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French Literature
The French are people of mixed origin, as they have Celtic, Germanic and also Roman strains; of the three strains, the Roman is the one which influenced the language the most, so that French can be considered a sort of modern Latin. It is believed that not only Latin language, but also Latin culture and identity in general did have a great influence on French people. This results in French people's love of clarity, order and reasonableness, their instinctive avoidance of extremes-qualities which are all reflected in literature. Generally speaking, from an artistic point of view the French are rather conservative, but on the other hand they have often been initiators of new movements.The French have always been masters in aesthetic matters, so that their literature undoubtedly provides high quality material about literary movements. What is more, French literature is one of the oldest worldwide and his long-lasting tradition gives a position of primary importance in European literary scene.
The "esprit gaulois"-the Gallic spirit- has sometimes been identified as peculiar characteristic of the French, who are light hearted, happy, they tend to mock and refuse to take things too seriously. The Gallic spirit is present all through French literature, even if the greatest French writers do not markedly display the so-called Gallic spirit.
To summarise the whole French literature in a few lines would be an impossible task, so not all of the important names are going to be mentioned. Many foreigners-especially English speakers-judge prose to be the best part of French literature (even better than poetry), because it is clear, rapid and it has grace. On the contrary, French people are selfishly proud of their poetry, which has peculiarities which a foreigner can't understand. French poetry is known for his accuracy, quality which is easily detectable also in prose. The rhetorical feature which a foreigner detects in French poetry is in full accordance with French tradition and is accepted by French taste.
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