| BOOK THE FIRST—THE MIDDLE AGES |
| I. | [NARRATIVE RELIGIOUS POETRY—THE NATIONAL EPIC—THE EPIC OF ANTIQUITY—ROMANCES OF LOVE AND COURTESY] |
| II. | [LYRICAL POETRY—FABLES, AND RENARD THE FOX—FABLIAUX—THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSE] |
| III. | [DIDACTIC LITERATURE—SERMONS—HISTORY] |
| IV. | [LATEST MEDIÆVAL POETS—THE DRAMA] |
| |
| BOOK THE SECOND—THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY |
| I. | [RENAISSANCE AND REFORMATION] |
| II. | [FROM THE PLÉIADE TO MONTAIGNE] |
| |
| BOOK THE THIRD—THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY |
| I. | [LITERARY FREEDOM AND LITERARY ORDER] |
| II. | [THE FRENCH ACADEMY—PHILOSOPHY (DESCARTES)—RELIGION (PASCAL)] |
| III. | [THE DRAMA (MONTCHRESTIEN TO CORNEILLE)] |
| IV. | [SOCIETY AND PUBLIC LIFE IN LETTERS] |
| V. | [BOILEAU AND LA FONTAINE] |
| VI. | [COMEDY AND TRAGEDY—MOLIÈRE—RACINE] |
| VII. | [BOSSUET AND THE PREACHERS—FÉNELON] |
| VIII. | [TRANSITION TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY] |
| |
| BOOK THE FOURTH—THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY |
| I. | [MEMOIRS AND HISTORY—POETRY—THE THEATRE—THE NOVEL] |
| II. | [MONTESQUIEU—VAUVENARGUES—VOLTAIRE] |
| III. | [DIDEROT AND THE ENCYCLOPÆDIA—PHILOSOPHERS, ECONOMISTS, CRITICS—BUFFON] |
| IV. | [ROUSSEAU—BEAUMARCHAIS—BERNARDIN DE SAINT-PIERRE—ANDRÉ CHÉNIER] |
| |
| BOOK THE FIFTH—1789-1850 |
| I. | [THE REVOLUTION AND THE EMPIRE—MADAME DE STAËL—CHATEAUBRIAND] |
| II. | [THE CONFLICT OF IDEAS] |
| III. | [POETRY OF THE ROMANTIC SCHOOL] |
| IV. | [THE NOVEL] |
| V. | [HISTORY—LITERARY CRITICISM] |
| |
| | [BIBLIOGRAPHY] |
| | [INDEX] |