A Linguistic Handbook of French for Translators and Language Students by
A Linguistic Handbook of French for Translators and Language Students offers the reader an in-depth contrastive study of French and English based on recent theories of linguistics and discourse analysis. At the same time it is a practical manual for the advanced language student or the translator with dozens of exercises in analyzing and translating French along with detailed corrections. Organized in three sections - Structure, Perspective and Coherence - the handbook first explores French word formation and syntax, then moves on to the use of tense and aspect, illocution and speech styles in various text types. Finally, problems concerning textual coherence and cohesion in both languages are discussed: anaphora and ellipsis, relevance and equivalence and information structure. Each chapter is followed by a list of suggested readings for further discussion and a detailed glossary at the end of the book explains all technical terms used. The handbook is designed to be used either as a textbook or for individuals working at home.
Textures: pour approfondir la communication orale et écrite by
Language proficiency emerges not solely as mastery of discrete skills, but also through one's ability to express ideas fully in a variety of cultural contexts. This innovative French‑language textbook employs a holistic approach that integrates listening, reading, writing, and conversation--placing communication at the heart of the learning experience. It provides intermediate‑level students with the interpretive tools necessary for literary and cultural studies. There are interactions with a variety of texts and media, including short stories, poems, essays, images, and podcasts.
Fictions of Race in Contemporary French Literature by
Contemporary French writers have embarked on various quests for new sources of thematic and formal inspiration which are increasingly tied to issues of postcolonial legacies. However, French literature has never been consistently examined through the lens of race, ethnicity, and its relation to (post)coloniality. Fictions of Race in Contemporary French Literature is the first scholarly study to engage with the figure of the White writer and explore the White literary gaze in contemporary France. The book highlights the inherent postcoloniality of White Hexagonal literature in a context marked by institutionalized colour-blindness, and offers a reflection on responsible writing in and about postcolonial France. The book identifies a set of formal features, functions, and aesthetic dispositions which reveal the ways in which White writers grapple with postcolonial subjects. It focuses on seven case studies featuring texts by Marie Darrieussecq, Virginie Despentes, Annie Ernaux, Nicolas Fargues, Pierre Lemaitre, Édouard Louis, and Nicolas Mathieu. Achille and Panaïté argue that it is imperative to recast the enduring boundedness of race and empire as a matter of equal concern to White and non-White writers.
Destins de Femmes: French women writers, 1750-1850 by
Destins de femmes is the first comprehensive overview of French women writers during the turbulent period of 1750-1850. John Isbell provides an essential collection that illuminates the impact women writers had on French literature and politics during a time marked by three revolutions, the influx of Romantic art, and rapid technological change. Each of the book's thirty chapters introduces a prominent work by a different female author writing in French during the period, from Germaine de Staël to George Sand, from the admired salon libertine Marie du Deffand to Flora Tristan, tireless campaigner for socialism and women's rights. Isbell draws from multi-genre writers working in prose, poetry and correspondence and addresses the breadth of women's contribution to the literature of the age. Isbell also details the important events which shaped the writers' lives and contextualises their work amidst the liberties both given and taken away from women during the period. This anthology fills a significant gap in the secondary literature on this transformative century, which often overlooks women who were working and active. It invites a further gendered investigation of the impact of revolution and Romanticism on the content and nature of French women's writing, and will therefore be appropriate for both general readers, students, and academics analysing history and literature through a feminist lens.
