Introduction

Throughout the centuries, the classical tradition has played an important role in the intellectual and cultural history of France. Until relatively recently, its place in the educational system has been of central importance, and this has resulted in a significant presence of Greek and Roman sources in French writing and art. Yet, at the same time, not all periods have reacted in the same way to the Greco-Roman past, and many of the more interesting moments of literary history have taken place against the backdrop of tensions arising from a reassessment of the nation’s debt to the ancient world. At various periods, individual authors have been more or less popular. In the following pages, we shall explore in particular some of these moments of tension in order to suggest the impact of the classical tradition in French literature.

Before doing so, however, it will be necessary to identify what in particular constitutes the classical tradition in this context. In the first place, it goes without saying that a knowledge of the two central languages of classical antiquity will be an obvious touchstone for the degree to which classical culture permeates any given society, and if Latin was a more or less permanent presence over the centuries, Greek, in line with its position in other European countries, enjoyed a more variable fortune, and its relative prominence at any point is an excellent indication of the general health of the classical tradition. Secondly, and clearly linked with the language question, the popularity of individual classical authors will be an indication of the kind of classical tradition that readers and writers favor at particular periods, with some authors going in and out of fashion, while others maintain a more permanent presence. Finally, there is the whole question of attitudes toward the classical past: the degree to which antiquity is seen as a model to be imitated or an outmoded and stifling albatross, to be abandoned at the earliest opportunity.