The literature of Renaissance-era France was reborn in a new form. Poems, stories, and plays performed the same way for centuries were replaced by newer, more innovative forms that have endured until now. Masterpieces like Michel de Montaigne's Essays and François Rabelais's Gargantuan and Pantagruel, two of the greatest works in French literature, were written during this time. French literature, or the body of works written in French and created inside the current borders of the French state. After the Romans conquered Western Europe, five major Romance languages branched off from Vulgar Latin. French was one of them. France has been at the forefront of Europe's intellectual scene since the middle Ages. Throughout history, its writers and language have had an impact far beyond its borders, even if we can compare no single individual from its literary tradition to the likes of Dante or Shakespeare. The term "French literature" is used to describe works published in French, usually by French authors, but it can also include works produced in other regional languages spoken in France.

• Northwestern University
• University of Notre Dame
• Amherst College
• Georgetown University
• Villanova University
• Washington and Lee University
• Columbia University in the City of New York
• Vanderbilt University
• Duke University
• Bucknell University

• Amherst College Curriculam
• University of Notre Dame Curriculam
• Northwestern University Curriculam
• Bucknell University Curriculam
• Duke University Curriculam
• Vanderbilt University Curriculam
• Columbia University in the City of New York Curriculam
• Washington and Lee University Curriculam
• Villanova University Curriculam
• Georgetown University Curriculam