The Forgotten Plays Beyond Molière When you think of French drama, one name probably dominates the conversation: Molière. And sure, the guy was a genius—his biting comedies about pompous doctors, hypocritical aristocrats, and general human absurdity are still some of the funniest things ever put on stage. But French Renaissance drama didn’t begin and end…
Introduction Michel de Montaigne, the 16th-century French thinker, practically invented a new literary genre while asking life’s big (and small) questions. The essay—now synonymous with everything from high school assignments to viral opinion pieces—owes its origin to this introspective giant. Montaigne didn’t just write; he mused, pondered, and occasionally rambled. But in doing so, he…
Rabelais’ Gargantua & Pantagruel: Giants, Satire, and Foodie Culture If French literature were a dinner party, François Rabelais would be the guest who shows up with a six-foot baguette, makes everyone laugh, and leaves with the center piece as a souvenir. His Gargantua et Pantagruel is one of the quirkiest, wittiest, and most stomach-rumbling texts…
