This video was really great. I love Flaubert and LaClos. I read Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame this year. I would say that Les Miz is the most important novel ever written.
Little Prince and Count of Monte Cristo are my Fave French novels and Alexander Dumas is my fave French novelist. Albert Camus my fave French poet. Thanks for sharing very educational...
I hope that this was a labour of love because it certainly required a tremendous effort to put it together, especially when you add the graphics. The only writer I would have liked to see on this list is ‘Racine’ who I think is up there with Moliere, except that he wrote tragedies. Many thanks and stay prolific.
Thank you so much. I always eagerly read you comment after every video to see if I have done a good job or not. I really value your opinion, Sharon. The name rings a bell, but I haven't read anything by Racine. Will check him/her out.
I feel humiliated for considering my opinions because passing a judgment does not really require a skill. I must say that you have progressed so much from the first video you posted. By the way, I also recommend Andre Gide (only if you have time). I wonder if you have considered selling those videos to schools because I think that they will be helpful to the students. Thanks again and stay safe.
Thank you! You’ve been with me on this journey for the very start so I value you sticking around. Selling to schools, yes I’d be interested but two things. First I don’t know how to. Second I’m not sure these are high quality enough to sell. It would be nice to get make some money to cover the cost of books. But I’m very fulfilled seeing people enjoy or learn something.
I am going to venture and suggest something. You can approach either the schools directly or the educational bodies like Pearson, OCR and AQA. What I really like about your videos, especially the latest ones, is that they provide an in-depth summary of the novel along with background details supported by the graphics. In 10-15 minutes I can enrich myself. I think this will help students to read critically or analytically. I did question in my head how you can afford the time and money to do it and I reached the conclusion that it must be part of a degree you are aspiring to. Since this is not the case, I would like to contribute to your endeavour. Apologies for this long reply.
01:49 - I get it’s a generalisation but France definitely hasn’t allowed people to write more freely due to freedom of speech laws. A large part of the history of French literature is a history of censorship. Prolific authors often published their works in countries such as the Netherlands due to freer freedom of speech laws and major works often saw revisions or cuts in order to be accepted amongst the current political landscape. It would be pretty compelling to argue that these constraints have shaped the French novel, notably given the historical focus on the individual in relation to society in these works
Just as an example, Madame Bovary was published in 1850s and approved by court, while Lady Chatterley's Lover written by an English writer was published in France in 1929, and only published in England in 1960. Another example, Marcel Proust wrote about and practiced homosexuality, but in England, Oscar Wilde spent two years in jail in 1890s and Turing went to jail in 1950s. I guess I should have made it clear that France has been a far more liberal country for artists than England.
Just for talking points: "Jean-Christophe" by Romain Rolland was perhaps the most popular French novel among Chinese translations. Probably it's the "good over evil" theme and traditional story-telling style that have rung the bell. It could be Fiction Beast that once said Romain Rolland was not Proust's cup of tea.
Once you have covered Western literature maybe you can also present us with Persian , Turkish, Arabic, Chinese , Indian subcontinent and African literature?
Nah. Why the omnipresent expectation that a presenter with a particular viewpoint must somehow be everything to everyone? It's good that he has an identifiable focus, namely a Eurocentric one with special attention on Russia and France. There's nothing wrong with that, nor does it need expanding. He doesn't disregard the literature of other places, but it doesn't constitute the lion's share of his videos either. That's a very intelligent and humble approach that I think would be well adopted by other content creators.
Thanks for running this series. A request - it would be great if you could make a few videos on Native American literature. You could also dig into Wild West stories. I was an avid reader of Old West fiction during 1980s. I didn’t understand at that time, but when I think about those stories now, I find that there was a tendency among the Wild West authors to demonize Native American characters. Well, this is my thinking; yours could be different. Warm regards…
in the 1980s the politics of the West has changed: white man became the devil, and brown people - the good guys; the novel Dances With Wolves was published in 1988, and filmed by Kevin Costner in 1990 (it does not demonise Amerindians)
Depends of period of my life; when I was child, me and all the people from my country, number 1 was Al Dumas with The three musqetieres!😂 The rest I red when I was young; now I cant say what is my favorite ( I’m iver 60!)
Galileo was put to death for his scientific beliefs? Completely false. I find the fact that you (a cultivated man) actually believe this quite shocking, to be honest.
Incorrect, but hardly shocking. He was persecuted, ridiculed & gaoled upon pain of a threat of heresy less he recant his steadfast adherence to the scientific method. Free expression & critical thinking curtailed in favour of Catholic doctrine.
