French literature

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Timeline: French literature

Years: c. 1102 - 1994	Subject: Literature
Publisher: HistoryWorld	Online Publication Date: 2012
Current online version: 2012	eISBN: 9780191736407

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BCE CE

Year	Event
c. 1102	The chansons de geste, performed by professional minstrels in castles and manors, celebrate the exploits of Charlemagne and his paladins Go to chansons de geste in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 12th century Literature Poetry Europe France
c. 1120	The troubadours of Provence develop a new form of love poetry in French, introducing courtly love Go to courtly love in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 12th century Literature Poetry Europe France
c. 1130	A popular French poem, the Chanson de Roland, turns a minor disaster in one of Charlemagne's campaigns into a tale of epic heroism Go to Roland in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 12th century Literature Poetry Europe France
c. 1160	Chrétien de Troyes and other French authors turn the stories of Arthur and his knights into a romance of courtly love Go to ‘Allegro, L’ in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 12th century Literature Poetry Europe France
1461	Francois Villon, recently released from prison, writes his Ballad of the Ladies of Times Past Go to Villon, François (1430–63?) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 15th century Literature Poetry Europe France
1550	Pierre de Ronsard publishes the first four books of his Odes Go to Ronsard, Pierre de (1524–85) in The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 16th century Literature Poetry Europe France
1637	Pierre Corneille's play Le Cid, popular with Paris audiences, hinges on the conflict between duty and love Go to Corneille, Pierre in Oxford Dictionary of English (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 17th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Drama Europe France
1644	In his Principles of Philosophy Descartes gives priority to reason, summed up in his famous phrase cogito ergo sum Go to Descartes, René (1596–1650) in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 rev ed.) See this event in other timelines: 17th century Literature Philosophy Europe France
1667	French dramatist Jean Racine's first great success, Andromaque, finds tragic drama in a quadrangle of love Go to Racine, Jean in Oxford Dictionary of English (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 17th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Drama Europe France
1673	Molière falls fatally ill when acting in his own play Le Malade Imaginaire Go to Molière (1622–73) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 17th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Drama Europe France
1759	Voltaire publishes Candide, a satire on optimism prompted by the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 Go to Voltaire (1694–1778) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1762	Two books in this year, émile and Du Contrat Social, prompt orders for the arrest of Jean-Jacques Rousseau Go to Rousseau, Jean‐Jacques (1712–78) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century Literature Fiction Philosophy Europe France
1775	Figaro makes his first appearance on stage in Beaumarchais' The Barber of Seville Go to Beaumarchais, Pierre Augustin Caron de (1732–99) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Drama Europe France
1790	Anglo-Irish politician Edmund Burke publishes Reflections on the Revolution in France, a blistering attack on recent events across the Channel Go to Burke, Edmund (1729–97) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century French Revolution Britain 1750-1900 Literature English literature Literature in English Politics Protest and rebellion Great Britain - from 1707 British Isles Europe Ireland Wars and Revolutions Britain
1791	Thomas Paine publishes the first part of The Rights of Man, his reply to Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France Go to Rights of Man, The in A Dictionary of British History (1 rev ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century French Revolution Britain 1750-1900 Literature English literature Literature in English Politics Protest and rebellion Great Britain - from 1707 British Isles Europe Wars and Revolutions Britain
1792	Thomas Paine moves hurriedly to France, to escape a charge of treason in England for opinions expressed in his Rights of Man Go to Rights of Man, The in A Dictionary of British History (1 rev ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century French Revolution Britain 1750-1900 Literature English literature Literature in English Politics Protest and rebellion Great Britain - from 1707 British Isles Europe France Wars and Revolutions Britain
1830	Victor Hugo's romantic drama Hernani provokes a riot in the Paris audience on the first night Go to Hugo, Victor Marie (1802–85) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Drama Europe France French author Stendhal publishes his novel Le Rouge et Le Noir ('The Red and the Black') Go to Stendhal (1783–1842) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1831	Victor Hugo publishes his novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, in which the hunchback, Quasimodo, is obsessed with Esmeralda Go to Hugo, Victor in Oxford Dictionary of English (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1835	French author Honoré de Balzac publishes Le Père Goriot, one of the key novels that he later includes in La Comédie Humaine Go to Balzac, Honoré de (1799–1850) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Fiction Europe France Alexis de Tocqueville publishes in French the first two volumes of his extremely influential study Democracy in America Go to Tocqueville, Alexis, Comte de (1805–59) in A Dictionary of World History (2 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature American literature Literature in English Politics Democracy and dissent Europe France North America United States
1842	Honoré de Balzac begins publication of a collected edition of his fiction under the title La Comédie Humaine Go to Balzac, Honoré de (1799–1850) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1848	Honoré de Balzac completes publication of La Comédie Humaine, a 17-volume collected edition of his numerous novels and stories Go to Balzac, Honoré de (1799–1850) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1856	Gustave Flaubert publishes Madame Bovary, a novel of frustrated romanticism in a provincial French context Go to Flaubert, Gustave in Oxford Dictionary of English (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1857	Charles Baudelaire publishes his first and extremely influential collection of poems, Les Fleurs du Mal Go to Baudelaire, Charles in Oxford Dictionary of English (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Poetry Europe France
1859	French author Stendhal publishes his novel La Chartreuse de Parme ('The Charterhouse of Parma') Go to Stendhal (1783–1842) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1862	Victor Hugo publishes his novel Les Misérables, an immensely complex story about the adventures of ex-convict Jean Valjean Go to Misérables, Les in The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1867	French author Paul Verlaine wins a reputation with his first published collection, Poémes saturniens ('Saturnine Poems') Go to Verlaine, Paul (1844–96) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Poetry Europe France
