Table of Contents
Series Foreword xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction xv
Chapter 1 Geography 1
Overview 1
Administrative and Territorial Subdivisions 3
Cities 5
Climate 7
Historical Sites 8
Mountains 9
Natural Resources and Environment 11
North and South 13
Overseas France 14
Paris 16
Population 18
Regional Identities 21
Rivers 24
Transportation 25
Selected Bibliography 26
Chapter 2 History 31
Overview 31
Timeline 38
Charlemagne and the Carolingian Dynasty 52
Clemenceau (Georges) and World War I 53
Clovis and the Merovingian Dynasty 54
De Gaulle (Charles), World War II, and the Fifth Republic 56
Ferry (Jules) and the Third Republic 59
Francis I and the Renaissance 61
Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years' War 62
Louis IX and the Capetian Dynasty 63
Louis XIV and the Absolute Monarchy 65
Louis XVI and the End of the Ancien Régime 66
Macron (Emmanuel) and the New Political Landscape of France 69
Mitterrand (François) and France in the 1980s and 1990s 72
Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon I) and the First Empire 73
Napoleon III and the Second Empire 75
Robespierre (Maximilien) and the French Revolution 77
Sarkozy (Nicolas) and the Hyper Presidency 78
Selected Bibliography 79
Chapter 3 Government and Politics 87
Overview 87
Center 90
Constitutional Council 92
Counterterrorism 93
Elections 95
European Union 96
Far Right 98
Judicial System 99
Left 102
Military 105
Parliament 106
Presidency and Executive Branch 107
Protests 109
Republic 111
Right 114
Selected Bibliography 116
Chapter 4 Economy 123
Overview 123
Agriculture 127
Budget, Debt, and Taxes 129
Energy 130
Financial Sector 131
Innovation and Startups 134
Labor Relations 136
Luxury Goods 139
Major Industries 140
Public Sector and Privatization 142
Social Security and Healthcare 144
Tourism 148
Trade 149
Unemployment 150
Selected Bibliography 152
Chapter 5 Religion and Thought 157
Overview 157
Catholicism 159
Islam 161
Judaism 164
Laïcité 166
Philosophy (Contemporary) 168
Philosophy (Traditional) 171
Protestantism 176
Rationalism and Universalism 177
Selected Bibliography 179
Chapter 6 Social Class and Ethnicity 185
Overview 185
Arabs 189
Blacks 191
Bourgeoisie and Middle Class 193
Immigration 195
Income Distribution and Inequality 199
Nobility 201
Poverty and Homelessness 202
Refugee Crisis 204
Senior Citizens and Elderly 204
Suburbs 206
Working Class 207
Selected Bibliography 209
Chapter 7 Gender, Sexuality, Marriage, and Family 215
Overview 215
Attitudes toward Sex 218
Child Raising Practices 220
Feminism and Women's Rights 222
Gender Equality and Sexual Harassment 224
Kinship and Family Structures 226
LGBTQ+ Community 229
Marriage, Divorce, Civil Unions, and Cohabitation Today 232
Marriage Traditions 234
Selected Bibliography 236
Chapter 8 Education 241
Overview 241
Early Childhood Education and Elementary Schools 245
Erasmus and International Educational Exchange in France 247
Grandes Écoles 249
Private Schools 251
Republicanism and Public Schools 253
Secondary Schools 255
Universities and Higher Education 259
Selected Bibliography 265
Chapter 9 Language 269
Overview 269
Académie Françhise 272
Francophonie 273
Language Laws and Policies 275
Regional and Minority Languages, Dialects, and Varieties of French 278
Sexism and Gender Bias in French 282
Selected Bibliography 283
Chapter 10 Etiquette 287
Overview 287
Formal vs. Informal Forms of Address 289
Greeting Strangers, Acquaintances, Friends, and Family Members 290
Hosting and Gift Giving 292
Privacy and Personal Space 294
Social Hierarchies 297
Social Importance of Good Manners 298
Table Etiquette and Dinner Parties 300
Workplace Etiquette and Customer Relations 302
Selected Bibliography 303
Chapter 11 Literature and Drama 307
Overview 307
Eighteenth-Century Literature 309
Houellebecq (Michel) and the Recent French Novel 310
Literary Avant-Garde, 1950-1980 313
Literary Criticism and French Theory 314
Nobel Prize Laureates in Literature: J. M. G. Le Clézio and Patrick Modiano 316
Novel in the Nineteenth Century 318
Poetry (Modern and Contemporary) 320
Reza (Yasmina) and Recent French Theatre 322
Seventeenth-Century Theatre 324
Twentieth-Century Literature through Mid-Century (Novel and Theatre) 325
Selected Bibliography 327
Chapter 12 Art and Architecture 331
Overview 331
Contemporary Architecture 337
Contemporary Art 339
Fashion 343
French Cinema I (through the Nouvelle Vague) 345
French Cinema II (since the Nouvelle Vague) 347
Gothic Cathedrals 349
Impressionism 351
Loire Valley Châteaux 353
Ministry of Culture 354
Modern Architecture 356
Modern Art and the School of Paris 357
Versailles 359
Selected Bibliography 361
Chapter 13 Music and Dance 367
Overview 367
Chanson 369
Classical Music 373
Dance 377
Fête de la Musique 379
Folk Music 379
Jazz 381
Opera 382
Rock, Pop, and Rap 384
Selected Bibliography 387
Chapter 14 Food 391
Overview 391
Bread 393
Cheese 396
Food Quality, Organic Products, and GMO Resistance 397
Gastronomy 398
Regional Culinary Traditions 400
Shopping for Food 403
Wine 405
Selected Bibliography 408
Chapter 15 Leisure and Sports 413
Overview 413
Books and Reading 415
Cafés 417
Holidays 419
Movies 422
Museums 423
Outdoor Pastimes 424
Sports 426
Tour de France 429
Vacations 430
Selected Bibliography 432
Chapter 16 Media and Popular Culture 437
Overview 437
Internet, Social Media, and Video Games 440
Pop Culture Icons 443
Press 446
Radio 449
Television 450
Selected Bibliography 452
Appendix A A Day in the Life 457
A Day in the Life of a Café Owner 457
A Day in the Life of a High School Student 458
A Day in the Life of a Winegrower 459
A Day in the Life of a Working Mother 460
Appendix B Glossary of Key Terms 463
Appendix C Facts and Figures 485
Appendix D Holidays 493
Index 497