@@pele68ish He was shown the instruments of torture & traumatized enough to submit to house arrest for the remainder of his life. He was still able to make his scientific observations but could not say the Earth revolved around the Sun or anything that might imply that.
Most importanrly A Rebours or Against Nature by Joris Karl Huysmans- even if you struggle with the style in terms of exemplifying decadence it has no rival Cousine Bette by Balzac, Trilby By George Du Maurier The Iron King (i've oinly started and not read whole series but is brilliant) from LE Roix Maldits by Druon
I feel Jules Verne should be on the list of greatest French writers. He is one of the key founders of Modern science fiction writing classics like 20 000 leagues under the Sea or Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
@@declanm6887 He's the most translated French author, but I've never bothered to read him, assuming he writes pulp fiction....not so, you say....interesting.
Very good list! Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand definitely should be up there. Memoirs of Hadrien by Marguerite Yourcenar is too often forgotten, but should be mentionned.
If you are talking about French literature, you should make an effort to pronounce the names approximately correctly. Céline should be read by everyone, much more engrossing and humorous than Proust who doesn't seem to have any humor. For Camus, I suggest "La Peste". Also, for Zola, "Lourdes" which is part of "Les Trois Villes". It is a devastating critique of the Church and its nefarious influence on French society. One writer you left out was Boris Vian who wrote what you might call surrealistic or dadaist or absurd stories with a lot of truth in them.
I feel Jules Verne should be on the list of greatest French writers. He is one of the key founders of Modern science fiction writing classics like 20 000 leagues under the Sea or Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
@@Big-guy1981 well, Perrault, La Fontaine, Anderson, Carroll, St-Exupéry, De Ségur, Béatrix Potter, A.A. Milne and even Tolkien wrote book for children and they are classics. So yes, we should!
A novel I had never heard of, but is pleasing me greatly: Ninety-Three, by Victor Hugo, his last novel...about the year 1793, very historical, and written after the Commune of 1871.
Ninety-Three (Quatrevingt-Treize) by Victor Hugo is an absolute wonder. Far shorter than Les Misérables and easier to read that's the perfect introduction to Hugo's novels. The novel is epic in the action and the style, it's a Wonderfull analysis of French politics of the late XVIIIth and XIXth centuries, caracters are charismatic, profound, very intelligent but yet humain with all the flows that implies. I absolutly recommand it. One of the best novel of all time. Les Misérables is the greatest novel of Hugo but it's the greatest Novel in the history of litterature so no shame for Ninety-Three to be only the second best novel of Hugo and it is his most easy to read and probably the epitomy and the summit of his style.
1 Galelleo was not executed, he was placed under house arrest, where he continued his scientific investigations. 2 he was punished not for his beliefs but instead for publishing a dialogue, in Italian, which the common people could read and have read to them, instead of Latin, that mocked the Church's teachings.
The only author I can think of that appears to be missing is Sartre; Nausea is one of the major French classics I think. I can understand excluding Marquis de Sade...
Spot on! I considered Nausea then decided it was too difficult to read and opted for Albert Camus's The Stranger. I haven't read Marquis de Sade, but an excellent choice to show the rebelliousness of the French literature.
Because he was not a good writer. He is piquant and daring, but the writing itself is reall, really dull and unartistic. In romance languages, the notion of writing artistry and balance is quite important. In English literature this notion disappeared as that world chose James Joyce over Ezra Pound. After that, political posture has been more important in English than refinement --- discussions on English now deny the existence of good literature (and the Romance Languages roll on the floor laughing)
I disagree about De Sade as it really isn't morally questionable when you consider the context...I would argue if you can include Celine & journey then De Sade is only omitted for creators view on his quality and not for any moral reasons
Dangerous Liaisons is mainly about a man and a woman's duel, and it is not about their attempt to seduce as many partners as they can. Watch either of the movies, Valmont is the other. And I did read the novel.
desiderius erasmus gargantua pantagruel misanthrope Voltaire (eldorodo) pierre stendhal George sand pere goirat Alexander dumas gustav flaubert victor hugo guy de m (bel-ami) emile zola alain founier louis Ferdinand le petit prince Gigi geogres perec the lover by mar duras
The passage you put from The Journey to the End of the Night is my favorite quote from the novel. The character of Alcide at the beginning is described as a bad person, like everyone else the protagonist meets. But Ferdinand discovers that he has a part of "beauty and kindness in him" for a niece he has almost never seen. It's a very touching moment in a dark and cruel novel.
You're right, as others have noted Galileo was threatened with trial for heresy & shown the instruments of torture which convinced him to submit to a form of house arrest for the rest of his life. He continued his scientific studies until the end & wrote books on physics that Einstein greatly admired.
