Essays and Research Papers on French Literature

A 3 page essay that focuses on the image of aging presented in Guy de Maupassant's short story "Minuet." Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 3 page paper discusses the roles that Martin, Dr. Pangloss and Martin play in Voltaire's Candide.Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 5 page paper discusses the theme of freedom in the novle, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Vern. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 20 page research paper/analysis of early nineteenth century writer Madame Germaine de Stael's 1813 text De l'Allemagne (On Germany), which is a comprehensive overview of Germany history, climate and natural character. Not only does Stael discuss these factors, in and of themselves, but she also illustrates how these factors affect German literature, philosophy, religious ...

A 20 page essay that analyzes this play by early eighteenth century French playwright Marivaux. This examination of this 1722 play explores human relationships on various levels. While offering a funny and intriguing play, Marivaux also presents situations that force the audience to ponder what characteristics lie at the heart of a true love relationship. ...

This paper posits that life is what Vladimir wants to feel, touch and smell in 'Waiting on Godot' by Samuel Beckett. Estragon does not understand Vladimir’s desires, so he ignores or refutes everything Vladimir says when he speaks of Godot. He talks only of waiting for Godot, but not of finding it. As his friend ...

La vie est ce qui sentir Vladimir veut se sentir, toucher et. L'estragon ne comprend pas les désirs de Vladimir, ainsi il ignore ou réfute tout Vladimir dit quand il parle de Godot. Il parle seulement de Godot d'attente, mais pas de le trouver. En tant que son ami et compagnon, attentes de Vladimir avec ...

This 4 page paper gives an explanation and summary of the main themes and points in Simone de Beauvoir's work, Femme Rompue (The Woman Destroyed). Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 3 page essay that discusses the theme of political corruption and criminal injustice in Victor's Hugo's epic novel Les Miserables. Hugo uses the structure of his novel to condemn the unjust class-based structure of nineteenth-century French society, as this narrative demonstrates over and over again how police corruption and the societal structure subjects ...

A 9 page research paper that discusses the published correspondence of the Dames des Roches, Madeleine and Catherine, mother and daughter French intellectuals and writers in the 16th century. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 3 page paper discusses the themes of colonialism in Camus' works, A Happy Death and The First Man. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page essay in which the writer summarizes the principal points made Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the eighteenth century French philosopher, in regards to the reasons behind social inequality. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 5 page paper examines and compares two versions of the Sherazade tale. Texts of Sebbar and Loti utilized. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 5 page paper discusses the use of the indiscreet affair as a metaphor for social commentary. Use and comparison of the novels Madame Bovary and The Seducer's Diary. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 6 page paper which examines how both playwrights treat the husband and wife by exploring similarities and fundamental differences. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A paper which compares Sartre's play and Mahfouz's novel, with particular reference to the philosophical ideologies presented in the two works. The writer focuses on Sartre's existentialism as embodied in the phrase "hell is other people" and Mahfouz's perspective on the concept of eternal Truth. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

An analysis of Sartre's Huit Clos (No Exit) with specific reference to existentialism and Sartre's contention that "hell is other people".

A 4 page essay that discusses the characterization of Emma Bovary in Gustave Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary. This novel recounts the life and death a beautiful young woman who is frustrated in her unrealistic search for romantic love. Flaubert portrays Emma Bovary as lacking in all the qualities that would have qualified her a true ...

5 pages in length. It is quite appropriate to speak of the connection between Madame de Stael and the notion of feminism in nineteenth-century French literature. Indeed, one of the most powerful books on feminist conjecture is that of Corinne, a story Madame de Stael wrote about an aristocratic heroine who is in ...

A 3 page essay that discussing Robert Brock's critical interpretation of Albert Camus' L'Estranger and then offers a personal interpretation of this novel. The writer argues that examination of Camus' text shows that it is quite possible that Camus had multiple purposes in mind. In short, other critical interpretations are also quite plausible and ...

A 7 page essay that discusses how Emile Zola expects the reader to perceive the character if his heroine in Nana. The writer argues that Nana is Emile Zola's expose of the decadence of France's late Second Empire period and that it may seem, at first glance, to be a nineteenth century version of Sex ...

A 4 page essay that discusses Voltaire's Candide against the backdrop of its historical era. The writer argues that Voltaire's Candide (1759) is representative of his Enlightenment philosophy. Examination of this shows how it is also shaped by the social and political realities of the eighteenth century. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 3 page paper compares and contrasts the characters of Candide (from "Candide") and Orgon (from "Tartuffe"). Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 5 page paper examines Voltaire's Candide and how it is critical of the Ancien Regime. The Enlightenment is discussed. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page essay. Moliere, the seventeenth century French playwright, and Oscar Wilde, the nineteenth century British satirist, while separated by centuries, held similar views regarding fundamental human nature. Each of these writers looked at societal dictums concerning virtue and decorum with a jaundiced eye and satirized the idea that these injunctions are even plausible ...