Historical and Cultural Terms

Académie française: French Academy, founded 1635, guardian of French language and literary standards.

Ancien Régime: Political and social system before the French Revolution (pre-1789).

Belle Époque: Period of peace and prosperity before WWI (roughly 1871-1914).

Commune de Paris: Revolutionary government in Paris (1871), influenced many writers.

Les Encyclopédistes: Enlightenment thinkers who contributed to Diderot's Encyclopedia.

Fronde: Civil wars (1648-53) that influenced writers like Madame de Lafayette.

Occupation: German occupation of France (1940-44), crucial period for existentialist writers.

Les Philosophes: Enlightenment thinkers and writers.

Révolution française: French Revolution (1789-99), watershed moment in French culture.

Terreur: Reign of Terror (1793-94), period of revolutionary violence.

Les Trente Glorieuses: Thirty years of post-WWII economic growth (1945-75).