French literature summaries 2021
Unknown author
Short summary - Maistre Pierre Pathelin
Charlotte Aisse - Charlotte Aïssé
Short summary - Letters to Mrs. Calandrini
Jean Anouilh. L'Alouette
Short summary - Traveller Without Luggage
Louis Aragon
Short summary - La Semaine Sainte
Jean-Pierre Hervé-Bazin
Short summary - Anatomy of a single divorce
Honoré de Balzac
Short summary - The Wild Ass's Skin - The Skin of Shagreen
Short summary - Père Goriot - Le Père Goriot
Short summary - Eugénie Grandet
Short summary - The Splendors And Miseries Of Courtesans
Short summary - Lost Illusions - Illusions perdues
Short summary - The Chouans - Les Chouans
Henri Barbusse
Hercule Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac
Georges Bernanos
Short summary - Under the Sun of Satan - Sous le soleil de Satan
Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre
Short summary - Paul and Virginia - Paul et Virginie
Simone de Beauvoir
Short summary - The Pretty Pictures - Les Belles Images
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais
Short summary - The Marriage of Figaro - La Folle Journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro
Short summary - The Barber of Seville - Le Barbier de Séville
Short summary - The Guilty Mother - L'Autre Tartuffe, ou la Mère coupable
Nicolas Restif de la Bretonne
Short summary - The perverted peasant - Le Paysan perverti, ou Les dangers de la ville
Louis Henri Boussenard
Short summary - Capitaine Casse-Cou
Michel Butor
Short summary - Second Thoughts - La Modification
Denis Vairasse
Short summary - History of Sevarambes
Jules Gabriel Verne
Short summary - The Mysterious Island - L'Île Mystérieuse
Short summary - The Children of Captain Grant - Les Enfants du capitaine Grant
Short summary - Dick Sand, A Captain at Fifteen - Un capitaine de quinze ans
Short summary - Around the World in Eighty Days - Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours
Boris Vian
Short summary - Froth on the Daydream - L'Écume des jours
Alfred de Vigny
Short summary - Henri Coiffier de Ruzé, Marquis of Cinq-Mars
Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues
Short summary - Introduction to an Understanding of the Human Mind
Short summary - Reflections and Maxims
Voltaire, pseudonym of François-Marie Arouet
Short summary - Candide: or, The Optimist
Short summary - The Virgin of Orleans: or, Joan of Arc
Short summary - Fanaticism, or Mahomet the Prophet
Short summary - Zadig; or, The Book of Fate
Antoine (or Anthony) Hamilton
Short summary - Memoirs of Count Grammont
Roger Martin du Gard
Romain Gary
Short summary - The Roots of Heaven
Gabriel de Guilleragues
Short summary - The Portuguese Letters: Love Letters of a Nun to a French Officer
Goncourt brothers - Edmond and Jules
Short summary - Germinie Lacerteux
Théophile Gautier
Short summary - Captain Fracasse
Victor Hugo
Short summary - Notre-Dame de Paris - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Short summary - Les Misérables
Short summary - The Man Who Laughs
Joris-Karl Huysmans
Denis Diderot
Short summary - La Religieuse - The Nun or Memoirs of a Nun
Short summary - Rameau's Nephew
Short summary - The Indiscreet Jewels
Alphonse Daudet
Short summary - Tartarin of Tarascon
Short summary - The Game of Billiards
Maurice Druon
Short summary - The Possessors - Les Grandes familles
Alexandre Dumas
Short summary - The Three Musketeers
Short summary - The Count of Monte Cristo
Short summary - Queen Margot, or Marguerite de Valois
Short summary - Twenty Years After
Short summary - The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later
Marguerite Duras
André Gide
Short summary - The Counterfeiters
Jean Giraudoux
Short summary - Siegfried et le Limousin
Short summary - The Trojan War Will Not Take Place
Émile Zola
Short summary - The ladies's paradise
Short summary - L'Argent - Money
Short summary - Doctor Pascal - Le Docteur Pascal
Short summary - Les Rougon-Macquart
Short summary - Madeleine Férat
Short summary - The Joy of Living - La joie de vivre
Short summary - A Love Episode - A Page of Love
Short summary - Thérèse Raquin
Short summary - The Beast Within or The Beast in Man - La Bête humaine
Short summary - The Belly of Paris - Le Ventre de Paris
Eugène Ionesco
Short summary - The Bald Soprano
Short summary - The Chairs - Les Chaises
Jacques Cazotte - Jean-Jacques Casot (Jean-Joseph)
Short summary - The Devil in Love
Albert Camus
Short summary - The Myth of Sisyphus
Short summary - The State of Siege
Raymond Queneau
Short summary - Zazie in the Subway - Zazie dans le métro
