THE MAIN STREAM OF FRENCH LITERATURE.
By Foster Erwin Guyer,Ph.D. '06, vi + 350 pp. Boston: D. C.Heath & Co. $2.
Although the problems presented by the survey course in French literature have been discussed for a long time, there is still no unanimity of opinion among teachers of French as to the exact nature of this course and its place in the curriculum. This fact is mentioned here, not for the purpose of prolonging the discussion, but merely to point out that the writing of a suitable text-book for such a course is a difficult piece of work, requiring courage, sound scholarship, wide teaching experience, and a genuine appreciation of literature. This was the delicate task which Professor Guyer had to face in preparing his Main Stream of French Literature and which, in the opinion of the present reviewer, he has accomplished in a very creditable way.
While this survey should appeal to all readers interested in the liberal arts, it was written primarily for the undergraduate, with the desire "to make the student's first approach to French literature pleasant to give him an understanding of the general trend of literary ideas and developments, and to cultivate literary appreciation in advance of a more extensive assimilation of details."
The material is divided into seven chapters: The Middle Ages, The Renaissance, The Seventeenth Century, The Eighteenth Century, Romantic Literature, The Realistic Period, Recent Literature. Each chapter is further subdivided, with appropriate headings, into sections dealing with the literary trends, the different genres, the important writers, the masterpieces, etc. Brief resumes are given of many of the best known works of the various periods, and at the end of the survey there has been added a satisfactory bibliography and a very useful index of authors and titles.
The appearance of this volume is very striking both inside and out. The binding is attractive and the printing excellent. A few illustrations and portraits would undoubtedly have added something to the attractiveness of the whole, but these were probably omitted in order to keep the price at a reasonably low figure.
One of the best features of this work is the author's readable style. A vast amount of accurate information has been presented simply, clearly, coherently. Nothing essential has been omitted; and, generally speaking, the writers and movements have been treated in proportion to their relative importance in the history of French literature. The exposition and criticism are enlivened by personal opinions, some of which may not be orthodox but all of which are interesting and tolerant.
Certain stereotyped phrases and a few
highly rhetorical expressions detract somewhat from the dignity of the style which is generally pure and forceful. The resumes seem to be the weakest feature of the book. Some of them are not in proportion to the work they summarize; others are lacking in precision and vividness. But these are very minor defects which may easily be remedied in the second printing.
The general public will be pleased to find such a clear, interesting story of French literature, and most teachers of French will feel grateful to Professor Guyer for providing a practical text-book for the survey course. To those teachers who not satisfied with The Main Stream of French Literature (and there are always a few who are chronically displeased with the productions of others) the author may well reply, after the fashion of the great Corneille: "All right, let them produce a better one."
