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French Language Reference Books

Pocket Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary

Authoritative and up-to-date, this fourth edition of the Pocket Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary covers over 90,000 words and phrases, and 120,000 translations of contemporary French and English. Hundreds of new words from French and English have been added from computing and technology tohealth and lifestyle, based on findings from the Oxford Languages Tracker.More than just a dictionary, this handy reference book also includes extensive sections on grammar, culture, and communication giving you the tools you need to communicate effectively and understand aspects of another culture. The grammar supplement provides full information on key points of Frenchgrammar, including verb tables for quick reference. The section on culture offers lively and useful information on life in the French-speaking world, covering everything from political institutions to how weddings are celebrated. The communication supplement gives help with all types ofcorrespondence, including example letters, emails, CVs and resumes, and a guide to text messaging. Also new to this edition is a brand-new section on the Internet and online services.The Pocket Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary is the perfect reference for student and adult learners needing an affordable, portable dictionary.

A Reference Grammar of French

A Reference Grammar of French is a lively, wide-ranging and original handbook on the structure of the French language. It includes new information on register, pronunciation, gender, number, foreign words (Latin, Arabic, English, Spanish, Italian), adjectives and past participles used as nouns, texting, word order, frequency of occurrence of words, and usage with all geographical names. Examples come not only from France, but also from Quebec, Belgium and Switzerland. Readers will appreciate the initial passages illustrating the grammatical features of a given chapter. Also included is a user-friendly introduction to the French language, from its Latin origins to modern times. A full glossary explains any terms that might confuse the less experienced reader, and the index leads the student through the detailed labyrinth of grammatical features. This handbook will be an invaluable resource for students and teachers who want to perfect their knowledge of all aspects of French grammar.

A Student Grammar of French

A Student Grammar of French is a concise introduction to French grammar, designed specifically for English-speaking undergraduates. Keeping technical detail to a minimum, it explains the fundamentals of the grammar in accessible and simple terms, and helps students to put their learning into practice through a range of fun and engaging exercises. All the essential topics are covered, with chapters on verbs, nouns, adjectives, pronouns, determiners, prepositions, adverbs, negation, numerals, sentences, and clauses. Every grammatical point is illustrated with a range of authentic examples drawn from magazines and newspapers, covering many areas of contemporary life such as fashion, health issues, relationships and sport. It is clearly organized into a user-friendly, numbered indexing system, allowing the learner to quickly and easily locate any grammatical topic. Functioning both as an indispensable reference guide and a comprehensive workbook, this grammar will become the perfect accompaniment to any first or second year undergraduate course.

Modern French Grammar

This new edition of the Modern French Grammar is an innovative reference guide to French, combining traditional and function-based grammar in a single volume. Divided into two parts, Part A covers traditional grammatical categories such as word order, nouns, verbs and adjectives and Part B is organized around language functions and notions such as: giving and seeking information describing processes and results expressing likes, dislikes and preferences. With a strong emphasis on contemporary usage, all grammar points and functions are richly illustrated with examples. Implementing feedback from users of the first edition of the Grammar, this second edition includes clearer explanations and greater emphasis on areas of particular difficulty for learners of French. This is the ideal reference grammar for learners of French at all levels, from beginner to advanced. No prior knowledge of grammatical terminology is assumed and a glossary of grammatical terms is provided. This Grammar is complemented by the Modern French Grammar Workbook Second Edition which features related exercises and activities.

Selected Books on French Literature and Film

French Literature: A Very Short Introduction

The heritage of literature in the French language is rich, varied, and extensive in time and space; appealing both to its immediate public, readers of French, and also to a global audience reached through translations and film adaptations.The first great works of this repertory were written in the twelfth century in northern France, and now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, include authors writing in many parts of the world, ranging from the Caribbean to Western Africa.French Literature: A Very Short Introduction introduces this lively literary world by focusing on texts - epics, novels, plays, poems, and screenplays - that concern protagonists whose adventures and conflicts reveal shifts in literary and social practices.

French Literature on Screen

This collection presents new essays in the complex field of French literary adaptation. Using a variety of textual and interpretive approaches, it sheds light on issues of gender, sexuality, class, politics and social conventions while acknowledging a range of contexts, from the commercial to the archival and the aesthetic. The chapters, written by eminent international scholars, run chronologically from The Count of Monte Cristo through Proust and Bonjour, Tristesse to Philippe Djian's Oh... (adapted for the screen as Elle). Collectively, they fill a need for contemporary discussions on the significance of France's literary representations in the history of global cinema.

Historical Dictionary of French Literature

Series: Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts

French Cinema and the Great War

Even a century after its conclusion, the devastation of the Great War still echoes in the work of artists who try to make sense of the political, moral, ideological, and economic changes and challenges it spawned. France, the military major power of the Western Front, carries the legacy of battles on its own soil, and countless French lives lost defending the nation from the Central Powers. It is no surprise that the impact of the First World War can still be seen in French films into the present day. French Cinema and the Great War: Remembrance and Representation provides the first book-length study of World War I as it is featured in French cinema, from the silent era to contemporary films. Presented in three thematic sections--Recording and Remembering the Great War, Women at the Front, and Interrogating Commemoration--the essays in this volume explore the ways in which French film contributes to the restoration and modification of memories of the war. Films such as La Grande Illusion, King of Hearts, A Very Long Engagement, and Joyeux Noel are among those discussed in the volume's examination of the various ways in which film mediates personal and collective memories of this critical historical event. This volume will be an invaluable resource, not only to those interested in French Cinema or the cinema of the Great War, but also to those interested in the impacts of war, more generally, on the cultural output of nations torn by the violence, death, and destruction of military conflict.

Shaping Identity in Medieval French Literature

This collection considers the multiplicity and instability of medieval French literary identity, arguing that it is fluid and represented in numerous ways. The works analysed span genres-epic, romance, lyric poetry, hagiography, fabliaux-and historical periods from the twelfth century to the late Middle Ages. Contributors examine the complexity of the notion of self through a wide range of lenses, from marginal characters to gender to questions of voice and naming. Studying a variety of texts-including Conte du Graal, Roman de la Rose, Huon de Bordeaux, and the Oxford Roland-they conceptualize the Other Within as an individual who simultaneously exists within a group while remaining foreign to it. They explore the complex interactions between and among individuals and groups, and demonstrate how identity can be imposed and self-imposed not only by characters but by authors and audiences. Taken together, these essays highlight the fluidity and complexity of identity in medieval French texts, and underscore both the richness of the literature and its engagement with questions that are at once more and less modern than they initially appear. ­

Selected Cultural Resources

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