Awesome video! Nowadays French literature is only focused on the political spectrum of debates (Foucault, Derrida, Baudrillard), so it's very refreshing to be enlightened about the French classics. Great videos, and also you have a good sense of humor too! "If novelists were hairdressers you'd want a haircut by Flaubert" 😂 Great job, keep it up!
Good point! I read this a while back. My memory is hazy, but i remember two aristocrats (two men) were trying to compete as who would seduce more (difficult) women. Yes, i remember the letters between men and women, but the main plot revolves around these two men and their lovers.
Thank you! I really appreciate feedback like yours. I don’t always get things right despite my best effort. So need your help to point out my mistakes.
Other Mentions! Jules Verne: Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), Around the World in Eighty Days (1872.) Gaston Leroux: The Phantom of the Opera (1909.) Pierre la Mure: Moulin Rouge (1950.) Pierre Boulle: The Bridge over the River Kwai (1952) + Planet of the Apes (1963.) Authors whose works have made Stage and Cinematic impact.
Ah it's a shame Marguerite Yourcenar wasn't included... did you have time to read some of her work ? I would dare to say it is comparable to Proust's work in term of complexity and deepness.
In my opinion there are two important works missing. The first one is "Jacques, le fataliste" by Diderot, which is a kind of "the other side of the coin" of "Candide" ( and, in my opinion, a better novel). The other one should be some novel by Marguerite Yourcenar, who is the greatest "classic" French writer of the XXth century, the "Flaubert" of the past century ( Ithink). My personal favourites are some of her "nouvelles" ("Le coup de grâce","Anna, soror", "Un homme obscur") but a more "mainstream" choice could be "Mémoires d´Hadrien", one of the best, if not the best historical novels ever written.
You reminded me about how much literature I've read. Merci. Wonderful stories. Meaning of life? Camus was right. We really seek meaningful experiences to sustain us.
You should Italian novels too Like example:Umberto Eco The name of the rose and Foucault's Pendulum are masterpieces Italy has many,many great writers and poets
Hi, I am french and have read most of french littérature. I must say that for me best authors are Albert Cohen "solal" and "belle du seigneur" and Georges Bernanos "sous le soleil de satan" and "journal d'un curé de campagne".
I love your 'great novels from a country' videos, I learn a lot. Houellebecq's 'Submission' is a deep read. Narrating the death of France's freedom and democracy using a professor who resembles Camus's Meursault. The premise and plot are sorealistic, reflecting 21st century French politics and culture, that he's convinced me that it's a probable outcome.
@@Fiction_Beast Your literary research is commendable, perhaps you will read the DIALOGUE in which Galileo made a comic parody of a Church scholar arguing with a scientist; it was this book that got him accused of heresy, he was shown the instruments of torture & encouraged to stay silent. His daughter was a nun & pleaded that her old ailing father be allowed to stay near Florence where good doctors could care for him. There he was blind but remained active as a music teacher & his letters to his daughter report he had very pleasant company. You probably know the instructions he gave of what to do with the thumb, forefinger & middle finger of his right hand after his death.
@@carlocatalano9662 This is awsome. I just vaguely remember my school teacher talking about him in our physics class, but i had no idea about his life and family or how he was put under house arrest. Over the years in my memory Galileo and Socrates somehow merged to have been killed by the state for their views. I am really intrigued to read the Dialogue. Really appreciate you taking your time to educate me.
Hi I am from India. You have added Hindi subtitle in the caption of your other videos then why not add it?Please request you to increase your viewers, supporters and subscribers in India by adding Hindi subtitles.your videos are very interesting
@@Fiction_Beast Dear Critics! You did not choose any Kathkar, novelist from India. The novel of Kamleshwar, the father of the new story, which has been translated into English, you can read if you want.You can criticize or analyze it.The name of the novel is; कितने पाकिस्तान (kitne Pakistan)।Very original language style and completely new themed novel.You must have heard the name of Munshi Premchand etc. In addition, criticism was also made on James Joyce, Henry Miller, Vladimir Novokov, Virginia Woolf and William Faulkner,Submit review, analysis that novel, stream off Consciousness Theme based. hearty congratulations to you 💓🌹💐
Hello sir 🙏 I have watched all your videos and I m really amazed that you had provided me a good number of reviews regarding the novels and the literature📚 of the particular cultures. I am really very happy 😊 to have a lot of ideas about the novels now. A big thanks to you. And keep up the good work. Waiting for the upcoming videos.....