Paul Claudel
Short summary - The Satin Slipper; or, The Worst Is Not Always Certain
Jean Cocteau
Short summary - The Infernal Machine
Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette
Benjamin Constant - Henri-Benjamin Constant de Rebecque
Pierre Corneille
Short summary - L'Illusion Comique
Short summary - Cinna - Cinna, ou la clémence d’Auguste
Charles De Coster
Short summary - The Legend of Thyl Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak
Claude Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon
Short summary - The wanderings of the heart and mind: or memoirs of Mr. de Meilcour
Jean De La Bruyere
Short summary - The Characters, Or, The Manners Of The Present Age
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Short summary - Les Liaisons dangereuses
Frederic Laloux
Marie-Madeleine, comtesse de La Fayette
Short summary - The Princesse de Clèves
Jean de La Fontaine
Short summary - Selected Fables
Alain-René Lesage
Short summary - The Lame Devil
Short summary - Turcaret (or Le Financier)
Short summary - Gil Blas de Santillane
Paien de Maisieres
Short summary - The Mule Without a Bridle
Hector-Henri Malot (Hector Malot)
Short summary - Without Family - Nobody's Boy
André Malraux
Short summary - The Conquerors
Pierre de Marivaux
Short summary - The life of Marianne: or, the adventures of the Countess of ***
Jean Meslier
Prosper Mérimée
Short summary - Arsène Guillot
Short summary - La Venus D'Ille
Short summary - Sur le Vampirisme
Short summary - A Chronicle of the Reign of Charles IX
Short summary - The Etruscan Vase
Robert Merle
Short summary - Behind the glass
Short summary - The Day of the Dolphin
Louis-Sébastien Mercier
Short summary - Le Tableau de Paris
Maurice Maeterlinck
Short summary - Princess Maleine
Molière - Jean-Baptiste Poquelin
Short summary - The Misanthrope, or the Cantankerous Lover
Short summary - The Imaginary Invalid
Short summary - Scapin the Schemer
Short summary - The Miser, or the School for Lies
Short summary - Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite
Short summary - The School for Wives
Short summary - The School for Husbands
Michel de Montaigne
Montesquieu
Short summary - The Spirit of Laws
Short summary - Persian Letters
Guy de Maupassant
Short summary - The Rose-Bush of Madame Husson - Le Rosier de Madame Husson
Short summary - My Uncle Jules
Short summary - A Woman's Life
Short summary - Mademoiselle Perle
Short summary - Dear Friend - Bel-Ami
Short summary - The Terror - Lui?
Short summary - The Horla - Le Horla
Short summary - Boule de Suif (Ball of Fat) - Boule de suif
Short summary - Christmas Night - Nuit de Noël
François Mauriac
Short summary - The Knot of Vipers - Vipers' Tangle
Short summary - The Unknown Sea
Short summary - Thérèse Desqueyroux
André Maurois
Short summary - Thanatos Palace Hotel (adapted as an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour)
Short summary - Whatever Gods May Be - Climats
Short summary - Wednesday's Violets
Alfred de Musset
Short summary - The Confession of a Child of the Century
Margaret of Valois-Angoulême - Marguerite de Navarre
Charles Nodier
Blaise Pascal
Short summary - The Provincial Letters
Charles Perrault
Short summary - Mother Goose Tales
Short summary - Little Red Riding Hood
Short summary - Sleeping Beauty
Short summary - The Master Cat, Or Puss in Boots
Abbé Prévost - Antoine François Prévost d'Exiles
Short summary - Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut
Marcel Proust - Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust
Short summary - Albertine disparue
Short summary - In Search of Lost Time
Short summary - Within a Budding Grove
Short summary - Cities of the Plain - Sodom and Gomorrah
Short summary - The Guermantes Way
Willem die Madoc maecte
Short summary - Van den vos Reynaerde
Guillaume de Lorris/Jean de Meun (Meung)
Short summary - Le Roman de la Rose (The Romance of the Rose)
François Rabelais
Short summary - Gargantua and Pantagruel
Jean Racine
Alain Robbe-Grillet
Short summary - In the labyrinth
Romain Rolland
Short summary - Colas Breugnon
Short summary - L'Âme enchantée (The Enchanted Soul)
Short summary - Jean-Christophe
Edmond Rostand
Short summary - Cyrano de Bergerac
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Short summary - Julie; or, The New Heloise (Julie, ou la nouvelle Héloïse)
Rutebeuf (or Rustebuef)
Short summary - The Miracle of Theophilus
Françoise Sagan
Short summary - Hello Sadness - Bonjour Tristesse
Short summary - Sunlight on Cold Water
Short summary - Do you like Brahms... - Aimez-vous Brahms...
