Review (PDF) Introduction To French Poetry (Dual-Language) (English And French Edition)
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-fifteenth 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, Gautier, Vigny, Baudelaire, Mallarmé, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Claudel, Valéry, Apollinaire, Perse, and Bonnefoy. In addition the work of poets less familiar to the English-speaking world, yet instrumental in the formulation of the French tradition — Scéve, Saint Armant, 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; 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 introductory 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 enjambment 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 also 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.
Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Dover Publications; Revised ed. edition (June 1, 1991)
Language: English, French
ISBN-10: 0486267113
ISBN-13: 978-0486267111
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #314,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #40 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Regional & Cultural > European > French #223 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Literature > World Literature > European #310 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Foreign Languages > French
Dual language books, like this, are great ways to improve on language skills. I found this book to be a great way to improve my french comprehension. Poetry is difficult to read in foreign languages, even with dictionaries, because the images are often abstract and very hard to understand with using only the actual definitions of words. So with this book, having the english translation next to it was a great way to help my french, help my understanding of larger images, and enjoy the poetry itself. The poetry is beautiful. I really recommend this book.
This is a thin volume, but in it is a wonderful little collection of mini-bios and examples of the works of excellent French poets. As the title implies, the poems are in French on the left pages, and in English on the opposite sides.Honestly, even if you aren't enthralled by poetry, this is a practical way to familiarize yourself with some colloquial (albeit sometimes antiquated) French language.This is a cheap item ($7.00), and worthy of collection. The intro even has a brief lesson in metrical arrangement patterns.I think this book serves well to illustrate how beautiful the French langague can be, especially when artfully manipulated by such historical talents as Victor Hugo and Voltaire.4.1 stars.
Maybe this book's purpose is do be as concise as possible and give people a taste of French poetry. However, I thought that it could have delved a little further into certain writers and perhaps, created a fuller picture. However, from someone who bought the book a year and a half ago, it is wonderful to learn more about world literature and has certainly helped me do juist that.
"introduction to French Poetry: A Dual-Language Book," edited by Stanley Applebaum, is a useful introduction to French verse. Thirty poets, active from the 15th to the 20th centuries, are covered, with each allotted a two-page biography and one or two poems. Meanwhile, a 13-page introduction provides broad perspective and a three-page tutorial on the metrical and structural nature of the verse. And, of course, the dual-language presentations are useful learning tools. All this said, this volume is uneven in assessing its chosen poets, with its ambitious goals frequently compromised by the limited space allotted per writer. To cite but one example, the assessment of Charles Baudelaire and his impact on the evolution of French poetry is far more successful than the material provided in this regard for Arthur Rimbaud. On balance, this anthology is best regarded as a good first step in mapping out with other books additional exploration of the riches of French poetry.
Book is really a series of encyclopedia-type entries of French poets. Very few examples of their work; mostly capsule biographies. If you want poetry, several other books would be better, but decent as a quick reference of poets' lives.
This book has many French poets with their poems in both English and the French. The book also introduces each poet and the poets are in historical order helping one get the evolution of French poetry from very old to the new. One can also learn about each poet and his or her poetry and then choose who among them to read more of.
Introduction to German Poetry: A Dual-Language Book (Dover Dual Language German) Introduction to Spanish Poetry: A Dual-Language Book (Dover Dual Language Spanish) Introduction to French Poetry (Dual-Language) (English and French Edition) The Divine Comedy Selected Cantos: A Dual-Language Book (Dover Dual Language Italian) Selections from Don Quixote: A Dual-Language Book (Dover Dual Language Spanish) French Stories / Contes Français (A Dual-Language Book) (English and French Edition) Body Language: Body Language Training - Attract Women & Command Respect, by Mastering Your High Status Body Language (Body Language Attraction, Body Language ... Language Secrets, Nonverbal Communication) Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos (Dual Language Edition:: Spanish, English) (Spanish and English Edition) Larousse Pocket French-English/English-French Dictionary (English and French Edition) Larousse Pocket Student Dictionary French-English/English-French (French and English Edition) Selected Fables (Dual-Language) (English and French Edition) Talk English: The Secret To Speak English Like A Native In 6 Months For Busy People (Including 1 Lesson With Free Audio & Video) (Spoken English, listen English, Speak English, English Pronunciation) History of How the Spaniards Arrived in Peru (Relasýýion de como los Espaýýoles Entraron en el Peru), Dual-Language Edition (English and Spanish Edition) Yachtsman's Ten Language Dictionary: English, French, German, Dutch, Danish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Greek (English, French, German, ... Spanish, Italian and Portuguese Edition) Spanish Stories / Cuentos Españoles (A Dual-Language Book) (English and Spanish Edition) Russian Stories: A Dual-Language Book (English and Russian Edition) Russian Classics in Russian and English: Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Dual-Language Book) (Russian Edition) Fruits and Vegetables / Frutas y vegetales (English and Spanish Foundations Series) (Bilingual) (Dual Language) (Pre-K and Kindergarten) My Body / Mi cuerpo (English and Spanish Foundations Series) (Bilingual) (Dual Language) (Pre-K and Kindergarten) Rumi Poetry: 101 Quotes Of Wisdom On Life, Love And Happiness (Sufi Poetry, Rumi Poetry, Inspirational Quotes, Sufism)
