French Literature (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) Book

The crème de la crème of one of the great literatures of the world:

• Lost Illusions: Set partly in Paris and partly in the provinces, this novel by Honorè de Balzac has captivated both readers and critics since its first publication in 1837. Its twin tales of a vain, naïve poet and his betrayed scientist brother-in-law artfully render the socio-economic upheavals of early nineteenth century France.

• Swann's Way: The first novel in Marcel Proust's seven-volume magnum opus À la rechercheé du temps perdu (Remembrance of Things Past, or more literally, In Search of Lost Time) is also the most accessible and widely read. Charles Swann's freely associative ruminations and the alternate third person narration intertwine to give this radically innovative fiction, like its eating of the Madeleine, an intimacy of experience seldom encountered in literature.

• Les Misérables: This vast work, here presented in a carefully edited abridged edition, follows the lives of several men and women in the seventeen tumultuous years that culminated in the 1832 June Rebellion. The gripping story of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his eventual redemption have inspired dozens of films and other theatrical productions.

• Madame Bovary: Originally attacked by public prosecutors as obscene, Gustave Flaubert's 1857 novel about an adulterous doctor's wife is now justly regarded as one of the masterworks of world literature. The realism and subtlety of the fiction have made it a favorite among a wide diversity of readers.

• Nana: "Nana turns into myth, without ceasing to be real" is how fellow novelist Gustave Flaubert praised Émile Zola's novel about a Parisian streetwalker who became a "high-class cocotte." Hailed in its own time, this artfully embellished fiction unfolds for its audience the entire social fabric of France during that period.

• The Count of Monte Cristo: As Luc Sante notes in his brilliant introduction, Alexander Dumas' swashbuckling novel has become a fixture in Western literature "as inescapable and immediately identifiable as Mickey Mouse, Noah's flood, and the story of Little Riding Hood." Edmond Dantès' daring adventures and risky disguises are as pulse-raising today as they were to readers in 1844.

• Candide: Whether read as a light picaresque novel or an erudite philosophical satire, Voltaire's classic will whet your senses. Originally written to "bring amusement to a few men of wit," this miniature classic about one man's search for happiness has attracted a wide readership and influenced modern writers including Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller, and Thomas Pynchon.


The Barnes & Noble Classics series offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics series:
• New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars
• Biographies of the authors
• Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events
• Footnotes and endnotes
• Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work
• Comments by other famous authors
• Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations
• Bibliographies for further reading
• Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate