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Preserved Smith, The Age of the Reformation
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| The Age of Reformation |
Emile Faguet, The Literature of France, sections on the sixteenth century
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| The Literature of France |
Francois Rabelais, Gargantua and Pantagruel
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 It's just my opinion but I think the term "Pardon my French" originated due to this book. Even readers now in modern times will be shocked when reading chapter after chapter of great vulgor and profanity. This is all done in a humerous setting which kind of makes the raw dialogue similar to that of Hunter S. Thompson. Originally written in French this book pushes the envelope of language. Rabelais not only makes colorful use of swear words, but he also adds many words from many other languages, actually increasing the French word count by over 500 (including the word gargantuan).The story is about two giants, father and son. The father is named Gargantua, and the son named Pantagruel. The first two books discuss the lives of the giants. The three other books describe the adventures of Pantagruel's friends. Gargantua and Pantagruel |
Michel de Montaigne, Essays (3 vol., Everyman Library), esp. "Of Coaches", "Of the Incommodity of Greatness", "Of Vanity", and "Of Experience"
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 Montaigne is the first to call his literature an 'essay', which means 'to try' or 'attempt' in English. There are 21 essays in all. The length of these essays range from 1 page up to 30 pages. Overall it's a quick read especially if you choose to just read the suggested essays.The purpose of the essays is to describe man in his true form, without favor towards humans. For instance he calls dieing of old age "death due to decay of strength", and he regularly insults his own self by saying "I have never seen a greater monster or miracle than myself." The Essays of Montaigne |
Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote
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 "Cervantes finds one arm sufficient to write the most famous of all novels." I love this story about a man who phases in and out of reality. He believes he's a knight and believes a windmill is really a mountain giant and attacks it. I think many of these classics are littered with symbolism, leaving the reader up to interpretation. And therefore I think we are all a little like Don Quixote, and we live in our own imaginary world. The first half of the novel is about the made up world of the man of La Mancha. The second half discusses the philosophical dealings with illusion and deception. The History of Don Quixote, Volume 1, Complete The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, Complete Audiobook of Volume 1 |
William Shakespeare, Plays, esp. Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Henry IV, Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Timon of Athens and The Tempest
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 HamletKing Lear Macbeth Othello Romeo and Juliet Julius Caesar Henry IV: Part1 Part2 Merchant of Venice As You Like It A Midsummer Night's Dream Timon of Athens The Tempest - Animated YouTube Video of The Tempest Many argue Shakespeare didn't write any of these plays. Audiobook's by Shakespeare |
Taine, History of English Literature vol. 2 ch. 1-4
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| Google book with PDF download |
Williams, History of Science vol. 2 ch. 4-8
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| Volume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3 Volume 4 |
Faure, History of Art vol. 3 ch. 4-6 |
| I can't find art sites for this period. (Maybe my next website I make will be an art appreciation website?) The chapters suggested are titled: Franco-Flemish Cycle Fontainebleau, The Loire and the Valois Germany and the Reformation |