Marquis de Sade
Short summary - Justine, or The Misfortunes of Virtue
Short summary - Florville and Courval
Short summary - Eugénie de Franval
George Sand - Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin
Short summary - Countess Of Rudolstadt - La Comtesse de Rudolstadt
Short summary - Ce que disent les fleurs - What the flowers say
Short summary - The Gallant Lords of Bois-Dore or The Fine Gentlemen of Bois-Dore
Nathalie Sarraute - Nathalie Ilyanova Tcherniak
Short summary - The Golden Fruits
Jean-Paul Sartre
Short summary - The Devil and the Good Lord
Short summary - The Flies - Les Mouches
Short summary - The Respectful Prostitute
Louis-Ferdinand Céline
Short summary - Journey to the End of the Night
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Short summary - The Little Prince
Short summary - Wind, Sand and Stars
Georges Simenon
Short summary - Maigret Hesitates
Claude Simon
Short summary - The Flanders Road
Paul Scarron
Short summary - Roman comique - Comic Novel
Eugène Scribe
Short summary - The Glass of Water: or, Effects and Causes
Charles Sorel
Short summary - Histoire comique de Francion
Germaine de Staël - Anne Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein
Short summary - Corinne, or Italy
Stendhal - Marie-Henri Beyle
Short summary - The Red and the Black
Short summary - The Charterhouse of Parma
Eugène Sue
Short summary - The Mysteries of Paris
Unknown (self-attributed to Luce de Gat and Helie de Boron)
Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux
Chrétien de Troyes
Short summary - Yvain, the Knight of the Lion
Turoldus or Turold
Short summary - The Song of Roland
François Fénelon - François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon
Short summary - The Adventures of Telemachus, the Son of Ulysses
Gustave Flaubert
Short summary - Sentimental Education
Short summary - A Simple Heart
Anatole France
Short summary - Penguin Island
Short summary - The Revolt of the Angels
Short summary - A Chronicle of Our Own Times - L'Histoire contemporaine
Short summary - The Daughter of Lilith - La Fille de Lilith
Friedrich Heinrich Karl de la Motte, Baron Fouqué
Short summary - Galgenmannlein
Antoine Furetière
Short summary - Le Roman bourgeois
François-René de Chateaubriand
Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Short summary - Ulysses from Baghdad
Philippe Hériat
Short summary - Famille Boussardel
Marguerite Yourcenar
Jules Gabriel Verne
Short summary - Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Short summary - From the Earth to the Moon
Short summary - A Voyage in a Balloon
Short summary - Robur the Conqueror
Short summary - Hector Servadac
Short summary - The Begum's Fortune
Short summary - Master of the World
Short summary - Around the World in Eighty Days
Short summary - Two Years' Vacation
Short summary - A Drama in Livonia
Short summary - Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon
Short summary - The Carpathian Castle
Short summary - Mathias Sandorf
Short summary - Michael Strogoff: The Courier of the Czar
Short summary - Dr. Ox's Experiment
Short summary - Facing the Flag or For the Flag
Short summary - The Robinson Crusoe School
Short summary - The Vanished Diamond, also translated as The Southern Star
Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux
Short summary - Ars Poetica or The Art of Poetry
Anna Gavalda
Short summary - 95 Pounds of Hope