1870	16-year-old Arthur Rimbaud sends some of his poems to Paul Verlaine, already an established poet Go to Rimbaud, Arthur (1854–91) in The Oxford Companion to English Literature (7 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Poetry Europe France
1871	French author émile Zola publishes The Fortune of the Rougons, the first in a 20-novel series that he calls Les Rougon-Macquart Go to Zola, Émile (1840–1902) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1880	Gustave Flaubert dies, with his novel Bouvard et Pécuchet incomplete Go to Flaubert, Gustave (1821–80) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1884	Verlaine publishes Les Poètes maudits, short studies of various 'cursed poets' – including Rimbaud Go to Verlaine, Paul (1844–96) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Poetry Europe France
1903	Gertrude Stein leaves the USA to share with her brother an apartment in Paris that soon becomes a literary and artistic salon Go to Stein, Gertrude (3 Feb. 1874) in The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (4 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature American literature Literature in English Europe France North America United States
1908	Anatole France casts a satirical eye on human society in his novel L'île des pingouins ("Penguin Island") Go to France, Anatole (1844–1924) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1909	André Gide publishes La Porte étroite ('Strait is the Gate') Go to Gide, André-Paul-Guillaume (1869–1951) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1913	Alain-Fournier completes his semi-autobiographical novel Le Grand Meaulnes Go to Alain-Fournier (1886–1914) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Fiction Europe France Marcel Proust publishes at his own expense Swann's Way, the first volume of Remembrance of Things Past Go to Proust, Marcel (1871–1922) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1916	The author H.H. Munro ('Saki') is killed by a sniper's bullet on a battlefield in France Go to Saki (1870–1916) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature English literature Literature in English Fiction War Great Britain - from 1707 United Kingdom - from 1801 British Isles Europe France Britain
1917	Wounded at the front on the Somme, the poet Wilfred Owen is invalided home to Britain Go to Owen, Wilfred (1893–1918) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Poetry War Europe France Paul Valéry wins praise for his long symbolic poem La Jeune Parque Go to Valéry, Paul (-Ambroise) (1871–1945) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Poetry Europe France
1920	After several less successful novels, the French writer Colette makes her reputation with Chéri Go to Colette (1873–1954) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 20th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1922	James Joyce's novel Ulysses is published in Paris, by Sylvia Beach, because of censorship problems elsewhere Go to Joyce, James Augustine (1882–1941) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Poetry British Isles Europe France Ireland Britain Valéry's collection Charmes includes probably his best-known poem, 'Le Cimetière marin' Go to Valéry, Paul (-Ambroise) (1871–1945) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Poetry Europe France
1926	French author André Gide publishes his only novel, The Counterfeiters Go to Gide, André-Paul-Guillaume (1869–1951) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1927	French author François Mauriac publishes a novel of marital claustrophobia, Thérèse Desqueyroux Go to Thérèse Desqueyroux in The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1929	French author Jean Cocteau publishes Les Enfants Terribles, a novel about a brother and sister in a suffocatingly claustrophobic relationship Go to Cocteau, Jean (1889–1963) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1932	French playwright Jean Anouilh has his first play, L'Hermine, produced and published Go to Anouilh, Jean (1910–1987) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Drama Europe France
1933	Gertrude Stein publishes a best-selling account of her own life under the title The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas Go to Toklas, Alice B[abette] (1877–1967) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature American literature Literature in English Europe France North America United States
1934	US author Henry Miller publishes in Paris a largely sexual autobiography, Tropic of Cancer, about his life as an expatriate Go to Tropic of Cancer in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature American literature Literature in English Fiction Europe France North America United States
1938	French writer Jean-Paul Sartre succeeds with his first novel, La Nausée ('Nausea') Go to Sartre, Jean‐Paul (1905–80) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1939	US author Henry Miller publishes in Paris Tropic of Capricorn, about his adolescence in New York Go to Miller, Henry (1891–1980) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature American literature Literature in English Fiction Europe France North America United States
1942	French author Albert Camus creates an early anti-hero in his novel The Outsider (L'étranger) Go to Camus, Albert (1913–60) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Fiction Europe France French author Marguerite Duras makes her name with her partly autobiographical novel The Sea Wall Go to Duras, Marguerite (1914–1996) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Performing arts Literature Fiction Europe France
1943	French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre expounds his theory of existentialism in Being and Nothingness ('L'Être et le néant') Go to Sartre, Jean‐Paul (1905–80) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Philosophy Europe France Jean-Paul Sartre begins a new career as a dramatist with his first play, The Flies ('Les Mouches') Go to Flies, The in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Drama Europe France
1950	French dramatist Eugène Ionesco's play The Bald Prima Donna launches the Theatre of the Absurd Go to Absurd, Theatre of the in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Drama Europe France
1953	Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot ('En attendant Godot') is first performed in French in Paris Go to Waiting for Godot in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Drama British Isles Europe France Ireland Britain
1954	19-year-old Françoise Sagan has a major international success with her first novel, Bonjour Tristesse Go to Sagan, Françoise (1935–2004) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Fiction Europe France
1958	Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita is published in Paris Go to Lolita in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature American literature Literature in English Fiction Europe France North America United States
1994	Art, a play by French-born Iranian playwright Yasmina Reza, has its premiere in Berlin Go to Reza, Yasmina (1959– ) in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1990s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Drama Europe France

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date: 12 May 2025

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