Intermediate readings in French prose

These readings are designed primarily for classes in the third and fourth semesters of college French, or the equivalent level in secondary schools. We have selected passages from masters of French prose, without any intention to make them into an outline of French literary history, but solely for their suitability and interest to students at the intermediate level, and grouping them so as to illustrate a number of the principal themes encountered in French literature. -- From preface.