Le Roman bourgeois

work by Furetière

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July 13, 2026

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Le Roman bourgeois by Antoine Furetière is a significant work in the history of the French novel. Published in 1666, it stands out for its realistic portrayal of Parisian middle-class life, a departure from the heroic or picaresque characters common in novels of that era. This focus on ordinary people was considered unconventional and even offensive by some contemporaries, including members of the Académie Française, to which Furetière belonged. The novel's realistic subject matter and less formal structure marked it as a pioneering work in its treatment of everyday society.12

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Antoine Furetière
His Le Roman bourgeois (1666) was a pioneer work in the history of the French novel because it dealt realistically with the Parisian middle classes instead of “heroic” personages or picaresque vagrants. But it gave offense to the academy, not so much by the formlessness of…
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His Le Roman bourgeois (1666) was a pioneer work in the history of the French novel because it dealt realistically with the Parisian middle classes instead of “heroic” personages or picaresque vagrants. But it gave offense to the academy, not so much by the formlessness of…
Read More