"Russian litterature is a massive punch in the face" is probably the most accurate definition of russian litterature I've ever heard. Excellent selection of novels by the way, for any foreigner wanting to start reading french litterature. Only classics.
jean paul sartre défénitely should be in that list. le comte de Monte Cristo is the greatest in my opinion. and for one novel missed : think guys should read SAMARCANDE, a novel by Amin Maalouf, absolutely worth your time, thanks all
Lately, I've been reading a lot of Symbolist novelist Paul Adam. His work has not been translated from the original French, but his use of the language is incredible and worth experiencing. My favorite French novel so far is "Jean-Christophe" by Romain Rolland, another Nobel winner, and a huge beast of a book, but to me it is an underappreciated masterpiece.
In my opinion you should have put Romain Gary on the list. He was one of the greatest French writer of the 20th century. His autobiographical novel « Promise at Dawn » (La Promesse de l’Aube) is, in my opinion, an absolute masterpiece, but also novels like « Roots of Heaven » (Les racines du ciel), « The Life before Us » (la vie devant soi). But I’m not sure of his popularity outside of France.
@@Fiction_Beast Do you know what the word consistent means? You had others who wrote one novel and weren’t as famous. Btw Guy is pronounced Giy in French.
Galileo was not "put to death" as the narrator states. He was sentenced to house arrest and died naturally.
whatever
He would have been killed and tortured if he did not recant his beliefs.
'In Search of Lost Time' is my all-time favorite novel, but 'Le Grand Meaulnes' is my second-favorite.
I agree.
This video was really great. I love Flaubert and LaClos. I read Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame this year. I would say that Les Miz is the most important novel ever written.
Celine!!! Yes... We have much in common, Blaise Cendrars? Film... Robert Bresson...?
Anything by Jules Verne is an automatic 10 out of 10 for me
Great video thank u very very very much ❤❤❤❤❤
So nice of you
Little Prince and Count of Monte Cristo are my Fave French novels and Alexander Dumas is my fave French novelist. Albert Camus my fave French poet.
Thanks for sharing very educational...
Camus was not a poet.
I hope that this was a labour of love because it certainly required a tremendous effort to put it together, especially when you add the graphics. The only writer I would have liked to see on this list is ‘Racine’ who I think is up there with Moliere, except that he wrote tragedies. Many thanks and stay prolific.
Thank you so much. I always eagerly read you comment after every video to see if I have done a good job or not. I really value your opinion, Sharon. The name rings a bell, but I haven't read anything by Racine. Will check him/her out.
I feel humiliated for considering my opinions because passing a judgment does not really require a skill. I must say that you have progressed so much from the first video you posted. By the way, I also recommend Andre Gide (only if you have time). I wonder if you have considered selling those videos to schools because I think that they will be helpful to the students. Thanks again and stay safe.
Thank you! You’ve been with me on this journey for the very start so I value you sticking around.
Selling to schools, yes I’d be interested but two things. First I don’t know how to. Second I’m not sure these are high quality enough to sell. It would be nice to get make some money to cover the cost of books. But I’m very fulfilled seeing people enjoy or learn something.
I am going to venture and suggest something. You can approach either the schools directly or the educational bodies like Pearson, OCR and AQA. What I really like about your videos, especially the latest ones, is that they provide an in-depth summary of the novel along with background details supported by the graphics. In 10-15 minutes I can enrich myself. I think this will help students to read critically or analytically. I did question in my head how you can
afford the time and money to do it and I reached the conclusion that it must be part of a degree you are aspiring to. Since this is not the case, I would like to contribute to your endeavour. Apologies for this long reply.
I just responded to you about how you can market your videos. I am not sure if it reached you. let me know.
01:49 - I get it’s a generalisation but France definitely hasn’t allowed people to write more freely due to freedom of speech laws. A large part of the history of French literature is a history of censorship. Prolific authors often published their works in countries such as the Netherlands due to freer freedom of speech laws and major works often saw revisions or cuts in order to be accepted amongst the current political landscape. It would be pretty compelling to argue that these constraints have shaped the French novel, notably given the historical focus on the individual in relation to society in these works
Just as an example, Madame Bovary was published in 1850s and approved by court, while Lady Chatterley's Lover written by an English writer was published in France in 1929, and only published in England in 1960. Another example, Marcel Proust wrote about and practiced homosexuality, but in England, Oscar Wilde spent two years in jail in 1890s and Turing went to jail in 1950s. I guess I should have made it clear that France has been a far more liberal country for artists than England.
Italy Dante
English Shakespeare
France ?? Moliere?
Germany Goethe
Just for talking points: "Jean-Christophe" by Romain Rolland was perhaps the most popular French novel among Chinese translations. Probably it's the "good over evil" theme and traditional story-telling style that have rung the bell. It could be Fiction Beast that once said Romain Rolland was not Proust's cup of tea.
