LIT 11-LITERATURE OF THE WORLD

NAME: ANTOLIJAO, KAREN GRACE S.

Course/Program: BSA 2

Schedule: MON & WED (12:00-1:30PM)

ACTIVITY #12

FRENCH LITERATURE

PART 1. Answer the following questions.

A. What makes French Literature unique from other country's literature?
List 5 unique features of French literature.

French literature can be distinguished apart from other literature through its language
used and themes that makes it more unique and original. Considering that the high
proportion of European literary trends have originated in France, most works reflect
their culture and tradition that is distinct from other literature. Listed below are its
features:
● French literature employs the french language that was developed from Vulgar
Latin as a result of Roman occupation.
● French literature coincided with the Baroque movement that was developing in
the artistic scene which characteristics include the personal, dynamic, colourful
elements as well as the use of images to produce an impact on the readers.
● France developed its own distinctive and many-stranded cultural tradition, which,
while never losing sight of the riches of the medieval base and the
Judeo-Christian biblical tradition that influences the way they write and its
content.
● French literature, one of the world's most brilliant, has been for centuries an
impressive aspect of French civilization, an object of national pride, and a
principal focus for feelings of national identity.
● Major themes have emerged such as adventure, philosophical humor, liberal
humanism, and modern individualism that has been adapted by other countries'
literary works.
B. Cite 5 literary figures/ authors/poets with their works (cite at least 3
works per author).

● Albert Camus (1913-1960) – Camus was Algerian born: this involves him in the
debates about French colonization in Algeria and about the Algerian War. He
takes advantage of his writing talent to transmit his philosophy. He uses
symbolism and theatre to express his ideas, thoughts and doubts.
WORKS:
1. “The Myth of Sisyphus”
2. “The Fall”
3. “The Rebel”
4. “The Plague”
● Émile Zola (1840-1902) – Emile Zola is probably the best-known writer of the
literary movement of naturalism. It has for purpose an experimental analysis of
human condition and psychology.
WORKS:
1. “J’accuse”
2. “Thérèse Raquin”
3. “Germinal”
4. “Madeleine Férat”
● Jules Verne (1828-1905) – Jules Vernes is one of the first to write about science
fiction, and is considered as the founding father of the genre in France.
WORKS:
1. “Around the World in Eighty Days”
2. “A Journey to the Centre of the Earth”
3. “The Mysterious Island”
4. “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”
● Victor Hugo (1802-1885) – poet, novelist, and dramatist who was the most
important of the French Romantic writers. Victor Hugo is, deeply, a
humanitarian. He uses his literature as a way to describe the human conditions
and injustices of the society.
WORKS:
1. “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”
2. “Les Misérables”
3. “Les Châtiments”
4. “Hernani”
● Marcel Proust (1871-1922) – Proust is well known for his very long sentences,
some of which extend to several pages in length. Proust brought something else
 of his personal life into his writings: he was homosexual, and became one of the
first great European writers to deal with homosexuality in his work.
WORKS:
1. "In Search of Lost Time"
2. “Contre Sainte-Beuve"
3. “Sesame and Lilies”
4. “Pleasures and Days”

C. Explain in 5 sentences the significance/importance of French Literature

and its contribution to the rich and diverse world of Literature.
● Literature is profoundly important to the French people and plays an important
role in their sense of identity. As the 11th century started, oldest writings in
Medieval french became a key source of literary themes in the middle ages.
French became the literary lingua franca and diplomatic language of western
Europe later in the 18th century and to a certain degree, in America. French
letters have had a significant effect on all literary traditions in Europe and
America, while Africa and the Far East have greatly influenced these other
national traditions, introducing the French language to non-European cultures
makes a drastic change and contribute to today's world literary experience.
Because the French are a literate people, passionately interested in questions of
language and in the exploration of ideas, the influence of French intellectuals on
the course of literary history during the last three centuries has been great, and
remains so in the present.