French Literature Reviews - 2026
Anthony Glinoer, Literary Classics. Introduction to a Sociology
Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics
A situation can be Kafkaesque and a meal gargantuan. Someone might be described as smart as Sherlock Holmes, and ever since Proust, madeleines have been synonymous with memory. Literary classics are all around us, embedded even in everyday language. But how does a work become a classic? And why do we still read them? How do we use literary classics, and what functions do we assign to them? These questions take on particular urgency at a time when discourse surrounding identity, cultural transmission, and tradition is more prevalent and contentious than ever. Whether republished, taught, adapted, rewritten, reimagined, or endlessly discussed, literary classics have always played a vital role in shaping community identity—whether national or otherwise. In this book, the author offers a historical sociology perspective on a subject that continues to shape how we relate to the world.
Anthony Glinoer is a professor at the University of Sherbrooke. He is co-director of the Groupe de recherches et d’études sur le livre au Québec (GRÉLQ) and edits the journal Mémoires du livre / Studies in Book Culture.
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The sociological study of literature investigates the material, institutional, and social conditions that govern the production, reception, and canonization of texts. Rather than treating aesthetic value as an intrinsic or isolated property, scholars in this field examine how texts acquire authority and circulate within specific cultural networks. The mechanisms of cultural transmission and canon formation have long interested sociologists and literary historians seeking to understand how collective memory is constructed and sustained across generations through shared reading practices and educational institutions.
Readers interested in the sociology of culture and the history of the book may find this relevant. Anthony Glinoer is a professor at the University of Sherbrooke, co-director of the Groupe de recherches et d’études sur le livre au Québec, and editor of Mémoires du livre / Studies in Book Culture.