Once you have covered Western literature maybe you can also present us with Persian , Turkish, Arabic, Chinese , Indian subcontinent and African literature?
I have a lot of content from those languages. Just search for them.
Nah. Why the omnipresent expectation that a presenter with a particular viewpoint must somehow be everything to everyone? It's good that he has an identifiable focus, namely a Eurocentric one with special attention on Russia and France. There's nothing wrong with that, nor does it need expanding. He doesn't disregard the literature of other places, but it doesn't constitute the lion's share of his videos either. That's a very intelligent and humble approach that I think would be well adopted by other content creators.
! ! ? ! Yeah , he's got nothing else
to do . Maybe he could come up with a cure for cancer in his spare
time ?
Thanks for running this series. A request - it would be great if you could make a few videos on Native American literature.
You could also dig into Wild West stories. I was an avid reader of Old West fiction during 1980s. I didn’t understand at that time, but when I think about those stories now, I find that there was a tendency among the Wild West authors to demonize Native American characters. Well, this is my thinking; yours could be different.
Warm regards…
in the 1980s the politics of the West has changed: white man became the devil, and brown people - the good guys;
the novel Dances With Wolves was published in 1988, and filmed by Kevin Costner in 1990 (it does not demonise Amerindians)
Great video. The content was spot on. But when it comes to Dumas, I recommend The Count of Monte Cristo over the three Musketeers.
Depends of period of my life; when I was child, me and all the people from my country, number 1 was Al Dumas with The three musqetieres!😂 The rest I red when I was young; now I cant say what is my favorite ( I’m iver 60!)
Galileo was put to death for his scientific beliefs? Completely false. I find the fact that you (a cultivated man) actually believe this quite shocking, to be honest.
I have been corrected.
Incorrect, but hardly shocking. He was persecuted, ridiculed & gaoled upon pain of a threat of heresy less he recant his steadfast adherence to the scientific method. Free expression & critical thinking curtailed in favour of Catholic doctrine.
@@pele68ish He was shown the instruments of torture & traumatized enough to submit to house arrest for the remainder of his life. He was still able to make his scientific observations but could not say the Earth revolved around the Sun or anything that might imply that.
Which French novels do you think deserved to be on this list? Which novels did I miss?
I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t heard any of these. Clearly I need to read to more French. Thanks so much!
The Mysteries of Paris (Eugene Sue), although a play: Cyrano de Bergerac (Rostand)
Most importanrly A Rebours or Against Nature by Joris Karl Huysmans- even if you struggle with the style in terms of exemplifying decadence it has no rival
Cousine Bette by Balzac,
Trilby By George Du Maurier
The Iron King (i've oinly started and not read whole series but is brilliant) from LE Roix Maldits by Druon
I feel Jules Verne should be on the list of greatest French writers. He is one of the key founders of Modern science fiction writing classics like 20 000 leagues under the Sea or Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
@@declanm6887 He's the most translated French author, but I've never bothered to read him, assuming he writes pulp fiction....not so, you say....interesting.
The Fall.
Very good list! Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand definitely should be up there. Memoirs of Hadrien by Marguerite Yourcenar is too often forgotten, but should be mentionned.
Marguerite Yourcenar is an IMMENSE artist, the Abyss is one of my favorites, such a complex and deep novel. It is a shame she wasn't mentioned there.
If you are talking about French literature, you should make an effort to pronounce the names approximately correctly. Céline should be read by everyone, much more engrossing and humorous than Proust who doesn't seem to have any humor. For Camus, I suggest "La Peste". Also, for Zola, "Lourdes" which is part of "Les Trois Villes". It is a devastating critique of the Church and its nefarious influence on French society. One writer you left out was Boris Vian who wrote what you might call surrealistic or dadaist or absurd stories with a lot of truth in them.
I feel Jules Verne should be on the list of greatest French writers. He is one of the key founders of Modern science fiction writing classics like 20 000 leagues under the Sea or Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
good call!
You want to include children books?
@@Big-guy1981 well, Perrault, La Fontaine, Anderson, Carroll, St-Exupéry, De Ségur, Béatrix Potter, A.A. Milne and even Tolkien wrote book for children and they are classics. So yes, we should!
Albert Camus's great,but Guy de Maupassant is my instant fave. .
A novel I had never heard of, but is pleasing me greatly: Ninety-Three, by Victor Hugo, his last novel...about the year 1793, very historical, and written after the Commune of 1871.
