French literature

One definition of a libertine is, “a libertine is an atheist who plays the role of God.” In what ways might this definition be applied to Merteuil and Valmont in Laclos’ Les Liaisons dangereuses?... more

I have read the novel *A Happy Death* by Albert Camus. In this novel Mersault (the absurd hero) at one point says to his girlfriend, "Hello, image!". I am wondering why he calls his girlfriend... more

In Michael Herr's book about the Vietnam War, [*Dispatches*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispatches_(book)), he describes Operation Pegasus—the relief of the besieged USMC garrison at Khe Sahn in... more

*Waiting for Godot* obviously never actually explicitly says who Godot is or exactly why the characters are waiting for him. How much do the characters know themselves? For example, do they even... more

In the foreword to my copy of *The Hunchback of Notre Dame*, Elizabeth Massie writes this:> Victor Hugo's early novel, *Notre Dame de Paris*, published in 1831 and set in medieval Paris of 1482,... more

> Et d'autres, dont la gorge aime les scapulaires,> > Qui, recélant un fouet sous leurs longs vêtements,> > Mêlent, dans le bois sombre et les nuits solitaires,> > L'écume du... more

Once the characters in *No Exit* realized that they were placed there to torment each other, why didn't they refuse to do so? When Joseph says "eh bien, continuons" ("very well, let's get on with... more

I noticed something remarkable about one of Baudelaire's poems that I can't find any mention of on the web. My question is whether anybody has noticed this before, and whether there's some reason... more

I have started reading Proust's Swann's way. On page 66, after providing a very vivid description of aunt Leonie's house and its atmosphere, describes her state. She has gradually left the outside... more

In [*The Social Contract*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Social_Contract), Jean-Jacques Rousseau says > [...] Russia will never be really civilized, because it was civilized too soon What... more