shackles of literary development. However, whether you can understand the spirit of classicism and appreciate its masterpieces is still considered by the French as a sign to judge whether a person has culture or not.
18th century: the age of reason
The style of French literature in18th century was quite different from that in 17th century, and its change was the fastest between the death of Louis XIV in 17 15 and the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789. This is an era that advocates rationality and breeds many ideas, some of which are even destructive to the existing system and country, and their basic tendency is criticism, doubt and innovation. The ideas of freedom, tolerance, fraternity, equality and revolution are accepted and supported by more and more people.
Some of these ideas come from the British intellectual class. The most distinctive literary works of this century are all propaganda of ideas and challenges to tradition, dogma and authority. At this time, a large number of writers called "Philosophers" appeared in France, mainly Montesquieu, Voltaire and Diderot. Montesquieu (1689- 1755) satirized all aspects of social customs and praised the British Constitution. Voltaire (1694- 1778) attacked stubborn superstitions and sympathized with the victims of religious persecution and political oppression. In him, the principle of rationalism has been the most profound embodiment. However, most of Voltaire's works are too dependent on the times and do not have eternal literary charm. Only his letters and some stories are still read today. Denis Derot (17 13- 1784) is the editor-in-chief of a famous encyclopedia. Encyclopedia not only provides people with a lot of information, but also aims to attack ignorance and intolerance and get rid of ignorance and superstition. From the perspective of pure literature, the creation of this period still belongs to the category of classicism. For example, Voltaire's poetic tragedy is largely based on the creation of Gao Naiyi and Racine. Diderot was an innovator to a greater extent. His drama creation and contribution to drama theory, including the concept of "drama", have adapted to the needs of the growing middle class.
/kloc-Boer Made Wally (1688- 1763) in the first half of the 8th century and Boer Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732- 1799) in the second half of the 8th century inherited the classics. In addition, some writers are engaged in pure literary creation that has nothing to do with concept propaganda, and some novels have appeared, such as Jill Brass of Alain Rene Lesacchi (1668- 1747) and Manon, the mistress of Rabbi Kubrat Pulev (1697-1747).
Jean-Jean-jean-jacques rousseau (17 12- 1778) is the most important French writer in the 8th century. His works promote the natural virtues and instinctive rationality of human beings and attack the decay of social civilization. He is eager to live in a knowledge-oriented world, and he himself is an innovator of education and an enlightener of revolutionary thought. In literature, he is regarded as the pioneer of romanticism. Throughout the eighteenth century, Rousseau's influence surpassed that of any other writer.
Romantic literature: a backwash to classicism
From the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 to the overthrow of Napoleon's regime in 18 15, the French paid attention to observing external things. This is the most changeable moment in French political history. If the political changes had not attracted the attention of the French, the romantic movement would have appeared earlier in France. Romantic movement is a direct response to French classicism. To some extent, romanticism emphasizes human feelings rather than rationality; Emphasize individuals, not society; This is not completely in line with the national characteristics of the French. The origin of French romanticism appeared in the story creation of Fran? ois-René de chateaubriand (1768- 1848) and the introduction of German romanticism elements by madame de stael, with the style of Alphonse de Lamartin (1790- 1869).
Romanticism's defense of poetic tragedy opened the real curtain of this movement. 1830 The release of victor hugo's Onani symbolizes the final victory of the romantic drama. Boileau's "Three Uniforms" was formally abolished, and the prosodic restriction of poetic tragedy was also liberated. Hugo (1802- 1885) is the most outstanding genius and well-deserved spiritual leader in the romantic movement. He wrote a lot in his life and made great achievements in poetry, drama, novels and other fields. His position in lyric poetry creation is considered supreme.
Other writers of this movement are Alfredo de Yiqi Yao with pessimistic style (1799- 1863) and Theophil gautier with aesthetic style (181-1872). These three poets are also engaged in novel creation, while Miao Sai in the later period achieved great success in the field of drama creation. The novelist Dumas (1802- 1870) is famous all over the world for his masterpiece three musketeers.
Prosper Merimee is a master of short stories. George sand (1804- 1876), the most famous French woman writer, is best at describing rural life. Charles Augustine Saint-Boff (1804- 1869) is the greatest French literary critic of this era. He devoted his life to the spread of romantic ideas and tried to explain his works objectively, rather than commenting on them.
By the middle of19th century, the romantic movement reached its peak. Romanticism advocates the liberation of human personality from norms and dogmas, which provides writers with endless inspiration. It revived all branches of literature, and poetry creation undoubtedly benefited the most from it. In this movement, foreign writers had a great influence on the development of French literature, especially the works of Shakespeare, Scott and Byron.
Realistic Literature: Scientific Development and Industrialization
Realism appeared after romanticism, and it adhered to the principle of describing real life truly. The birth of realism is a reconciliation of romanticism to some extent, but its essence is the product of the continuous development of science and technology and the intensification of industrialization.
After the emergence of realism, the true description of real life has become the mainstream of literary creation. Stendhal (1783- 1842) is a true pioneer of French realism, and the novel Red and Black still has a wide audience. Balzac (1799- 1850) is the most outstanding representative of French realistic literature. His Human Comedy is a magnificent literary building, no less than/kloc-the chronicle of French social customs in the 9th century. In addition to novels, Dumas and ogier's drama creation also followed the principle of realism.
This realistic principle of pursuing truth and science has even been applied to poetry creation, among which the famous "Gaodan School" poets are outstanding representatives, among which Elgon de Lear (18 18- 1894) has the highest achievement.
Realists advocate eliminating all illusions and observing real life, and most of them pay attention to depicting the dark side of society. This trend reached its climax in Charles Baudelaire's morbid poems (182 1 year-1867). This makes Baudelaire and his contemporaries seem out of place, but it is also doomed that he will become a pioneer of a new genre.
Naturalist literature
With the further development of realism, its scientific and objective principles have been continuously strengthened, and realism has gradually evolved into naturalism. This school ignores people's social attributes and regards people as a simple part of nature. Ibo Park Jung Su Tanner (1828- 1893) provided a philosophical basis for the development of naturalism. He firmly believes that the formation of a person's character and destiny depends on genetic factors, surrounding environment and his times. The representatives of naturalistic literature are Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary (1857), his disciples guy de maupassant (1850- 1897) and Emile Zola (1840-65438). On the other hand, alphonse Dodd (1840- 1897) developed a moderate realistic style. The prosperity of Nordic and Russian literature in this period promoted the development of French naturalism.
Symbolism Literature: Emphasizing Emotion and Emotion
Although naturalism is all the rage, it has never been able to form a grand worldwide picture like realism or romanticism because of its overly pessimistic mood and extremely cold style. /kloc-in the second half of the 0/9th century, there was a large-scale rebound against naturalism in French literary circles. This literary wave, called symbolism movement by later generations, mainly appeared in the field of poetry. To some extent, symbolism literature can be regarded as a special revival of romanticism. Symbolism advocates replacing accurate statements with vague and hidden hints, and awakening people's deep feelings with the clever combination of words and rules. Stephen Malarme (1842- 1898) and paul verlaine (1844- 1896) are two of the most talented and famous symbolist poets. This movement also developed in the literary style of prose, and the representative figure was Belgian maurice maeterlinck (1862- 1949) who wrote in French. Symbolism poetry has done some very valuable experiments in the metrical form of poetry, which finally freed French poetry from the shackles of traditional forms.
French literature before World War I
With the great success of Edmund rostain's poetic drama (1868- 19 18), especially the sensational effect of sihano de Gyerak (1897), people even mistakenly think that another romantic movement has arrived. However, the facts are disappointing. French literature at the turn of the century has a tendency of eclecticism. Various ideological trends go hand in hand, but no one can dominate. Anatole France (1844- 1924) has long occupied the leading position in the literary world. He regards literature as a tool for thinking about human problems. The most outstanding thinker in this period was Renning (1823- 1892), who had a great influence on French intellectuals. Both Renan and Francois firmly believe that the absolute truth will never be really touched by people. People can only think about the problem from many aspects and try their best to approach the absolute truth. As a result, skepticism prevails among young people. On the eve of World War I, there was a movement in France to resist the phenomenon of "shallow involvement in literature and art". The so-called "dabbling in literature and art" refers to the act of dabbling in all kinds of knowledge without seeking a very good understanding. Literature at this time has been inseparable from religious, ethical and political ideas.
Other languages and literature in France
French is not the only literary language in France. Some dialects formed in France in the Middle Ages developed their own unique literary traditions in the following centuries, such as Anglo-Norman literature and Provence literature. Literature written in these dialects developed independently until the18th century, but eventually faded and almost disappeared in the increasingly powerful French literature. /kloc-in the 0/9th century, there was a massive revival movement of dialect literature, and outstanding writers such as Philip Bridge who wrote in Provence emerged. This movement had a profound influence on French literature, and indirectly contributed to the short-term prosperity of Norman literature. Frederick Mi Straahl (1830- 19 14), a poet who wrote in Provence dialect, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1904.
After 1920, Brittany language and literature flourished, although the population who spoke this language became less and less. 1925, Ropar Ormon founded a periodical named Gwalam and led the Brittany revival movement in 19, aiming at improving the status of Brittany in France and internationally. Brittany writers actively create various types of literary works and translate many famous foreign literary works into Brittany dialect. For the first time, this movement made Brittany, an endangered small language, gain a worldwide reputation.
In addition, the literature of French dialects such as Walloon and Catalan also developed to a certain extent before and after the First World War.
French literature after World War I
During the period of1920s, the French surrealism movement appeared, and Paul Ayroud made many valuable attempts in this field. Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, representatives of existentialist literature in the1940s, may be the most famous French writers in the 20th century. Simone De Beauvoir is one of the pioneers of feminist literature.
In the 1950 s, France became the cradle of the new novel movement. Contemporary French literature has produced a large number of outstanding masters, but few can dominate. French literature has developed in novels, plays, poems and literary criticism. No matter what the achievements and development trend of modern French literature are, at least up to now, the development of French literature is still full of vitality and enjoys it.