Ninety-Three (Quatrevingt-Treize) by Victor Hugo is an absolute wonder. Far shorter than Les Misérables and easier to read that's the perfect introduction to Hugo's novels. The novel is epic in the action and the style, it's a Wonderfull analysis of French politics of the late XVIIIth and XIXth centuries, caracters are charismatic, profound, very intelligent but yet humain with all the flows that implies. I absolutly recommand it. One of the best novel of all time. Les Misérables is the greatest novel of Hugo but it's the greatest Novel in the history of litterature so no shame for Ninety-Three to be only the second best novel of Hugo and it is his most easy to read and probably the epitomy and the summit of his style.
Your list has covered the best of the best. Maybe Andre Malraux and Gide next time...
1 Galelleo was not executed, he was placed under house arrest, where he continued his scientific investigations. 2 he was punished not for his beliefs but instead for publishing a dialogue, in Italian, which the common people could read and have read to them, instead of Latin, that mocked the Church's teachings.
The Germinal is seriously dark
The only author I can think of that appears to be missing is Sartre; Nausea is one of the major French classics I think.
I can understand excluding Marquis de Sade...
Spot on! I considered Nausea then decided it was too difficult to read and opted for Albert Camus's The Stranger. I haven't read Marquis de Sade, but an excellent choice to show the rebelliousness of the French literature.
Because he was not a good writer. He is piquant and daring, but the writing itself is reall, really dull and unartistic. In romance languages, the notion of writing artistry and balance is quite important. In English literature this notion disappeared as that world chose James Joyce over Ezra Pound. After that, political posture has been more important in English than refinement --- discussions on English now deny the existence of good literature (and the Romance Languages roll on the floor laughing)
I disagree about De Sade as it really isn't morally questionable when you consider the context...I would argue if you can include Celine & journey then De Sade is only omitted for creators view on his quality and not for any moral reasons
6:40 not two men ! One of them is a woman. If you didn't read the book I recommend you do !
I would mention Sartre but I really was not impressed with his novels. ah well, opinions...
Dangerous Liaisons is mainly about a man and a woman's duel, and it is not about their attempt to seduce as many partners as they can. Watch either of the movies, Valmont is the other. And I did read the novel.
Anatole France is missing, his History of Our Own Times trumps many other French novels
desiderius erasmus
gargantua pantagruel
misanthrope
Voltaire (eldorodo)
pierre
stendhal
George sand
pere goirat
Alexander dumas
gustav flaubert
victor hugo
guy de m (bel-ami)
emile zola
alain founier
louis Ferdinand
le petit prince
Gigi
geogres perec
the lover by mar duras
4:26 pm 6june/9thrzdi/2022 5120 st. charles...miltonlatter branch....
I thougth you would include jean cocteau as one of them, I want to know the opinion of yours though.
Wish Story of the eye was included in the list.
Come to think of it, I don't think I've really read any of the French classics. I do have a collection of Baudelaire's poetry, though.
It's time you read some french classics with some cheese and wine. my mouth is watering just writing this comment. lol
Difficult to select just 20 ... Leaving Victor Hugo out ?
The passage you put from The Journey to the End of the Night is my favorite quote from the novel. The character of Alcide at the beginning is described as a bad person, like everyone else the protagonist meets. But Ferdinand discovers that he has a part of "beauty and kindness in him" for a niece he has almost never seen.
It's a very touching moment in a dark and cruel novel.
Great abstract but are you sure Galileo wwas finally put to death?
That's right, Galileo was not put to death, it's a myth. Quite shocking to see this belief in a cultivated man, frankly.
You're right, as others have noted Galileo was threatened with trial for heresy & shown the instruments of torture which convinced him to submit to a form of house arrest for the rest of his life. He continued his scientific studies until the end & wrote books on physics that Einstein greatly admired.
The best French novelist is a man by the name of Sir End Der lol
Shakespeare is the Molière of England.
Guy de Maupassant was good at short story. .not of novel.
Thank you for your great work, generally. I was a bit disappointed that you didn't include André Gide into the list.
This is a great help, but maybe in the future don’t tell us the ending of the novels?
Thanks so much. I noticed it late.
Balzac
I think "Emile" by Rousseau is missing.
Awesome video! Nowadays French literature is only focused on the political spectrum of debates (Foucault, Derrida, Baudrillard), so it's very refreshing to be enlightened about the French classics. Great videos, and also you have a good sense of humor too! "If novelists were hairdressers you'd want a haircut by Flaubert" 😂 Great job, keep it up!
Appreciate mate! a big video on Flaubert is coming soon.
Wish I had this for Spanish but this is interesting
Keep it up man i love these vids so much
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it.
Excellent video as always ! Small disclaimer les liaisons dangereuses is the correspondence about a woman and a man not 2 mens about seduction =) .
