M. Lanson’s History, and an excellent table of critical and biographical studies is appended to each volume of M. Lintilhac’s Histoire de la Littérature Francaise. M. Lintilhac, however, omits many important English and German titles—among others, if I am not mistaken, those of Birsch-Hirschfeld'’s Geschichte der Franadsichen Litteratur: die Zeit der Renaissance, of Lotheissen’s im- portant Geschichte der Franzisichen Litteratur im XVII. Jahrhundert, and of Professor Knight’s learned Philo- sophy of History (1893).
M. Lanson’s work has been of great service in guiding me in the arrangement of my subjects, and in giving me courage to omit many names of the second or third rank which might he expected to appear in a history of French literature. In a volume like the present, selection is important, and 1 have erred more by inclusion than by exclusion. The limitation of space has made me desire to say no word that does not tend to bring out something essential or characteristic.
M. Lanson has ventured to trace French literature to the present moment. I have thought it wiser to close my survey with the decline of the romantic movement. With the rise of naturalism a new period opens. The literature of recent years is rather a subject for current criticism than for historical study.
I cannot say how often I have been indebted to the writings of M. Brunetitre, M. Faguet, M. Larroumet, M. Paul Stapfer, and other living critics; to each of the volumes of Les Grands Ecrivains Francais, and to many of the volumes of the Classigues Populaires. M. Lintilhac’s
