First French Reader by Stanley Appelbaum (Editor, Translator)This excellent anthology offers the beginning French-language student a first taste of some of the world's most significant prose. Chosen for both their eloquence and ease of reading, excerpts from such masterpieces as Les Mis#65533;rables, The Red and the Black, Madame Bovary, Carmen, and The Three Musketeers will open new worlds for linguists. Readers will savor the words of fifty great writers of multiple genres from the seventeenth through twentieth centuries, including Voltaire, Rousseau, Balzac, Baudelaire, Dumas, Proust, and other literary virtuosos. Lucid and accessible, the unabridged English translations by Stanley Appelbaum appear on pages that face the original French text. Literature lovers, French-language students, and other readers will find this volume a fascinating exploration of French literature...and an invaluable aid to mastering one of the world's most romantic languages.
Call Number: PC2115.F47 2008
Great French Short Stories by Stanley Appelbaum (Editor, Translator)This original dual-language short story collection features fifteen newly translated works by important 20th-century authors. Previously unavailable in English versions, these stories cover a diverse range of styles and themes and offer fascinating insights into life and literature in France and French-speaking countries. Contents include "L'ami et la femme" by Ir#65533;ne N#65533;mirovsky, "Pleure, Pleure!" by Andr#65533;e Maillet, and tales by Simone Schwarz-Bart, Sailesh Ramchurn, Fred Kassak, Yann Means, Marc Villard, and others. The text is completely self-contained — no further apparatus or reference is necessary. Appropriate for high school and college courses, this dual-language edition is also ideal for independent study.
Call Number: PQ1278.G75 2012
Introduction to French Poetry by Stanley Appelbaum (Editor)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’Orl#65533;ans, Fran#65533;ois Villon, Joachim du Bellay, Ronsard, La Fontaine, Voltaire, Ch#65533;nier, Hugo, Musset, Gautier, Vigny, Baudelaire, Mallarm#65533;, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Claudel, Val#65533;ry, 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 — Sc#65533;ve, 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.
Call Number: PQ1170.E6 I58 1991
Tartuffe and the Bourgeois Gentleman by Molière; Stanley Appelbaum (Editor, Translator)Often called the "Father of French Comedy," Moli#65533;re (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, 1622–1673) was a master at exposing the foibles and complexities of humanity in plays notable for their dramatic construction, varied and diverse humor, and subtlety of psychological observation. This convenient dual-language volume contains the original French texts and English translations of two of Moli#65533;re's most praised and popular comedies: Tartuffe and The Bourgeois Gentleman. These timeless theatrical works by one of France's greatest and most influential playwrights can be appreciated not only by students of French language and literature but by any aficionado of classic comedy. Tartuffe, a 1664 verse comedy with serious overtones, concerns a scoundrel who impersonates a holy man in order to acquire his gullible host's property and wife. The prose farce The Bourgeois Gentleman, an instant success at its 1670 debut, lampoons the hypocrisy of 17th-century Parisian society with a central character who attempts to adopt the superficial manners, accomplishments, and speech associated with the nobility. Both plays abound in humor, the quips of saucy servants, and a host of satirical plot devices. For this edition, Stanley Appelbaum has provided an informative introduction to the playwright and the plays, and excellent literal English translations on facing pages, offering students an ideal opportunity both to refine their French-language skills and to enjoy Moli#65533;re in his own words.