Intermediate Classic French Novels for Students

Develop Language Fluency with 18th Century French Literature

Sep 4, 2009

Build vocabulary and supplement a French language study program using these short and moderately-challenging Classic French novels.

It is important to read broadly when learning a foreign language, especially once a student has reached a certain level. But often, finding the right literature poses a challenge for students and teachers alike. Here are three, intermediate-level and out-of-the-ordinary novel suggestions taken from the literary treasure chest of 18th century France.

Voltaire’s ingénu (the naïve one) is a young Huron Indian who arrives on the shores of Brittany, falls in love with a woman he is not allowed to marry and becomes embroiled in a series of political and religious adventures. He accidentally prevents an English invasion and journeys to Versailles to request the King acknowledge his bravery and grant his request to marry, but ends up being thrown into prison for supporting some Huguenots he meets along the way.

This satirical novella uses the familiar 18th century literary technique of inserting an outsider into French society as a way to facilitate social criticism. When the young man arrives he is forthright and naïve, but his various misfortunes gradually introduce duplicity and dishonesty to his character, thus allowing Voltaire to criticize society’s corrupting influence.

For French learners, L’Ingénu is both short and action-packed and reads more like a philosophical fairytale than a complicated novel, making it an appropriate addition to a study program.

Another short novel with a strong social commentary, La Religieuse tells the story of a young woman forced into becoming a nun. The novel unfolds as a series of letters written from young Suzanne to a Marquis, pleading for the right to renounce her vows and leave the convent, in which she suffers cruelly. La Religieuse engages in a frank discussion of a young woman’s thirst for a passionate existence.

This novel is suitable for intermediate French students as narrator Suzanne uses straightforward, uncomplicated prose to explain her lamentable situation. She is an immediately sympathetic character and her story quite riveting.

Paul et Virginie is the story of two children who grow up together in an idyllic life on the island of Mauritius, fall in love but suffer tragically at the hand of fate. It is considered a “novel of feelings” and follows their heartbreaking love affair in great detail while showcasing Saint Pierre’s Enlightenment views.

The longest of the three novels introduced in this article, Paul et Virginie is still relatively short at about 200 pages. More importantly, it is filled with careful, poetic description and written in a simple style that most intermediate-level French students will be able to follow.

Language learners need not shy away from older literature. There is a great benefit to including such texts in a French language study program, mostly for strengthening vocabulary and grammar but also for helping students become familiar with the culture and history of France and its literary heritage.

The copyright of the article Intermediate Classic French Novels for Students in Learning French is owned by Michelle Bailat-Jones. Permission to republish Intermediate Classic French Novels for Students in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.