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BEING

AN ADVANCED FRENCH READER;

CONTAINING

SELECTIONS FROM THE PRINCIPAL CLASSICAL FRENCH POETS AND PROSE
WRITERS DURING THE PAST TWO HUNDRED YEARS; OR FROM

THE AGE OF LOUIS XIV. TO THE PRESENT DAY, WITH
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE AUTHORS; THE
WHOLE CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED;

FORMING A BRIEF

COMPENDIUM OF FRENCH LITERATURE.

ALSO A TREATISE UPON

FRENCH VERSIFICATION,

AND

NOTES UPON THE SELECTIONS, EXPLANATORY AND CRITICAL.

BY

EDWARD H. MAGILL, A. M.,

PROFESSOR OF ANCIENT AND MODERN LANGUAGES IN SWARTHMORE COLLEGE, PA.
AUTHOR OF "A FRENCH GRAMMAR," "AN INTRODUCTORY
FRENCH READER," ETC., ETC.

NEW YORK:

WOOLWORTH, AINSWORTH, AND COMPANY,

51, 53, & 55 JOHN STREET.

LLEG

Jul 15, 1936,

LIBRARY

Ida H. Adamus.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by

EDWARD H. MAGILL,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

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PREFACE.

THIS Volume of selections has been prepared as a sequel to the author's "Introductory French Reader." As it is more especially designed for the use of pupils who have made considerable progress in the study of the French language, no attempt has been made to adopt a progressive arrangement, either with reference to the nature of the subjects treated, or the difficulties which the style presents; it was deemed of more importance to introduce the authors in chronological order, that the introductory notices and the selections might together form a brief outline of the history of French literature during the past two hundred years.

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Many excellent teachers have of late adopted the practice, when giving instruction in a foreign tongue, of introducing the pupils, very early in their course, to the study of some entire work of a single author, instead of a compilation of selections from various sources, like the present course which cannot be too strongly deprecated. What judicious teacher would adopt such a method in giving instruction in his own language? Think of rejecting our excellent school Readers, which present us choice specimens of English prose and poetry, to which we always revert in after life with the greatest pleasure, and which have doubtless served, however unconsciously to ourselves, as models upon which

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(iii)

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