French Literature Essays Examples For College & High School Students in PDF

931 total results

The Writing Style, Depravity and Humanity of Mankind Portrayed in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a Novel by Victor Hugo (1152 words, 4 pages)

There were so many books to choose from and I ultimately decided on, The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo, because I remember watching the well-known Disney movie as a child but never knew the tale behind it. In just the first few pages it is clear that this ... Read More

An Analysis of Absurdist Philosophy in The Stranger a Novel by Albert Camus (514 words, 2 pages)

Camus discusses various relationships in Meursaults life to show Absurdist philosophy. The idea Camus is continuously trying to prove is nothing matters in life, and one should live their life in the moment.Camus begins the novel with the death of Meursaults mother. Instead of experiencing distress, as one normally would ... Read More

The Absurdist Philosophy Portrayed through Mersault’s Relationships with His Mother and Marie in The Stranger, a Novel by Albert Camus (531 words, 2 pages)

Absurdism is the belief in nothing truly mattering in the universe and humans must live in the moment. Camus believed in this philosophy and it shows in The Stranger. He conveys this belief through Meursaults relationships with those around him, specifically in his relationships with his mother and Marie.From the ... Read More

Character Descriptions in Three Tales, a Book by Gustave Flaubert (975 words, 3 pages)

It seems that Flicits simplicity is more a result of her environment, a result of nurture. She was still quite young when her parents died and she was separated from her sisters. She had to fend for herself at a young age first at the employ of a farmer. She ... Read More

The Conflict of Man vs. Self Depicted through the Character of Meursalt in The Stranger, a Novel by Albert Camus (1044 words, 4 pages)

Monsieur Meursalt Against HimselfIn the book The Stranger by Albert Camus, the main character, Monsieur Meursalt, suffers the loss of his mother in the very beginning. This throws Meursalt in a downward spiral. He commits several crimes and has no emotions throughout a majority of the book. No matter what ... Read More

The Idea of Drunkeness in Intoxication, a Poem by Charles Baudelaire (711 words, 3 pages)

DrunkennessBaudelair portrays drunkenness as the state of liberation from the burdens of life, as well as the passage of time. Drunkenness is to be free from ones own hardships, slipping into a world where nothing else matters. Today, drunkenness is formally defined as the state of intoxication. Bauedelairs understanding doesnt ... Read More

Character Analysis of Dr. Rieux and Father Paneloux in the Plague, a Novel by Albert Camus (654 words, 3 pages)

The Plague, by Albert Camus is a novel that centers around a group of characters with distinct differences, coping with the same tragedy. Throughout the novel, the reader sees the characters grow and as a result, their once adamant beliefs, and ways of life change. There are six main characters ... Read More

Identity Theft in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables (391 words, 1 pages)

In Victor Hugos famous novel, Les Misrables, multiple characters pretend to be other people, including the protagonist of the novel, Jean Valjean and other minor characters like Thnardier. Although it is now 2014, instead of the early 19th century, people nowadays still suffer from something really similar, its called identity ... Read More

The Power of the Rich in Les Miserables, a Novel by Victor Hugo (618 words, 2 pages)

Rich Have Power Over PoorIn Victor Hugos Les Miserables, the theme of the rich having power over the poor is very evident. The upper classes being able to buy goods for their families without being taxed caused conflict with the lower class. Ultimately, the French Revolution erupted. In Les Miserables, ... Read More

A Review of Candide, a Novel by Voltaire (529 words, 2 pages)

Beautiful people generally tend to form the strongest relationships with their selves. People who are conceited and look upon themselves as superior to others usually end up lonely. In this novel, many of the main characters who were originally seen as beautiful in the beginning of the novel, end up ... Read More

The Choice to Fight in The Plague, a Novel by Albert Camus (685 words, 2 pages)

Its not my job Whats more, the plague suits me well and I see no reason why I should bother about trying to stop it. Cottard, a suspicious and paranoid man, committed a crime in the past that he does not name. He spends most of his time in fear ... Read More

The Views of The Enlightenment in The Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind, a Book by Marquis De Condorcet (699 words, 3 pages)

The idea of living in a perfect world strikes an interest in just about anybody who comes across the thought. Imagine living in this world, having a light shed upon you and everyone around you that would open everyones eyes. Picture a revolution of sorts, changing the world for the ... Read More

The Completion of Puberty from the First Puff of Cigarette (584 words, 2 pages)

Cigarettes Koofff! Kofff! Kofff!!! It was awful. But this was not the moment to give in. With this first Cigarette, I kissed childhood goodbye. Now I was a grow-up. (Satrapi, 117) Marjane states these words right after she completes puberty from a puff of a cigarette. In this powerful scene ... Read More

Love Can Change One for the Better in Stranger Than Fiction, a Movie by Marc Foster (918 words, 3 pages)

Stranger Than Fiction A Look Into LoveIn his movie, Stranger Than Fiction, director Marc Foster uses many formal techniques and elements to prove the theme that human beings should be open to love, for relationships change people for the better. Foster explores this theme through the employment of lighting, shot ... Read More

A Comparison between Two Short Stories: The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant and The Gift of the Magi by O’Henry (William Sydney Porter) (1498 words, 4 pages)

We all go to great lengths to obtain or achieve what we want but never ask ourselves if we actually need it or if it is even worth it. The two stories, The Necklace and The Gift of the Magi are somewhat based on this very concept. The Necklace was ... Read More