Good point! I read this a while back. My memory is hazy, but i remember two aristocrats (two men) were trying to compete as who would seduce more (difficult) women. Yes, i remember the letters between men and women, but the main plot revolves around these two men and their lovers.
@@Fiction_Beast Oh, I understand your point now . Thank you for the clarification =). And keep up the excellent work !!
Thank you! I really appreciate feedback like yours. I don’t always get things right despite my best effort. So need your help to point out my mistakes.
Thank you for the suggestions. Expecting more
Galileo was not put to death by anyone.
I have been corrected many times. Appreciate it.
Other Mentions!
Jules Verne: Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), Around the World in Eighty Days (1872.)
Gaston Leroux: The Phantom of the Opera (1909.)
Pierre la Mure: Moulin Rouge (1950.)
Pierre Boulle: The Bridge over the River Kwai (1952) + Planet of the Apes (1963.)
Authors whose works have made Stage and Cinematic impact.
Great video, love french literature, Proust is my favorite author as well. Just one complain, why you had to spoil Perec's whole plot like that:(
Thanks so much! Yes I love Proust. Sorry about Perec. Still worth reading though.
@@Fiction_Beast yeah and I already forgot the spoiler so it's good. Read les choses and loved it so I'll be reading more Perec
This was my first Perec. Def want to read more so will check out le choses.
Elie Faure is so underrated
Poor Satre 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Ah it's a shame Marguerite Yourcenar wasn't included... did you have time to read some of her work ? I would dare to say it is comparable to Proust's work in term of complexity and deepness.
I am from India. I studied FRENCH for 13 years at school. I have read almost all the books You mention.
Merci
Beaucoup.
In my opinion there are two important works missing. The first one is "Jacques, le fataliste" by Diderot, which is a kind of "the other side of the coin" of "Candide" ( and, in my opinion, a better novel). The other one should be some novel by Marguerite Yourcenar, who is the greatest "classic" French writer of the XXth century, the "Flaubert" of the past century ( Ithink). My personal favourites are some of her "nouvelles" ("Le coup de grâce","Anna, soror", "Un homme obscur") but a more "mainstream" choice could be "Mémoires d´Hadrien", one of the best, if not the best historical novels ever written.
You reminded me about how much literature I've read. Merci. Wonderful stories. Meaning of life? Camus was right. We really seek meaningful experiences to sustain us.
Sartre "Nausea"
You should Italian novels too
Like example:Umberto Eco
The name of the rose and Foucault's Pendulum are masterpieces
Italy has many,many great writers and poets
No spoiler please
The Surrealists are some of my favorite French writers; Breton's Nadja is my favorite. Alfred Jarry is another essential author.
Great video (it's the fourth one i've watched in a row in the airport), but my god the french pronunciations 😂🤗
Hi, I am french and have read most of french littérature. I must say that for me best authors are Albert Cohen "solal" and "belle du seigneur" and Georges Bernanos "sous le soleil de satan" and "journal d'un curé de campagne".
Sartre...
I love your 'great novels from a country' videos, I learn a lot.
Houellebecq's 'Submission' is a deep read. Narrating the death of France's freedom and democracy using a professor who resembles Camus's Meursault. The premise and plot are sorealistic, reflecting 21st century French politics and culture, that he's convinced me that it's a probable outcome.
Thank you!
it's not deep: it's being criticised a lot these days - its target audience is Marine Le Pen-voting working class
@@ireneuszpyc6684 so the real french people , of course it's not for the muslim and black people of melenchon
my favorite Honore de Balzac-Lily of the Valley
George sand , l love this woman and her relationship with Chopin
Galileo was not put to death for his beliefs.
No? I thought he was put to death becuase he challenged the church.
@@Fiction_Beast He was put in house arrest for the remainder of his life. Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake though, in 1600.
Thank you for clearing that out.
@@Fiction_Beast Your literary research is commendable, perhaps you will read the DIALOGUE in which Galileo made a comic parody of a Church scholar arguing with a scientist; it was this book that got him accused of heresy, he was shown the instruments of torture & encouraged to stay silent. His daughter was a nun & pleaded that her old ailing father be allowed to stay near Florence where good doctors could care for him. There he was blind but remained active as a music teacher & his letters to his daughter report he had very pleasant company. You probably know the instructions he gave of what to do with the thumb, forefinger & middle finger of his right hand after his death.
@@carlocatalano9662 This is awsome. I just vaguely remember my school teacher talking about him in our physics class, but i had no idea about his life and family or how he was put under house arrest. Over the years in my memory Galileo and Socrates somehow merged to have been killed by the state for their views. I am really intrigued to read the Dialogue. Really appreciate you taking your time to educate me.
thank yo so much for creating this content , what's that place at 0:33?
