Introduction to French Poetry (Dual-Language)

by Stanley Appelbaum (Editor)

An unusually useful survey of the development of French poetry, this book anthologizes works by France's finest and most influential poets—30 in all—from the mid-15th century to our own time. Included are such luminaries as Charles d'Orléans, François Villon, Joachim du Bellay, Ronsard, La Fontaine, Voltaire, Chénier, Hugo, Musset, Gauthier, Vigny, Baudelaire, Mallarmé, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Claudel, Valéry, Apollinaire, Perse, Èluard and Bonnefoy. In addition, the work of poets less familiar to the English-speaking world, yet instrumental in the formulation of the French tradtion—Scève, Saint-Amant, Malherbe—is here as well.

The French texts come from the best critical editions, or, in the case of the moderns, those authorized by the poets themselves. Teachers of French will appreciate the clear prose translations on facing pages by Stanley Applebaum; the translator does not attempt to be a poet himself, rather to lead the reader to a full appreciation of the poem as it was written. An introuctory essay gives as understandable a short summary of the formal aspects of versification as can be found anywhere—the early orthodoxy of rhyme and meter, the gradual introduction of enjambement and metrical variation, through the word games and innovations of Apollinaire and his circle. A biographical and critical essay on each poet and his work not only depicts the poet as an individual, but gives a fine sense of the progressing and changing tradition of French poetry itself. An illustration, usually a portrait of the poet, accompanies each selection.

The clarity and comprehensiveness of this attractive anthology (as well as its low cost) make it an ideal volume for an introductory survey of French poetry. For the student just beginning the study of French, this book is good supplementary material; the format of this book makes it easy to experience French poetry and learn vocabulary and grammar at the same time.
(Back Cover)

Immerse yourself in great poetic tradition — works by Villon, Ronsard, Voltaire, Lamartine, Hugo, Mallarmé, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Apollinaire, Saint-John Perse, Eluard and many more. Full texts in French with literal English translation on facing pages. Critical, biographical information on each poet. Introduction. 31 black-and-white illustrations.

Genres: Poetry, France, Anthologies, Fiction, Language

183 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice overview of French poetry, from the earliest poets to modern-day poets, with a little biographical information about each, along with a sample poem in French and English.

[Cami · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this collection and found the parallel language texts very helpful - especially since the pages are so neatly mirror images. My only complaint is that the progression of authors from least to most recent discouraged me, since I found the older forms of French to be disorienting and disheartening. By the half-way point, I felt much better and on more familiar territory, in terms of language and grammar rules. This is less of a criticism about how the book is structured and more of a warning to future readers to stay strong, even if the first few poets are difficult and intimidating!

[M Delea · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I very much enjoyed the deep dive as far as the timeline--the author takes us back to Charles D'Orléans (1394-1465), I was disappointed in the poems chosen for some of the later poets. It is a short read, with interesting biographies, but I would have chosen different poems. Plus, only one woman! Ugh.

[liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

very helpful to improve my French and had a great selection of poets. :))

[Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four stars for the work that went into compiling the short histories of every poet, and giving us interesting details to contextualize poems beforehand. Sometimes these were better, and sometimes it was more like a publication list. I also found that having only one poem per poet sometimes felt like not enough, and I wonder if there could have been a little less focus on the earlier poets for a few more selections from the modern ones, but this might be my preference. I didn’t start really caring much for any of the poems until midway through (about the time it transferred to Modern French). Translations seemed well done enough, with a few moments where the word choice in English felt a little antiquated (even with the modern poets) or a bit odd. Overall though, I read a couple poets a day and found it a nice way to get an overview of French poetry.

[Valerie Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, educational, and good French language practice.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'est un livre magnifique! J’adore.

[Liam Guilar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether or not it's a good selection or a representative one is for an expert to decide. 5 stars because not only is there a good range of poems, with facing page translations, and short introductions to each poet, but the copy I bought came with a CD of all the poems being read. Although some of the readings might be on the way to redefining lugubrious, it's a fine resource.

[Angela Randall]

I want to get the dual-language edition: Introduction to French Poetry: A Dual-Language Book

[Mills College Library]

841.008 I629 1991