French Literature and Studies: Home

The earliest known literary productions by women living in Europe were probably by French writers. French women have contributed enormously to world literature for centuries, but only a few have been judged worthy of recognition by mostly male critics. As part of the feminist move to reclaim women writers and to rethink literary history, scholars have given growing amounts of attention to French women writers and their substantial contribution.

This work is completely reconceived, rather than simply a revision of the old Companion to French Literature. It contains more than 3000 entries, which provide a guide not only to ten centuries of literature produced in the territory now called France, but also to the rich literary output of other French-speaking countries around the world.