A world opens up to me. Thank you.
awesome.
you pretty much covered the waterfront with this sampling.
quote from les miserables is in the first or second page.;)
Great list! I do miss Montaigne.
My Favoriten is Victor Hugo
Hi! Could you link me where you bought the “In Search of Lost Time” series? I can’t seem to find any version I like on Amazon or eBay.
I bought them a while back from Amazon. You have to buy them individually. Here is the link to the first volume. amzn.to/3tfyodA
you didn't mention the Marquis de Sade.
Le Misanthrope is not a novel.
Boris Vian is one of my favorites
hi, are you have any recommendation of french novels about travelling or vacation?
Are you asking for a novel to read on vacation or the subject matter being traveling? Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days might be a good one.
Galileo was put to death? I thought he recanted and died under house arrest.
It was a mistake and many people have pointed it out in the comment section.
Hi I am from India. You have added Hindi subtitle in the caption of your other videos then why not add it?Please request you to increase your viewers, supporters and subscribers in India by adding Hindi subtitles.your videos are very interesting
You’re welcome. Thank you for watching.
@@Fiction_Beast Dear Critics! You did not choose any Kathkar, novelist from India. The novel of Kamleshwar, the father of the new story, which has been translated into English, you can read if you want.You can criticize or analyze it.The name of the novel is; कितने पाकिस्तान (kitne Pakistan)।Very original language style and completely new themed novel.You must have heard the name of Munshi Premchand etc. In addition, criticism was also made on James Joyce, Henry Miller, Vladimir Novokov, Virginia Woolf and William Faulkner,Submit review, analysis that novel, stream off Consciousness Theme based. hearty congratulations to you 💓🌹💐
The Little Prince is an absolute masterpiece.
After reading Citadela, I was not able to accept Little Prince anymore...
Spain writers? Spanish/Latin authors? Soon i hope
Check my video on 12 South American novels
Hi! I wanna ask what Guy de Maupassant Translation do you read? I'm trying to get into him
Honestly I don’t remember. It has been a while.
@@Fiction_Beast ah okay, thanks
Extraordinaria labor, me hubiese gustado ver a Alejandro Dumas Jr y su dama de las Camelias en la lista.
Thank you!
Thank you! I envy your knowledge.
So nice of you
Hello sir 🙏
I have watched all your videos and I m really amazed that you had provided me a good number of reviews regarding the novels and the literature📚 of the particular cultures. I am really very happy 😊 to have a lot of ideas about the novels now. A big thanks to you. And keep up the good work.
Waiting for the upcoming videos.....
I read Candide.
It’s a good one.
"Russian litterature is a massive punch in the face" is probably the most accurate definition of russian litterature I've ever heard. Excellent selection of novels by the way, for any foreigner wanting to start reading french litterature. Only classics.
It wakes you up to the harsher reality of life
jean paul sartre défénitely should be in that list. le comte de Monte Cristo is the greatest in my opinion. and for one novel missed : think guys should read SAMARCANDE, a novel by Amin Maalouf, absolutely worth your time, thanks all
Lately, I've been reading a lot of Symbolist novelist Paul Adam. His work has not been translated from the original French, but his use of the language is incredible and worth experiencing. My favorite French novel so far is "Jean-Christophe" by Romain Rolland, another Nobel winner, and a huge beast of a book, but to me it is an underappreciated masterpiece.
At last someone pointed out!
In my opinion you should have put Romain Gary on the list. He was one of the greatest French writer of the 20th century. His autobiographical novel « Promise at Dawn » (La Promesse de l’Aube) is, in my opinion, an absolute masterpiece, but also novels like « Roots of Heaven » (Les racines du ciel), « The Life before Us » (la vie devant soi). But I’m not sure of his popularity outside of France.
Eugene Sue and Edmond Rostand should be included!
Good shout! Might do another video talking about 20 more. France is rich, very rich in wine, perfume, cheese and literature.
And what about Jean-Paul Sartre? Otherwise, great channel, thank you šo much!
Sartre's Genius Philosophy - Life’s Meaning Comes from Nothingness
ruclips.net/video/7faUSVSLcqc/видео.html
I wondered if you'd crossed out the abominable antisemitic, Celine
Celine is not crossed.
So the most famous 20th century Jean Paul Sartre was a fiction of our imagination!
It’s a list of novelists. Sartre did a novel but he’s primarily a philosopher.
@@Fiction_Beast Do you know what the word consistent means? You had others who wrote one novel and weren’t as famous. Btw Guy is pronounced Giy in French.