In the following essay, Birkett and Kearns provide a detailed history of modern French literature, including an overview of novels, plays, and poetry.

In the following essay, Bradby discusses major French dramatists and directors of the 1970s, focusing on both playwriting and staging issues.

In the following essay, King presents an overview of Duras's writing, focusing mainly on her novels.

In the following essay, Houlding examines feminine and gender issues occupying French intellectuals during the war years based on an examination of Violette Leduc's La Bâtarde.

In the following essay, King examines the works of Nathalie Sarraute, noting that the writer did not associate her strong sense of political feminism with her work.

In the following essay, Bishop presents an overview of Bonnefoy's poetry, characterizing the poet as one of the most influential in modern French letters.

In the following essay, Atack examines postwar French literature.

In the following essay, Guérin traces the development of French theater from the 1930s to the 1960s, noting that the non-establishment authors of the 1960s are now part of the established French literary scene and as such are focusing on experimentation that is based in realism and the use of traditional imagery.

In the following excerpt from the introduction to Anthology of Second World War French Poetry, Higgins provides a critical analysis of French war poetry.

In the following essay, Anderson traces the development of the French ethical imagination in the twentieth century, noting that as the century progressed, French intellectuals moved away from forms of thought that were morally accountable to their historical and cultural context.

In the following introduction to Modern French Drama: 1940-1980, Bradby presents a brief overview of the state of French theater following World War I.

In the following essay, Balakian traces the path of modern French poetry with an examination of the works of Stéphane Mallarmé and André Breton.

In the following essay, Knapp provides a brief history of French playwrights and directors during the years between the two world wars.