An Analysis of the Passage by Madame De Sevigne (817 words, 3 pages)

The Passage Analysis When facing a moral choice of any kind it's natural to have some inner conflict. It's easy to feel sympathy for the wicked. Why is it that some people with awful lives do amazing things and others break so we can all be cut by their shards ... Read More

Sexism in Candide, a Book by Voltaire (567 words, 2 pages)

The book Candide, I believe that Voltaire is critiquing and satirizing sexism. Voltaire uses reducto- absurdum and exaggerations to talk about sexism. Voltaire mentions that women are being raped a variety of times all over the book. Voltaire is trying to get peoples attention about the problem of women being ... Read More

An Examination of the Different Kinds of Violence Against the Colonizers in the First Chapter of The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon (533 words, 2 pages)

Fanon spends this first chapter discussing different kinds of violence, one of these being the violence of the colonized against the colonizers. I was quite confused by this idea at first - and still cannot say that I am positive who each one of those groups are - but I ... Read More

The Power of Money in The Necklace, a Short Story by Guy de Maupassant (785 words, 3 pages)

Some are BlindThe wealthy life and its objects are often perceived as to be holding the power to someones well-being. Although many people think money can buy them happiness, this is very untrue. Many wealthy people are rather unhappy. Money gives you happiness materialistically, but money cant buy loving relationships, ... Read More

The Deception of The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant (493 words, 2 pages)

In Guy de Maupassants, The Necklace, the story illustrates objects and or situations may be perceived differently than they appear. Mathilde Loisel was a charmingly beautiful woman born into a world she believed to be below herself. She dreamed of luxury tapestries of oriental origin and small perfumed rooms, in ... Read More

Character Analysis of Madame Loisel in The Necklace, a Short Story by Guy De Maupassant (781 words, 4 pages)

The Necklace Antagonist AnalysisThe antagonist role in any given story does not have to be a person rather the role of the antagonist can extend to a character flaw, an object, or even an institution such as religion. However in the short story "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant, the ... Read More

Expressing the Philosophy of Absurdity of Life and His View of Death in the Character Meursault In “The Outsider” Authored by Albert Camus (1086 words, 5 pages)

Albert Camus gives expression to his philosophy of the absurd in The Outsider through the use of motifs. The first-person account of Meursaults life is from the time of his mothers death up to his evident execution for the murder of an Arab. Absurdism is separating oneself from the conventional ... Read More

A Comprehensive Analysis of the Conflict in Art, a Play by Yasmina Reza (1620 words, 6 pages)

The Art of FriendshipIn everyones lives, there are times where decisions concerning friends must be made. How much money should be spent on a birthday present this year? Which friend is going to drive to the concert next week? Has the friendship drifted too far apart to continue? In Yasmina ... Read More

The Greatest Satisfaction in Complimenting a Stranger (939 words, 3 pages)

Complimenting a StrangerComplimenting a stranger it seems like a relatively easy task to do. I feel that you can find something likeable about everyone. Whether it be materialistic such as the color of their hair, or a personality trait that you admire. You can always find something that you like ... Read More

The Use of Redemption in Les Miserables, a Play by Victor Hugo (1186 words, 4 pages)

In Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, one of the great themes easilyidentified is that man is capable of redemption. "From that moment on as wehave seen, he was a different man... It was more than a transformation---itwas a transfiguration" (220). In his novel, Les Miserables, Victor Hugodoes far more than write ... Read More

Character Analysis of Mercedes in the Count of Monte Cristo, a Novel by Alexandre Dumas (830 words, 3 pages)

In The Count of Monte Cristo, we are introduced to Mercedes a youngCatalan beauty, who is engaged to Dantes. After Dantes' imprisonment andsupposed death, Mercedes marries her cousin and friend, Fernand. When shediscovers Dantes is still alive she continues to love him, but is faithfulin her marriage, unlike some other ... Read More

The Dangers of Optimism in Candide, a Book by Voltaire (1184 words, 5 pages)

Voltaires work Candide is a satirical fiction, used to make light of the events, people, and world around the author at the time. The work addresses many things, such as the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, his own harsh critics, and many other important people during the time it was written. ... Read More

Sarte’s Criticism of Blind Conformity in the Play Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco (1285 words, 4 pages)

We are nothing and in action become conscious of that original nothingness. -Jean-Paul SartreSartre, the philosophical spokesman for Existentialism in Paris during the rise of the Theatre of the Absurd, criticized one of the absurd play by Eugene Ionesco named Rhinoceros, which was written to depict the criticism of blind ... Read More

An Exploration of the Linguistic and Structural Devices in the Short Story The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant (3464 words, 10 pages)

A tale of class, gender, greed and pride, The Necklace packs a punch. The ending achieves a profound impact on the reader,though it is the compounding of tensions throughout the story which allows it to do so.This essay will explore the linguistic and structural devices used by Maupassant to create ... Read More

The Relationship between Meursault and Marie in The Stranger, a Novel by Albert Camus (555 words, 1 pages)

The Even Stranger RelationshipI realized that while reading any book it is very important to consider the viewpoints of every character. As Meursault's views were very uninteresting I found myself in the viewpoint of other characters more often. Specifically I found myself in the viewpoint of Marie very frequently, asking ... Read More

French Literature Essay Examples