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French Literature
French Renaissance Literature
- 16th Century
In Italy the Renaissance had already begun,
but in France it was only at the beginning of the 16th century
that its influence began taking hold. French writers of the
period began to replace theological themes typical of medieval
times with themes focusing on humanism, in which life and
learning is centred more on man than on God.
The city of Lyon was the main centre for printed
books in France at the time, and thus Italian Renaissance
influences reached this city first. Some of the most prominent
poets of this city included Maurice Scève and successful
female writers such as Lousie Labé and Queen Margaret
of Navarre. In Paris, the two main tendencies coexisted, with
the new Renaissance emerging alongside the medieval legacy
that continued persisting as time went by. With the birth
of the Reformation and Calvinism, French literature underwent
more changes as this Protestant movement influenced many writers,
such as François
Rabelais.
The French Renaissance reached its peak in
the mid-16th century, a time during which prominent poets
and writers included La Pléiade, Joachim Du Bellay
and Pierre de Ronsard. Other notable poets included Théodore
Agrippa d’Aubigné and Jean de Sponde, who incorporated
tragedy and anguish into their works, trying to reflect the
tumultuous times of religious war between Catholics and Protestants.
Michel de Montaigne was a well known essayist, broaching a
whole range of topics form the humanist viewpoint.
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