A History of the French Novel, Vol. 1 From the Beginning to 1800

"A History of the French Novel, Vol. 1" by George Saintsbury is a journey through the world of French storytelling, taking us from its earliest whispers to the close of the 1800s. Instead of just listing dates and names, the book aims to show how the French novel grew and changed, highlighting both the famous authors and the lesser-known ones, too. The book starts by explaining how storytelling began, talking about old tales and legends, and then it moves on to show how these early forms paved the way for French romances and, finally, the novels we know today; this sets the stage for a long discussion of major people and cultures that birthed this writing type.