Literary Terms and Concepts

Alexandrine: Twelve-syllable line of verse, standard in French classical poetry.

Auto-fiction: Blend of autobiography and fiction, particularly associated with contemporary writers like Annie Ernaux.

Les Bienséances: Classical concept of propriety and decorum in literature.

Bourgeois: Middle class; in literature, often associated with materialistic values and social conformity.

Caesura: Pause in a line of poetry, important in alexandrine verse.

Comédie-Française: French national theater company, founded 1680, still performing classical repertoire.

Engagement: Concept of political and social commitment in literature, particularly associated with Sartre.

Flâneur: Urban wanderer and observer, important figure in 19th-century literature, especially Baudelaire.

Haute bourgeoisie: Upper middle class, often depicted in 19th-century novels.

Je ne sais quoi: Indefinable quality or charm, often invoked in French literary criticism.

Mal du siècle: "Sickness of the century," romantic melancholy affecting early 19th-century youth.

Mise en abyme: Story within a story, or self-reflexive narrative technique.

Préciosité: 17th-century literary style emphasizing refined language and sentiment.

Les Règles: Classical rules of dramatic composition (unity of time, place, action).

Salon: Gathering in private homes for intellectual and literary discussion, particularly important in 17th-18th centuries.

Spleen: Baudelairean term for modern melancholy and existential anguish.

Vraisemblance: Verisimilitude or plausibility, key principle in classical literature.