Essays and Research Papers on French Literature

A 18 page paper discussing these two pre-Surrealist writers' use of black humor as an anti-war technique. The paper focuses on two of their works, Apollinaire's Le Poete Assassine and Lautreamont's Les Chants de Maldoror. It also features an extended analysis on the changing conception of the function and techniques of comedy through the ages. ...

A 5 page analysis of this classic novel of the seventeenth-century in which the writer demonstrates that Montesquieu's masterpiece reflects both the ideas and beliefs of the Enlightenment and the beginnings of the scientific revolution. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page paper discussing the Persian Letters by Montesquieu. These letters involved many aspects of life and often these ideas and notions were directed at the differences between Persia and France. While there could not be simply one reason in particular for his letters, one of Montesquieu's intentions was obviously to illuminate the ...

A 4 page paper discussing the genre of the quest novel in general, and how Gilgamesh and Voltaire's Candide fit into it. The novel concludes that while it does feature a journey, Candide ultimately fails to pass the test of being a quest novel because Candide does not learn anything from his quest; he remains ...

A 4 page discussion of characters (Figaro and the Count) in Beaumarchais' 'Figaro.' Writer examines elements that made the classic work so markedly reminiscent of the Enlightenment period. Bibliography lists 4+ sources used to validate points made in paper.

A 3 page discussion of what made this protagonist a hero and why. Writer is both personal and persuasive. No Bibliography.

A 7 page paper describing Madame Bovary. The writer puts forth the thesis that Madame Bovary is a 'Female Quixote' due to her living in romantic illusion versus reality using analysis and passages from the novel to illustrate this. The primary source is cited.

A 6 page paper that provides an overview of the elements that define social class and underscore the prevalent themes of Flaubert's work. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper on the significance of the opera 'Lucie de Lammermoor' in Flaubert's classic novel. The paper observes how 'Lucie de Lammermoor' summarizes all that has gone before and foreshadows Emma's fate. No additional sources cited.

A 4 page paper describing Madame Bovary. The writer argues the thesis that the novel is really about the tragedy of dreaming or living in a fantasy. No additional sources cited.

5 pages in length. Flaubert's story is set in 19th Century France, a time of great class distinction. The story provides us a glimpse of characters representing each of the social classes with four individual who are striving to be come part of the bourgeoisie. The title character, Emma Bovary is obsessed with changing her ...

A 4 page paper discussing the main character's flights of fancy. It concludes that in this novel Flaubert contrasts romance with Romanticism, and shows how romance comes up short. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 10 page research paper on the how each of these authors treated the reasons behind the neuroses of their protagonists. The writer argues that Flaubert wanted to represent a danger to the individual (Emma) fighting social norms, Ibsen a danger to society by an aberrant individual (Hedda), and Chopin a loss to society ...

An 8 page paper that discusses Rousseau's sentimental look at the roles dictated by society for men and women according to Enlightenment views with a Rousseau twist. His focus is on the 'nature' of the human male and how those needs are to be filled through the 'nature' of women for the good of ...

A 3 page essay on the Emile Zola novel 'Germinal.' The writer details the main characters and the ideologies they represent, as well as some of the key incidents in the book. No bibliography.

A 6 page analysis of Emile Zola's masterpiece Germinal. The writer argues that it is the sociological aspects of this novel that make it so fascinating as Zola examines the beginnings of labor movement at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Quotations from the source. No additional sources cited.

A 6 page paper looking at some of the underlying social causes for the miners' strike described in Emile Zola's book. The paper, which takes the form of the report of a contemporary observer, concludes that change will have to be imposed on the system from without, as it is unlikely to come from within. ...

A 5 page paper on the classic children's book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. It shows how through symbolism, Saint-Exupery demonstrates the unity of responsibility and love. No additional sources cited.

A 4 page essay exploring the relationship between mothers and daughters and between women in relation to the feminist movement. The story of "The Girl" by Le Soeuer is integrated into the text. No additional sources cited.

This 4 page report discusses the 1932 semi-autobiographical novel by Louis-Ferdinand Celine (pseudonym of Louis-Ferdinand Destouches. The main character and quite likely the first true 'anti-hero' of modern literature, Bardamu, serves as Celine's mouthpiece in descriptions of war and his travels. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page exploration of the passages in 'Mutations' and "A New Refutation Of Time" and their relevance to the author's perception of the futility of time and the finality of our destinies. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page look at this novella by French novelist Marguerite Duras. The paper analyzes the relationship between the two main characters, and shows why, even though their love was real, the social and political climate of 1920s Indochina made a romance between a wealthy Chinese man and a struggling French girl an impossibility. No ...

A 5 page letter to French philosopher and feminist Simone De Beauvoir on the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of her controversial book, 'The Second Sex,' specifically addressing its continued relevance along with ideas which are no longer applicable in a world of birth control, legalized abortion and the relaxing of social taboos. Bibliography ...

An 8 page paper contrasting these two literary movements through an examination of Moliere’s “Tartuffe” and Rousseau’s “Confessions.” The paper argues that while Moliere is trying to put forth a socio-political position, appealing only to our intellect, Rousseau wants to elicit sympathy through evoking our emotions. No additional sources.

A 3.5 page critical analysis on the validity of the statement describing Gustave Flaubert’s 1857 novel, 'Madame Bovary,' as, 'Sex lies at the base of what happens: Along with money it is the key to the conflicts of the novel, an sexual and economic life are so intimately interwoven that one cannot understand the one ...