The Evolution of the French Novel, 1641-1782 - Princeton Legacy Library

Publisher Marketing: In France between 1641 and 1782 the romance developed into the novel. Mr. Showalter's intensive study of the novel, particularly during the critical period 1700-1720, shows that an important movement toward nineteenth century realism was taking place. To trace this development the author has selected five phenomena--time, space, names, money, and the narrator--and follows their treatment throughout the period to show why romance tended toward the novel. To show the working-out of these ideas there is a detailed analysis of one novel, Robert Challe's "Les Illustres Francoises," which can be precisely located in the chain of literary influence. Its central theme of the individual in conflict with society was well suited to the forms available to the eighteenth century novelist. Consequently it appears repeatedly in important novels of the period, showing that the evolutionary process worked to some degree even on subject matter. Originally published in 1972. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Contributor Bio:  Showalter, Elaine Elaine Showalter is Professor of English at Princeton University and the author of "Sister' Choice: Traditions & Contradictions in American Women's Writing, The Female Malady: Women, Madness & English Culture, Sexual Anarchy: Gender & Culture at the Fin de Siecle", and "Modern American Women Writers".