French novels such as Madame Bovary and The Stranger are staples
of high school and college literature courses. This new
companion provides encyclopedic coverage of the French novel
from its origins in the 16th century through the present day,
with an emphasis on novels most commonly studied in high school
and college courses in world literature and in French culture
and civilization. Written in a clear, accessible style, this is
the only reference book of its kind to analyze the genre as a
whole. A detailed introduction surveys the history of the French
novel and discusses emerging trends. More than 550 in-depth
entries, ranging from 300 to 2,500 words, cover novelists
including Dumas, Voltaire, Flaubert, Proust, Camus, and Sartre,
and novels such as The Three Musketeers, Candide, Les
Misérables, Remembrance of Things Past (In Search of Lost Time),
and The Plague. Entries include bibliographies to guide further
research. - Author biographies - Synopses and analyses of major
novels - Genres and literary movem