14 h 49 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Passion, war, vanity, fate: how much of a life can a short story hold?
French Short Stories brings together nineteenth-century writers whose tales move between village life and Paris streets, Romantic adventure and the fantastic. Prosper Mérimée, Guy de Maupassant, Alphonse Daudet and Honoré de Balzac explore worlds where danger presses close and ordinary people face the pull of passion or their own vanity.
Alongside them stand Théophile Gautier, Alfred de Musset, François Coppée and the writing pair Erckmann-Chatrian. The collection moves through Romantic tales, stories of home and war, and Maupassant’s sharply observed fiction. Read these voices side by side to discover how differently a short story can capture people, places and the forces that shape a life.
What you’ll discover
- Romantic adventure and wonder Explore tales where passion and danger meet the strange possibilities of the fantastic.
- Mérimée beyond Paris Follow a cool storyteller into wild tales set far from the capital.
- Daudet close to home Discover the warmth of a writer drawn to Provence, its villages and its people.
- Lives under pressure Encounter ordinary people caught by war, invasion, fate or the traps of their own vanity.
- Distinct voices together Compare each writer’s approach as French storytelling moves toward a sharper, more concentrated form.
Who will love it
For readers who love short fiction, Romantic adventure, strange fantasy and sharp irony, and anyone who enjoys a sampler of French literature or has a few minutes for a complete tale.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Romantic tales open the century
- Mérimée tells wild stories coolly
- Daudet and others look to home and war
- Maupassant sharpens the form
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- 15-minute summary
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- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Racconti francesi
From village life to Paris streets, these French tales catch people in the grip of fate, passion and vanity.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 4
Romantic tales open the century
The older writers in the collection grew up in the age of French Romanticism. Balzac, born in 1799, is best known for the huge cycle of novels and tales called La Comédie humaine, which tried to portray the whole of French society. His shorter works often show a single obsession, such as money, love or ambition, pushed to its limit.
Alfred de Musset was first a poet and playwright. His prose is quick, witty and full of feeling, and it often treats love as a game that can wound the players. Théophile Gautier held that beauty mattered more than usefulness. His tales often turn toward the strange, where the past and the present, or the living and the dead, seem to touch.
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What is French Short Stories about?
It is a collection of short tales by nineteenth-century French authors. The stories range from Romantic adventure and strange fantasy to scenes of war, village life and city life, with several different voices and moods.
Which authors are included in French Short Stories?
The authors named are Prosper Mérimée, Guy de Maupassant, Alphonse Daudet, Erckmann-Chatrian, François Coppée, Théophile Gautier, Honoré de Balzac and Alfred de Musset, with Douglas Labaree Buffum as the collector of the volume.
Is French Short Stories hard to read?
Not usually. Short stories give you a complete tale in a sitting. The styles vary, from Mérimée's spare prose to Gautier's richer description, but each story stands on its own and needs no background.
The author
Prosper Mérimée
1803–1870 · French novelist and historian
Prosper Mérimée was a French writer, archaeologist and historian, born in Paris in 1803. He wrote plays, historical works and short stories, including Carmen, published in 1845. He served as inspector-general of historical monuments in France from 1834 to 1860. He died in Cannes in 1870.
More by Prosper Mérimée; Guy de Maupassant; Alphonse Daudet; Erckmann-Chatrian; François Coppée; Théophile Gautier; Honoré de Balzac; Alfred de Musset; Douglas Labaree Buffum (curatore)
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