Overview

""Swindlers and Rogues in French Literature"" offers a compelling exploration of the multifaceted figure of the deceiver across several centuries of French letters. Author Hilda Laura Norman traces the evolution of the rogue, from the witty tricksters of medieval fabliaux and the Renaissance to the more complex swindlers of the nineteenth-century novel. By examining the works of canonical authors such as Molière, Lesage, Balzac, and Maupassant, this study highlights how the character of the rogue serves as a mirror for societal anxieties and changing moral values. The work delves into the various archetypes of dishonesty, including the adventurer, the social climber, and the professional thief, analyzing how these figures navigate the tensions between individual ambition and social order. Through a lens that balances literary analysis with historical context, Norman investigates the enduring fascination with characters who live by their wits at the expense of others. This scholarly work remains an essential resource for those interested in the picaresque tradition, the development of the French novel, and the sociological underpinnings of character construction in European literature. It provides a unique window into how French writers have historically engaged with themes of deception, justice, and human nature. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Full Product Details

9781026021668

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Countries Available